Notes about Recipes in this book

• Salt and pepper roasted chicken

  • ldyndiuk on May 28, 2022

    My go-to roast chicken. I always start with a high quality chicken, like Bell and Evans, and this preparation couldn’t be more simple and hands-off, allowing me to focus on the accompaniments.

  • ezwriternc on November 02, 2023

    Simple but great. Makes a beautiful tasty chicken.

  • Beck001 on April 21, 2026

    Very simple but good. Enables you to focus on better sides

• Roasted sumac chicken with plums

  • DKennedy on April 04, 2017

    Another show stopper weeknight meal. I air dried my chix in the fridge o/night after seasoning lightly w/ s & p.. On the day of, I rubbed marinade all over and returned it to the fridge for 8 hours. One hour before serving, I allowed it to come to room temp. While it was doing this, I sliced up the plums, shallots, and juiced the lemon After the first 30 minutes, I took it out and turned the bird over (contrary to Melissa's advice). I also turned the oven temperature down to 400 (another deviation) before adding the plums to the bottom of the pa ). When they hit the pan juices the smell was intoxicating! Poured lemon juice and olive oil over the half-cook bird. After 20 minutes I flipped the bird back onto its legs, brushed what remained of the marinade and the lemon juice over the bird, and gave it a rest while I put the plums back in to get a little more caramelized. Then put the bird back in for 10 more minutes to crisp up before serving.

  • DKennedy on April 04, 2017

    In the NY Time Version of this recipe, Melissa does 2 birds and serves it up for Rosh Hashana.

  • jnetlw on August 20, 2017

    Opted for the 3Tbs honey with the plums. It definitely could have used the extra Tbps with the sourness of the plum variety I used. Lovely companion to the roasted chicken.

  • joyous on August 28, 2017

    I followed the recipe except for using half a red onion instead of shallots. The spices were burnt by the time I added the fruit. The fruit also burnt by the time the chicken was done. If I do this again (which I'm not sure I will), I'd cook at a much lower temperature.

  • Tweedles81 on September 04, 2017

    My husband is an incredible cook - and this is the best thing he has ever made! Besides adding a little bit of Aleppo pepper to the rub and using 1/2 an onion instead of the shallots, he stuck to the recipe. We marinated the chicken in the fridge for only one hour. Based on another reviewer's comment, he turned the heat down to 400 degrees when the plums were added. The total cooking time for us was 55 minutes. Everything turned out amazing! Our kids (almost 3 and almost 1) loved all of the meal components! This was the first recipe we tried in this cookbook, and we look forward to many more! My husband hates that I am a cookbook addict and tries to deter me from buying new ones whenever possible. When I told him that Melissa is coming out with an Instant Pot cookbook in October, he said "You HAVE to buy it!" Yay! :)

  • bendelker on September 24, 2017

    Just a warning that this may be the best chicken you ever make; so it may ruin other recipes.

  • dinnermints on August 23, 2018

    Delicious! The chicken air-dried in the fridge overnight, and I did turn down the oven to 400 per a previous comment (not sure how long I ended up cooking it). I cooked it breast-side down the whole time (forgot to even consider whether that was a good idea or not), and it turned out just fine.

  • stockholm28 on August 27, 2018

    I thought this was delicious. Rather than a sheet pan, I used a smaller 12 inch saute pan which I stuck in the oven so my plums were not spread out as much. This resulted in a rather thick plum ”sauce” rather than recognizable pieces of fruit. The chicken was very moist and I loved the tart and sweet sauce. I marinated the chicken 6 hours and used Italian prune plums. Next time, I would turn the heat down to about 400 as dkennedy suggests when the plums are added. This will be made again when plum season comes around again next year.

  • chawkins on September 18, 2018

    Delicious! Only marinated for an hour. Used 3 large black plums which gave me a full 2 cups, 1/2 T of agave nectar in place of the honey and juice of half a lemon, other than that followed the recipe exactly in ingredients, temperature and timing, turned out real well.

  • TrishaCP on September 29, 2018

    Just as delicious as everyone else said. My chicken was 4 1/2 lbs, and I decided to follow guidance here to turn down the oven temperature to 400 degrees after the first 30 minutes. Not sure if that's why, or if my chicken was just huge, but I needed 30 minutes longer to cook it through than the recipe specified.

  • Lucylew on October 13, 2019

    Made this last week and followed the recipe but added 1/2 teaspoon of Aleppo pepper. This chicken was terrific! My husband, who says he's not really a fan of chicken, has requested this again. The plums are perfection. I chopped up the remaining chicken and plums, added sliced celery and mayo and had the absolute best chicken salad sandwiches the next day! This is definitely in contention for my favorite roast chicken recipe.

  • patioweather on August 26, 2021

    I eyeballed the honey and will use less next time because the plums were too sweet. The chicken was perfect though. This was the juiciest chicken breast I have ever had. I had about a 4 1/2 lb chicken and kept it at 450 the entire time.

  • snoozermoose on May 06, 2022

    Very tasty. Didn't think the plums were necessary (and mine ended up too sour). The chicken was more than delicious on its own.

  • jhallen on September 12, 2022

    This was really great and really easy. I am not eating chicken so substituted 2 1-pound pork tenderloins. I halved the spice mixture recommended for the chicken. I did the plums full recipe as written and seared the pork tenderloins before putting them on top of the plum mixture, and then put it all in the oven at the same time. Great result. My plums came out perfectly.

  • ezwriternc on August 23, 2023

    I made this with chicken thighs on a sheet pan. 450 was too high. My plum sauce burned. Despite that, this was still a great dish. Thr plums turned into a caramelized jam. I served it with roasted potatoes. Great weeknight meal but good for company too.

  • estanzler on October 04, 2024

    This was wonderful early fall dinner for a group. I compared the online recipe with the book, which seemed to prevent the plums from burning and they were absolutely perfect with the juice from the chicken. The chicken was perfectly cooked. I will definitely make this again for a group.

  • apw2020 on July 17, 2025

    Absolutely marvelous dish. A good Sunday night dish, or for a dinner party. First 30 minutes at 450, and then turned down to 425 for another 30 minutes (used a thermometer to make sure thighs were 165*). The plums/shallots turned into jam, which was a spectacular chutney to have with the chicken.

  • sck on November 28, 2025

    Delicious! Rub burned a little at 425 so would lower temp a bit after 15 min next time or tent it with foil. But taste was amazing, even with some jarred whole plums I had in lieu of the fresh.

• Smoky paprika chicken with crispy chickpeas, roasted lemon, and baby kale

  • DKennedy on March 22, 2017

    Excellent and totally do-able as a weeknight meal. I added extra thighs to the pan, subbed regular blanched kale for the baby, and used regular lemon.

  • Zosia on April 17, 2017

    This was a big hit with family although I did make a few changes: I spatchcocked the chicken so it would cook more quickly and lacking a cavity, stuffed the herbs (rosemary) under the skin; I cooked the chickpeas and kale separately to accommodate a vegetarian and without the benefit of cooking these in the chicken juices, doubled the paprikas for a little more flavour. Note that you'll need to refer to both the headnotes and the instructions to get the complete roasting time of the chicken (approx 1 hour 20 min). I used a regular lemon and blanched it twice as suggested; it added lemon flavour without any bitterness.

  • julesamomof2 on December 11, 2017

    This was good, but next time I would make the kale and chickpeas separately. (I couldn't find baby kale so I braised the kale separately anyway) I couldn't get behind chickpeas that became crispy sitting in a pool of chicken fat. I used an Amish chicken that was a little larger and took longer to cook than the recipe stated, which means that you have to be really careful when you add the chickpeas and lemons to avoid them burning.

  • e_ballad on October 20, 2018

    I differ from the other reviewers in finding this a little underwhelming. It is essentially a standard roast chicken, to which cooked chickpeas are mixed with paprika & kale towards the end of cooking. Perfectly fine, but unlikely to be repeated given all of the amazing roast chicken recipes.

  • mharriman on March 30, 2021

    As another reviewer noted, the roasted chicken part of the recipe is a standard one. I’ve used it many times and really like the result. The prep is classic Thomas Keller. I salted my chicken three hours before roasting, roasted in a pan with a rack, and it turned out very tender and moist. Like others, I roasted my chickpeas in a separate pan. I enjoyed the side dish better than my husband who thought it was a tad too lemony. I used baby spinach instead of kale. The chickpea side adds interest to the chicken, enough so that it could be used as a side for many other meat entrees, and I’ll keep it mind as a future side dish.

  • runoutofshelves on April 11, 2021

    We loved this, we used a spatchcock/poussin as there was just the two of us, and were a bit worried about juggling the times, but 20, 25 for the two cooking times was fine. Loved the paprika. Might try pickled lemon next time.

  • Dannausc on June 02, 2021

    Really good and quite easy.

  • wcassity on November 10, 2022

    Delicious! Top tier roast chicken recipe. The chicken was perfect and not fussy. I used collard greens and kale, added to the pan for the last 20 minutes. And I roasted some potato chunks with the chicken.

  • Delys77 on November 29, 2022

    We used spinach in this dish and ended up having to pop it bank in the oven for a few minutes to help it wilt. That said, we followed the recipe otherwise and the results were good. More popular with the adults than my son, but he still ate it. I do think a Meyer lemon would be much better as a few of my lemon pieces were still a bit too bitter.

• Chile-rubbed spatchcocked chicken with avocado ranch dressing

  • tmitra on July 02, 2020

    The chicken was fine, but the "avocado ranch dressing" was more like guacamole than dressing? I'll be experimenting with it more.

  • tarae1204 on May 08, 2021

    My 3 lb chicken cooked faster than the given recipe time. Loved the avocado ranch sauce- great flavor and consistency. I used a whole lime’s worth of juice and a big, very assorted cupful of herbs.

  • TrishaCP on September 13, 2021

    I loved this chicken - but agree that the recipe for the dressing as written is wonky. I made the rub with chipotle chile powder, marinated it about three hours and then grilled the chicken (about 50 minutes) instead of roasting it. It was so juicy and the rub had a perfect amount of heat. The flavor of the dressing is great, but I added another 1/2 cup of buttermilk because when you blend avocado like this, it gets really thick really fast (lessons from smoothie making). Adding more buttermilk made the dressing perfect for me. I used basil, tarragon, and chives for the herbs (about 2/3 basil) and garlic powder instead of fresh garlic (too much fresh garlic the previous two nights). Really looking forward to leftovers.

  • SpatulaCity on March 22, 2024

    Loved it! We’re heat adverse, so used a mild chile powder, and added 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin. Worked the spices under the skin and sprinkled what was left on top. In the avocado ranch I used 1/2 basil, 1/4 parsley and 1/4 Cilantro. It was luscious, rich and herby - I couldn’t get enough of it!!! Yes the texture was thick, but nothing a bit of water or extra buttermilk and lime juice couldn’t remedy. These are the types of easy, super flavorful dishes I like to make for company, but only good friends so I don’t get embarrassed licking the plate at the end.

  • cchapman on February 19, 2026

    Used this with four bone in chicken thighs. 1 tsp salt,1 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp ancho chili and close to the full tablespoon (not packed) lime zest and rubbed on both sides of thighs. Air fryed after letting it sit out for 30-40 minutes at 375. Sprayed bottom of air fryer tray with olive oil, 12 min skin down and 6-7 skin up and they were juicy and very tasty. Loved the rub. Will try again with skin on boneless thighs. Avocado sauce was good but needed something else but also didn’t have a mix of herbs and only used parsley. So could have been that as well. Overall would make again with the rub being the star factor for us.

  • Maefleur on April 22, 2026

    Nicely flavored chicken and flavorful sauce, but agree with other commenters, it was more like guacamole than sauce. I added more buttermilk trying to thin it, but just chose to just roll with it. It was enjoyed and would make again.

  • wyndle on May 09, 2026

    When I made this years ago, I noted that it was meh, but now I’m wondering if I took the Jalapeño ranch recipe from NYT’s app and used it here, if that would kick it up a notch. I think so.

• Caramelized lemon chicken

  • meduff on March 13, 2019

    This is a good dish. Very easy, tasty, crispy skin, and no dry stringy white meat anywhere. Simply seasoned with salt, pepper, lemons, and a little red pepper. I did not blanch the lemons as called for. This is the third recipe I have made so far where Melissa asks you to cut the lemons into quarters and then blanch them to remove some of their bitterness. I use Meyer lemons, and I just don’t really see a need to do this. I just skip that step. I am the only one that would eat the lemons anyway so I placed a lemon that had been cut into quarters under the chicken and as it cooked and steamed it imparted a really lovely and beautifully subtle taste to the chicken. I make a large amount of preserved lemons every year and I did place some of them on my plate with the chicken - it was excellent. I am huge fan of preserved lemons and I think they elevate almost any dish. Would I make this again? There are so many great chicken recipes in this book that this wouldn’t make the top 10.

  • ezwriternc on September 24, 2023

    I didn’t splay it right. I probably had to cook it a few more minutes but instead i tried to cook the meat in the pan with e drippings which made it dry. My husband liked the crisp skin i liked it but boiling the lemon was a waste. I really didn’t get any lemon flavor.

• Chicken and grapes with sherry vinegar

  • averythingcooks on September 01, 2017

    This was interesting :) We really liked the fennel seed , lemon rub and the chicken itself roasted perfectly following the temperature and timing given. But as for the grapes........they roasted nicely alongside the chicken but when it came time to serve, there was much discussion. Ultimately, we scraped the pan drippings and grapes into a small pot with the sherry vinegar, skimmed some fat off and puréed with the immersion blender. This warm, blended sauce was really nice with the roasted chicken. Perhaps next time I'll include onions ( to eventually blend into the sauce ) & baby potatoes to roast along with everything else.

  • Emily Hope on September 28, 2017

    This was good -- I didn't have time to leave the rub to marinate on the chicken before cooking, and I'm sure it would be improved that way, but it was fine popped straight into the oven. The sauce was delicious. I love roasted grapes, but we had a bunch of really small grapes we picked at a farm, and I decided to leave them on the stems, as is shown in the photo (though the instructions say to stem them). This was mistake--the grapes were shriveled and impossible to get off of the stems once they'd cooked. We ended up just tossing them and using the sauce. Served with a tomato salad with burrata.

  • meduff on February 01, 2019

    I loved, loved, loved this recipe. It was so easy and the chicken ridiculously good. This made the list for Sunday dinners and company coming over. The only problem I had was the “sauce”. You add sherry vinegar to the pan dripping to make a sauce. The first time I made it exactly the way it is written but I should have drained the fat from the sauce - that fat left the sauce greasy and a total yuck. The only other thing I tasted was the sherry vinegar and I thought it overwhelmed any benefit the sauce would have given the chicken. Believe me that chicken didn’t need any help - it was perfect just the way it was. When I made it the second time - still a perfectly cooked chicken (I bought a 4.25 pound slow growth chicken which I would do again) I did use a fat separator and then took the drippings minus the fat and added the sherry vinegar again. I still didn’t like it - the sherry vinegar tasted way too strong. Next time I wouldn’t even mess with the sauce. It was perfect on its own.

  • dinnermints on January 19, 2021

    This was excellent. I prepped the chicken in the morning and spread as much of the salt mixture under the skin as possible, and the flavor really came through. However, I had a 6 lb chicken, and so, somehow never getting the hang of how long a chicken cooks per pound (there is such a thing, isn't there??), at 80 minutes it was in the oven almost twice the time indicated in the recipe and the breasts were still not cooked all the way. I ran out of time to make the sauce, but did put the pan juices in a jar to separate, and plan to make the sauce with leftovers. The grapes didn't quite caramelize as much as I thought they would, but I did cover it with foil about halfway through as it was getting quite brown. Would definitely repeat.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    Outstanding. It's impressive and special enough for company but still feasible on a weeknight. That fennel and lemon rub is insanely good, and the grapes are addictive. I usually skip the pan sauce (I made it the first time and found it unnecessary), but I do save the pan drippings to eat with the leftovers.

  • AshZ on January 14, 2026

    Spectacular! That rub! That sauce! Absolutely do again

• Harissa chicken with leeks, potatoes, and yogurt

  • joanhuguet on March 22, 2017

    This was just wonderful in every way, and so easy. Nicely browned, with everything cooked perfectly. I found the garlic yogurt unnecessary for the chicken, but fantastic with the potatoes. I used Trader Joe's harissa, which made for a moderately spicy dish.

  • stockholm28 on March 23, 2017

    This might be my favorite sheet pan supper yet. Potatoes and chicken thighs are tossed in a mixture of harissa, cumin, and olive oil and roasted on a sheet pan. The leeks are added about half way through cooking. The chicken and potatoes have some nice kick from the harissa which is tamed by a yogurt garlic sauce and complemented by fresh herbs. This will definitely be repeated.

  • clcorbi on March 24, 2017

    Echoing the positive reviews below, we loved this recipe. It looked absolutely gorgeous on the pan, and tasted even better. I upped the amount of chicken used to 1.75lb, because that was what I had, but next time I'd rather do less chicken and more veggies--the potatoes were my favorite part! I'd be interested in trying this recipe with shallots, too, which I prefer to leeks. The garlic yogurt is so good here. I used a mixture of cilantro and parsley as a garnish, but would love to try this with dill sometime. I also increased the roasting time by about 10 minutes before adding the leeks, because the chicken was still looking a bit flabby. I'd maybe even go a little longer next time, because we love really crispy chicken skin. This will definitely be repeated--make this recipe ASAP.

  • pandasaurusrex on March 29, 2017

    As amazing as everyone says it is. Hot, addictive flavor cooled by tart yogurt. I found the amount perfect for 2 hungry adults -- wouldn't have seemed like enough for 3 without a side dish. I agree with clcorbi on both upping the potatoes (to ~2lbs) and on adding 10-15 min to the roast time before adding the leeks. Next time I'll be careful not to smother the potatoes with the leeks which results in slight steaming. I used the Les Moulins Mahjoub brand of harissa (Tunisian).

  • FJT on March 29, 2017

    We really liked the flavours, but I had been expecting the potatoes to crisp up and was very disappointed to find my sheet pan was swimming in liquid after 25 mins of baking. I got rid of most of the liquid and put it back in the oven for another 15 mins before adding the leeks ... only to find even more liquid when I went to add them. There was no way anything other than the chicken skin was ever going to become "golden and slightly crisp". This is a mis-match between expectation and reality rather than a fail. We happily ate it, but I can't bring myself to rave quite as much as others have about this recipe!

  • mrshalf on March 30, 2017

    Soo great. I moved the pan closer to broiler and felt the potatoes turned out perfect. Loved the use of thighs over breasts but was a bit oily after roasting. The Garuda spice is a new one to me and we all ended up loving it! The leeks almost disappeared after cooking so maybe next time I'll be brave and add the amount the recipe calls for. A keeper. Liked by old traditional eaters who don't like new tangled food and young skeptics who turn up their noses at too many veggies at my table.

  • bwhip on April 03, 2017

    Oh man, this was REALLY good! I doubled the recipe so we'd have leftovers, and it worked out fine on a single rimmed sheet pan. We loved the flavors. The yogurt sauce and herbs were the perfect balance for the wonderful harissa flavor on the chicken and potatoes. This one's a keeper.

  • amandacooks on April 07, 2017

    This was really, really good. My favorite recipe from this book so far. I used around 2 lbs of bone-in chicken thighs (no drumsticks) and it was just more than enough for 2 adults and one toddler. I'm really glad I chose dill as one of the herbs...I don't think it would have been as good without the dill.

  • BethNH on April 08, 2017

    I increased the ingredients as follows : My package of 4 thighs weighed just over 2 lbs. and I upped the potatoes to 2 lbs. also. I used the same amount of marinade which seemed perfectly fine. I cooked the thighs for 25 minutes, added the leeks and moved the pan nearer the top of the oven for 10 minutes, and then moved it back down for the last 10 minutes after the skin got crispy. We all liked this dish but none of us loved it. My 17 year old said he'd give it a 6 or 7. It was tasty but not overly spicy (I understand the TJ's harissa is moderately spicy). The potatoes were lovely and the chicken was nicely cooked. I'm not sure that the leeks added anything and at a price of $4 I would have been just as happy with onions. I felt that I should have added a vegetable to round out the meal. I'll make it again and I know we'd all enjoy it but I obviously didn't love it as much as some.

  • Delys77 on April 10, 2017

    This was just delicious! The heat from the whole foods harissa was just right and the timing worked out pretty well. I might add about 5 minutes to the initial 20 minute cooking. We doubled everything and this was good for about 5 servings. Add a bit of milk and lemon juice to the yogurt to achieve pourability.

  • westminstr on April 17, 2017

    Like others, I really liked this dish. I used arugula (lots) instead of herbs. I cooked longer (about an hour total) to solve the flabby skin problem, and I thought it was a touch too salty. Small quibbles, this had great flavor. 2/25: hadn’t made in a few years but it holds up! The potatoes & leeks were great. I made one tray as written & one with chickpeas instead of chicken.

  • L.Nightshade on April 26, 2017

    I subbed out most of the potato with turnip and rutabaga, cutting the rutabaga a bit smaller than the others as I thought it would take longer to cook. We got organic, free range thighs, which were huge. (I wonder if chickens are self conscious about their thunder thighs.) I left them in a few minutes longer for the first cook, and added the leeks for the last 20 minutes. I had run out of my favored harissa, and also out of our homemade harissa, so I used Mustapha’s. It’s got a nice kick that comes in after the first taste. This looked so good, even while cooking (through my new, big oven window!), and smelled good too. Everything was cooked perfectly, and went so well with the herbs and garlicky yogurt. I noted that the photo in the book has something sprinkled on it but nothing mentioned in the recipe. I sprinkled around a little Aleppo pepper.

