Vegetarian

This 10-minute, vegetarian meal is happily reminiscent of a Welsh rabbit, a Reuben sandwich and nachos. Toast slices of bread under the broiler, then top with the fermented trio of sauerkraut, pickled jalapeños and Cheddar. After a few minutes under the broiler, the cheese bubbles and crisps and the cabbage warms and mellows. The sauerkraut provides plenty of vegetables and, along with the jalapeño, tames the richness of the cheese. Adapt as you wish: Smear mustard or horseradish on the bread or trade the sauerkraut for kimchi.

Keep a package or two of frozen dumplings in your freezer for this warming weeknight meal. This recipe is loosely inspired by wonton noodle soup, but replaces homemade wontons with store-bought frozen dumplings for a quick alternative. The soup base, which comes together in just 10 minutes, is surprisingly rich and full-bodied, thanks to the trio of ginger, garlic and turmeric. Miso paste brings extra savoriness, but you could substitute soy sauce or tamari. Scale up on veggies if you like; carrots, peas, snow peas or mushrooms would be excellent additions.

Similar to spanakorizo, a Greek spinach and rice dish, this easy, meatless meal features orzo, spinach, peas and scallions. It is deeply satisfying but still on the lighter side of pasta recipes, thanks to all those vegetables. A little feta gives it creaminess and tang, while some lemon zest brightens everything up. It makes a complete meal on its own, or, if you’re looking for something more substantial, serve this as a hearty side dish to roasted meats or fish.

Inspired by a kale salad my mom enjoyed at a restaurant called True Food Kitchen, I knew I had to make my own dairy-free version as soon as I was back in my kitchen. The key to this salad is finely chopping (or shredding) the kale. The lemon-garlic dressing will coat each and every tiny piece of kale, working its magical softening powers and infusing the shredded kale with so much flavour. I prefer to use Lacinato (or dinosaur) kale in this salad because it's much more delicate than traditional curly kale and it has a milder flavour.

No need for a giant 13 by 9-inch casserole dish (not to mention endless leftovers). These scaled-down enchiladas come together in a single pan. We created a smoky, gravy-like sauce by combining chili powder, tomato paste, shallots, flour (for thickening), and broth for some sweet and earthy flavors. We made the sauce in the skillet, set aside a portion of it, and then built the whole dish on top of the remaining sauce, nestling cheese-filled tortillas into the thick, spicy goodness.

Our pasta cacio e uova, or pasta with cheese and eggs, comes together quickly. We gently heated crushed garlic cloves in lard while the water for the pasta came to a boil. And while the fat became infused with the garlic's flavor, we stirred together Pecorino Romano, Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, and parsley. We drained the pasta and tossed it with the oil, which provided a subtly sweet, nutty toasted garlic flavor, as well as 1 tablespoon of the pasta cooking water and the egg-and-cheese mixture.

Barley makes a nutty, toothsome risotto-like dish when cooked with the right amount of liquid. For flavor and to make the grain into a satisfying meal, we use sautéed cremini mushrooms as a base, wilt in baby kale (or spinach or arugula) at the end, then top it all off with a pungent cheese. To make prep go a little quicker, look for sliced cremini mushrooms in the market.

Sturdy greens such as kale can be leathery and tough if not cooked long enough. But a gentle simmer gives kale time to become tender and sweet, and to meld with other ingredients. That’s why it tastes so good when we wilt an entire pound in a Portuguese-style soupy rice dish with chopped tomatoes.

This one-pot pasta comes together in minutes, and requires zero prep and minimal cleanup. It builds on the classic combination of pasta, butter and cheese with a spoonful of miso paste for complexity. But you could experiment with using any other condiments or spices you have on hand, such as red pesto, curry paste or ground turmeric in place of the miso. To achieve a silky smooth pasta, you’ll need to put your cacio e pepe skills to work: Vigorously toss the pasta, grated cheese and pasta water together to achieve a properly emulsified sauce.

In 1990, Consumer Reports published a recipe for chili that became a classic. (You can still find raves about it online today.) We recently gave it a nutritional upgrade, cutting back on the sodium and using leaner meat. The recipe hues to the basic formula of meat, tomatoes, spices, and beans, and this recipe is the  meatless version to eliminate the saturated fat and increase the fiber. You can eat this chili right after it has cooked, but keep in mind that chili is often more flavorful on the second day, after the ingredients have a chance to blend overnight.