File 001

Recipes

Dinners, desserts, and family favorites, written out step by step.

Dinner 16

Baked ziti in a glass baking dish, topped with meat sauce and shredded cheese

Dinner

Baked Ziti

A big, crowd-sized baked ziti layered with a beef and sausage meat sauce, provolone, mozzarella, and a creamy sour cream and cottage cheese middle.

Make AheadCrowd

1 hr 30 min Serves 12

Dinner

Beef and Broccoli

An easy one-pan, 30-minute stir fry of tender flank steak and crisp broccoli in a glossy ginger-garlic soy sauce. Best over steamy white rice.

30 min Serves 4

Dinner

Chicken Cheesesteak Skillet

A cheesesteak without the roll: strips of chicken thigh, bell peppers, onion, and mushrooms cooked in one skillet and smothered in melted mozzarella. About 420 calories.

Low Calorie

30 min Serves 1

Dinner

Chicken Enchiladas

One big chicken enchilada for one: sautéed chicken, onion, and grape tomatoes rolled in a soft tortilla, topped with enchilada sauce and cheddar, and baked. About 520 calories.

Low Calorie

40 min Serves 1

Chicken cutlets and mushrooms in Marsala sauce in an electric skillet

Dinner

Chicken Marsala

Thin, pan-fried chicken breasts in a sweet Marsala wine and mushroom sauce, served over mashed potatoes. Easy enough for a weeknight, nice enough for company.

45 min Serves 4

Dinner

Chicken Pot Pie

A from-scratch chicken pot pie with carrots, peas, and celery in a creamy, lightly seasoned sauce, baked between two flaky crusts.

Make Ahead

1 hr 20 min Serves 8

Dinner

Easy Egg Roll in a Bowl

Six ingredients, one pan, one serving: lean ground turkey and shredded cabbage with sesame seeds and hot sauce. About 350 calories.

Low CalorieQuick

16 min Serves 1

Dinner

Easy Goulash

Classic American goulash: ground beef, macaroni, and tomatoes simmered in one pot with Italian seasoning, then finished with melted cheddar.

35 min Serves 10

Dinner

Egg Roll in a Bowl

The full takeout flavor of an egg roll without the wrapper: ground pork, cabbage, and carrots in a sesame-hoisin sauce. Feeds 4, in one skillet and 20 minutes.

Low CalorieQuick

20 min Serves 4

Dinner

Hearty Six-Can Chili

Ground beef, two kinds of beans, and tomatoes, mostly straight from the pantry. One pot and about 50 minutes.

Make Ahead

50 min Serves 8

Dinner

Italian Meatballs & Sauce

Tender beef and pork meatballs, browned and baked, then simmered in a slow, chunky tomato sauce rich with garlic, herbs, Parmesan, and butter.

Make Ahead

2 hr 15 min Serves 8

Dinner

Lamb & Feta Meatballs

Greek-style beef and lamb meatballs with feta, lemon zest, oregano, cumin, and coriander, baked and served with tzatziki.

Quick

30 min Serves 4

Rectangular lavash pizza with pepperoni and melted mozzarella on parchment

Dinner

Lavash Bread Pizza

A thin, crispy pizza on lavash flatbread with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, and turkey pepperoni. About 350 calories for the whole thing.

Low CalorieQuick

20 min Serves 1

Dinner

Meat Lasagna

A hearty 9x13 lasagna layered with spicy sausage and beef sauce, creamy ricotta and five-cheese filling, and no-boil noodles under a browned cheese top.

Make AheadCrowd

1 hr 35 min Serves 12

Dinner

Mississippi Pot Roast

A slow cooker chuck roast with ranch seasoning, butter, and pepperoncini that cooks all day into tender, tangy, shreddable beef.

Slow Cooker

8 hr 15 min Serves 6

Dinner

Veggie Lasagna

A meatless 9x13 lasagna with lightly sautéed zucchini, summer squash, and mushrooms layered between seasoned tomato sauce and a creamy ricotta filling.

Make AheadCrowdVegetarian

1 hr 40 min Serves 12

Soup 6

Soup

French Onion Soup

Buttery, slow-simmered onion soup made easy with canned consommé, ladled over croutons and broiled under a blanket of melted Parmesan.

1 hr 30 min Serves 6

Soup

Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini

A hearty soup of sweet Italian sausage, tomatoes, red wine, and vegetables, with tender cheese tortellini added at the end.

1 hr 35 min Serves 8

Creamy lobster bisque simmering in a steel pot

Soup

Lobster Bisque

Contents redacted. Level 4 clearance required to open this file.

Classified

Soup

Pasta Fagioli Soup

An Olive Garden copycat loaded with ground beef, vegetables, two kinds of beans, and little ditalini pasta in an herby tomato broth.

50 min Serves 6

Soup

White Chicken Chili

A creamy, warming chili with rotisserie chicken, cannellini beans, green chilies, and corn. A lighter change from beef chili.

Make AheadSpicy

50 min Serves 6

Soup

Zuppa Toscana

An Olive Garden copycat: Italian sausage, potatoes, kale, and bacon in a creamy, peppery broth.

1 hr Serves 4–6

Side 4

Side

Broccoli Casserole with Ritz Crackers

Tender broccoli in melted Velveeta, topped with sharp cheddar and a crunchy buttered Ritz cracker crust. Even picky eaters ask for seconds.

Make AheadVegetarian

45 min Serves 10

Side

Corn Soufflé

The easy holiday corn casserole: corn muffin mix, two kinds of canned corn, butter, and sour cream baked until set, golden, and spoonable.