  • raybun on April 26, 2017

    I used chicken legs, small new potatoes and all the herbs mentioned except the dill. We loved this, and I will add more harissa next time. Can't wait to receive the book, influenced by all the glowing reviews and notes I've been reading on EYB.

  • ksg518 on April 30, 2017

    I know this recipe doesn't really need any more praise but this is fabulous. I made it pretty much as written with chicken thighs and fingerling potatoes. My harissa isn't overly spicy and I might increase the amount the next time. I used dill and parsley and thought they were the perfect herb combination for this dish.

  • paulabee on May 21, 2017

    Delicious! will absolutely make this again. I used chicken thighs and subbed regular onions cut in large chunks for leeks, which I didn't have on hand (this worked well but might try the leeks next time; I imagine either would be good!). Used the dill and parsley combo, and had some extra harissa on the side for dipping. Phenomenal recipe.

  • Jane on August 11, 2017

    I've been meaning to make this for a while having read all the rave reviews from members. Wow, I wish I had not waited so long. I didn't even make it with my preferred combination - thighs and dill - but even with drumsticks and parsley/mint this was a great recipe. This will be repeated often.

  • milgwimper on October 01, 2017

    Fabulous recipe, and easy to prep. The chicken was crisp and juicy, the potatoes were melting and delicious. The leeks were crispy and silky at the same time. I loved the addition of the yogurt and fresh herbs to add freshness. We used dill, parsley, and mint. We used mild Harissa as we had people who cannot handle spice. It was delicious, and it has been added to our rotation.

  • RosieB on June 05, 2017

    This was so easy and so delicious. I used a good quality Harissa and Dutch cream potatoes with a whole chicken which I jointed. The chicken and the potatoes went crispy and the Harissa flavour was perfect. I loved the lemony leeks. Definitely make again.

  • TippyCanoe on March 09, 2018

    I had no leeks, so used sweet onions. Absolutely delicious. The harissa I used was quite spicy, and we loved the dish as it was written.

  • TrishaCP on June 12, 2017

    Beyond delicious. I used cilantro and dill as my herbs and the dill was particularly appealing here. We used two bone-in, skin-on breasts and it was perfect for us. I would use less oil if cooking dark meat in the future- with the breast there was just enough to get everything crispy without greasiness. I upped the harissa to three tablespoons (Mina brand-my first time using) and was happy with that choice.

  • mgmcewen on June 28, 2017

    Great recipe, really fulfills the book's promise for a single dish meal unlike a lot of the other recipes.

  • Baxter850 on July 24, 2017

    Great dish. Would increase to 3 tbls harissa and double the yogurt sauce next time.

  • vickster on March 27, 2019

    All the raves about this recipe are true. It is easy, quick, and absolutely delicious! The harissa give such a wonderful flavor, and is complemented by the yogurt sauce as a finisher.

  • fprincess on April 12, 2024

    I used chicken thighs, harissa from Trader Joe's, cilantro, parsley, and mint for the herbs. It was delicious and very tasty! Minor modifications I would do next time: cut the potatoes smaller (recipe said 1.5 inch and they were just cooked; smaller cubes would have cooked more thoroughly), cook the chicken a bit longer (it was cooked but not crisp), use slightly less harissa (it was spicy!), and make more of the garlic yogurt because it is delicious!

  • DKennedy on March 08, 2023

    I made this without potatoes and added chickpeas. I used a mild harissa I made out of the Casablanca book.

  • stef on June 09, 2017

    Didn't have harrisa so I used a Korean chilli paste. Otherwise followed the recipe. We loved it. Comfort food

  • Frogcake on June 22, 2017

    The flavours of this quick sheet pan dinner are absolutely delicious. I agree with all of the previous reviewers. I served this with home-made bread to sop up the tasty juices. Lovely. Could eat this all week.

  • rionafaith on September 24, 2018

    Good basic sheet pan meal. I would use more harissa next time -- or maybe mine was just old and losing flavor. I topped with arugula instead of herbs and it was a delicious addition. UPDATE 9/2020 -- Made this again, just as good as I remembered but I still think it could use more harissa. Would try 3-4T next time. Also, leeks were very expensive at the store this week so I subbed a few scallions instead and it was just fine! I also forgot to buy yogurt and it was great without.

  • Dcampos on June 19, 2017

    I added trimmed sweet baby peppers with the leeks, used cut up whole chicken, doubled the paste mixture, and sprinkled Aleppo on the final dish. Yum!

  • sosayi on August 24, 2017

    As with everyone, I loved this recipe! Changes: I used a large paella pan and cooked this on a charcoal grill. It worked perfectly and the smoky flavors really enhanced the dish. I also added half lemons to roast with the rest, and then squeezed the juice over at the end. I also doubled the yogurt sauce. Like others, I enjoyed the combo of dill and cilantro for the herbs and also used some Aleppo pepper to top it. I'll be making this again and again.

  • averythingcooks on August 12, 2017

    And yet another comment on this recipe! Simply delicious !! etc etc.....but here is my "change" (my fault - not the recipe!). I wanted to use boneless skinless thighs (really all I ever have in the freezer in addition to boneless breasts and whole chickens )...... so I marinated the thighs and potatoes as instructed THEN pulled all the potatoes out of the bowl onto to my pan and roasted them for the first 20 minutes; then put the chicken and rest of juices from the bowl onto the pan and roasted for 20 more minutes; then lastly added the leeks for maybe 10- 15 minutes. It was simply delicious - and don't underestimate the garlicky yogurt ! Next time,I think I'll add some red pepper chunks and grape tomatoes to the pan before the leeks just to veg it up a bit more - and oh yes there WILL be many next times ,

  • tui on November 06, 2017

    Very nice. The harissa I used gave just the right amount of bite to the chicken and potatoes. I made it for three, as the recipe says, and it was just the right amount - with a dessert of strawberries to follow. Mine even looked just like the photo!

  • chawkins on April 13, 2018

    Super delicious and quite easy. I used 3 thighs and 3 drumsticks that came to about two and a half pounds. I did not increase the marinade. I also cut down the amount of salt to half. Used cilantro as the herb.

  • Zosia on May 31, 2017

    I haven't much to add except to repeat what others have said about how good this is. I doubled the recipe and had to divide the ingredients between 2 pans, chicken on one, potatoes and leeks on the second. I increased the flavourings accordingly but used only 2tbsp olive olive on the potatoes and leeks alone and just made sure to baste the chicken a few times with its own juices. Very easy to put together but with the fresh herbs and yogurt sauce somehow giving the impression of effort.

  • Tatiana131 on March 23, 2018

    Fabulous recipe. Well seasoned, and contains just enough salt and heat to be addictive. The layers of flavors are astonishing. I cooked the chicken for about 10 minutes longer for each round pre and post leeks. The yogurt sauce and herbs really round out the flavors, I used parsley, cilantro and dill.

  • MmeFleiss on June 26, 2018

    I’ll be honest that I thought this was blah the first time I made this in my smaller electric oven. Everything just steamed. This time around I decided to make it in my larger gas oven with a much larger sheet pan and it was great—barely any excess moisture in the end. I followed the recommendations here and cooked it for an extra ten minutes before adding the leeks.

  • sarahj22 on January 09, 2018

    This was easy and enjoyable but after reading so many rave reviews I was expecting a little bit more. The harissa spice was slightly too subtle for my taste and the potatoes didn't crisp up as much as I would have liked. (I think this was due to the liquid from the leeks.) If making again I'd probably add extra harissa and allow the potatoes to brown a little more before adding the leeks. It's a nice dish for very little effort but it didn't exactly wow me.

  • annmartina on June 12, 2018

    As with other Melissa Clark recipes, this one is so much more than the sum of its parts. I mixed butternut squash with the potatoes. Don't be afraid of the harissa

  • Astrid5555 on January 06, 2019

    No idea why I waited so long to cook this recipe, absolutely fabulous! Husband immediately declared this to be his new favorite chicken dish. I halved the spices to make it kid-friendly and it worked. New family hit!

  • bernalgirl on February 27, 2022

    As good as everyone says. I used rose harissa, which is more mild as my children love the flavor but not the spice. The yogurt and herbs take it over the top. I added halved Brussels sprouts at the halfway point and they cooked beautifully, making for a very easy dinner.

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 10, 2022

    Wow. I made it ahead and packed for lunch. It's so good, I was chowing down for a bit before I remembered to add the yogurt sauce. And then it was even better. I'm sure it's fantastic straight out of the oven with the crispy skin. It's probably my oven- or I overcrowded the pan, but I had to cook an additional 20 minutes at 440 for the chicken and potatoes to be done. I used Mina harissa - half mild & half medium. Perfect level of heat for us.

  • meggan on December 06, 2022

    I sprinkled with cilantro. Great flave.

  • meggan on March 18, 2020

    I am lazy so I just threw the leek mixture in with everything else. That was fine.

  • hirsheys on February 14, 2021

    I made for David and Steff and we liked it fine, though the skin of the drumsticks didn’t crisp. Would be better with boneless skinless thighs, we thought. Yogurt and herbs (I used dill and cilantro) an absolute must. Don’t include marinating liquid when transferring to pan.

  • KarinaFrancis on April 13, 2019

    It’s all been said, but I’ll echo the comments of others, simple and crazy delicious. The herbs just take over the top. I tried it a second time but used a Pyrex dish and was disappointed, stick with a sheet tray

  • EmilyR on March 31, 2026

    After literally years of seeing this recipe ranked so high I finally was able to make it. I also think there needs to be a “you might also appreciate this” link, because I can think of two dishes that are adjacent to this - one is the BA sheet pan harissa meatballs with feta and the other is the Smitten Kitchen street cart chicken. All excellent and packed with flavors. High 5 if you try them all! In my excitement I nearly forgot… I used preserved lemon in lieu of the zest and salt, and instead of milk to liquify the yogurt it got some kefir, because my gut will thank me. What is with 3 servings, too? That seems weird… I just doubled this so tomorrow future me can thank past me.

  • Rinshin on August 09, 2021

    Simple and quick. We liked it fine, but not outstanding. The crisped up potatoes with harissa and olive oil topped with garlic yogurt sauce was very good. The chicken needed more taste permeated into flesh and it was bit dry. Best to make several small slits into chicken for developing flavor and use probe to pull out chicken when 165F reached to prevent overcooking.

  • Rachaelsb on January 15, 2022

    Easy, flavorful, great for quick dinner and leftovers.

  • sarahawker on August 16, 2024

    This was immensely satisfying and easy. Absolutely delicious.

  • Lepa on October 09, 2022

    Not much to add to other reviews. This is a great recipe. The potatoes and leeks were especially amazing. The timing worked perfectly here- no underdone potatoes! I used rose harissa and it was not too spicy, even for my ten year old.

  • SpatulaCity on March 13, 2024

    Yum yum yum! Believe the hype! We used half the amount of Harissa (Trader Joes brand) because we’re wimps but it was the right amount for us. When the chicken was done after 40 minutes I removed it from the pan and broiled the potatoes and leeks to get some charred bits. I added a squeeze of lemon juice to the garlic yogurt sauce, and for our herbs used dill, mint and basil. Amazing! It was a tad too salty so I’d reduce that next time. Absolutely a five star recipe

  • Kduncan on October 15, 2023

    Always a good quick dish to make.

  • AndieEats on September 21, 2025

    The chicken needs to be marinated in the sauce for at least a few hours beforehand. We had 8 thighs, a little under double the weight the recipe calls for, and used double the amount of marinade. Chopped up the potatoes and had that sit in another 1/2 portion of marinade while I processed the leeks. Split into two trays to bake sheet made sure the potatoes and leeks didn't cover up any of the chicken - would probably do the chicken and veg in separate trays next time because it got pretty wet by the end. And consider roasting the potato for longer and the leeks for shorter. We needed way more yogurt sauce.

  • Plumberful on May 24, 2026

    This is always delicious and it’s easy to make, since it all cooks together on a sheet pan. I do not bother to peel the Yukon Gold potatoes, no need in my opinion. Also, I subbed finely chopped homemade preserved lemon, for the lemon zest. Don’t skip the garlicky yogurt sauce!

  • hbakke on May 09, 2019

    Delicious! Used basil, mint, cilantro, and dill for the herbs.

  • robertofwine on February 04, 2019

    Fantastic and our go-to for a one-pan meal. Have served it to company who wanted more, more, more. We love the harissa on this, and the crema balances the spice nicely. Try this, highly recommended!

  • jhallen on August 08, 2022

    This is fantastic and easy. Yogurt and herbs really make it. I’ve also made it with salmon but added it later with the leeks, which worked well.

  • dc151 on May 25, 2021

    The vegetarian in the family flew the coop today, and while I'll miss her terribly, the first thing I did was find a one pot dish for all the veggies cooked together with the meat! I was not disappointed. Fabulous dish. I did cut back on the salt as suggested by many others, and doubled the recipe, using two pans, but otherwise followed the directions. I had to cook it a bit longer as the potatoes were not quite done- easily fixed next time by smaller pieces. I used cilantro, parsley and mint. Will definitely make again!

  • DFarnham on December 30, 2020

    Definitely worthy as the cover recipe for the book! This is a stellar, easy and satisfying dish. We have made it many, many times exactly as written. A great sheet-pan dinner to impress company, and you won't have to work too hard!

  • sbackman on March 25, 2024

    This is very good, but 40 minutes at 425 degrees was a bit too much and dried out the chicken. I would do 15 minutes with the chicken and potatoes and then another 15 with the leeks. Next time I will cut the leeks into rounds instead of half moons so they’re more prominent in the dish. The flavors are excellent and oh so easy.

  • jenburkholder on October 16, 2022

    So good. So easy. My son would have preferred the potatoes crispy and rooted around on the pan for the few that were. I loved them all. Used a very large sheet to keep everything separate so they wouldn't steam. Only herb was cilantro. Delicious.

  • Coastal_Cook on January 16, 2021

    Way too much salt - will try just a tsp of salt on the chicken and potatoes next time.

  • WaterPenny on February 18, 2021

    Love this flavour combination and how easy it comes together! Definitely go easy on the salt however. I pulled back at least a 1/2 tsp, maybe more. Also, the recipe only serves 3 so keep that in mind if you’re wanting leftovers, which we always do.

  • Kap802 on May 09, 2020

    Biggest change I make is add carrots in addition to potatoes. The carrots work so well I forget they aren’t in the original recipe!

  • Sparkles75 on June 21, 2019

    Easy to prepare with fantastic payoff. I halved harissa as feeding to young kids and that was a good call. Made with sweet potato instead of white potato and was a big hit.

  • apw2020 on July 23, 2025

    One of the top recipes of all time. Genius.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    Clearly this is a community favorite, for good reason. It's easy, and the flavors are bold and delicious. I do cut down on the oil because it can be a bit much (the first time I made this as written, I had terrible heartburn after). The yogurt sauce really pulls it all together but my creamy-sauce-hating husband enjoys it just fine without.

  • Happykikkers on October 29, 2024

    We loved this. Only complaint from my husband was that he needed more yoghurt! I added the whole amount of harissa and it wasn’t too spicy for us. My potatoes were pre-cooked so they were crispy on the outside and creamy inside. Only used chicken thighs and topped with parsley. After about 7 minutes I turned down the (fan) oven to 190c. After adding the leeks I turned it down further to 160c. Next time I’ll start on 200c and see from there.

  • dosojosazules on January 20, 2025

    Absolutely fantastic. Potatoes were perfect, leeks slightly charred but not all of them so added smoky flavor to the dish. Yogurt benefited from one additional grated garlic clove to give it the zing I was after. Will put this dish into regular rotation. Husband loved, even three year old daughter liked it

  • Jiminy on January 27, 2025

    Quick, easy, tasty!

  • Babycarrot on April 23, 2023

    This was so good! Echoing what others have written. I threw some sumac on top for good measure. I only had 1.3 lbs of chicken thighs would increase that next time for additional meals. Might also increase the cook time but just a smidge so the skin and potatoes get a bit crispier next time but all in all great recipe.

  • JimCampbell on September 13, 2024

    I am going to say it's good. I think it has a higher ceiling, but it was good for a first try and pushed us outside of our normal comfort zone. Cu-do's to the notes. Less salt, control the spice by cutting the harissa in half. Adding Brussels sprouts is a nice touch. I added Spanish Dulce paprika to amp things up a bit in light of cutting the harissa in half. Things I would do differently next time; Use rose harissa to up the harissa flavor without upping the harissa spice. Add more Spanish Dulce paprika. Let the chicken and potatoes sit for an hour or so at room temperature to absorb the marinade more. Add lemon zest to the yogurt mix. Go light on the lemon and yogurt mix drizzled at he end and serve more the on the side (wife's suggestion) so folks can set the amount of each they prefer. Overall.....we'll make it again.

  • GaryCooks on December 20, 2023

    A knockout flavor! Very tasty (although possibly a little salty, but maybe the salt is needed to balance the harissa). The chicken skin was slightly crispy, potatoes were done (soft, but very slightly crisp on the outside). I used parsley and mint for herbs. I didn’t have a lemon so I left out any reference to it. The first couple bites seem overwhelming (but in a good way), but you get used to it, and enjoy it, as you continue eating.

  • ozzzzzz22 on February 14, 2025

    Deserves the hype - this is a great recipe. What surprised me the first time I made it is that you basically end up with a super herby, chickeny potato salad once it's on your plate. Out of the oven it looks like roast chicken with leeks and potatoes, but when you add the yogurt sauce, herbs, and lemon it all combines into a savoury, tangy, spicy, sweet, herbaceous sort of potato salad and it's just amazing. My advice is do not skimp on the sauce or the herbs - use plenty of both! I also use the basic formula for the yogurt sauce (grating a raw garlic clove into greek yogurt and then adding salt and lemon juice) all the time now for other dishes.

  • halfchefc on July 23, 2025

    On rotation for sure. Used dill and mint & adding lime juice to the yogurt. This was spicy, tangy, and juicy. Loved it!

  • halfchefc on March 01, 2026

    2nd time making this. Subbed with sweet potato this time and it is just such a good, solid recipe.

  • Anjackson1003 on June 02, 2026

    A really easy recipe to make and tasted great for a simple sheet pan dinner. We got organic golden potatoes which are a bit smaller so they were tedious to peel. They had sprouted a bit so we had to peel them otherwise I would’ve left skin on. Reheated well in the air fryer the next day.

  • amanda_ejt6ss on March 16, 2026

    Really good. Made with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Doubled the sauce and put the lemon juice in the yogurt sauce. Used the mild harissa so topped with more.

  • william_twih48 on March 03, 2026

    Very tasty but a little salty. Admittedly i didn’t add the potatoes to this recipe as I wanted a different side. That’s possibly why it was salty but even when preparing I thought the amount salt recommended to add was a little aggressive. That said, it was still really good dish and the leeks are a nice touch.

  • barbara_c2lnl9 on March 28, 2026

    This is so good that it’s now part of our regular rotation of go-to recipes.

• Sesame chicken with cashews and dates

  • stockholm28 on March 23, 2017

    This is a variation of the 3 cup chicken recipe on the NYT website. It uses dates and cashews. My recipe looked nothing like the photo in the book as everything got a deep mahogany brown. Nevertheless, this was really good and the leftovers were also very tasty. Definitely worth a repeat.

  • Delys77 on April 22, 2017

    For us this was ok but I found the aromatics didn't really permeate the dish because they were left mostly whole. I would prefer to mince them in.

  • clcorbi on April 28, 2017

    I also thought this was just okay. I was intrigued by the idea of using dates in a stirfry, and while the result was fairly tasty, I'd rather just turn back to one of my Dunlop books when I want a memorable Chinese stirfry. I also agree with the below comment that the aromatics didn't come through well--better to just mince them in.

  • mfranklin125 on May 01, 2017

    Was pretty good. Nothing exciting but flavorful

  • kari500 on August 19, 2019

    I really liked this a lot. Dates add pretty much nothing, so could easily be skipped.

  • TrishaCP on September 17, 2021

    This was a pleasant weeknight meal that worked well with ingredients that I almost always have at hand.

  • mrshalf on November 01, 2017

    This is a quick weeknight meal. I think next time I'll use less oil as the last 3xs we've done it my stomach hurt after :( thighs plus oil - yikes! I love the nuts and dates added in. It's not a flavorful meal tho.

  • sosayi on June 05, 2024

    This was good, but somehow not great. Tasty, easy and kids actually ate it. If I happened to have the ingredients on hand again (which is what happened this time), I'd make it again, but I don't think that I'd be craving it and seek it out. Added some boy choy to the stir fry for some veg and that worked out great, fyi.

  • averythingcooks on June 13, 2023

    With 14 EYB comments available, I was sure this would be successful and it was. With 14 oz of (skinless) thighs for a 1/2 recipe, I added sweet peppers & broccoli. I minced the garlic & ginger and diced a fresno pepper for heat. I chopped the whites of the scallions to cook 1st and added the chopped green parts at the end. I also finely chopped the dates. We liked the sherry in the sauce, the touch of sweet from the dates, the crunch of the cashews & the generous amount of basil. While I minced/chopped a lot more than she instructs, I tried to honour the flavour profile and we enjoyed this served over rice.

