Creamy White Chili
Difficulty: easy
This is one of my favorite soup recipes, because it's easy to make and always tastes great. It's creamy and spiced and very comforting and filling. You can swap out various ingredients as you prefer (I usually substitute a can of corn for one of the cans of beans). A great cold-weather meal!
Roasted Red Pepper Panini with Cilantro-Lime Mayo
Difficulty: easy
This sandwich is bursting with fresh flavor! I love to have it in the spring or summer when I can get fresh tomatoes and arrugula and cilantro. I don't own a panini maker, but I usually just toast it in a pan for a few minutes on each side and that works great. It's pretty messy to eat, but so worth it.
Pork and Cabbage Dumplings (Chinese Jiaozi)
Difficulty: medium skill, high time
Everyone loves Chinese jiaozi, right? They're very flexibe, since you can prepare them boiled, steamed, or fried, and you can choose your own fillings. Personally, this recipe includes my favorite filling combo: pork and cabbage, and I like to eat them boiled. These are not difficult to make in terms of skill, since you just mix the fillings, let them sit (I do overnight if I can), and then fill the wrappers, though there is a learning curve to making the final product attractive as well as properly sealed. The hardest part of this recipe is that it takes a long time to wrap each individual dumpling, so I recommend enlisting a friend or family member to help. Once you've prepared them all, though, you can freeze them and have them ready to boil/fry any time you want! I also like to make my own dipping sauce for them out of black chinese vinegar, soy sauce, and chili garlic paste. Yum!
Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken
Difficulty: easy
This dish always feels a bit decadent to me. The sweetness of the honey (I always add a bit more than the recipe calls for) and the saltiness of the bacon (definitely also more than the recipe calls for) in the cream sauce make for a rich flavor. It's not hard to make, though I do think it takes a bit longer than the listed 30 minutes. However, I also usually make a veggie side to go with it, to balance out the richness. Roasted broccoli or sweet potatoes are my go-to's for sides.
Roasted Eggplant and Crispy Kale With Yogurt
Difficulty: easy
This is an amazingly refreshing summer dish that I found when looking for something to do with the specific veggies I was getting from the garden one summer: eggplant, tomatoes, cucumber, and kale. Eggplant can be hit or miss, but this recipe has to be one of my favorite ways to prepare it. I don't use mango poweder, so I just add extra cumin when roasting it, and it's so good that sometimes I skip the rest of this recipe and just make the roasted eggplant. But the tomatoes and cucumber yogurt really give it a fresh pop that I love. The biggest downside to this recipe is that you need to fry the kale fresh every time you eat if you want it to stay crispy. I usually just fry it all at the start and keep it in a sealed container for the next day, but it's always a bit stale by then. Perfectly fine, but the first batch is always best!
Creamy Skillet Tortellini with Sweet Potato and Spinach
Difficulty: easy
This is a simple go-to recipe for me. Easy to make, ingredients that won't go bad quickly (if you get the frozen spinach), healthy, and filling, this is an all around crowd pleaser! I always use cream instead of half and half, and dried rosemary is fine if you don't have fresh (though use half as much if you use dried). It sells itself as a fall recipe because of the sweet potatoes, but I think it's good at any time of year.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Difficulty: medium
This was my first forray into cooking indian food, and still a favorite of mine (thouch I acknowledge that I make it in a pretty American way). A delicious creamy, spicy sauce makes this a rich dish that is great over rice, with or without a side. One of the things that makes this a bit more challenging is the number of ingredients needed. I have a robust spice cabinet and most of the other ingredients are things I tend to have on hand, but I know that may not be true for everyone. The other tricky thing is that you're supposed to grill the chicken before mixing it into the sauce. My trick for this is that I'll put a metal rack (I use a cooling rack) over a pan and bake it in the oven until cooked through, broiling for the last couple of minutes, and this works nearly as well as grilling. I've also baked it wihout the rack before, but be warned that this usually results in the meat being more boiled than baked. Still tasty, though!
Upside-Down Banana Bread
Difficulty: medium
I found this when looking for a basic banana bread recipe, and was surprised to find it simpler than I thought it would be for something that comes out looking so fancy. Basically this is just a normal banana bread, but with slices of banana on the bottom of the pan and a caramel glaze to drizzle on top. I list it as medium difficulty because it does take a bit more time and effort than the basic recipe, but the individual components of the recipe are all very straightforward. A tasty dessert that will make you look very fancy!