Vegetarian

1 hr Serves 8

Side

Fruit Salad

A big summer bowl of pineapple, watermelon, berries, grapes, and mandarin oranges, cut bite-size and tossed in a splash of mandarin juice.

QuickCrowdVegetarian

30 min Serves 20

Appetizer 7

Appetizer

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Jalapeño halves stuffed with a creamy cheddar filling, wrapped in bacon, and baked until crisp. The perfect party appetizer.

CrowdSpicy

50 min Serves 12

Appetizer

Chicken Wonton Tacos

An Applebee's copycat: honey-garlic chicken and a tangy sesame slaw piled into crispy baked wonton shells.

40 min Serves 4

Appetizer

Grape Jelly Meatballs

The classic three-ingredient party meatballs: frozen meatballs slow-cooked in a sweet and tangy grape jelly and chili sauce glaze.

CrowdSlow Cooker

4 hr 5 min Serves 15

Appetizer

Jalapeño Cheese Dip

A creamy, cheesy jalapeño and green chili dip baked in a sourdough bread bowl. Always the first thing gone at a cookout.

VegetarianSpicy

40 min Serves 8

Appetizer

Jalapeño Popper Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs with a kick: a creamy cream cheese filling with jalapeño, garlic, and crispy bacon.

QuickCrowdSpicy

30 min Serves 20

Appetizer

RO*TEL Famous Queso Dip

The classic two-ingredient party dip: melted Velveeta and RO*TEL tomatoes with green chilies. Creamy, cheesy, a little spicy, and done in 10 minutes.

QuickCrowdVegetarianSpicy

10 min Serves 20

Appetizer

Veggie Squares

A crowd-sized party tray: crescent roll crust, ranch cream cheese spread, and finely chopped fresh vegetables pressed under shredded cheese.

Make AheadCrowdVegetarian

1 hr 35 min Serves 24

Breakfast 3

Golden-brown loaf of banana bread in a stoneware pan

Breakfast

Banana Bread

A moist, brown sugar banana bread made with overripe bananas, with optional mini chocolate chips.

Vegetarian

1 hr 20 min Serves 12

Breakfast

Basic Crêpes

Thin, tender crêpes from ingredients you already have, ready in minutes. Fill them sweet or savory.

QuickVegetarian

30 min Serves 4

Golden cottage cheese bagels topped with everything seasoning

Breakfast

Cottage Cheese Bagels

Four-ingredient, high-protein bagels made from blended cottage cheese and flour, brushed with egg and topped with everything bagel seasoning.

Low CalorieVegetarian

35 min Serves 4

Dessert 12

Dessert

Almond Raspberry Cookies

Thumbprint cookies from store-bought sugar cookie dough, with chopped almonds, a dab of raspberry jam, and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Crowd

50 min Serves 48

Dessert

Apple Pie by Grandma Ople

Tart Granny Smith apples under a lattice crust, with a buttery brown sugar sauce poured over the top that bakes into a glossy, caramelized finish.

1 hr 30 min Serves 8

Dessert

Cannoli Dip

All the filling of a cannoli, none of the work: sweet whipped ricotta and cream cheese with mini chocolate chips, served with broken waffle cones.

Quick

10 min Serves 8

Dessert

Crack Cake

A cinnamon-spiced bundt cake from a boxed mix and vanilla pudding, soaked while hot with a buttery white-wine sugar glaze. Dangerously addictive.

Crowd

1 hr 5 min Serves 16

Sheet cake with fluffy white icing and blue, green and black sprinkles in a glass baking dish

Dessert

Famous Chocolate Cake

Contents redacted. Level 4 clearance required to open this file.

Classified

Dessert

Fruit Pizza

A sugar cookie crust spread with sweet vanilla cream cheese, topped with kiwi, strawberries, and blueberries, and glazed with apple jelly.

Crowd

2 hr 10 min Serves 12

Dessert

Grasshopper Pie

Grandma's classic frozen mint pie: a fluffy, minty-green marshmallow filling in a chocolate Oreo crust.

Make Ahead

3 hr 45 min Serves 8

Dessert

Homemade Whipped Cream

Two ingredients and five minutes to real whipped cream, for pies, shortcakes, and anything else that needs a dollop.

Quick

5 min Serves 12

Dessert

Jello Poke Cake

A boxed white cake poked full of holes, soaked with strawberry Jell-O, chilled, and topped with whipped topping. Cool, creamy, and bright pink inside.

Make AheadCrowd

3 hr 50 min Serves 15

Dessert

Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies

Soft, spiced molasses cookies rolled in sugar, the kind that taste like grandma's gingerbread.

Crowd

2 hr 5 min Serves 36

Dessert

Strawberry Pastry Puffs

Crisp puff pastry squares with an almond-sugar top, split and filled with fresh strawberries and whipped topping.

Crowd

1 hr 3 min Serves 12

Dessert

Whoopie Pies

Soft little chocolate cakes sandwiched around a fluffy, old-fashioned cooked-flour vanilla filling.

Crowd

1 hr 36 min Serves 36

Sauce 3

Glass dish of cocktail sauce on a granite counter

Sauce

Cocktail Sauce

Ketchup, sweet chili sauce, and horseradish stirred together: sweet, tangy, and a little hot. Ready in five minutes.

QuickVegetarian

5 min Serves 7

Sauce

Tomato Sauce

A slow-simmered, chunky tomato sauce with garlic, red pepper, oregano, basil, and mint, finished with Parmesan and butter.

Make AheadVegetarian

1 hr 45 min Serves 8

Sauce

Tzatziki Sauce

Cool, creamy Greek yogurt sauce with grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and fresh dill. Even better after a night in the fridge.

QuickVegetarian

15 min Serves 8