  • dinnermints on September 22, 2022

    We all really liked this (including our three year old) and found it to be plenty flavorful; I’d definitely make again. Unlike the reviews on the NYT Cooking site, I found I had plenty of sauce and wish I had cooked some vegetables in with the chicken instead of cooking them separately. I used both basil and cilantro, used salted roasted cashews, and topped with lime.

  • babyfork on February 28, 2024

    I followed the recipe as posted on the New York Times recipes site, but it appears to be the same as this one. I had read the NYT reviewers' comments about there not being enough sauce, so I reduced the amount of chicken to 1.5 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs and doubled the amount of dates. I also followed their rec not to use the sesame oil for cooking. I cooked with grapeseed oil and then sprinkled some sesame oil over the finished dish. Instead of the chili flakes, I added one fresh red Fresno chile pepper (I removed about 2/3 of the seeds and ribs, but kept some for a little heat) and it ended up being mildly spicy (which was good since I had a sore throat...LOL). I also minced the ginger instead of keeping it in "coins", used a dry sherry and both basil and cilantro. I followed the recipe closely except for those small changes. I really liked the result, but YES, MORE SAUCE PLEASE! Next time, I'll double the ingredients for the sauce. Served over brown jasmine rice.

  • Rachaelsb on April 03, 2018

    I thought this was delicious. I used a medium sherry instead of rice vinegar which added a nice depth to it. So easy, quick and satisfying. Will definitely make again

  • Happykikkers on October 22, 2024

    3.5* We like it enough to consider again, but didn’t love it. Husband would like less ginger (or smaller pieces) next time. I used neutral oil for frying the veg in the first step and added sesame oil when I added the chicken. This was a good call to still have sesame flavour but not overwhelmingly.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    This was enjoyable even if it didn't blow me away. The flavors were decent, though being Chinese, I prefer a more authentic three cup chicken. My husband was much more excited about it though and particularly loved the cashews. I subbed cilantro for basil as the recipe suggested.

  • ozfoodie on December 20, 2022

    Loved this! My only quibble was that there's no way that amount of chicken pieces is going to brown in a wok or pan in a single batch. Still, they were lovely flavours and I'll make this again.

  • dc151 on January 05, 2026

    I cooked the chicken x2 (doubled) then the rest. It was well received.

  • jhallen on August 10, 2022

    I thought this was really tasty and easy. No complaints, will definitely make again. Recipe executed very well.

  • Jviney on January 26, 2021

    This was a nice healthy recipe for a weeknight. Our four- and six-year old boys loved it, as did my husband (who has been on a diet and said to me "this has got to have sugar in it" - nope, a lovely subtle sweetness from the dates). It may not be an outstanding, memorable, serve-to-company dish, but it's great for its purpose and we'll make it again. Next time, I would probably slice the garlic instead of leaving the cloves whole, and would tear larger basil leaves in half. Otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing.

  • amanda_ejt6ss on April 26, 2026

    Really liked it. Cut ginger and garlic smaller. Then added some oyster sauce at the end. Served with snap peas and rice. My mom thought it was “just okay”

• Garlic-chile chicken breasts with cucumbers and green ginger sauce

  • mrshalf on March 30, 2017

    Of all the dishes I've tried from Dinner - this was almost...bland. Next time I'll amp up the sauce. The chicken was the bland part - the Green Ginger Sauce was amazing!

  • clcorbi on April 28, 2017

    This is a new favorite from this book, right up next to the harissa chicken with potatoes and leeks. YUM. Per the advice of many on CH, I doubled the cucumber recipe, and that gave us a better proportion of veggies to chicken. It would have been a good call anyway, because the cucumbers are delicious! I liked them so much that I actually made them again later in the week, to serve with another dinner. This cucumber sauce is FAR superior to her recipe for smashed cucumber salad in the back of the book. I will be turning back just for these cukes again and again! Adding a bit of the poaching liquid to the rice really takes this bowl meal from good to great, in my opinion. The combo of tender poached chicken, spicy cucumbers, and comforting rice is really a perfect meal to me. The only criticism I have is that we didn't love the green sauce--I think it had a bit too much ginger for my taste. I'll experiment with that next time. There will be a next time because we loved this meal.

  • TrishaCP on May 04, 2017

    The cucumbers are amazing! We also doubled the cukes, and with the larger amount, you actually don't need the sauce anymore. Which is good, because I didn't like the sauce. The chicken was fine (healthy!), and I would make it again just to have with the cucumbers.

  • stockholm28 on May 08, 2017

    I hate to be the contrarian, but this was just o.k. for me. I liked it well enough, but not enough to repeat. I would have preferred sriracha over chili garlic paste. I also prefer the Vietnamese cucumber salads made with rice wine vinegar to this one.

  • bwhip on May 09, 2017

    This was very tasty! We served it over brown rice, and the ccombination of the gently poached chicken breasts with the cool and zippy cucumbers, along with the spicy sauce, made for a really dynamic contrast of flavors, temperatures and textures. Next time I might cut back jalapeño in the sauce to one, or use less of the sauce, because it was really spicy! My lips are still on fire (but smiling).

  • westminstr on November 17, 2021

    I only made the cucumbers. They were pretty easy and I liked them. E didn’t like and they didn’t transform them for O.

  • bernalgirl on November 10, 2022

    An easy and delicious meal, I used Persian cucumbers and drained them with salt first and loved the texture. I also seeded and deveined the jalapeños to decrease the heat while retaining the flavor. Served with jasmine rice cooked with chicken stock.

  • Delys77 on March 02, 2019

    I also enjoyed this, especially the cucumbers which we doubled.

  • twoyolks on February 25, 2024

    The cucumbers are the best part of this. The chicken was a little bland but the sauce did help with that. The chicken took quite a bit longer to cook than the recipe specified.

  • mpo on February 22, 2026

    This is why I need to use this website more- as I was making the green sauce, I remembered that I had made it before and it is too grainy with all that ginger and no, the chicken will not cook in the time she says.

  • carlah on December 29, 2021

    I loved this recipe, but I will say that 5 cloves of garlic for the green sauce is way too much (at least if you eat as much of the green sauce as I did in one sitting. You won't feel it at the time, but a few hours later there is an overpowering garlic aftertaste.) One clove should be plenty. Also, I strained and saved all the poaching liquid and made a congee style soup with the liquid and leftover rice and chicken.

  • cellenly on June 12, 2019

    Like everyone said, the family loved the cucumbers which we doubled. The spicy green sauce was super spicy, and I would skip it next time because we wouldn't miss it. We would just put the cucumbers on the chicken. There was enough spice in the cucumbers for us. We also cut down the jalapeños in half, and we were fine (and we're not a family scared of spice). Actually, it was still on the spicy side for us even when we halved.

  • kajicebaby on December 24, 2025

    This took quite a while for us to make. The chicken took much longer than expected. I only put one jalapeño in the sauce, and it was spicy enough for me. The sauce was pretty watery, but overall we really liked this meal. I might try making it again as my partner really loved it!

  • halfchefc on March 13, 2025

    Too much garlic in the green sauce, will cut that down next time. Easy dish with pantry ingredients. I overcooked the chicken so I'll make sure to watch that more closely.

  • mfranklin125 on October 17, 2017

    Love the cooking style for the chicken.

  • pistachiopeas on June 28, 2017

    Comfort food. Loved everything about this. The only part I'd skip, if short on time, would be the green sauce.

• Anchovy chicken with lemon and capers

  • Astrid5555 on April 02, 2017

    We had mixed reactions to this dish. While I have to admit that I liked the sauce by itself (did not have any capers to add, so only garlic, anchovies and lemon), I and younger son did not much care for it with the chicken (used boneless skinless thighs). However, husband and older son loved it.

  • westminstr on April 15, 2019

    Made as written and loved it. Truly fast and very tasty - a real weeknight winner.

  • sfcarole on May 23, 2020

    I've been working my way through Clark's Dinner: Changing the Game chicken recipes and I just got around to trying this last night. Most of the recipes are easy and very flavorful. This one was no exception. I rough chopped the anchovies to help in their dissolving and I chopped the capers to give more of their flavor per bite. Everything else was done as directed. It took 10 minutes in the oven. We both loved it and I'll make it again. Oh, and I served it with a dollop of plain yogurt mixed with salt & pepper and some of the minced garlic. She suggests this topping in other recipes and I find myself using it on many meat preparations.

  • Lu1950s on February 23, 2022

    This was really tasty. It took me forever to debone and skin my 3 pounds of chicken thighs. I doubled the recipe (not olive oil; used 2 Tbsp/skillet) and had two 12" skillets going at once. I increased the sauce at the end with a some white wine and a little butter. Served over rice.

  • hughb on November 27, 2018

    Delicious, fast, and easy.

  • FJT on June 25, 2017

    This was easy and delicious. I would have enjoyed it more had I not burned my hand despite the warning in the recipe - next time I'm finishing it on the stove top rather than in the oven!!

  • crysta_63qusi on May 21, 2026

    We make this a few times a year and it's always good. Simple, fast, and more than the sum of its parts. I always serve it over a grain to soak up the sauce.

  • purrviciouz on January 30, 2019

    We loved this and it was really fast and delicious weeknight dinner. I didn't have bread so I added pasta to the pan sauce before adding the chicken back. I mashed the anchovies with mortar and pestle to a paste to avoid any leftover anchovy chunks. Will definitely make this again. I might add more capers next time.

  • Apepin on February 08, 2023

    We all liked this. It was quick and tasty. Served with orzo.

  • MissKoo on July 16, 2021

    This was fast and easy to put together, a good weeknight dinner. Tasty enough, but not wowed as I'd anticipated I would be. Not sure if the problem was the anchovies I was using up that were admittedly way past expiration date, using cast iron instead of a different sauté pan, or too high expectations. Plan to use the leftovers cut up over salad. Will try this again with fresher anchovies, using a different pan, and with yogurt as suggested in sfcarole's note.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    I made this when it appeared on the NY Times site. It's very easy and tasty, especially for anchovy lovers. What stops me from making it more is how heavy on the oil it is. Makes it kinda messy and heavy-feeling.

  • Wende on September 20, 2021

    Fast, delicious. I've made this too many times to count. Any leftover chicken is spectacular in a kale salad (with parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts) the next day.

  • SpatulaCity on January 11, 2024

    We loved this and would make again. One change - we used skin on, bone in thighs, so cooked them skin side down until browned and crispy before flipping and finishing in the oven. I could see adding extra capers and garlic if so desired. We served with green beans and the “sauce” was excellent over those as well.

• Mustard chicken breasts with ginger and tangerine

  • L.Nightshade on April 02, 2017

    This is a main course, definitely not a complete dinner. The headnotes state to serve with roasted potatoes, sweet or regular, and the salad on page 371. Chicken breasts (thighs can be subbed for dark meat lovers) are pounded to about 1/2 inch, then marinated in whole grain mustard, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, ginger, tangerine juice, tangerine zest, and olive oil. Per the recipe, they are cooked under the broiler, but due to our non-working oven, ours were done on the grill. Once cooked, they are topped with additional zest, parsley, flaky salt, and drizzled with olive oil. Tangerine is absolutely lovely with chicken! And the entire combination, with mustard and ginger, was just delicious. It’s a very easy treatment for chicken with a substantial reward. I served this with the grilled broccolini from Gjelina, and that was dinner.

  • megaelim on April 02, 2017

    This was really delicious. I subbed in boneless thighs (this was the first thing I broiled in our new oven, so I was definitely experimenting with time there. Thighs do take longer.). The tangerine went really well with the chicken. I served with some rice and sautéed Swiss chard - BF said he'd happily have this again.

  • stockholm28 on April 04, 2017

    I liked this, but it didn't quite rise to the "must make again" category. It is only 6 WW points, so if you are looking for a lighter recipe, this fits the bill. The takeaway for me was pounding the chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thick and cooking under the broiler. The chicken cooked quickly yet did not dry out.

  • Delys77 on April 06, 2017

    The broiler results in nicely cooked juicy chicken but very little browning in my oven, which I somewhat missed. Perhaps the grill.

  • paulabee on May 21, 2017

    This was good but I don't think it merits repeating - while the marinade is an unexpected combination of flavors, it's not really much more than the sum of its parts. Good but not amazing, and there's so many other recipes in this book that look delicious so I'll move on to those!

  • Jane on May 28, 2017

    I liked this a lot. I marinated the chicken for about two hours which gave a good flavor. And finishing it off with more tangerine zest and parsley was a nice touch. I served it with baked sweet potato and roasted asparagus.

  • TrishaCP on January 08, 2018

    I'm in the "just okay" crowd on this one. We marinated for about 2 hours, and I concur with Zosia that the only citrus notes came from the zest added at the end.

  • FJT on July 01, 2017

    We really liked this, although I need to practice pounding the chicken to make it thinner so that it cooks in the time stated. Flavours were great - I used Dijon mustard instead of wholegrain. We thought the flavours were well balanced. This was a nice, light main course served with a pile of vegetables.

  • dinnermints on September 16, 2020

    I fall more on the side this recipe being good enough to repeat. Tangerines are not in season here, so I used OJ concentrate and water, and seeing others' notes about missing the citrus, went heavy on the concentrate (and added some lime juice to brighten it up a bit). I thought the chicken had a lot of flavor, but second FJT about pounding the chicken thin enough...I was afraid of pounding it too thin and drying it out, but instead it took maybe 15 minutes longer to cook. Served with roasted sweet potatoes and mushrooms.

  • Zosia on June 23, 2017

    This was okay but I thought the mustard overpowered the other ingredients. The only citrus I could taste was the zest added at the end. I did like the method of flattening the breasts slightly to ensure an even cook.

  • Stephenn31 on April 24, 2026

    Easy and delicious. I roasted some potatoes at the same time which worked well

  • Tweedles81 on March 07, 2020

    I agree with all of the comments about this being good, but not great, and I too will move on to other recipes in this amazing book instead of trying this one again. I marinated the chicken at room temp for 15 minutes. The chicken had some flavor but not a lot. It sounds like marinating did not help all that much based on the other reviews.

  • Beck001 on October 29, 2025

    We liked this. We used chicken thighs - 1.5 lbs and cooked 4 min per side I added more citrus to dish. It was fast and i needed to use up ingredients (leftover fresh thyme). Is it amazing? No - but super easy, intersting tasting and family happy

• Thai chicken breasts with coconut milk and lemongrass

  • mfranklin125 on April 04, 2017

    Easy. Liked. Good.

  • stockholm28 on April 16, 2017

    The flavors in this dish were pleasant enough, but I really missed the chilies and ginger. To be fair, she notes in the headnote that this is not intended to be spicy and works when you need to feed both adults and kids. The dish is basically boneless, skinless chicken breasts simmered in coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, lemongrass, and garlic. You add shitakes and scallions. You serve it over rice. This dish took under 30 minutes including prep. I'd make it again because it is super easy. I'd doctor it up a bit with some chilies and ginger.

  • Jane on October 23, 2020

    This was comfort food but I didn't love it enough to make it a repeat. Melissa does say in the headnote that it isn't spicy in order to make it acceptable to children but it did seem a bit bland, even with lemongrass and fish sauce. It was perfectly fine for a weeknight dinner but I feel I could make better use of 8 oz of shiitake mushrooms.

  • bernalgirl on October 25, 2023

    Heeding the notes I added more garlic, chile peppers, and Thai lime from my tree. I served this with coconut rice (I know but it’s the one rice my little asks for) and a Thai-style cucumber salad. Delicious and easy!

  • sarahkalsbeek on September 07, 2020

    We thought this was so good! We were serving it for a wine tasting (Zoom) party, and as Clark notes in the summary, this is a fantastic pairing with white wine! We didn't have mushrooms or scallions, so I just sliced up a very small onion and put it in with the poaching liquid before bringing that all up to a boil. So delicious!

  • ldyndiuk on August 08, 2023

    I didn’t think this was bland at all. The fish sauce, lemon grass, lime juice, coconut milk, and shiitake mushrooms all added so much flavor! I do like the idea of adding ginger though, because I love ginger. This was very quick and easy and I will definitely make it again.

  • mharriman on March 23, 2021

    I mostly Made half a recipe (used a full lemongrass stalk) for two of us, and although it is on the bland side, we thought it was very good, especially with the Thai inspired side salad I made to go with it. I cut my breasts in half and they were cooked through in the poaching liquid at 10 minutes as noted. Served in shallow bowls with jasmine rice. Riesling paired well with this dish.

• Sticky tamarind chicken with crisp lettuce

  • ellencooks on April 04, 2017

    This doesn't quite make a whole dinner for me but I was surprised at how well this chicken went with some romaine leaves and jalapeños. I spread the tamarind sauce around the lettuce and it made a nice dressing. Did not add the pictured cilantro and radicchio which is not in the recipe. My major complaint about this book. Pictures do not match recipes.

  • Zosia on May 04, 2017

    The flavours of the marinade were nicely balanced and resulted in flavourful and succulent chicken but there wasn't much heat so the jalapeno wasn't optional for us. I used boneless thighs for an even quicker cooking meal and served them with flatbreads and broccoli slaw made with lime and mint.

  • BethNH on May 05, 2017

    Made this for dinner last night with skinless boneless thighs. We served it with rice and green beans. The marinade was delicious and gave the chicken good flavor. My chicken, however, was neither sticky nor caramelized. We all thought it tasted good enough but none of us loved it and I doubt I'd make it again. I've confirmed that none of us really care for chicken thighs and I wonder if this marinade would be good with chicken breasts on the grill when it finally gets warmer.

  • TrishaCP on August 02, 2017

    This tasted quite good but I agree with BethNH that my chicken wasn't sticky, or caramelized. (I also used boneless skinless thighs.) I also didn't think it had much tamarind flavor, which was disappointing.

  • hughb on November 27, 2018

    While the flavors were good, mine too was neither sticky nor caramelized. Although I like many of the recipes in this book, I won't make this one again.

  • Nrnarayan on November 19, 2025

    I used bone in skin on thighs, I think this came out really well. Glad I followed the tip someone gave to use foil, the marinade is definitely sticky. Next time I do this I'll make more effort to get the marinade under the skin I bet that would send it over the top. I served in lettuce wraps with rice + pickled carrot and daikon

  • ldyndiuk on May 28, 2022

    I love this chicken - I made it a number of times back when I was able to get tamarind paste at my grocery store. It was very easy and came out sticky and delicious, though I learned to line the pan with foil because trying to get the burned-on sauce off the pan did some damage. Goes great with the coconut rice!

  • tlight on May 16, 2022

    Cueing from other reviews, I decided to use boneless, skinless thighs and the sauce as a marinade. We grilled these rather than oven baked and served with the coconut rice from the book along with the cucumber salad from the poached chicken and green sauce recipe (which has received good reviews) and had quite an enjoyable dinner!

  • hbakke on May 07, 2019

    Meh. Couldn't taste any tamarind in the finished dish and the marinade incinerated in the oven. The accompanying lettuce with jalapeno doesn't create a full meal in my opinion. I wouldn't make this again.

• Vietnamese ginger chicken

  • lizbot2000 on April 08, 2017

    Really needs the cilantro, so don't skimp on it.

  • TrishaCP on July 03, 2021

    We liked the flavor quite a bit (grilled rather than broiled). We marinated the chicken about 3 hours and it was a tad chalky as hbakke noted so I would marinate a much shorter time in the future.

  • averythingcooks on January 27, 2023

    These were fine but I'll admit to being a bit underwhelmed. I think more heat (fresh chiles?) and using the BBQ would benefit these marinated thighs greatly. I marinated for around 2 hours and it is my habit to replace fish sauce with a 50:50 mix of fish & oyster sauce but I don't think this is to blame here.

  • mfranklin125 on April 29, 2019

    I added peanuts and really went heavy on the lime and ginger. Did honey instead of sugar. Was good.

  • ezwriternc on March 24, 2023

    This was quick and easy. Broiled easily. Made the smashed cucumbers as the side and it worked out great.

  • lou_weez on June 30, 2021

    Nice enough. Serving size was a little small (1 chicken thigh fillet per person). Served with the cucumber salad from the same book and rice.

  • twoyolks on March 18, 2021

    I found the marinade to be really lime heavy.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    We didn't love this even though we love Vietnamese food. I marinaded it on the longer side of her suggested time, and the chicken ended up a bit tough. The flavor wasn't special enough for us to make it again.

  • excurvatus on July 26, 2019

    This is such a wonderful, zingy chicken recipe. I recommend making it and wish I could remember to make it more often.

  • hbakke on September 15, 2019

    I didn't love this. I just don't really like fish sauce in most things. I think I overmarinated the chicken since it had a chalky texture. I wouldn't make this again.

• Coconut curry chicken with sweet potatoes

  • Jane on May 29, 2017

    This is good dinner if you can spare an hour, of which 40 minutes is just oven time. I didn't have any Thai red curry paste so had to use green. I'd say the garnish of toasted coconut flakes and toasted mustard seeds is important for the final dish.

  • TrishaCP on April 08, 2020

    This was a very flavorful curry. The sweet potatoes are quite soft but I didn’t mind the texture. This recipe did require a fair amount of chopping, so I’m glad I prepared it during the weekend to reheat during the week.

