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Skillet Meat Loaf

Flattening out meat loaf to cook it in a skillet reduces cooking time and also dramatically increases the surface area to maximize crunch. I’ll go ahead and say it: faster, better, revolutionary. Serve with Dressed Cooked Vegetables or Steamed Vegetables and warm bread or rolls. Or make a batch of Skin-On Mashed Potatoes And the leftovers make a couple terrific sandwiches.

By Mark Bittman Published March 30, 2025

Salmon Sandwiches with Peanut Vinaigrette

The sandwich for salmon lovers, not burger lovers. Please use a wild-caught variety. Or you can use another type of fish (see the last variation) with the peanut vinaigrette or any of the sauces in the variations.

By Mark Bittman Published March 29, 2025

Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Bonbons

Based on one of the most popular recipes from the first edition, now with more variations. Imagine what would happen if you rolled a peanut butter cup into a ball—one that you don’t care much about being perfectly round. If you have a few extra minutes, before freezing, roll them in finely chopped peanuts or unsweetened shredded coconut (the finest stuff you can find).

By Mark Bittman Published March 29, 2025

Rice Bowl with Sausage and Fennel

In the Japanese tradition of chirashi, bowls of sushi rice have all sorts of ingredient combinations scattered on top. This one is not at all Japanese but is inspired by that concept, and the flavors can go in all sorts of directions; see the variations.

By Mark Bittman Published March 28, 2025

Rice, Beans, and Greens

Adding rice to the classic beans-and-greens equation—with a simple “backwards-pilaf” technique—takes the dish from soupy to fluffy. You can go with my suggestions or use whatever beans you have handy. One nuance: If you like your beans more intact than broken, cook the rice first, then toss the beans in with the cheese, just long enough to warm them.

By Mark Bittman Published March 28, 2025

Quinoa Puttanesca with Parmesan Cheese

Noodle casseroles like mac and cheese and baked ziti are beloved, yet grain casseroles still haven’t hit the mainstream. This recipe sets the example: Start with something familiar—here, a classic Italian pasta sauce—and adapt it for grains.

By Mark Bittman Published March 28, 2025

It’s a Good Idea, and People Still Like It

Pasta primavera, which means “springtime pasta,” first appeared on the menu at Le Cirque in the 1970s, and Sirio Maccioni, that restaurant’s owner, was quoted in 1991 in the New York Times saying, “It seemed like a good idea and people still like it.”

By Mark Bittman Published March 26, 2025

Potato and Spinach Saag

Saag, an Indian stew of spinach and aromatics, develops a luxurious flavor and texture from simmering with ghee (a kind of toasted clarified butter) and sometimes cream. To quicken the pace while retaining as much of that silkiness as possible, I go with straight butter and more cream. The potatoes lend their starch to the sauce, which thickens it even further. You’ll want some kind of rice (page 496) or bread to sop it up.

By Mark Bittman Published March 25, 2025

Potato Rösti with Warmed Apples

Potato pancakes with applesauce make an indulgent but somehow light meal, and they’re a lot more accessible when you cook one giant pancake instead of many little ones. This recipe is based on what they do in Switzerland, where rösti are beloved. To make this heartier, top with fried or poached eggs or ribbons of cold-smoked salmon and sour cream. Or serve it as dinner for two instead of four. I’m happiest with something green on the side like a salad or spinach.

By Mark Bittman Published March 25, 2025

Poached Chicken and Asparagus with Lemon Aïoli

I’m always looking for excuses to eat mayonnaise. Here’s a semi-fancy dinner that combines two techniques in one pot: While the chicken poaches in herbed water, asparagus steams on top. And yes, both components pair well with this lemony shortcut aïoli.

By Mark Bittman Published March 25, 2025

Pasta e Fagioli

This quick take on the Italian classic is stew-like, thick with vegetables, beans, and pasta in every bite. You can omit the parsley, but don’t skimp on the Parmesan or olive oil. If you’ve got leftover pasta or noodles in the fridge, go ahead and use them, even if they’re lightly sauced in a flavor-compatible way. Figure 2 to 3 cups cooked pasta and then reduce the stock or water to 4 cups.

By Mark Bittman Published March 24, 2025

Pasta with Brussels Sprouts, Chicken, and Blue Cheese

Talk about efficiency: The Brussels sprouts and chicken roast undisturbed while the pasta cooks, leaving you with the garnishes, setting the table, and pouring drinks. And cleanup is a breeze.

By Mark Bittman Published March 24, 2025

Pasta or Noodles, Plain (or Tossed with Butter or Oil)

You probably don’t need a recipe for cooking pasta, but here it is the fastest way I know—the trick being to use the bare minimum amount of water. Boiling the water takes longer than the actual cooking, so be sure to get that going before you start anything else.

By Mark Bittman Published March 24, 2025

Pan-Seared Tuna with Ginger-Scallion Snow Peas

Tuna is pricey and can be iffy, quality- and environmentally-wise. So when you can get your hands on a sustainable variety and it’s gorgeous—brightly colored, the flake tight rather than gaping, and it doesn’t look slick or shiny—it’s time to sear it to eat rare on a bed of gingery vegetables. If you want rice on the side, start that first.

By Mark Bittman Published March 21, 2025

Pan-Seared Corn With or Without Pork

Skillet-charred fresh corn kernels are fantastic. But you can easily combine them with crisp bits of pork shoulder and the boldness of chiles for something more substantial. With frozen corn, this comes together even faster; figure you’ll need 3 to 4 cups (two 10-ounce bags). Serve with chopped salad in the same bowl and you have a meal.

By Mark Bittman Published March 18, 2025

Is MAHA Real?

Should we take seriously RFK’s professed intent to make our food healthier?

By Mark Bittman Published March 17, 2025

One-Pot Pasta Pesto with Cherry Tomatoes

Part pesto, part salsa cruda—and all rustic tomato sauce. Timed to come together in one pot without outrageous stirring. Basil is of course the classic pesto herb, but you can always substitute parsley or arugula; or use a combination, in which case a few mint leaves are a nice addition, too. To skip the tomatoes, simply double the pesto.

By Mark Bittman Published March 17, 2025

Skillet Meat Loaf

Flattening out meat loaf to cook it in a skillet reduces cooking time and also dramatically increases the surface area to maximize crunch. I’ll go ahead and say it: faster, better, revolutionary. Serve with Dressed Cooked Vegetables or Steamed Vegetables and warm bread or rolls. Or make a batch of Mashed Potatoes. And the leftovers make a couple terrific sandwiches.

By Mark Bittman Published March 16, 2025

Clam (or Mussel) Chowder

Since seafood brings the briny character of the ocean to the pot—and there are lots of vegetables here too—all you need is water, not stock, to make this soup. Fish or chicken stock will change the flavor to be less like the ocean; that may be what you want. For a more elegant presentation, fish the clams or mussels out of the pot before serving, discard the shells, and return the seafood to the chowder.

By Mark Bittman Published March 15, 2025

Oats for Dinner, Four Ways

Take steel-cut oats in a savory direction—with vegetables, fruits, nuts, even canned fish or anything you like, really—and you’ve got a one-dish meal with an unbeatable fluffy creaminess. The generously seasoned cooking liquid adds yet another dimension with deep background flavors.

By Mark Bittman Published March 15, 2025