Mac and Cheese
Difficulty: easy
Warning, this link is a YouTube video! It just happens to be the best mac and cheese recipe I've found (and I've tried a few), and the written recipe can be found in the video description. This is a great recipe for mac and cheese the way mom used to make it with a mix of Velveeta and real cheese for a creamy result. I often add sliced hotdogs, the way mom used to, but I've also enjoyed adding diced tomatoes for extra umami. Easy comfort food that lasts for several days of good leftovers!
Chairman Mao's Red Braised Pork Belly
Difficulty: hard
This is a really rich Chinese dish for those who love the fatty part of red meat. It's pretty time-consuming to make, but definitely worth it! It's also tricky to get some of the ingredients, including the pork belly. I get mine at the local asian market, but never see it at my regular grocery stores. It takes a long time because you have to blanch the pork first, then simmer it for an hour, but other than those time elements, it's not that technically difficult. Gives you plenty of time to make the sides while you simmer, though, because it's not enough for a meal on its own. Serve with rice and some kind of sauteed greens.
Lavender Tea Bread
Difficulty: medium
I found this recipe when we had a surplus of lavender in the garden one year. A simple dessert bread that is only a bit tricky because of the simmered milk and lavender that then has to cool before being mixed in with the rest of the ingredients. I use the leaves of the lavender, not the flowers. Sometimes I make lavender-infused icing and make cupcakes out of it, but usually I just make the bread and eat it lightly toased with butter.
Tomato Soup
Difficulty: easy
An easy and rich tomato soup recipe that's a go-to comfort food for me. I especially love to make it in the summer when I have fresh basil (I don't personally include the parsley), but it's good with frozen basil too. Creamy and tomato-y, it's great either on its own or with a grilled cheese or other sandwich.
Edible Cookie Dough
Difficulty: easy
My favorite recipe for when I'm in the mood for baked goods but not in the mood to bake. I often double this recipe because I go through it so fast. I do find that it's hard to get the sugar to dissolve, so it sometimes has a bit of a grainy texture, but always tasty. I measure the chocolate chips with my heart.
Bacon Brie Apricot Grilled Cheese
Difficulty: easy
Warning, this one is a Facebook video! It's very simple, though. Essentially it's just brie, bacon, and apricot preserves on bread grilled in a skillet. They butter the bread, but I often grill it in a bit of the leftover bacon grease instead, because why not. A deliciously melty and rich sandwich, though pretty messy to eat!
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Difficulty: easy
I found this recipe after several tries to find something similar to how my mom makes chicken and rice. I remembered the basics, but wanted a recipe to make sure to get the proportions and cook time right. I actually personally make several alterations on this basic template, though. For one, I tend to use whole chicken thighs or legs, bone in, instead of diced chicken. I also always chop and onion to add, and also sometime green pepper or mushrooms. But this recipe makes a good guide for how much rice, soup, and water to add and how long to cook. Make it your own!
Beef Stroganoff
Difficulty: easy
Another good comfort food that's pretty easy to whip up. I like to add mushrooms to this recipe too, if I have them, to make it a little extra savory. I always prefer to eat it over buttered egg noodles, which is why I've categorized this as a pasta dish, but I supposed you could eat it over rice or buttered cabbage too.
Shakshuka
Difficulty: easy
This is a basic Mediterranian recipe that this site makes sound fancy but is actually pretty simple. Because it's all just veggies and spices, you can include or exclude whatever suits your taste. The eggs give it a little something extra, but do make it harder to keep as leftovers, so this is a good one for an occasion where it will mostly get all eaten at once. A great way to use up extra veggies!
Steak with Creamy Garlic Parmesean Sauce
Difficulty: medium
I would never say a steak recipe is easy, because getting a steak just right is something that takes some practice, so you'll have to figure that part out on your own. This sauce is so good, though. So rich and cheesey, I'd eat it on just about anything. If you make this recipe, a side of bake broccoli or buttered cabbage or a baked potato go great with it because you can use the sauce on those veggies too, for a decadent and well-composed full meal.
Thai Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup
Difficulty: medium
I class this one as medium difficulty because some of the ingredients are harder to find and because it requires a blender or immersion blender. If you have all of those things, though, it's a pretty straight-forward recipe with a warm, comforting flavor and simple textures. The hint of curry and coconut with the sweet potato is a great combo that I hadn't previously considered, and the result is creamy and filling. Great recipe for fall or winter!
Creamy Lemon Parmesean Shrimp
Difficulty: easy
I don't have a seafood category because I don't acutally like seafood that much, but this recipe is one that I do like. I always love a creamy parmesean sauce and I love lemon in savory dishes and I love garlic, and this recipe has it all. It's pretty easy to prep the shrimp, and the result is not too fishy for me. I always serve over spaghetti. Good by itself or with a side of roasted veggies.