  • clcorbi on December 17, 2018

    Really nice flavor, but I found that my sweet potatoes got way too mushy during the allotted cooking time. I might substitute them for a heartier vegetable next time--I think even carrots could have worked better.

  • hillsboroks on April 05, 2019

    We loved the flavors in this dish. Don't skip the coconut, mustard seeds and lime at the end. They really amp up the flavor. Clcorbi is right that the sweet potatoes/red yams do get quite soft so maybe they could be added partway through the time in the oven. I also think that waxy potatoes, carrots and green beans could go nicely in this dish.

  • Jviney on February 03, 2022

    I really liked this. I did the chopping earlier in the day so the hands-on cooking time seemed short. Served with rice and my family enjoyed it. As others have said, don’t skip the coconut mustard seed accompaniment, or the lime.

  • csp on April 22, 2026

    This was fantastic but I’ll used bone in chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken next time. Don’t skip the toasted coconut and mustard seeds.

  • aimeekitty on February 27, 2021

    Awesome!! Don’t leave off the lime

  • rachel_ywqstg on March 30, 2026

    We enjoyed this dish very much! I agree that the sweet potatos were overdone/too soft and falling apart, so I would add it later in the process. The toasted coconut added a fun texture, but maybe not as nessesary for me (I used shredded coconut instead of flakes - I don’t know if that makes a large difference.) The cilantro and lime are a must!

  • halfchefc on December 03, 2025

    This was yummy but I definitely missed the spice. I added 2 seeded jalapeños but I'll definitely make it spicier next time. It also makes a ton so I'll halve it next time for 2 people. I used lemongrass paste and frozen ginger cubes to help minimize the chopping.

• Pizza chicken with pancetta, mozzarella, and spicy tomatoes

  • Jane on September 12, 2017

    I liked this though my finished dish looked rather different to the book photo. Like Astrid I found the tomatoes had lost all definition in the sauce - my tomatoes also threw off a lot of liquid so the chicken was sitting in soup (tasted lovely though). This isn't a quick weeknight dinner - start to finish was well over an hour. Though it's a good way to use your tomato harvest - uses 1.5 pounds of large plus a pint of cherry.

  • Astrid5555 on April 23, 2017

    I loved the concept of the dish, but the end result was somewhat different to what I was expecting, also from the picture. No way the tomatoes look that nice in reality after the sauce has cooked down for more than 40 minutes. On the other hand the sauce was very good and we all happily had this for Sunday lunch. And this is also when we would have it again, not as a quick weeknight dinner option, too much chopping and waiting going on here for my taste.

  • julesamomof2 on August 08, 2022

    We loved this dish - based on other reviews, I used a jar of marinara along with the fresh cherry tomatoes which made it extra saucy and delicious. Will make again.

  • chawkins on September 15, 2023

    I made half a recipe using grape and Roma tomatoes from the garden and bacon instead of pancetta because I forgot to pick up some when I was at the store, skipped the anchovies because I could not locate them in the pantry. We like this real well, and it was easy and quick quick. Will definitely make again especially in the summer when I usually have a ton of tomatoes from the garden.

  • averythingcooks on December 31, 2018

    I first saw / made an adaptation of this on Food52........now I make it following Melissa's book and we LOVE this. It produces an awesome cast iron pan of delicious "tomato saucy, cheesey, capery, basily" chicken thighs!

  • Larkspur on April 22, 2017

    I substituted canned diced tomatoes for fresh tomatoes (I did use fresh cherry tomatoes)

  • TrishaCP on May 02, 2021

    We liked this- would be a good family dish (at least in my family!). I used fresh cherry tomatoes and a 14 oz can of diced Italian-style tomatoes. It was still a bit watery but not as bad as using the fresh tomatoes (from Jane’s note below).

  • Baxter850 on July 24, 2017

    Fun little recipe although it's nothing to stop the presses. Would reduce the anchovies next time.

  • Soulkitchenjen on December 02, 2025

    This was excessively fussy for a recipe that just tasted like chicken in a mid tomato sauce. It was not spicy not particularly pizza flavored. It was a non fried chicken parm? Except parm would have improved it. The number of steps and amount of effort were not worth it.

  • jhallen on August 18, 2022

    This was great - my tomatoes and sauce and were not watery (used fresh cherry tomatoes and fresh diced tomatoes). I am not eating chicken so substituted eggplant and didn’t cook it as long as chicken would require (but otherwise made it as written). It was good - my eggplant was a little soft but tasted great.

  • pomegranate on June 27, 2023

    This sauce is delicious

  • ezwriternc on March 10, 2022

    This worked for me! I used cherry tomatoes and jarred tomato sauce i had open in the fridge. Make it. Your family will love it.

  • Karinett on August 25, 2025

    Delicious but not the healthiest (very rich and cheesy), so likely won't make again. The flavor really encapsulates "pizza" well!

• Coriander seed chicken with caramelized Brussels sprouts

  • westminstr on March 28, 2017

    I really loved this, and it was very easy since everything is prepared the night before. I used thighs. However, brushing the mustard on the chicken skin made it stay flabby, in future I will put the mustard under the skin or on the flesh only. Note that I made a half recipe for the adults and a separate plain version for the kids.

  • dinnermints on November 06, 2022

    Good! I made a double-ish recipe; used 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts and 2.5 lbs Brussels. I decreased the oil by half and that worked out fine. The mustard glaze on the chicken is particularly nice.

  • hillsboroks on May 03, 2019

    Great flavor and relatively fast preparation makes this recipe a winner. I made a half recipe for two of us using 4 chicken thighs. I was only able to marinate it for 30 minutes but it was enough to make the flavors saturate the chicken and Brussels sprouts. When I checked the temperature on the chicken at 30 minutes it was done just right and the Brussels sprouts were perfect. My husband absolutely loved this dish so I will be making it again. I may try Westminstr's suggestion of brushing the mustard sauce under the skin next time.

  • chawkins on February 16, 2022

    Great flavor with minimal effort. I made half a recipe using drumsticks and marinated for two hours, roasted for about 45 minutes. Also used frozen sprouts and forgot the red pepper flakes. Definitely on the repeat list.

  • meggan on May 07, 2019

    I had to use frozen Brussels sprouts because there are slim pickings in the produce department in Maine this time of year. It worked ok though they could have been more caramelized. I also did not have coriander seeds so I only used ground powder and I used boneless skinless chicken. The chicken cooks faster this way but lacked any nice crunchy skin.

  • FJT on March 07, 2021

    Lovely flavours. The sprouts were the real hit here. Will definitely repeat!

  • stockholm28 on April 16, 2017

    I liked the flavors, despite the fact that I only marinated for 30 minutes. She uses a mix of ground coriander and toasted crushed coriander seeds which I thought was odd, but the half crushed seeds do lend a nice note. I used chicken thighs. I roasted on the top rack of a convection oven. The chicken skin did get crispy, but some of my brussels sprouts got completely burnt, so I would definitely check everything at about 20 minutes. I felt that 2 1/2 tsps of salt was too much, so I'd scale back some. The recipe is here: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018590-coriander-seed-chicken-with-caramelized-brussels-sprouts

  • Niemie on March 28, 2017

    A weeknight winner: crave-able, the preparation is very hands-off, easy clean up, and reasonably healthy

  • clcorbi on November 30, 2018

    Really delicious, flavorful sheet pan recipe. I had to almost double the roasting time to get my brussels/chicken as crisp as I wanted, but I'm sure that just depends on the oven. I was actually out of coriander seeds so I only used ground coriander, and I still loved the result. Will be repeated for sure.

  • sfcarole on June 26, 2020

    I finally tried this and loved it. My husband especially loved the very crisp Brussels sprouts and chicken skin. I used bone-in thighs and cooked for 20 min., turned over the sprouts, and then baked another 15 minutes - all at 425º. Per westminstr's suggestion I smeared the mustard/oil on the flesh underside of the thighs. For the first 20 minutes I put the loose leaves of the sprouts that accumulate when trimming them, plus the garlic, under the chicken. Then I pulled them out for the last 15. We made the recipe with four thighs, the better to have leftovers. Loved the citrusy flavor of the coriander. This is a definite repeat!

  • Jane on January 22, 2019

    This was a quick and easy recipe for a weeknight. I hadn’t planned ahead so only did a 30 min marinade but there was plenty of flavor, especially from the mustard. One I will repeat.

  • Stephenn31 on March 22, 2024

    It was OK, and easy dinner to make. Good to roast with the Brussel sprouts for greens instead of potatoes. Not overly flavourful.

  • purrviciouz on November 24, 2019

    I liked this however I need to keep in mind for myself that 1/4 - 1/3 lb chicken is one serving for us. I might decrease chicken and increase sprouts next time, maybe add potatoes to the roast instead of polenta if I want a more prep ahead meal. Very tasty.

  • SpatulaCity on March 19, 2024

    We thought this was great. Used only 2lbs of bone in chicken thighs but kept the marinade and Brussels sprouts at the amount stated in the recipe. Lots of great flavor. Halved the chile flakes because we’re spicy-heat wimps, but could have used the full amount. The sprouts charred up beautifully and became delicately soft. Next time I may pull sooner so they retain some crunch? Regardless, YUM

• Anchovy lamb chops with capers and garlic

  • westminstr on March 28, 2017

    Five stars for the sauce! Loved it. But did not care for the blade chops and will use loin chops next time. The kids didn't like the sauce so leave some chops plain for them. Also note to self that I undercooked them at first, they took longer on my stove than she specifies in the recipe.

  • SheilaS on February 13, 2026

    Easy and delicious! The chops I had were quite large but cooked perfectly pink and medium rare in 3 min/side. Next time, I’ll let the pan cool down before adding any of the sauce ingredients as the anchovies and capers charred in about 2 seconds!

  • okcook on November 03, 2021

    We liked the sauce but it was a bit too lemon forward. Maybe we had a big lemon? You might want add a little at a time, tasting as you go. I also used loin chops.

  • bernalgirl on February 03, 2024

    I made this with shoulder chop-thin slices of bone-in leg of lamb and they worked perfectly in this preparation. They cooked to medium rare in two minutes per side in a screaming hot cast iron pan. I cooked the chops and turned the heat down to medium, making the pan sauce while the chops rested. Delicious! And so easy.

  • chawkins on March 09, 2023

    Quick and easy, but not a fan of the lamb shoulder chops, they were fatty and tough.

  • Bessp on April 09, 2024

    Very nice and super quick! Served with a minty pea soup for a lovely spring supper.

• Cuban flank steak with lime and fresh mango

  • westminstr on March 28, 2017

    Subbed a london broil for the flank steak which held up beautifully in the overnight marinade. Great flavor. Also so easy when you buy the mango pre-sliced. I made this in a cast-iron skillet, about 5 min per side and 5 min in a 425 oven. It came out perfect (for london broil) but I think it really would have benefited from a charcoal grill and a better cut of meat.

  • TrishaCP on April 01, 2017

    This was fine- in that flank steak is always appealing to me- but I thought overall the flavor was bland. I only marinated the steak for about an hour, but I think it really needs the overnight marinade, which she suggests as an option. I agree this is probably best grilled rather than broiled. Also, this needs a side dish or salad- the steak and mangoes aren't going to cut it alone. ETA- leftovers were much more flavorful for sandwiches the next day, but I still would probably not make this again.

  • Zosia on June 13, 2017

    Marinating for only 1 hour really didn't allow the flavours to penetrate but serving the thin slices with meat juices and some of the reserved marinade made a big difference. Everyone really enjoyed it and, surprisingly, even the mangoes were a hit. I'll try to give it a longer marinating time when I make it again.

  • JoanN on June 29, 2025

    I adore flank steak and this had all my favorite flavors in it. I thought the marinade was just outstanding, on both the steak and the mango. Next time I'll marinate the steak overnight and try searing in a cast iron skillet since the broiler gave it not the least bit of char and I wanted to make sure the steak remained medium rare. It looked anaemic, but it tasted great. May even take the recipe to Maine with me later this summer when I'll have access to a grill.

  • mrsmadam on August 11, 2025

    Like JoanN my broiler didn't come close to giving my steak any kind of char. Fortunately I made the choice to give up on it soon enough to put it on a ripping hot cast iron grill pan and managed to get it close to medium rare. Marinated for 6 hours it had good flavor and I wouldn't hesitate to go longer. The reserved marinade on the mango was outstanding. Even the mango averse spouse commented on how good it was. Served with a spinach salad with mandarins and an orange dressing. Excellent, easy meal.

  • kimberly_dq6y9k on May 19, 2026

    Fantastic weeknight meal. My shop was out of flank steak so I used flat iron and it was excellent. Though I marinated it for about 9 hours. I would maybe even do an overnight marinade next time. Delicious, flavorful, fresh summer meal.

  • halfchefc on May 09, 2025

    Marinated top sirloin overnight and really liked the flavor. Needs more salt after cooking and next time will try with the mango + extra marinade.

  • Bessp on November 10, 2025

    Delicious! I cooked the steak under the broiler and it didn't get the char I wanted, even though I cooked it almost twice as long as the recipe called for, but that's my only gripe. I served with roasted sweet potatoes and a citrus-mango mix with tajin on top. I'll try it on the grill and see if I can get more of the char that I want.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    Had to use a flatiron steak because all my local stores had run out of flank and skirt steak. The steak suffered as a result and probably needed a longer marinade, since the flavor didn't really penetrate. Make sure you reserve some of the marinade! Silly me read right past that instruction and dumped it all on the steak--had to make more as a result. While the steak didn't impress, the mangoes with the salty limey marinade were a revelation. Like mind-blowing good.

• Vietnamese-style skirt steak with herb and noodle salad

  • Emily Hope on March 24, 2017

    Another hit from this book for us--steak had great flavor, and so did the noodles. It also held up well for lunch leftovers the next day. I did make some changes, one that worked and two that didn't--NY strip steak was on sale so I used that instead of skirt--yum. I will say that I'd marinate the steak in the shorter end of her timeframe (I think her window is like 1-8 hours)--after about an hour it was already a bit mushy on the outside. I also reduced the amount of fish sauce (we use Red Boat and I always feel like it's super strong) and upped the noodles--the first thing my husband said after taking a bit was "needs more fish sauce"! Score one for Melissa. I also dressed the noodles about an hour or so before we ate, and wish I'd waited, as the dressing had absorbed too much into the sauce and the flavors were more muted.

  • TrishaCP on July 13, 2017

    We really liked this one too. We made several subs out of necessity and to use what was on hand- hakurei turnips for radishes and cilantro/Thai basil instead of mint. We marinated the steak about 1 hour, and that was plenty of time for the marinade to really penetrate the meat. We also had Red Boat fish sauce, and I would reduce the amount used next time to maybe 1/3 cup- it was quite potent.

  • sarahj22 on October 10, 2017

    Yum! We both really liked this one. I changed it slightly suiting what we had in the flat (egg noodles rather than rice noodles, added some crispy salad, ditched the peanuts) but I think this is a recipe that lends itself well to adaptation. I followed the recipe exactly for the marinade / salad dressing and it was absolutely delicious. I agree with the other cooks who suggest cutting back on the marinating time (mine was around 10 hours but that was too much, though MC says up to 12 hours is fine) and using less meat (if you slice the steak very thinly then you really don't need a lot of it). Definitely a keeper.

  • clcorbi on August 30, 2017

    Add us to the list of people who enjoyed this. I only had 25 min to marinate my steak, unfortunately, but it still became fairly flavorful. I only had a .8lb steak but used the full 8oz of noodles and added some extra sliced radishes and cucumber to compensate. This ratio of meat to noodles and veggies was just fine with us--I'd think if you had 2lb of meat, you'd definitely want more noodles. I was worried the sauce would be too aggressive because of all the fish sauce, but it was actually quite tasty. This is a nice, fresh-tasting summer dinner that I would make again.

  • Bessp on January 30, 2024

    Delicious! Fresh, fast, easy. Used a ribeye steak, no radishes. Made a half recipe.

  • Running_with_Wools on May 14, 2025

    We loved this however the next time I’ll make more dressing because the rice noodles absorbed it and the veggies didn’t have a lot of flavor. We splurged and used filet.

• Georgian lamb kebabs with dill sauce

  • MollyB on February 08, 2018

    Awesome recipe. We grilled the lamb. My six-yr-old happily ate it, even though it was fairly spicy. The leftovers were great to have around - the lamb made a tasty wrap with some hummus, cabbage, sliced peppers and some cucumber yogurt sauce.

  • stockholm28 on April 16, 2017

    These were really flavorful and very easy. I was concerned about the cinnamon, but it really blended in nicely with the other spices and I liked the heat from the cayenne, I made these on the grill. Lamb chunks are marinated in garlic, salt, cinnamon, paprika, cayenne, allspice, black pepper, and olive oil. You also make a dill sauce which is a really more of a relish than a sauce. It is comprised of bell pepper, cucumber, dill cilantro red chili, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. I served the kebabs on rice, topped with the dill sauce.

  • mfranklin125 on April 06, 2017

    Awesome. Easy. Delic. Salad great too I added greens and red onions and feta and served as a side.

  • megaelim on May 22, 2017

    Really good, and really easy. I put it in the marinade after lunch on a Sunday, so probably around five hours. The grill wasn't set up yet, so used the broiler. The relish was a nice addition. I made up enough for for the two of us to have it as a side salad.

  • runoutofshelves on September 28, 2025

    Loved these, loved the dill sauce/salad, had with rice and beetroot salad and feta, a feast

  • Frenchfoodie on August 19, 2023

    Decent lamb kebab though no revelations. Dill salad (it isn’t a sauce) was a good accompaniment though I prefer turkish ‘spoon salad’, as this reminded me of, with pomegranate molasses in the dressing.

• Za'atar chicken with lemon yogurt

  • DKennedy on March 26, 2017

    Wonderful. I made a few modifications so I could serve this as a one pan meal After the meat was broiled on one side - I undercooked the second side, lowered the temp to 400, and added toasted kale and chickpeas (from Melissa's other chicken sheet pan recipe on p. 26) to heat through. We ate this over 2 nights. The first night I forgot to add the finishing touches - lemon, the yogurt sauce, pom seeds, and sumac. The second night I put it back under the broiler and added all the missing finishing ingredients. Much much better the second night.

  • L.Nightshade on April 02, 2017

    This recipe calls for marinating the boneless, skinless thighs for two to eight hours. I decided to make this quite late in the day, so mine marinated for only about an hour, but in a vacuum-sealed bag. I’ve never done that before, and I do believe it drove the marinade into the meat very effectively. The marinade consists of lemon juice and zest, za’atar, parsley, olive oil, salt, and lots of garlic. Our thighs were grilled, but cooking under the broiler is given as an option. Greek yogurt is mixed with grated garlic, lemon zest, pepper, and salt, and served alongside the chicken (not in my photo). My oh my, was this ever good. I used all the optional garnishes, parsley leaves, mint leaves, sumac, and pomegranate arils, and I won’t consider them optional when making this again; they add to both the flavor and the appearance of the dish.

  • Rachaelsb on July 04, 2017

    This was delicious!!! Even better the next day! Only thing not sure about was Greek yogurt mix-grated garlic got a bit bitter. Works well with breasts and thighs.

  • Zosia on June 10, 2017

    This was really very good. The chicken was moist and the dish tasted fresh and bright from the lemon, the yogurt sauce and the garnishes. I marinated the chicken for the full 8 hours (probably closer to ten but my thighs were partially frozen when I added them to the bowl) and I would do that again.

  • Frogcake on August 08, 2017

    Totally delicious! The thighs marinated for eight hours. I left the skins on and oven broiled them with basting. We loved the lemon yogurt drizzle. Served with brown basmati, roasted zucchini and carrots, and simple green salad.

  • BasicStock on April 16, 2017

    This is so flavourful. I made it for my husband and myself, so didn't do the garnishes, but if I made it for company, which I think I will, I would go for the whole gamut of finishing touches for the presentation.

  • HalfSmoke on August 04, 2018

    Super easy to prepare and very flavorful, although the zaatar is a bit overwhelmed by the lemon and garlic. Other, similar herb blends could be substituted without missing a beat. Straight oregano would turn this into a Greek souflima. Cooked this over coffewood lump charcoal which imparted a delicate smoke flavor. Don’t forget the char on the chicken — this is a must.

  • twoyolks on January 09, 2022

    Quite good, if a bit strong on the lemon. The yogurt sauce helps mellow it out. I'd make this on the grill in the future instead of the broiler.

  • FJT on April 26, 2021

    Another vote for this recipe. I used chicken fillets as they were on offer at the store and they cooked very quickly under the grill, making this a delicious and extremely quick dinner.

  • TrishaCP on August 03, 2019

    I was only able to do a 30 minute room temperature marinade, but this was still absolutely delicious.

  • stockholm28 on March 23, 2021

    This was really good considering how easy it was. I only marinated for about an hour and a half and grilled outdoors. This had nice flavor for such a simple dish. Repeat-worthy.

  • SpatulaCity on October 27, 2023

    Loved it! So delicious! Used the oven broiler so it didn’t get any charred bits. I *may* have added extra garlic to the marinade. Loved the fresh herbs on top - used mint and parsley.

  • averythingcooks on September 06, 2022

    I cut this roughly in 1/2 using 5 thighs that weighed 14 oz (and she calls for 6 boneless skinless thighs that will be "about 2 lbs"....I just don't get it). I marinated for around 5 hours and we grilled them - delicious! I stirred the parsley into the yogurt and it was lovely served with the chicken. An absolute repeat.

