Mark Bittman

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Pasta with Eggs and Cheese

Think of this as Italian comfort food; add bacon and you get classic carbonara.

Pasta with Garlic and Oil

An absolute classic, destined to be one of your favorites.

Clam Chowder

The real deal from New England, with fresh clams of course.

Question Mark: It’s a Wild, Wild Rice

We love hearing from our community, and there’s nothing better than sparking real conversations around your questions. This week: replacing nonstick with cast iron (really?!), the actual wildness of wild rice, and clever ways to use popcorn.

Caramel Popcorn Bars

As sweet, crunchy, and addictive as caramel corn. Adding marshmallows to the caramel holds it together, making it even easier to eat.

Hot and Sour Soup

Lots of black pepper and rice vinegar give this popular soup its signature kick.

Barley Soup with Hearty Greens

Bites of chewiness combined with bites of silkiness make for perfect texture.

Creamy Potato and Leek Soup

You can use this recipe as a model for just about any creamy vegetable soup.

Corn Chowder with Cheddar

Wonderfully gooey and flavorful, with crunch.

Chicken Stock and Chicken Noodle Soup

Yes, from scratch. Yes, you can do it. Yes, it will be worth the work.

Eating Behind Bars

Like every other aspect of life in prison, the food is dreary, monotonous and, with few exceptions, relentlessly bad. It bears little resemblance in color, aroma, taste, and texture to real food. Describing meals in the Northeastern facility where he is incarcerated, Joshua says, “There is no one here who would eat this three times a day by choice or feed it to their family on the outside,” capturing the general sentiment among those who have spent time in prison.

Full-Flavored Vegetable Stock

It’s almost too simple: Just throw everything in a pot and go do something else.

Smoky Red Bean Soup

The smokiness comes from ham hocks. And all you do is get the pot bubbling, then walk away.

Lentil Soup

One of my all-time favorite weekend lunches, ready in less than an hour.

Soup, but Make It a Full-Blown Meal

This is the time of year when I make the case that soups from scratch can be as fast and easy as a big salad—and can even more easily be turned into a full, satisfying meal: Just add eggs. Here are six ideas for using eggs in soup, followed by three recipes to demonstrate some of those hacks, all of them for soups that are ready to eat in less than 45 minutes.

Beans and Greens Soup with Fried Egg

For soup that eats like hearty stew, the greens-and-beans combination always delivers, especially when topped with a fried egg. This is what I call a “universal” recipe—one that works for virtually any bean or green. If you make the beans from scratch, terrific; but with the aromatic vegetables here, canned can be just as flavorful.

Spiced Wintertime Tomato Soup with Hard Boiled Eggs

Here’s the easiest, creamiest homemade tomato soup ever. Each bite brightens the chilliest days—or nights—with a touch of warm spice. And it’s super adaptable: Whole tomatoes you puree yourself deliver rich body and flavor, but crushed or diced are fine in a pinch, and you can skip that step if you want a chunkier soup. You pick the spice, too—curry or chili powder both do the trick. To make this a meal in a bowl, nestle in a hard-boiled egg, done to your liking. And for an even heartier version, add a cup or so of cooked rice just before serving and stir until piping hot.

Egg Drop Soup with Lots of Toppings

The technique for creating wisps of silky eggs in liquid is a simple way to add protein and body to basic broths. Then, to make it a meal, top with as many extras as you like. Some ideas: shredded rotisserie chicken, leftover grilled or roasted vegetables, crumbled crackers, or a few drops of your favorite hot sauce.

Minestrone

Learn the basic formula of this Italian classic, then vary the vegetables at will.

Tomato Soup

Not only way better than canned, but one of the best (and fastest) soups you can make.