Chinese Hand-torn Cabbage
Difficulty: easy
Searched for this recipe to try and replicate a delicious dish I had in China, and though I can never get it to come out quite like the ones I remember, it's still a tasty dish. The hardest part is not overcooking the cabbage, so my two tips are to throw in the white stem parts first and only throw in the green leafy part at the last minute, and to cook fast on a high heat. But even if you overcook it, the flavors are tasty! A good side for a meat or noodle dish, or make it a meal on its own by adding bacon or pork belly.
Cranberry Wild Rice Pilaf
Difficulty: easy
I got a whole little cookbook of wild rice recipes, but this is the one I keep coming back to. Easy to make, tasty, and pretty filling. I can keep the ingredients on hand for a long time without them going bad, which makes it a great go-to for surprise potlucks. I do find that the wild rice takes longer to cook than the recipe implies, though, so I recommend cooking the wild rice in the broth in the first step for at least 20 min if not more before baking.
Hawaiian Pulled Chicken Sandwich
Difficulty: medium
This recipe requires an instant pot and a good ability to juggle preparing two parts of the dish at once, since you have to make both the chicken and the slaw. The result is a really nice pulled sandwich that makes a lot more servings than the recipe implies. I think last time I made it I used 12 buns and still had slaw left over at the end.
Korean Beef Bulgogi meal
Difficulty: medium
This is a full meal that requires making 3 parts at once, but as the recipe points out, it's a great one to make ahead and then have as leftovers for a week. I love all 3 elements of this meal—beef bulgogi, roased squash, and korean slaw—and have made each of them in isolation as well. The daikon is the trickiest ingredient to find for this recipe, but you can sub with jicama or possibly just a mild radish.
Pork and Rice Meatball Soup
Difficulty: medium
The original link I used for this recipe got taken down, and I missed it so much I had to go looking for another version. This soup is bursting with flavor. The meatballs themselves are delicious, but mixed in with the tomato soup with cilantro and the sour cream on top, it's a riot. I do find that the texture of spinach in soup sometimes bothers me, so I'm considering swapping out cabbage for it instead. I'll let you know how it goes next time I make it!
Udon Noodles with Beef and Basil
Difficulty: medium
This recipe requires an hour of marinating the beef, though if I forget, usually it's enough to let it marinate while I prep for the rest of the recipe. It also recommends blanching the green beans, which seems like extra work but genuinely does help get them to cook quickly later and not end up either raw or mushy. Instead of chillies, I usually use chilli garlic paste, which is easier to have on hand than chillis and also easier to control the spice level. I also normally add extra basil. In fact, I found this recipe because I needed something to use up all the basil I had from the garden on year, and this is a great one to just toss in as much basil as you have.
French Silk Pie
Difficulty: difficult
I'm listing this one as difficult because it takes precision, but it's really not too bad if you're patient. The patience comes because you have to heat the chocolate and then let it cool before adding it to the butter and cream, and then you have to whip cream as well, which is easy but takes time. Overall, though, this recipe (or any french silk pie recipe) is 100% worth it. A homemade french silk pie is the most decadent desert ever and everyone will love you. Bonus points for whipping extra cream to top it with (not that it needs more cream).
Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw
Difficulty: easy
I'm rather fond of this particular coleslaw recipe, which I think could appeal even to those who don't typically like slaw. The sauce doesn't have mayo in it, but rather is a sweet, tangy dressing that brightens the veggies. And this is a very pretty dish, with the purple cabbage and carrots. I like to make this on the side of a meatloaf, whipping it together while the meat is in the oven. Then it lasts for days and only gets tasiter with the sauce settling. A great side to lighten up any otherwise heavy meal.
Oaxacan Baked Sweet Potatoes
Difficulty: medium
I discovered this recipe recently and it's quickly become a go-to filling vegetatian meal for me. I definitely recommend making it with the mole sauce for that extra unique flavor, though the provided mole sauce recipe makes more than is needed to go with the potatoes. The sauce is pretty rich and heavy, so it might be good to balance this dish out with a lighter veggie side. But the sweet potato filling is so tasty, espceially with a little extra cheese and cilantro. I also like to make the mole sauce ahead, so I don't have to make it all at once.
Artichoke Blue Cheese Fettuccine
Difficulty: easy
This is a really easy but flavorful dish. You can whip it up in about half an hour, or less if you get pre-sliced mushrooms. I love the blue cheese flavor and typically add more of it than strictly necessary to the sauce, but you can keep it light too. The mushrooms and artichoke hearts are a surprisingly good combo, and this dish is so easy to throw together if you use canned ingredients.