  • Tweedles81 on July 07, 2019

    Delicious! I used an indoor grill pan and marinated for 3 hours. This was super easy - thumbs up across the board (which doesn’t happen often with preschoolers). Served with turmeric roasted carrots from another cookbook. I will definitely be making this again!

  • ezwriternc on May 20, 2023

    This was a nice grilled chicken thigh recipe. It didn’t knock my socks off with flavor but it was good. I’m sure I’ll make it again. The photo has pomegranates but there are none in the recipe.

  • jhallen on August 28, 2022

    This was excellent and very easy. Substituted salmon for chicken - worked very well - and grilled it. Plates up very well, looks really nice over rice.

  • pastaplease on February 27, 2021

    Have to join in with everyone else: delicious! I make according to the recipe; broiled, not grilled. Comes out out perfect. The marinade is so good you'll want to make sure there's some in the broiling pan (or somewhere) that gets cooked so that you can spoon it over at the table if you wish. First time I added the sumac to the yogurt dipping sauce, after that I went ahead and added all the optional ingredients except the pomegranate seeds to the yogurt. Keeps it simple and works great. An excellent dish to make for company because you do all the work earlier in the day.

  • Happykikkers on December 27, 2024

    Good flavour, but strong on the lemon. I over-salted the chicken a little, but the yoghurt helped mellow it down. My lemon-avers husband said it would be 5* if the yoghurt was without zest. My pomegranate was moldy so I couldn’t add it :-(

• Chorizo pork burgers with grilled honey onions and Manchego

  • DKennedy on March 28, 2017

    These were dinner tonight. I tweaked the recipe by using 3 lbs. ground pork and 6 oz. soy chorizo (both TJs brand) mostly because the sample batch I tested was way too chorizo tasting for me. (I didn't have the recipe with me when I went shopping so I didn't realize the chorizo should have been Spanish. I think Spanish would make a huge difference). I served these with the glazed onions set out in the body of this recipe. The onion glaze is delicious and it will be my go to way to grill onions from now on. I made a dijon herb garlic aioli to serve alongside and added avocado. I also painted the outside of the burgers with an Indian mustard which I think really added a special touch. These go into the make again pile, but using Spanish chorizo.

  • southerncooker on April 30, 2017

    My son loved this burger and the rest of us enjoyed it as well. Hubby wouldn't try it though. I did slice my onions thick and that worked great. I used my grill pan for the onions and the burgers. I ended up using just over a pound package of ground pork and the whole 19 oz package of chorizo.

  • FJT on March 28, 2017

    This is my first recipe from this book and it was fantastic. I used spicy Italian sausages and the extra smoked paprika instead of chorizo (as recommended in the recipe if you can't get fresh chorizo). Very easy to make and very tasty (the onion glaze is more-ish!). Some notes for next time I make it: don't slice the onions very thinly or they really burn quickly and slice the cheese thicker. I did use Manchego but it was a little bit lost amidst all the spice; I might just use whatever cheese I have on hand next time. My husband wants me to make this again ... preferably tomorrow, so I know it was a hit. Happy to have left-over burgers in the freezer for another time.

  • Zosia on June 07, 2017

    We loved these! They were incredibly moist and full of flavour, like chorizo but a bit toned down. I agree with an earlier reviewer that the manchego was a little lost so I would use a sharp cheddar next time. The onions were a delicious accompaniment but it really needed something acidic to cut the spice and richness so I served it with a tangy coleslaw. I used Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's "homemade" Tupperware chorizo and served them on sweet potato buns (pan de camote from book of buns).

  • clcorbi on June 26, 2017

    Pretty good! I'm probably biased because we just recently made the excellent lamb burgers from Made in India, and these can't quite compete with that recipe. But they were still delicious. I scaled down the recipe for two people, using 6oz each pork and chorizo. I left the dried spice quantities whole, though, and we thought the burgers were nice and flavorful, so I'd do that again. I agree that the onion glaze is superb. I'll repeat that for sure. No grill over here, so I charred the onions in a hot skillet. I topped the burgers with gouda, mayo and a bit of mustard--very nice.

  • raybun on June 04, 2017

    Very tasty! I had trouble finding the raw chorizo but finally managed. Thanks to the notes I sliced the onions thickly, they were my favorite part. I agree that a sharp cheddar or other cheese would do if manchego is not readily available or pricy. A definite 'make again'.

  • TrishaCP on April 15, 2020

    We really liked the flavor of the burgers. I agree the onions are a must.

  • averythingcooks on March 04, 2024

    I used 4 oz of each meat (& used hot paprika) to make 4 x 2 oz sliders. I started the onion on the stove with some of the oil to start softening, then added the honey-sherry vinegar mix & put them under the broiler. With aged provolone, we loved the big flavours here & the onions were a great topper (which I will make again for other uses, probably adding fresh thyme). 2 sliders each & a green salad made for a highly repeatable dinner.

  • Lucylew on October 12, 2019

    These were really good! I used fresh chorizo from Whole Foods and munster instead of manchego since that is what I had on hand. Cooked the onions in the oven rather than grill. Since I made the full recipe and there is only two of us, I have four burgers in the freezer. When I cook them, I will definitely grill the onions to maximize carmelization.

  • crandall57 on February 06, 2026

    We enjoyed these burgers, not sure our tummies did though.

  • amanda_ejt6ss on February 16, 2026

    I did half turkey half chorizo to lighten it up and added more spices. So good

• Jalapeño-honey steak with cilantro and lime

  • TrishaCP on September 05, 2017

    This is really good. I marinated my steak (a ribeye) for about six hours. I think overnight would be even better. I used two jalapeños with their seeds and it was the perfect amount of spice to complement the honey. I used a dark honey that isn't too sweet and it was perfect. I did need the additional salt she mentioned for serving.

  • mrshalf on December 19, 2017

    We liked this. Teen guests thought was yummy, don't forget the jalep peppers tho! Served with scalloped potatoes in the book as pictured. VERY filling meal.

  • hbakke on May 15, 2019

    Good steak marinade. Could really taste the cilantro and lime.

  • halfchefc on July 24, 2025

    Used NY strips & marinated over night. I'm not sure I loved the broiler method so I'll just cook them on a cast iron skillet next time. Served with the tomato salad from this book. Great summer meal.

  • barbara_xcaci9 on April 20, 2026

    Good marinade with a pleasant amount of heat. Cooked the steaks on the bbq.

• Peachy pork with pomegranate molasses and charred onion

  • TrishaCP on September 08, 2017

    This was flavorful and easy. Loved the onions the most. The recommended cook times for the chops did not work for me at all-my broiler isn't great. I needed to cook the pork much longer than specified.

  • chawkins on October 30, 2018

    Super easy and quite good. The pomegranate molasses adds a lot of flavor to the pork chops. Broiling made my sub-par end-of-the season peaches palatable. I used Vidalia onions.

  • Zosia on September 01, 2019

    Very tasty. The combination of onion, molasses and peaches had a nice balance of savoury, tangy and sweet flavours that complemented the pork well. My pork was cooked the way we like it after the 8 minute roast time (they were quite a bit thinner than the recipe specified) so I removed the chops to a plate to rest while the peaches etc broiled, then combined everything at the end.

• Colombian-style chicken with corn, avocado, and lime

  • bernalgirl on June 20, 2024

    This was absolutely delicious although I made it so much harder. I wanted to add more vegetables (thinly sliced cabbage and carrots) but forgot that the stock needs to be strained after the chicken is poached, which added a good 10 minutes to the cooking time and chicken that needed to be kept warm. I’d make it again with a salad on the side.

  • dinnermints on September 02, 2020

    Excellent flavor, although I agree with Tweedles81 that it took way longer than 50 minutes. I cut each chicken breast (two large ones - made 1.5 recipe) into four pieces to save time, and they cooked in about 7 minutes - would do it that way again. I served it with lightly toasted tortillas.

  • cellenly on June 12, 2019

    We made this and the previous recipe Garlic Chili Chicken Breast w/ Cucumbers back to back nights. The family enjoyed this overall more than the previous recipe which is usual since we love Asian flavors. This recipe was easier too. Next time, we would make more of the salsa and more corn. There was plenty of broth which was delicious.

  • jmohart on March 08, 2026

    Flavor was good but some steps I felt were unnecessary. Recipe asks you to calculate 2/3 of an onion, and has you cooking onion slabs in a dry pan. My onions just stuck and burnt, maybe that's part of the flavor? Served this over some rice.

  • Tweedles81 on June 23, 2019

    This was a good recipe. The broth was particularly scrumptious. However, it took me way longer than 50 minutes, and the chicken was still undercooked after 10 min so I had to cook it longer and ended up drying out the chicken a bit. It was a good recipe but I’m not sure it was worth the effort.

• Faux-tandoori chicken

  • FJT on April 05, 2017

    We always like Indian food, so I had to try this recipe. The flavours were nice but could have been much punchier - served with some Major Grey chutney you almost couldn't taste the chicken. Next time I will use more spice and leave the seeds in the jalapeño.

  • Penchantforproduce on May 02, 2017

    We made this last night with chicken drumsticks. It did not get great browning but this may have been a failure of the oven. We will try again tonight with the oven on convect. Also I found the marinade lacking but re-reading the recipe I realize I accidentally reduced the amount of cumin thinking it called for a TSP and not a TBSP, the correct amount of cumin would likely help. I may also up the amount of ginger on the next run.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    I agree with others that this was quite bland and needed a much punchier marinade. The leftovers were a little better, but you're still better off finding a real tandoori chicken recipe from an Indian cookbook.

• Speedy roasted chicken with garlic, rosemary, and mustard

  • Delys77 on November 10, 2017

    This is tight for a weekday as it takes close to an hour but it was quite good and might be doable if you have a bit more time than usual on a weeknight. I skipped the wine as all I had was rose and I didn't like the idea of that in the gravy and it was still very good. The gravy is definitely a winner given the garlic. I stirred a touch of mustard into the gravy and it was very good this way. Lastly, I do like the idea of dark and white meat so thighs and breasts would be my suggestion if you don't want to cut up a chicken. I halved my breast halves to make about 4 pieces and this worked well.

  • jfleissn on January 24, 2024

    We made this with bone in breasts, as DH is a white meat guy (alas). I took them out of the fridge about an hour in advance and they cooked up in the oven in 25 min. We used white wine. I thought the flavors were great, but there were a couple of small issues: 1) She doesn't tell you what to do with the rosemary, which is in sprig form, at the end. I'd consider chopping at least some of it and adding it to the gravy, as the bites that had little needles that had fallen off in them were the best ones. 2) I added much less flour to the gravy and it still got way too thick. I'd add just a smidge of flour, and honestly I'm not sure that just a sauce from the mashed roasted garlic and the liquids left in the pan wouldn't have been just fine.

  • SpatulaCity on April 12, 2024

    This was good, but more hassle than just roasting a chicken, and took about the same amount of time after breaking down the chicken. The winner though - this pan sauce! Delicious! Added the Dijon straight to the pan sauce and it was very tasty and tasted so French. Tres bien!

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    I made this with bone-in chicken thighs instead of starting with a whole chicken. It was easy and tasty though not all that special compared to some of the other chicken recipes. The rosemary flavor was fairly mild, and we were hoping for a bit more oomph.

• Crispy chicken cutlets with kumquats and cranberries

  • meduff on January 11, 2019

    If there is any dish in this cookbook that takes me back to my childhood it has to be this dish. The chicken is crispy and crunchy. The meat is tender. I have never fried food before but the smell in the house and the sound of the chicken frying in oil bought me right back to the kitchen and home I grew up in. There just isn’t one thing that is bad about this crispy chicken. Then you get to top it with this fabulous chutney. It’s tart and sweet. The color of the chutney is such a bright ruby red - it is a happy color. This recipe is so easy. The chutney can be made in advance - even a day ahead. I did make the citrus dressing but in the end opted not to use it. I didn’t want to take a chance that my very crispy chicken would might become a soggy mess. Next time, I think I’ll serve the citrus dressing on the side and people can choose for themselves. I thought the dressing was fine - nothing terribly special. It is the rest of the dish that shines.

  • averythingcooks on November 28, 2025

    It's usually the air fryer for this style of chicken, but Melissa's stove top cook times etc were right on the money...crispy crust & juicy chicken. I would probably skip the cumin next time & play with other seasonings - parmesan in the crumbs, Dijon and/or garlic in the egg etc. I used my fresh herb salt for seasoning & this time we ate this with my home canned chili sauce. I also skipped the citrus dressing because our salad dressing was "plenty lemony".

• Pomegranate chicken breasts with walnut butter

  • halfasleep on December 25, 2020

    I found this recipe to be just decent, though it is a matter of personal preference. The flavours turned out very tart which is not my thing, though I was impressed at how juicy the meat turned out and how crispy the skin was. If anything, I'd like to thank this recipe for making me cook with skin on, bone in breasts for the first time. If you do like tart, sour things though, definitely give this a try.

  • Frogcake on November 21, 2018

    Delicious! I toasted two slices of homemade bread before whizzing it to make the walnut butter. The pomegranate oil is an amazing tasty complement to the walnut butter roasted chicken. I served this with pan roasted carrots, yam and cauliflower drizzled with harissa oil.

• Sake-steamed chicken

  • e_ballad on October 20, 2020

    Pretty underwhelming. Not much flavour from the sake made it into the chicken & the raw garlic & ginger in the sauce detracted from the other ingredients.

• Herb-marinated steak with lemon

  • e_ballad on September 13, 2017

    Marinated overnight, this was a very tasty dish. I suspect that cooking it over direct heat would result in all the marinated goodness being lost, so I would highly recommend the overhead grill.

• Korean-style stir-fried beef (Bulgogi)

  • purrviciouz on September 04, 2018

    This was really delicious and a fun way to have a dinner party with everyone getting involved. I doubled the sauce and it was all gone. The beef cooks very quickly so stay close.

  • mrshalf on March 30, 2017

    Delicious marinade. Just be sure to cook within time frame - too long marinating and meat turns mushy. Ask me how I know... :( Try this one again!

  • averythingcooks on June 18, 2021

    Cut in 1/2, this was a smart use of one steak as a dinner for 2. I used green leaf lettuce as our “wraps” and made a batch of carrot, red onion & radish quick pickles. With the flavourful sauce (I had to use hoisin in place of the doenjang), green onion and sesame seeds as toppings, this was a fun and very tasty dinner.

• Turkish lamb chops with sumac, tahini, and dill

  • e_ballad on July 15, 2017

    Great spice blend for the lamb, though we weren't super-excited by the tahini dressing.

  • chawkins on March 24, 2018

    Wish I had read the previous reviews before I started cooking. The chops were delicious with the spice mix, however, the tahini sauce is definitely too salty. Don't understand why sumac is part of the recipe name when it is listed as an optional ingredient.

  • tui on November 13, 2017

    The chops were delicious. I will definitely use that spice mixture again. However I agree with a previous note - the tahini dressing wasn't remarkable and would have been too salty if I had used all the salt suggested.

  • bernalgirl on July 24, 2021

    These spices are fantastic on lamb and I loved the tahini sauce. I don’t enjoy coarse coriander so I toasted that and lightly ground it in my spice grinder, doing the rest in the mortar and pestle. I ended up with about 1/2 t of spice mix, which I added to the tahini sauce. Delicious interplay of flavors and textures.

  • tmitra on September 29, 2019

    Based on the notes below, I didn't expect to like the tahini sauce, especially as I don't like tahini much anyway, but I actually thought it worked. I used 0.75 t salt, rather than 1.75 t!

  • Lucylew on October 23, 2019

    I loved the spice rub on the chops and the instructions to broil them were spot on. I will definitely make these again. Did not make the tahini sauce because it did not sound good to me.

• Lamb stew with barley and leeks

  • clcorbi on April 09, 2018

    We also enjoyed this, but, like puddlemere, I made a lot of changes. I aggressively browned my lamb, then browned the onion, celery, and a bunch of added garlic in the lamb drippings. I also used half homemade chicken stock and half water, and added a generous dash of TJ's umami paste. With those changes, this stew was rich, savory and very comforting. I imagine if I had followed the recipe as written and skipped all the browning, it would have been much more lackluster.

  • puddlemere on January 29, 2018

    I thought this was great, although I did make a few changes. I used half homemade chicken stock and half water, and I didn't have turnips, celery, or kale so I just left them out and upped the carrot and potato and added some frozen peas at the end. I also browned the lamb first, even though the recipe calls for putting everything in all at once.

  • e_ballad on October 30, 2017

    This was ok, but we’ve been spoiled by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s version. Would recommend seasoning more vigorously.

• Spicy stir-fried cumin lamb

  • chawkins on May 21, 2022

    I made half of a recipe using beef rather than lamb, we really enjoyed this.

• Seared pork chops with peas, scallions, and pancetta

  • bernalgirl on March 08, 2024

    I read that this recipe was somewhat bland so I used it as a guide. The cooking instructions are absolutely perfect for 1.5” bone-in pork chops and the vegetables. I’m feeling a slight whiff of spring but we still don’t have snap peas so I substituted with leeks, tiny radishes and Tokyo turnips, which hold up well in this preparation. I sautéed the veggies with a jot of chile flakes and thyme, and deglazed the pan with white wine before adding the stock and finished the braise with a bit of butter. This worked well.

  • aliceanne on February 06, 2019

    My family enjoys this dish - the pork drippings add significant flavor to the peas. I've used both snow peas and sugar snap peas in this recipe.

  • Zosia on July 21, 2017

    The flavours weren't spectacular but the pork was moist and the side was a tasty riff on pancetta and peas. This was also an easy 1-pan meal suited to a busy weeknight. I wasn't sure about the instructions for cutting the peas (and the photo didn't help) so I left them whole and they were still fresh tasting with a bit of crunch by the time the pork was cooked through.

• Crispy salt and pepper pork

  • bernalgirl on August 07, 2023

    I took some liberties based on previous comments and family preferences, and also tripled the recipe for teen eaters and my dad. I cut the pork into 1/2” cubes (more crispy bits!), replaced 1/2 teaspoon of the Szechuan pepper with Five Spice, and dressed the lettuce, herbs, and cucumbers with a lime-fish sauce mixture. I also cooked the pork in batches to assure crisping. Served with coconut rice. My family devoured this meal and my Little asked me to put it on repeat.

  • rmardel on August 18, 2023

    This is delicious, enough that one wishes to beg for more! It was fast and easy enough to go in regular rotation. My cubes were larger than some reviewer's, 3/4" to not quite 1". This allowed me to get the outside of the cube crispy brown while still maintaining tenderness inside the cubes. I loved the contrast of flavor and texture. I upped the proportion of Szechuan pepper, which I adore, and reduced the black pepper. This was, admittedly because I switched the numbers in my head, but I loved the result and would make it this way in future. I was also inspired by those who added 5-spice, and I added China Moon 10-spice powder as well, which I tend to keep in my pantry, whereas I don't always have 5-spice on hand. This will definitely be on repeat.

  • ellencooks on June 05, 2017

    I agree that the smaller cubes are tastier. I find that's true for me for most cubed meat. I also thought it would need a sauce so I drizzled some some rice vinegar, sherry vinegar and ponzu sauce over chopped iceberg lettuce and sliced cucumbers. I served with coconut rice plus lime juice, jalapeños and cilantro over the meat as suggested. Loved it!

  • clcorbi on May 10, 2017

    This recipe seemed like an intriguing way to use pork shoulder, plus Food52 highlighted it as a genius recipe recently, so I had to give it a try. The result is certainly not bad, but I don't know if I'd call it genius. I loved how simple and fast this was to make, and I also really loved the heavy amount of sichuan peppercorns involved--the pork gets a nice, appealing crust of pepper on the outside which is very tasty. However, I think 1" cubes are a bit too big considering just how chewy the meat is. I think 1/2" cubes would be in order next time--every time I found a smaller piece in my bowl, I enjoyed it much better. I also found myself wishing this recipe had some sort of sauce, because the result is quite dry. I think the recommended sliced cucumbers would have helped, but some sort of sauce to drizzle over would really take this from good to great, IMO.

  • SheilaS on August 11, 2023

    Tons of flavor for such a quick, easy dish and the pork shoulder came out perfectly tender. Based on comments, I went with 1/2" cubes and was happy with that. Cooked plain white rice, quick-pickled some cucumbers and carrots and picked a bunch of herbs while the meat was marinating so everything was ready to plate once the meat was cooked.

  • halfchefc on August 12, 2025

    I'm not a huge pork fan but this recipe intrigued me enough to buy pork for the first time to cook at home. It was tasty, I cut the cubes smaller thanks to the notes here and air-fried them to avoid getting the kitchen dirty. We found ourselves missing a sauce! I'd like to try this again with chicken or steak.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    There is something highly addictive about this pork! The flavor of all those peppercorns cutting through the heavenly crispy pork fat is just wow. My husband adored it too. We didn't think it worked with the lettuce though. It ended up getting forgotten on the side, and I wouldn't bother with it next time.

  • ellwell on March 07, 2024

    I was anxious to try this due to the rave reviews, but we were underwhelmed. My pork (I used shoulder as recommended) was not very tender—in fact it was terrible. There was not much flavor from the peppers for some reason. We found it bland and threw it out. Since everyone else liked it so much, I may give it another try using pork loin or tenderloin.

  • pattyatbryce on March 03, 2026

    We've made this a few times. We cut back on the pepper a bit, but still use a lot. Herbs and fresh lettuce are important to include. Add some rice and lightly-vinegared cucumbers and you won't be disappointed.

  • hbakke on May 01, 2019

    I would use a bigger pan next time, as the meat was a bit crowded. Added a lime vinaigrette to the lettuce and cucumber. Very tasty. I used cilantro, mint, and basil for the added herbs.

  • mamacrumbcake on May 21, 2024

    Highly addictive! I cut the pork into 1/2” cubes and it came out crispy and delicious.

• Kimchi pork chops with kale

  • jenniebakes on September 23, 2018

    This was good, but not life-changing. I might make it again but with so many other recipes to try, it hasn't made it to the top of my repeat list. It just felt like it was missing something.

  • Orleams on March 16, 2026

    The vegetables were really good.

• Seared duck breasts with plums and garam masala

  • bernalgirl on May 06, 2021

    This is an outstanding recipe, the garam masala and allspice bring out a pleasant gaminess in the duck while complimenting the plums. Mine were quite tart so I added a bit of date syrup. Looking forward to making this every plum season!

• Pork scallopini with sage, black pepper, and apples

  • e_ballad on July 03, 2018

    Very quick to prepare (15 mins including prep), but not particularly notable. The sage was barely discernible when added to the pan - adding it all right at the end would probably be a better option.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    I thought this was just okay. The apples were nice, but the sage flavor was hard to detect. The pork needed more flavor as well. The hubby enjoyed it more than I did.

  • aimeekitty on March 26, 2025

    we really loved this one. I would pound the pork really thin next time and I would double the apples.

  • meduff on February 01, 2019

    I am in love with this dish. Super fast and so so easy! I had beautiful 1/2" pork cutlets and couldn't bring myself to pound them down so I cooked them the way they were. The pork had the saltiness from the anchovies (they had melted in the pan), the apples were soft but held their shape and provided a great contrast to the pork. The crispness of the sage leaves was a fun addition and one which I will use again for flavor and as a garnish in other dishes.

• Braised turkey legs with cranberries, soy sauce, star anise, and sweet potatoes

  • chawkins on February 27, 2021

    Thanksgiving in February with an Asian twist, all that was missing was the stuffing. I marinated the legs for 7 hours. It was unclear to me what to do with the marinade, since the recipe title was braised turkey legs, I dumped it into the roasting man with the legs. Everything turned out great.

• Marmalade meatballs with cider vinegar glaze

  • hirsheys on June 10, 2018

    Was not impressed with these. The flavor was fine and they were easy to make, but I craved more sauce. (In fact, I think I made two extra batches for the leftovers!) Perfectly adequate, but not worth my time.

  • rmardel on August 17, 2017

    easy to make. Ok but nothing special. Although they have potential, perhaps needing only a little more ginger or onion, I'll probably not try making them again.

  • vickster on November 07, 2019

    These are delicious! I ate with pita bread, but would love to try on mashed potatoes or rice. (I'm not so sure about the polenta.) They bake up easily in the oven, but I may try in the Foodi.

  • averythingcooks on October 29, 2017

    We really enjoyed these! I used a 50/50 beef / pork mix & anchovy paste, then oven roasted (instead of broiling) the meatballs and stir fried some colourful peppers and red onions. I poured the glaze over the veg , added some fresh noodles and stirred the meatballs in at the end for a really delicious "dinner in a bowl".

  • purrviciouz on January 01, 2019

    I brought these to a potluck and they were a hit! After broiling I put them in an oven dish then poured the glaze in and used more like a sauce. I used pork instead of beef and made a double batch. This will be a go to potluck dish for me.

  • cnorton on February 23, 2019

    These are a family favorite for ready-in-a-hurray, kid-friendly quick meals, or an appetizer to bring to parties. Great w/ brown rice, pineapple and stir-fried greens. I agree that there could be more glaze (for me), but my teen prefers the meatballs without it. In a pinch, you could just dip them in sweet Thai chili sauce on the side. Tasty!

  • mrshalf on March 30, 2017

    These were even better the next day. Kid friendly but not all were fans of glaze. Good news is meatballs were delicious on their own. Great appetizer or with starch and veggies.

  • paulabee on July 29, 2017

    These were great! I used anchovy paste rather than diced anchovies, and I also seared these before adding the glaze and broiling (rather than broiling for the entirety of the cooking process, as the recipe suggests- I liked the added crispness from the sear).

  • AndieEats on October 10, 2021

    Adequate recipe, but the flavours just didn't wow. Made a little extra glaze to serve as a sauce. Served with buttermilk mashed potatoes and a side salad. Z said it tasted reminiscent of Vietnamese meatballs. Probably wouldn't make again.

• Ginger pork meatballs with cilantro and fish sauce

  • Delys77 on April 12, 2017

    We went with the broiler method and it took about 10 minutes under my broiler. It was easy and the flavour profile was pretty good but we found the dipping sauce overpowering and the meatballs only so so under the broiler. I wish I had read the other reviews prior to attempting as the pan fried would likely have been more to our taste.

  • Astrid5555 on April 18, 2017

    These are exceptional! I followed the other reviewers' suggestions and pan-fried the meatballs instead of broiling them, which worked really well. The dipping sauce on top elevated this dish to something really special. Not very involved and really weeknight-dinner friendly. Will definitely make again!

  • BethNH on March 31, 2017

    These meatballs and the dipping sauce were to die for delicious. Although there was a lot of chopping the recipe was easy to follow. Everyone loved it and we will definitely make this again.

  • DKennedy on April 04, 2017

    I stovetop cooked up one meatball to test for taste purposes, and it is so flavorful and addictively delicious I couldn't wait to serve them up. My initial thought was that these would make wonderful lettuce wraps or banh mi/dumpling filling . Note that I doubled the amount of ground pork called for in the recipe, and modified the other ingredients as follows: 6 garlic cloves, and 4 teaspoons lime juice. All the other ingredients I left at the single batch measurements. With this liquid to solid ratio, the meatballs are not too wet to start as was a complaint of other people who made these. FWIW, the oven broiled version were not as flavorful as the stovetop, but mush easier to prep. Next time, I may opt to make these stove top. The Dipping sauce is fantastic.

  • raybun on June 09, 2017

    I'm adding my praise to this recipe. They were delicious! I pan fried mine to colour them, then finished cooking them in the oven covered in foil. They were very moist and SO flavourful. The family loved them. I served them with the coconut rice and Sichuan cucumber salad from the same book

  • clcorbi on April 15, 2017

    We broiled these as well, and I wish I could rave about them like everyone else, but truthfully they weren't my favorite. I do think pan-frying would have helped. There was something about the dipping sauce that I didn't really enjoy--I think maybe it was too salty.

  • bwhip on June 06, 2017

    These were really great, and easy for a weeknight. I served them with the Coconut Rice and Smashed Cucumbers from the same cookbook as the author recommended, and it was a really nice combination. I cooked the meatballs in a pan on the stovetop to give them a nicely seared exterior, as suggested by some of the previous reviewers. Flavor of the meatballs and dipping sauce was just great.

  • pandasaurusrex on July 19, 2017

    I'm in the camp that thought these meatballs were just so-so. For all the yummy ingredients that went into them, they were rather underwhelming in flavor (or perhaps overpowered by the fish sauce). I pan-fried them based on the other reviews. I also thought there was something "off" about the proportions in the dipping sauce but couldn't put my finger on it.

  • TrishaCP on March 22, 2020

    This dish has been on my “to make” list for ages and it didn’t disappoint. Lots to chop so prepare the meatballs in advance if you are cooking on a weeknight. I didn’t like the dipping sauce alone when I tasted it (I was wondering about all of the comments below from people who disliked it)- but I liked it fine together with the meatballs.

  • bernalgirl on February 27, 2025

    We really enjoyed these as lettuce wraps with herbs, nuoc cham and bánh h?i (fine rice noodle “pads”). The pork seemed a bit dry, next time I’d leave the lime juice out of the meatballs to see if that helps.

  • twoyolks on April 11, 2020

    I liked the flavor of the meatballs but they just seemed odd as meatballs.

  • imaluckyducky on September 22, 2019

    Decided to try a different variation of pork meatballs, similar to Smitten Kitchen's recipe with the coconut broth. I added more of the cilantro, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce to the mixture per other reviewer's recommendation (and my preference). These meatballs are softer than Smitten Kitchen's, and are at risk for drying out from overcooking due to the lack of eggs or breadcrumbs (don't worry, they stick together just fine!). Had to pan-cook them as well instead of broiling - they didn't get brown enough before pork fat started splattering everywhere. The dipping sauce is extremely nice and a fun and different way to eat them, per the 3yo. Served with somen noodles with ponzu sauce and smashed sichuan cucumbers.

  • ksg518 on March 24, 2020

    We really liked these. We substituted shallots for the scallions but otherwise followed the recipe. We served them with rice so the sauce was on the rice and not used as a dipping sauce. We also used the meatballs and rice as a filling for lettuce wraps which worked out very well. A definite repeat.

  • e_ballad on March 01, 2020

    I enjoyed these & they were a doddle to prepare. Best of all, they can be prepared ahead of time, making them a super-quick midweek meal.

  • cdglamontagne on May 26, 2019

    I love these! Have made them once with ground pork and once with ground turkey. Ground pork was better, duh. They taste like the inside of a dumpling but I agree with others they can be a bit band without the dipping sauce. There's definitely a lot of chopping involved but it comes together pretty quickly once you're done.

  • purrviciouz on April 05, 2020

    These were quite delicious although a little crumbly. I served them with rice, pickled carrot, and sauteed greens.

  • averythingcooks on August 06, 2023

    I made these meatballs to glaze (in a jam/apple cider vinegar based sauce) and served them with sauteed sliced sweet peppers & broccoli over cauliflower rice - a very nice dinner bowl. We loved the flavour profile here (with Thai basil & oyster sauce replacing the cilantro & fish sauce) but I did wish they were a little more tender (I oven roast meatballs but perhaps I over cooked them?)...maybe next time I will add some milk soaked panko or grated onion to see if that helps.

  • Lucylew on September 24, 2019

    The meatballs were delicious and really didn't need the sauce, which is good since I didn't care for the dipping sauce. Served with white rice and broccoli dressed with sesame oil.

  • jhallen on August 28, 2022

    I thought these were really good. I served them with rice with the sauce drizzled over both. Very good.

  • crotondo37 on March 02, 2026

    Very delicious, served over rice noodles and broccoli. The dipping sauce was a nice sauce over everything. Had 1.25lbs pork, so upped the other ingredients a bit as well. I agree with another commenter - they came out a little dry, but the flavor was really great. I also pan cooked these rather than broil.

  • SGnolek on December 14, 2025

    Didn't have Siracha sauce, so we used a little chili crisp oil instead and the dipping sauce was really good that way.

• Cumin-chicken meatballs with green chile sauce

  • Delys77 on April 26, 2017

    These didn't do it for us. I found myself wanting some sort of dairy for the sauce and I thought the meatballs were a touch bland and dry. Not bad, just ok for us.

  • dinnermints on October 09, 2020

    Great flavors! I made these into 24 meatballs; probably on the smaller side. My gas broiler doesn't cook things very evenly and I wasn't able to get them browned on all sides (was also afraid of overcooking the little guys), but they were browned enough in the end. Also used parchment paper under my gas broiler. Yeah! This could have turned into an example of nature/science culling idiots from the general population, but thankfully nothing bad happened. I made my sauce with two serranos, but they weren't super spicy - you just never know what you're going to get with peppers. I also added a little yogurt to the sauce per previous recommendations. Served this over combo of black & brown rice (put zest in the rice too - would do that again), which was a nice contrast.

  • BeckyLeJ on February 25, 2018

    This was tasty, and I did use a bit less of the jalapeño based on the other notes, but I really thought the meatballs needed rice or something starchy to go alongside them. I’m thinking either a saffron rice or a cous cous of some kind. I did pair it with the Tomato Salad with Herbs, Shallots, and Lime (Melissa Clark’s Dinner, p 372).

  • Lsblackburn1 on June 10, 2018

    I made the sauce with roasted green chilis instead of jalapeños and Greek yougurt and it was awesome. Served this with herby garlicky rice. Super tasty!

  • clcorbi on April 15, 2017

    The meatballs are super flavorful, but I don't feel qualified to judge the green sauce, because ours was WAY too spicy. Next time I'll definitely taste it as I go before adding 2 jalapenos--I suspect I purchased extra-spicy ones.

  • ellencooks on June 05, 2017

    The meatballs were good but the sauce was way too spicy and I only used 1 seeded jalapeno. Must have been an extra spicy one!

  • Pandan on January 04, 2026

    This turned out quite nice but I have had better chicken meatballs.

  • SpatulaCity on April 08, 2024

    Thought this was delicious! Subbed turkey for ground chicken, and increased the ground cumin to 1/2ts. We’re heat wimps, so only used 1 jalapeño, and it was the perfect, spicy, herby, wonderful sauce. Great for an appetizer! The leftover meatballs and sauce were great served with rice - that sauce would be excellent over chicken and fish

  • pattyatbryce on March 29, 2022

    Nice change of pace. We really loved the sauce.

• Kibbe-style lamb meatballs with herbed yogurt

  • TrishaCP on June 29, 2017

    This was fine if not exceptional- I would think about bumping up the spices in the meatballs next time. The bulgar softened nicely with her soaking technique but the mixture was quite soft. I left them in the fridge overnight but I think they may have broken on me if I hadn't done so. I ignored the broiling instructions because my ground lamb was fatty and I didn't want all of that fat splashing the broiler- I cooked at 425 for 25 minutes instead and sure enough the oil had really poured out of the meatballs, so I felt like I made the right choice. This really needs a salad or cut up raw vegetables to be a a complete meal, even with the recommended naan bread.

  • ksg518 on October 02, 2017

    We thought this was wonderful and will be making this again. We didn't have any issues with the softness of the mixture or extra fat. We used the broiler as directed and overcooked them a little to get some nice brown spots. We served it with a tomato and cucumber salad as Clark suggests. Naan would be good too and I could see adding a spread of hummus if we added the bread. I also think making these smaller and using them to stuff a pita would be delicious.

  • mrshalf on November 01, 2017

    Subbed lamb for ground beef. My family likes this but it sure isn't enough variety to be called "Dinner".

  • vickster on June 19, 2019

    These meatballs are delicious. I followed what TrishaCP did and baked them instead of broiling. The herbed yogurt is wonderful, especially for me as I love dill! I will make these again.

  • Lsblackburn1 on July 07, 2020

    Thanks for the suggestion to bake these. I did the same and they came out great. Super moist.

  • pastaplease on December 21, 2025

    Very good! The yogurt sauce is a must. I didn't have enough parsley left over for the sauce, but it was still good with just dill and the other ingredients. I baked according to TrishaCP's suggestion, and that worked well for me. Next time I will try sautéing the onions a bit to soften before adding to the meat -- they were a little crunchy. Also might try freezing a few to see how that works. These would be nice to have on hand.

  • nancy_ykljtr on February 23, 2026

    Loved the use of bulgur wheat. Grated the onions instead of chopping and baked until nice and brown in a 425° oven.

• Thai lettuce wraps

  • Zosia on June 26, 2017

    Very tasty. There's a bit of chopping to be done but cook time is brief. It all came together in the time it took to cook the rice I served with it. I used extra lean ground turkey.

  • mharriman on March 27, 2022

    Light and delicious. I used lean ground beef instead of ground pork and sesame oil instead of peanut (peanut oil not in stock at any of my three grocery stores lately). After the prep and chopping, the stir frying of the ingredients goes quickly. We really liked the subtle flavors and lighter than restaurant take on this dish. Served with brown rice.

  • dinnermints on April 10, 2022

    Great flavors. I'd add cilantro and mint to the toppings, and not sure the pork needs to cook a full seven minutes. To make this again, I'd definitely want to prep as many of the veggies in advance as possible. I made brown rice noodles to go in the cups as well, but wish I'd seasoned them - next time.

  • redbird on May 03, 2023

    We really liked this after making several modifications. I added cooked rice vermicelli noodles (tossed with sesame oil) to the cooked pork mixture to give it more bulk. I increased the soy mixture to give the flavors a boost. Assed shredded mint and thinly sliced Persian cucumbers to the garnishes. Used Tokyo benhana from my CSA as the wrap. Served with coconut rice.

  • joanhuguet on March 22, 2017

    Quick, easy, and perfect. I served rice vermicelli tossed in sesame oil to wrap up in the lettuce along with the filling - otherwise, this would have been a very light dinner for four.

  • lcomer on August 20, 2017

    Used chicken instead and doubled the seasonings. Keeper.

  • AndieEats on March 03, 2026

    Made with ground turkey. Also used Thai basil, but was a little short of the full amount. Increased the fish sauce and lime for more flavour, and would to 2-3x the amount of chile next time. Served with Bibb/Boston lettuce, peanuts, and sliced red onion to wrap, then some confetti rice salad for the leftover meat mixture. I think it would be great with a little shredded cucumber and pickled something next time.

• Spicy pork and black bean chili with sage and white cheddar

  • FJT on June 24, 2017

    I made this a day in advance so the flavours had a chance to develop. It is quite mild, so I added an extra poblano pepper; next time I might go for jalapeños. I used a mix of black beans and Santa Maria Pinquitos because that's what I had in the freezer. Very tasty and disappeared quickly!

  • clcorbi on August 28, 2017

    Agree that this is a mild chili--not sure why "spicy" is in the title. That being said, the flavor was nice. I used a red bell pepper because that's what I had, but I think the poblano would have been better here. We definitely enjoyed this and I'm happy to have the leftovers, but it wasn't anything earth-shattering, and there are still other chili recipes I want to try. So, alas, not repeat-worthy.

  • sosayi on November 27, 2017

    I'm not sure I should review this, as I made so many substitutions, but it was delicious... so... why not? Substitutions: one fresh chorizo link and two slices of bacon for the ground pork (freezer cleanout) and Dried Chili Paste (frozen in Tbl blocks) in place of red pepper/poblano. My chili paste is fairly spicy, so I actually decreased the Chili Powder (using Chile con Carne seasoning from Penzeys), as I was attempting to feed a toddler. Unfortunately, it was still too spicy for him and just mouth-warming for the rest of us. I'd use the whole amount in the future, and just make him something else. This was a good base to build-off of, incredibly quick to prep, and used mostly pantry goods. I'd make this again, for sure, with the assumption that it's easy to tweak and use things that I already have up.

  • megaelim on April 02, 2017

    This is a nice, mild chili - very easy to make. Good base flavor. I'd probably amp up the chili powder if I made this again, but if you're making this for someone that hates heat, it'd be fine as is.

  • averythingcooks on August 19, 2017

    This is bubbling away on the stove right now and early tastings confirm - it is good! Sage is not always my favorite flavour but I went with it and I am glad I did. I did add a jalapeño and used my hottest chili powder to amp it up based on the "mild" comments I have read (which does beg questions re the word "spicy" in the title). The only other change is that I subbed corn in place of the 2nd can of black beans........because I like all things "corn and black bean".

  • TrishaCP on December 21, 2019

    I made this with ground turkey and rebosero beans, and added a jalapeño with the red pepper. (Still wasn't spicy.) My husband really liked it, I thought it was ok. I do think the sage and oregano were nice.

  • chawkins on April 13, 2025

    I used half of a green bell pepper and five home canned jalapeños with the seeds because that was what I had in the house and it was just a little bit spicy. I could taste the lager even in the leftovers, I used Stella Artois. I think it was just okay, personally prefer a regular beef chile, but my husband seemed to enjoy it.

  • ksg518 on October 21, 2019

    This was delicious and may become my new go-to chili recipe. I used green carmen peppers instead of the poblano/red pepper and probably doubled the quantity of peppers. I also used turkey which is a suggested option, although I think pork might be better. I also used fresh oregano instead of dried. I really liked the oregano and sage addition. I agree with others that it's not really spicy. I used Penzey's medium chili powder and, while it had a slight kick, spicy isn't what would come to mind when describing the dish.

  • ezwriternc on November 06, 2023

    Kinda average. Nothing special. Mine was not too watery. It was thick but just not that flavorful.

  • Lepa on September 21, 2023

    My family loved the flavors here. We did feel it was a bit watery. Next time I might raise the heat so the tomatoes break down more. My husband said the flavor was perfect so I will try again.

  • shep0012 on April 07, 2025

    I made this exactly as written except for only one teaspoon of sage and more salt/MSG at the end. I went with the poblano instead of the red pepper option. Our chile powder was the New Mexico red from Rancho Gordo. We really liked it, especially the slightly bitter edge from the beer. It’s the first chili we’ve made that rivals our favorite, Cynthia Chen McTernan’s chili in A Common Table. It’s a definite repeat. (I also corrected a mistake I’ve made in the past, getting the wrong Modelo—Negra Modelo is the way.)

  • ldyndiuk on May 28, 2022

    I made this according to the recipe the first time and it was good, but I didn’t love the sage so I’ve left it out since then. Otherwise, it’s a great recipe that seems to make the right amount to have leftovers but not for so many days I get sick of it. I’ve mixed it up with different beans and different meat, though I think I do prefer the pork.

  • Hansyhobs on August 18, 2024

    I wanted to use two tins of black beans that have been sitting around for ages, and this recipe fitted the bill. Easy to prepare and a very tasty end result. I don't think it'll replace the usual chilli we make (beef and pork with more spices) but this was very enjoyable. I didn't add the sage as some other comments put me off.

  • Logan92995 on July 05, 2024

    Tasty and easy to make

  • jess_sv0kou on November 29, 2025

    This was really good. I used an Anaheim pepper and some addit cayenne bc my shop was out of poblanos. And I used a full bottle of modelo. Will definitely make this again.

• Roasted sausage and cauliflower with cumin and Turkish pepper

  • Delys77 on September 22, 2017

    We really liked this but I think it is very dependent on the quality of your sausage. If the sausage isn't super flavourful to start with then it won't be anything stellar. I put the sausage and cauli in at the same time and had it in there for a bit more than 30 minutes. I also had to drain a touch of the fat part way through. On the whole a good dish but given the short ingredient list you need high quality sausage.

  • chawkins on May 10, 2018

    This was good even though I forgot to add the Aleppo pepper. I especially like the carmelized cauliflower and wished there were more, they did shrink down a lot when roasted, so may double that next time. I just used regular sweet Italian sausages, the store was out of the hot ones which are what we normally prefer.

  • TrishaCP on May 01, 2017

    We loved this one. The key for me is the garlicky yogurt- it added that pop of freshness and creaminess. I only used one baking sheet too, but the downside to that approach is that the cauliflower ended up soggy when my sausages burst a bit in the oven. We skipped the pine nuts and went with fresh parsley.

  • L.Nightshade on May 20, 2017

    My cauliflower was done too soon, didn't need the extra time. I did pop both the sausages and the cauliflower back into the oven on broil for the last few minutes, as they were fully cooked, but not showing any color. (I prefer the Batali method of broiling the cauliflower; it gets a nice char at the same time that it’s fully cooked.) I added extra garlic, and the zest of a lemon to the yogurt, for a bit more zing. I used lots of Aleppo pepper, and put extra on the table in a salt cellar. I used all the suggested herbs. I made a little tomato salad, as I thought a bit more color and a different texture was needed to make a meal. All in all, very nice for a quickie dinner. The cumin and Aleppo work well with the cauliflower, and with the Italian sausage. The leftovers made a meal that was just as good as the first one. I’d like to vary the spices and type of sausage some time, when another quick dinner is called for.

  • Astrid5555 on July 04, 2017

    Delicious, quick and easy! Also used only one sheet pan, but made a foil divider so the sausage juices did not interfere with crisping the cauliflower. The garlic sauce is a must!

  • FJT on April 27, 2017

    This was nice, but nothing special. I had really nice sausages and I think they outshone the cauliflower (which on its own was good). I even went out and bought some Aleppo pepper and really wasn't sure why I'd bothered!

  • Rinshin on September 09, 2017

    This was just ok for us. The overall taste was quite mild bordering on bland. Not sure what effect aleppo pepper made since I could not taste the difference it made. Really nothing stood out here. Photo added.

  • westminstr on September 27, 2017

    This worked out pretty well for us. I roasted everything together on the same sheet pan for about 40 min to get everything nice and brown. The garlicky yogurt adds a lot and was very yum! Served w lettuce/tomato/cuke salad. Good hands off weeknight meal though not a 30 minute meal in my oven.

  • redbird on October 13, 2020

    Used lamb and pork merguez sausages. Outstanding combination of flavors. Definitely increase the cauliflower.

  • kari500 on March 02, 2023

    This is absolutely delicious, and very easy. I used more cauliflower (and would definitely do so again), and thanks to reviews here I doubled the yogurt sauce (and added a bit of lemon juice). Dill. Served with pita.

  • Tweedles81 on December 30, 2017

    I have made this twice now - really excellent! I bought thick sausage so it needed to cook a bit longer than suggested. All of the suggested garnishes really add to the dish. I will be adding this to my regular dinner rotation, and may double the cauliflower moving forward because it is so gosh darn tasty!

  • e_ballad on May 22, 2018

    I’m a little surprised that this has been rated so highly. I cut the cauliflower into thick ‘steaks’ rather than the florets recommended in the recipe. Using the same temperature & cooking times, the cauliflower was incinerated & the sausages were shriveled inedible morsels. We use a calibrated oven thermometer so would recommend reducing oven temp & checking much earlier. Ended up with cereal for dinner...

  • Frogcake on May 23, 2017

    A delicious, simple sheet pan dinner. Really healthy too! We loved the garlic yogurt sauce, like others. Not much work to clean up. I've made this recipe with mushrooms and broccoli with times adjusted accordingly.

  • mrshalf on March 30, 2017

    Perfect weeknight meal. Great for cleanup as I used one pan. I couldn't stop eating the cauliflower! So yum! The sausages should be quality as they're the center of the dish. A salad and dessert filled us all up! Keeper. Kate thought she could live without the sauce - it added a lot but only for the adults in our group.

  • clcorbi on April 15, 2017

    Yum. Really nice sheet pan dinner. I used some gorgeous pork sausages from the farmer's market and roasted the whole thing on one pan--I think it's a crazy suggestion to use two pans here! I initially roasted the cauliflower for 20 minutes rather than 10, to try and get it a bit more crisp. I then added on the sausages for 25 minutes, and threw in some pine nuts to toast on the pan for the final 3 minutes. I had neither Turkish pepper nor Aleppo pepper, so I sprinkled some smoked paprika over everything. I'm not always a big cumin fan, but here, the whole seeds really worked for me. As did the delicious drizzle of garlicky yogurt. I had this with a slice of garlic toast and it was a really nice, satisfying, easy dinner. With minimal dishes to clean up!

  • raybun on May 29, 2017

    I was very happy with this dish, easy, quick & so tasty! The family devoured it. Served with corn on the cob drizzled with spicy honey (small victories), great meal!

  • pistachiopeas on November 10, 2022

    This is a perfect weeknight meal. If my kids ate cauliflower I would make this instead of the sausage/potato/kale sheet pan dinner from Lemon Love Olive Oil.

  • jhallen on February 21, 2023

    This was good but my sausages were a little greasy and I think I would have liked 2x as much yogurt

  • Pimlicocook on September 11, 2024

    Easy and nice. M&S spicy calabrian sausage worked well. However, cauliflower was done before the sausage (which itself only needed around 20 minutes) so next time I'll put everything in the oven at the same time. Green salad with avocado on the side.

  • Beck001 on December 21, 2025

    It’s not a bad recipe - especially as so simple - but not exactly interesting. Agree with other posters - you want a good quality sausage. The ratio of cauliflower imho needs to be a lot more. The veg was done immediately and we had 3/4 of sausage left. The cumin seasoning was too similar to the sausage.

  • Nrnarayan on September 10, 2025

    I did more of an Italian riff of this based on ingredients I had. Used chicken apple sausage, roasted the cauliflower with fennel, and added garlic to fresh ricotta. I put the cauliflower and sausage in the oven at the same time per other people's notes

• Miso-glazed salmon with brown sugar

  • Zosia on June 17, 2017

    Though my salmon was cooked before the marinade had time to brown, and there was no sauce to speak of as all the excess marinade burned onto the baking sheet (thankfully lined with foil as directed so clean up was easy), it tasted fantastic. It was salty, tangy and slightly sweet with a bit of gingery heat (I used about 1 tbsp) and was a big hit with family who don't like much sweetness in savoury dishes.

  • bernalgirl on April 02, 2023

    R made this and the entire family loved it. A keeper!

  • e_ballad on October 29, 2019

    A very quick & tasty way to prepare salmon. I completely agree with @Lepa that the image was in no way similar to what made it onto our plates - maybe a little water might thin down the marinade to more evenly coat the fish.

  • ezwriternc on September 03, 2023

    Very good. Mine was quite saucy. I made it with rice and the next day I used both to make salmon fried rice. Wonderfully simple dish.

  • Lepa on June 27, 2017

    My kids really liked this salmon. I made it with the coconut rice/peas recipe from Clark's book Eat This Now and it was a lovely combination. My salmon looked nothing like the picture here. Instead, it had a thick coating of cooked marinade crusting the top.

  • kari500 on January 12, 2020

    My husband bought salmon to make for dinner and then felt sick, so it was left to me to cook. I came straight to EYB and looked for a quick and easy salmon recipe, and this popped up. I had everything but the limes, but did have lime juice, so I added that to the marinade. Our broiler doesn’t work, so I did this all on the stovetop, which I do a lot with salmon. I was worried that the family would think this was too sweet, but they enjoyed it (maybe a bit too sweet for me, but helped by some crunchy salt to finish). The marinade keeps it nice and moist. I did 5 minutes per side. Not bad at all for a last minute meal.

  • ayeames on May 15, 2026

    Delicious, easy, and satisfying! The perfect dinner.

  • sdeathe on January 04, 2022

    Delicious! Definitely worth repeating. Dorie Greenspan also has a salmon and miso recipe; this one is better. Easy to pull together, browned nicely and was complemented nicely by the suggested baby boy chow.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    We really enjoyed this. The salmon turns out nice and flavorful without much effort. It's become a repeat dish in our house.

  • SpatulaCity on October 09, 2024

    I really enjoyed how flavorful this marinade and sauce were. I don’t like sweet preparations, so left out the honey. Also I subbed in thinly sliced shallots for the green onions, and loved how pungent they were! Served with coconut rice (also from this book) and it was an easy and excellent dinner.

  • Dannausc on November 21, 2020

    Quick and easy. Good, but not as good as I had hoped.

  • AndieEats on September 21, 2025

    Unfortunately we found the results to be bland, and my husband commented that I'd made other salmon dishes before which were much tastier.

• Anchovy salmon with chive butter

  • hughb on November 27, 2018

    Winner. Flavorful and easy.

  • TrishaCP on May 21, 2017

    A solid treatment for salmon- it was flavorful. I agree that the chives aren't essential-in fact this recipe was first published in the NYT but omitting chives.

  • westminstr on April 17, 2017

    Excellent way to cook salmon, flavorful and very good. Chives not essential (though nice if you have them). Next time remember to cut larger pieces of fish into portions for quicker cooking. Everyone liked this. The skin was very crispy and did not stick in my cast iron skillet.

  • Jane on August 07, 2017

    I liked this though preferred the anchovy butter with a boneless skinless chicken breast the next night. Because the directions are to melt the butter in a hot pan then cook the salmon skin-side down for 3 minutes, by the time the pan goes in the oven the butter was very brown. On the second night I pan-fried the chicken breast in olive oil first, only adding the butter and basting it shortly before it went in the oven. It had plenty of flavor but wasn't burnt. I served it with Green beans with caper vinaigrette (lots of capers!)

  • meduff on February 04, 2019

    I have made this several times all with different results - always excellent and always so very easy. This should be a required dish that every novice in the kitchen could/should to learn make. It comes out looking great, has some complex flavors, and is impressive to serve. My only comment - I could not get the skin to crisp the first several times, which Melissa Clark mentions as one of the goals of this dish. It was always great - but no crispy skin to be seen. So today I added a very small bit of oil, put the skin side down and let it crisp. It took 3 minutes. I added ½ of the butter, threw in the capers and put it in the oven. After 8 minutes I started to smell this rich buttery aroma - but it smelled almost burnt I panicked for a few seconds, pulled the fish out and breathed a sigh of relief - no burnt anything. Yeah for me. What I did have is a beautiful piece of fish with crispy skin, bits of brown butter, capers, anchovies and chives. Total yum.

  • ezwriternc on September 06, 2023

    I had skinless salmon and did not feel like using two pans. I roasted the salmon on a bed of red bell pepper slices that i coated with some of the butter then cooked first for 15 minutes at 400. Then I put the salmon on top and cooked for 15 minutes. Added the rest of the butter when it came out and squeezed in the lemon. Great dish. Everyone loved it.

  • bernalgirl on February 18, 2025

    Classic Melissa Clark — a brief investment of time yields a delicious main—I wondered if anchovy with salmon would be too fishy for my tween but he loved it! The anchovies are mashed with chives, garlic, and butter, and capers are added to simmer in the sauce while the salmon cooks. My salmon was skinless so this came together even more quickly with one side gorgeously browned. Next time I’d cook the skinned side up for presentation’s sake, so that when the fish is flipped to serve, it’s the “pretty” side. Id also add 2/3 of the butter mixture to the pan so there’s more for basting.

  • SpatulaCity on February 01, 2023

    My husband avoids salmon usually because he thinks it is so boring, but even he perked up with an “Oh wow - this is really good!”. We are big chive fans, and for me the herbal note to offset the buttery richness makes it absolutely worth adding. I used salted butter, so didn’t add any additional salt to the dish and it turned out lovely.

  • Happykikkers on October 17, 2024

    This was amazing and very easy. No other comment, just really yummy!

  • katryna on March 07, 2026

    Didn’t have chives so substituted green onion. Skin got really crispy but probably should have plated it with the skin on top for more attractive plating and to keep the skin crisp. Relieved I did not overcook the salmon. Flavor was good. However I was concerned bc the butter the fish is cooked with in the beginning got quite dark and I also worried I was burning the items added to the butter. I also felt like the capers burnt in the oven as well but luckily didn’t taste bad.

• Vietnamese caramel salmon

  • DKennedy on March 29, 2017

    I am the second person to review this recipe and I am coming to a completely different conclusion. Absolutely fantastic, lip smacking, delicious. This is an easy to prepare, and delicious way to broil salmon. I broiled mine by mounting a round cake cooling rack inside a small round Chantal pan. I used wild caught salmon sold in two packs from TJs. I will be serving this on a salad with a light sesame dressing mixed with the leftover pan juices. Oh, and I 1/2ed the marinade amounts, adding a little extra water to ensure it didn't burn out when under the broiler.

  • TrishaCP on November 04, 2018

    Good and quick preparation for salmon.

  • stockholm28 on April 01, 2018

    I liked this and it was very quick to prepare. The caramel sauce burned in the parts of the pan that were not covered by fish, but the fish was fine.

  • bernalgirl on August 26, 2024

    As good as everyone says, so flavorful and oh so easy. I love traditional Vietnamese caramel and this sauce echoes the flavors in much less time.

  • wcassity on November 21, 2020

    My family loved this. Straightforward preparation, delicious taste. I served with rice and with spinach sauteed with garlic.

  • Delys77 on October 12, 2021

    I too was very dubious about the combo of caramel and fish, but I have to say we really liked this. Easy and very flavourful. Almost like a slightly more funky teriyaki. Also popular with the little one.

  • meduff on January 05, 2019

    So super easy and earns a 10 out of 10. The salmon, brown sugar, chiles, ginger, fish sauce, lime, and soy makes this fabulously caramelized sauce. The skin came out super crispy, sweet, a little spicy from the ginger - all good things. I made this twice. Once with farm raised salmon, that was 1/4” thick. It was an incredibly thin piece of fish and I wondered if I would ruin it because it was so thin. The second time going back to the market they had the most amazingly beautiful and super thick King Salmon Fillets that were 1½” thick and perfect. Both were excellent. The king salmon made a much more impressive presentation and I would do it again for company or any special event. This dish gets rave reviews from anyone I serve it to - impressive to look at, tastes great, and super easy.

  • sosayi on December 18, 2017

    I also loved this preparation. Good, quick recipe that had fantastically complex flavors. I cooked half the amount of fish, but did not cut the sauce in half. Served over coconut rice , drizzled with extra sauce, and with ginger-garlic stir-fried green beans on the side. Definitely needed the hit of heat from the jalapeno and would recommend using the cilantro, too. Both were "suggested" toppings, but I'd argue that they should be required.

  • Lepa on October 17, 2018

    My husband and I liked this, especially topped with the jalapenos, scallions and cilantro. My kids, however, LOVED this fish. My son said it was the best fish I've ever made. I couldn't believe the enthusiasm. I guess we'll be eating this frequently. It's a very easy dish, so I'm not complaining.

  • joanhuguet on March 25, 2017

    This is the first recipe from this book that I wouldn't repeat. The sauce, which uses brown sugar instead of actual caramel, lacks the complexity of an actual Vietnamese caramel sauce, and tastes mainly of sugar and ginger. In addition, I found that it competed with the fishiness of the salmon instead of complementing it.

  • Lucylew on October 23, 2019

    I bookmarked this recipe because I had some sockeye salmon to use but I was so skeptical that I almost did not make it. Thankfully I put my reservations about "sweet fish" aside and bit the bullet. So good! What an outstanding recipe! I served it with coconut brown rice and beet greens sautéed with ginger and garlic. So good!

  • eileentien on November 04, 2022

    So much flavor! Savory, sweet, and sour. Absolutely love the sauce. A great dish to eat with rice.

  • Stephenn31 on February 20, 2024

    Delicious and a great balance of flavours. I would normally have looked at a Vietnamese cookbook for this sort of dish, but I really enjoy Melissa Clark’s recipes. I had pickled jalepeno I stead of fresh and it was delicious. Will definitely make again

  • snoozermoose on February 26, 2022

    This was so delicious! I couldn't get enough of it.

  • jvozoff on September 04, 2023

    This was a big success! I forgot the jalapeño and cilantro garnish which would have been perfect. Will definitely make again.

  • GaryCooks on May 30, 2024

    This is really good - packed with flavor. I’ve made it 3 times. Make sure you top it with the jalapeños (I scrape out the seeds and ribs), scallions and cilantro to distract a little from the strong sauce. Because my stove is packed with baking pans, I used my Breville oven to broil but it never browned (my issue, not the recipe’s), so next time I’m just going to cook it all on the stove top. The flavor is very strong (in a good way) so I suggest eating it with something bland, like rice, or, as we did, a big Chinese bao.

  • sosayi on September 25, 2019

    Made this again, loved it again. I subbed dill and Fresno chile for the cilantro/jalapeño portion of the topping and it was arguably even better.

  • metacritic on December 08, 2022

    Passed opportunities to make this many times as I normally would turn to my Vietnamese books for a caramel sauce. I shouldn't have waited. This dish is a delight, giving a "modern" twist with brown sugar, japaleno, lime zest, and lime juice. It works, with phenomenally deep flavors while also remaining bright and light. My family member declared it the best salmon dish she ever had. I can't counter with a better salmon dish.

  • AndieEats on October 10, 2021

    While we've never had traditional Vietnamese caramel fish, this was tasty and easy to throw together for a quick weeknight meal. First night we halved the entire Trevor - fish and sauce, and the majority of sauce burned to the pan. Second time, we halved the salmon but not the sauce and it worked great. Skin never quite got crisp, but still delicious served it with short grain rice. The jalapeño is a must.

  • cardan on November 07, 2025

    Made this based on how many rave reviews it had here and it was totally worth it. Easy to throw together on a week night, delicious and balanced flavors, and it used mostly pantry ingredients for me. Will definitely make again.

• Slow-roasted tuna with harissa and olives

  • hillsboroks on March 27, 2018

    This cooking method for tuna is incredibly simple and yields such amazing flavor and texture. Tuna is so easy to over cook but with this method there is much less chance of cooking it too hard. I used a metal 9" bread pan and set my timer for 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes I checked the tuna and it needed more time in the oven so I set my timer for another 5 minutes. When I checked it again it was just starting to cook but was still quite rare. Heeding the recipe's warning about taking it out to rest when it was still underdone, I removed it from the oven and set the timer for another 10 minutes. The results were sublime! The tuna was cooked perfectly, the texture was silky and the other ingredients added just the right amount of flavor punch. My husband loved it. We had enough for leftovers so I just rewarmed them for 30 seconds in the microwave oven and enjoyed our tuna for a second night.

  • robertofwine on February 04, 2019

    Cooked it perhaps a little longer than I should have. Used a glass loaf pan and checked after 10 minutes, then 15. I'm guessing c. 13 minutes is perfect (I also let it sit about 15 minutes after it came out of the oven, so that might not have helped). As tuna doesn't cut perfectly into cubes, I would recommend keeping them on the larger side rather than small. Definitely needs a bit of everything in the bite - tuna, olive, flaky salt and lemon...and the harissa hangs nicely a bit. Served with a Planeta Cerasuola di Vittoria red wine from Sicily - worked nicely together. I agree it makes a lot - a pound would be more than enough for 2. Well worth a try for a relatively quick weeknight recipe!

  • kari500 on November 25, 2025

    I liked this, just not as much as everyone else did. Easy to make, and probably depends on your harissa. Mine was the trader joe's stuff, and I just thought this was ok.

  • SheilaS on May 26, 2025

    When I pulled this from the oven, it looked very unevenly cooked but it evened out nicely after standing and the tuna was pink and perfectly silky. I generous with the harissa and would do that again. Served over a bed of baby spinach and farro for sort of a grain bowl vibe.

  • TrishaCP on February 07, 2022

    This was unbelievably tasty. I had the same issue as cjross with needing to turn the fish pieces because of uneven cooking times (fish touching the pan cooking faster). I used a combination of dried thyme and dried rosemary.

  • bernalgirl on April 26, 2022

    I’m glad I read all the notes! I added oil-cured black olives, homemade garlic confit, and fresh thyme and rosemary, and flipped the fish at 10 minutes. It cooked for 16 minutes, it was perfect. My kids loved it plain while the adults agreed that next time we’d double the olives and garlic.

  • runoutofshelves on September 12, 2020

    yummy and easy, my new favorite way to cook tuna.

  • cjross on September 17, 2020

    I followed the recipe closely and thought this was delicious. I found the tuna cooked unevenly with the parts touching the pan cooking much faster so I flipped the pieces partway through.

  • jess_sv0kou on December 06, 2025

    I made this with trout. My local fishmonger was out of tuna! Still turned out great. Was generous with the harissa (Mina brand), and added kalamatas. Served over rice on a colder day. Great flavor and I’ll try again with tuna.

  • sosayi on January 29, 2020

    Flavorful and easy to prep. I've made this a handful of times. At various times I've added: thyme in place of rosemary; thinly sliced peppers; preserved lemons. Leftovers are amazing as tuna salad for lunch the next day.

  • Plumberful on February 15, 2026

    This is such a delicious no-effort preparation for fresh tuna; one of our favorite dishes! Our very fresh tuna cut beautifully into the 1 x 1 1/2-inch thick chunks and I used an enameled cast iron pan. Pulled it out of the oven at the 12 minute mark and rested in the pan for 10 minutes. Perfect! This one is company worthy.

• Fish tacos with red cabbage, jalapeño, and lime slaw

  • dinnermints on September 13, 2018

    YES, garlic lime yogurt sauce. Simple and yet really adds a lot. It was a bit overpowered by the large garlic clove I chose; next time I'd do a smaller one. I used 1 T olive oil for the slaw, which was also good. Seeing pistachiopeas's comment about the Fish Without a Doubt method for the fish, I'm thinking I'd try that next time. Agree with other comments that this is a great weeknight meal!

  • Delys77 on April 25, 2017

    Great dinner and comes together quickly. I used mahi mahi as that is what we had and broiled for 4 minutes per side. The fish has a lovely flavour and all the accoutrements make for a lovely and quite healthy dish. Great weeknight meal!

  • TrishaCP on December 09, 2017

    This is a great recipe- I would put this up there with the Harissa chicken in terms of loving it. I was able to obtain hake so used it here- our broiler is wonky so we just broiled until flaky. We had leftover slaw and had leftover tacos the next day with shrimp (sautéed in the same spice blend).

  • stockholm28 on December 16, 2017

    I concur with the other reviews. These were great and they are a pretty simple and healthy meal. I used halibut because that was the only decent white fish that was available today and it worked fine. These are definitely going in the rotation. I think they would be good with grilled shrimp too.

  • Zosia on April 29, 2017

    A tasty, quick dinner. I also used mahi mahi and it developed a lovely crust under the broiler. The garlic-lime yogurt sauce was outstanding and will be made again for other tacos.

  • pistachiopeas on March 31, 2017

    Really loved these. Made a couple of small changes. I used the Fish Without a Doubt method to sear & then finish the fish in the oven. Skipped the lime zest as I was feeling lazy and thought fresh lime juice would be enough. For the slaw, I used Savoy cabbage instead of red because that was what I had. Loved the slaw so much! The next day made a quick taco for lunch with the same slaw but threw in a fish stick and that was great too!

  • joanhuguet on March 22, 2017

    This was less perfect than the other recipes I've tried from the book, but still repeatable! The fish took on a nice smoky flavor from the seasonings, but the texture was a bit soggy – maybe my broiler runs a bit low. The cabbage slaw was the highlight.

  • lou_weez on May 08, 2017

    The flavours of this meal were fantastic. Next time I would double the quantity of fish as it wasn't enough for the four of us.

  • clcorbi on August 29, 2017

    Yum. We loved these too! I really enjoyed that the fish was baked rather than breaded and fried. I cheated and used a bag of slaw mix, so I didn't even have to chop any cabbage, which made this meal even faster. These will definitely be repeated, as we are big fish taco fans but our (previous) favorite recipe is a lot less healthy and much more rich.

  • mrshalf on March 30, 2017

    Love! Love! Love! Everything about this was a hit. The fish was fantastic and I was thrilled it wasn't fried. The cabbage came together very quickly. I loved the garlic and lime zest in the sour cream. A definite favorite from Dinner!!!

  • kari500 on July 15, 2025

    Made with fish sticks for a lazy but delicious dinner. Since I wasn’t spicing the fish, I added cumin seeds to the slaw. Hit.

  • SheilaS on May 25, 2023

    Made this with rockfish and it was delicious.

  • DKennedy on August 07, 2025

    Made these with tilapia and previously poached shrimp. The shrimp I sautéed in a little olive oil, garlic and salt. The tilapia in the spices laid out in the recipe. Added a little smoky herbs I had on hand. Def. a make again. So little effort for a delicious and impressive meal. I served mine with the sour cream, slaw (no jalapeño). Added a second topping of chopped heirloom tomato, fresh corn, mango and avocado seasoned with salt and pepper. Served with both blue corn tortillas and beef tallow flour tortillas from our local farmers market. Outstanding.

  • Lepa on February 23, 2020

    This was a hit with my family. We used cat fish because the fish merchant convinced my husband it would be perfect for tacos and it really was! It took five minutes to cook. My husband suggested we use some pickled red onions next time but otherwise we thought this was perfect.

  • sam_q4d8yh on March 24, 2026

    Just used a taco seasoning and avocado a must

  • katie_uspqdv on February 14, 2026

    Easy! I added pickled onions, delicious

  • jenburkholder on July 08, 2020

    Tasty enough for how easy they are (sub-30 minutes), but nothing particularly special. Used mahi-mahi for the fish. The sauce needed more acid than called for, so we ended up squeezing a lime into it.

  • jhallen on December 05, 2020

    These are great, fast, and easy. Will make again for sure.

  • Soulkitchenjen on February 27, 2025

    Glad I listened to yinz. Soooo freaking good. Melissa never adds citrus to you creamy sauces. This does benefit from lime juice in the creamy sauce. Made homemade tortillas and I wish I would have made them a little bigger.

  • Soulkitchenjen on December 01, 2025

    Made again with slaw mix and tilapia. So easy. So good.

  • SpatulaCity on March 21, 2024

    Made with cod and pre shredded slaw mix. Easy, fast, and perfectly delicious. Didn’t miss the fish being battered and fried!

  • ChelseaP on May 22, 2021

    Great quick weeknight dinner.

• Thai-style shrimp balls with napa cabbage

  • ksg518 on December 08, 2017

    I could not get these to form balls; they were more like shrimp blobs. Maybe I should have patted the shrimp dry before adding them to the other ingredients and/or chopped the shrimp smaller. Also they weren't anywhere close to done after the three minutes steam time Clark calls for. At that point I just took them and added them to the stir fry veggies I was making to go with the balls. That worked great! The shrimp has great flavor and the dipping sauce made a good topping for the dish. I served it all over brown rice for a good dinner. I'll probably use the recipe again but skip the "form them into balls and steam" part.

• Spicy roasted shrimp with eggplant and mint

  • Zosia on August 06, 2017

    This is also delicious made with cauliflower.

  • stockholm28 on September 01, 2018

    The eggplant was particularly good. I used a single sheet pan and used fairytale eggplant slices into 1/2 inch rounds. I cooked the eggplant as directed for 20 minutes and then added the shrimp to the same tray to save me from having to wash up a second tray. I made half a recipe and this worked fine.

  • blintz on March 25, 2018

    This combo did not sound appetizing to me, but based on everyone's notes --and a big eggplant that was getting old--I made it and it's great! I used two pans, and next time will double or triple the recipe. We had the skimpy leftovers for lunch the next day and were sad we didn't have more.

  • L.Nightshade on April 02, 2017

    As MC states in the opening note, this is a sheet pan supper, but one which requires two sheet pans. The cubed eggplant is tossed with olive oil, harissa, cumin, and salt, and starts roasting on one sheet pan, for 20 minutes. I interpreted the timing to mean the shrimp should go in after the eggplant has been cooking for 20 minutes, then both should cook for the remaining seven to ten minutes. My eggplant was done by the 20 minute mark, so the shrimp had to cook separately. (Full disclosure: our oven is broken so I’m cooking on convection. Even though I cook at a 25-50º lower temperature than stated, the convection oven could very well count for the timing differences.) Wonderfully flavorful, with just the right level of spicing. Mr. Nightshade insists on a repeat of this dish, so I’m tagging with “easy” and “do again.” Myself, I wish I had used about six eggplant and had leftovers. I can eat this stuff like candy. Spicy candy. Mmmm.

  • Astrid5555 on April 25, 2017

    Excellent, just the right level of spiciness. Next time I would add the shrimp to the eggplant after the 20 minute mark and not dirty another sheet pan. Will definitely make again.

  • okcook on February 21, 2018

    I used Japanese eggplants and only two tablespoons of oil for a lighter version. I had some okra so added those to the pan as well. I did not make the shrimp. This is delicious. Definitely a make again.

  • westminstr on April 21, 2017

    We loved this too. I also used two sheet pans and upped the eggplant and shrimp a bit. Cooked everything at 425 so the eggplant would cook a bit faster, prepped the shrimp while eggplant cooked, put the shrimp in and everything was done at the same time. Could be done on one sheet pan but I wanted to leave the shrimp plain for my kids. Loved the mint. Great dish! Note that this dish really only serves two, so if you want more you would have to use two sheet pans anyway.

  • chawkins on August 03, 2022

    Easy, fast and delicious use of my garden eggplant and mint. I only used one tray, adding the shrimp on top after 25 minutes and removing them after 7 minutes and cooked the eggplants for another 5 minutes.

  • dinnermints on April 28, 2022

    I just loved the eggplant cooked this way. I doubled the recipe and just used 1/4 olive oil, and that worked perfectly for our tastes. I didn't think the eggplant needed to be peeled at all, and was able to fit it on one baking tray since they're cut in large chunks (they did just barely fit, though - might do two trays next time). I cooked the eggplant for for about 30min, but also didn't see the part about raising the temp to 425. Had to cook the shrimp on a separate tray since I knew the harissa would be too spicy for our toddler. Served on top of udon noodles, and the next night ate fried eggs on top instead of shrimp, which was also fabulous. Putting this in the rotation!

  • jbny on February 20, 2022

    see my notes for a similar Clark dish (recipe online) that uses fish sauce: Grilled shrimp and eggplant with Asian fish sauce and mint from A Good Appetite at The New York Times by Melissa Clark. Another winner!

  • Barb_N on August 25, 2021

    Very few recipes have this many reviews- all of them favorable. I also thought shrimp and eggplant an odd combination but EYB led me to this recipe. We thought it was fantastic. For simplicity and because I don’t like cumin seeds, I marinated the shrimp in the same harissa oil with ground cumin as the eggplant but cooked on separate baking sheets. There was a lot of oil left around the shrimp- I wouldn’t have wanted the eggplant to soak up that much. I had a meager amount of mint due to neglect in the garden, but it was a nice accent.

  • TrishaCP on July 26, 2020

    We really liked this too. Based on prior reviews I peeled the eggplant and only used one tray.

  • BethNH on April 16, 2019

    I have never cooked eggplant before and can't remember if I've ever eaten it either. Like others I used only one sheet pan and added the shrimp after the eggplant had cooked for 20 minutes - cooked them together for 8 additional minutes. As I don't know what cooked eggplant is supposed to be like I can say that I wish I had peeled the skin - it was tough and leathery and there was no way to chew it. The eggplant was very, very soft - easy to mush like mashed potatoes. We enjoyed the eggplant kind of smooshed onto the shrimp. There was a lot of flavor and two of us ate the whole thing. I think in the future I'd peel the eggplant and cook it for less time.

  • Jane on August 28, 2021

    I'll join the chorus of people loving this recipe,. So quick to put together and so flavorful. The spice level is going to depend on how hot your harissa is. A friend I recommended it to (who has a similar heat tolerance to me) thought it was too spicy but I thought it was perfect. Like others I just used one tray.

  • vickster on April 11, 2019

    Delicious! The harissa mixture is so good on the eggplant. I may make only the eggplant some time.

  • mrshalf on December 19, 2017

    Our crew of 7 loved this. No need for two sheet pans and be sure to use good quality shrimp. Great weeknight sheet pan meal.

  • ksg518 on April 02, 2019

    This was a recipe I passed over many times as being sort of odd until I saw all the enthusiastic comments. This was delicious! We made it as directed, using two pans. Our eggplant was spicy with a few pieces that were a little too spicy but that may have been our error in mixing. The shrimp cuts some of the spice. I especially liked the mint. This is very easy and a perfect weeknight dinner.

  • saarwouters on February 19, 2018

    This was goooood! Used just one sheet pan for 2 persons, but wish I had made more, it was so delicious! Also: great method for cooking shrimp in the oven.

  • ChelseaP on August 03, 2022

    Absolute heaven. Served on homemade flatbread and also made a lemony yoghurt sauce to dollop on top of it all.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    One of my favorite Melissa Clark recipes yet! My husband said this tasted restaurant-quality, and it was so easy to pull together on a weeknight. I served it with some simple Israeli couscous, and it was perfect.

  • jhallen on August 11, 2022

    This was really great, especially the eggplant spice mixture. On their own, the shrimp would be good, but not special, but with the eggplant, it’s a really good combination. Really easy. I didn’t peel the eggplant, cooked it exactly as written. I read it that the shrimp time should run concurrent with the eggplant time (just go in after the eggplant has already started). Didn’t try it all on one pan, but no reason not to.

  • Lucylew on October 06, 2019

    I made this recipe solely based on the reviews. I used quartered fairy tale eggplant and I added the shrimp after the eggplant had cooked about 25 minutes. I wasn't sure what I thought about the dish a bite or three into it, but it tasted better and better the more I ate. I will make it again.

  • dc151 on May 18, 2021

    I doubled this, so did use two trays, plus that kept it separated for our vegetarian, who only ate the eggplant. Simple, streamlined recipe with good flavors that all go together nicely. I agree that peeling the eggplant is the way to go- I made zebra stripes just for a punch of color here and there. The eggplant took a little longer than the directions stated for me. I had some mint in our garden, it was a nice touch to add. I think either the eggplant or the shrimp would also be nice separately in other meals. I've never roasted shrimp this way, but will do again.

  • meduff on April 04, 2019

    This is just so very good. A must make. A few thoughts:1) I really recommend peeling the eggplant. I made this three times - the first time the eggplant skin was crispy and delicious with the creamy eggplant. The next two times - cooked the exact same way - the skin was like leather. I couldn’t chew it, or bite through it. I had to peel the creamy eggplant off the skin just to eat that part of its deliciousness. That annoyed me and I learned that the eggplant must be peeled or it will frustrate me. 2) Put foil down on your sheet pan - it made it much easier to clean up. I think I would have had a hard time cleaning that sheet pan if I hadn’t. 3) You don’t really need two sheet pans. One full size pan will work just fine. 4) When you're ready to put the shrimp in the oven, save yourself some time and energy - buy the peeled and deveined shrimp. I didn’t but will next time.

• Red coconut curry shrimp

  • ksg518 on September 19, 2017

    This was very good. I made it as directed but I think you could skip the daikon without losing anything. This comes together fairly quickly, so it would be a good weeknight choice. The leftovers have held up well too.

  • Lepa on December 20, 2017

    This didn't wow us. I hoped to have a richer, creamier curry but the sauce was pretty thin. I doubt I'll repeat this one.

  • mrshalf on November 01, 2017

    Since shrimp are so expensive, I'd choose another recipe than this one to highlight a pricey ingredient. I should say we feed 7 here so I need a two pound bag. It's also not "Dinner" but the main course in what needs to surely be a more rounded out meal.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    This was more of a mild curry soup with shrimp in it. I've made much better Thai curries that are just easy as this. Not worth repeating

  • BrendaD1962 on August 11, 2023

    We didn’t really like this. I’ve made much better.

• Garlicky calamari with basil, chile, and lime

  • Zosia on July 14, 2017

    The garlic and chile infused oil combines with the lime juice to make a most delicious dressing for the squid, something you want to mop up with some good bread. The dish is light and fresh but I had a hard time eating an entree sized portion with nothing else to accompany it. A smaller plate served as a starter would be my preference.

  • aromo on January 18, 2019

    This was so delicious. My husband and I finished it all off.

• Shrimp banh mi

  • Rinshin on August 31, 2017

    This was good but not special. I've had other shrimp patties which were more to my taste I cooked the mixture as flatter patties instead of hash as first choice mentioned. Instead of regular radish, I used daikon since I like the taste and texture better. My husband liked it fine as sandwich but for me it was a little too filling. I would prefer them served without the bread. 8 oz shrimp made 4 small thin patties and this was for 2 servings. I would increase the shrimp to 12 oz next time so that patties are little thicker.

  • Delys77 on April 07, 2017

    The flavour was very nice but I would add a touch of salt to the cakes when blending, not just sprinkled at the end. I would double this recipe to feed 3. Also, it is a small amount to food process to start with so use the small bowl or chop by hand and then add to the large food processor bowl with the shrimp.

  • clcorbi on April 28, 2017

    I wasn't really feeling this recipe. The flavors just didn't turn out to be as bright and vibrant as you'd expect from a banh mi. Also, I thought MC's comment about "mystery meat" in the headnote was a little off-color, considering she's managed to formulate an even more mystery meat-ish recipe than any Vietnamese banh mi I've ever had. Just a thought.

  • ksg518 on September 11, 2019

    We thought this was very good although admittedly not what we consider to be a traditional banh mi. It was a little on the messy side to eat. We followed the recipe except that we used some pre-pickled jalapenos instead of adding a fresh one to the carrot and radish mixture.

  • ChelseaP on August 05, 2021

    Really good, we all gobbled them up. No complaints here.

• Warm squid salad with cucumber, mint, and aioli

  • westminstr on April 17, 2017

    unexpectedly delicious! I followed MC's squid method which worked well but took 3 batches for 1 pound of squid. For the aioli I doctored jarred mayo w garlic, salt, EVOO & lime juice as I only wanted a small amount. Short on cukes so added arugula and subbed parsley for mint. This was excellent and the kids really liked it too. But 1 pound of squid does not serve four of us.

  • clcorbi on May 05, 2017

    I second that this was delicious. Like Westminstress, I used good-quality storebought mayo and added chopped garlic and lemon juice to taste. I also let my cukes and chopped mint marinate in a little salt and lemon juice while I did the rest of the prep. This was my first time cooking squid, and I think I was a little too afraid of overcooking it, so I didn't let the squid get quite as much of a char as you can see in the cookbook photo. On the bright side, my squid wasn't rubbery at all! Served with garlic toast, this was a delicious, easy, fast dinner. I was very generous with the lemon juice and sea salt garnish over the just-cooked squid, and I think it made a difference. Next time I'd add even more cucumber to the salad, to up the amount of veggies, and also because I really loved it with the aioli. Highly recommend!

• Fried eggs with chiles, tamarind sauce, and crispy shallots

  • hirsheys on April 08, 2017

    Made this for lunch today for 1 - it's pretty easy to cut down the recipe by half. Instead of chiles, I added a little sambal ooelek to the sauce. I wished for slightly more sweetness in the sauce, but that might have been user error - I think my tablespoon of tamarind was more heaping than the brown sugar. Still, it was quite easy and definitely satisfying, though a small salad or asian cucumbers on the side would be a great addition.

  • FJT on April 03, 2017

    Intrigued by cicorbi's comments, I decided to try this one out (it was a recipe I'd passed over when reading the book). My family thought it was a very strange concept, but agreed that it tasted good. I'd happily serve the tamarind sauce and fried shallots over poached eggs on toast.

  • clcorbi on March 24, 2017

    This is a ridiculously flavorful, quick dinner. I made a half recipe for two people. You start by frying a few shallots in oil, then set half aside for a garnish, and add the other half to a sauce made of equal parts tamarind paste, fish sauce, brown sugar, and water. Simmer that down to a syrup, fry some eggs, and serve them over rice with the sauce, fried shallot garnish, sliced chile, and cilantro. So easy, and so many big flavors! I threw some scallions on top and used Sriracha in place of the chile, and I really couldn't clean my plate fast enough. This is such a nice back pocket dinner for nights that you need to eat fast, and the tamarind sauce is such an amazing boost of funky, sour, umami flavor. Really good stuff.

• Eggs poached in South Indian purgatory

  • Delys77 on April 03, 2017

    Easy weeknight meal! The spicing is mild enough not to overpower the egg. I cooked for 6 minutes which resulted in a fully cooked egg. Go with 4-5 next time. If you have to cook the egg fully for a little one you can transfer some sauce and the egg to a smaller pan.

  • clcorbi on July 27, 2018

    I enjoyed this as a nice alternative to the standard shakshuka flavor profile. Next time, though, I'd like some add-ons: yogurt would be good dolloped on top, especially garlicky yogurt, and maybe some pickled onions or something crunchy to perk things up. I found this dish to be very spicy, but I might have just had a really potent pepper.

  • seherhussain on May 03, 2019

    Super easy weeknight meal and I appreciated the flavor shake-up from traditional middle eastern shakshuka to an Indian-ish one.

• Asparagus frittata with ricotta and chives

  • Emily Hope on March 29, 2017

    Of the recipes I've tried so far, this frittata has been my least favorite--although I did make one change, so I'm not sure the recipe is to blame entirely... I used about twice as much asparagus as she said (12 oz vs 6 oz), as we've got a couple of bunches we're trying to get through. In my 9-inch pan, it took longer for the frittata to set, and the middle never got "custardy", it was just still liquid while the outer edges were clearly cooked. In the end, I resorted to running it under the broiler for about a minutes, which did the trick, though the edges were still overcooked. The flavor was... fine. I usually put more stuff in my frittatas--some sauteed onion, some cheese, and this one is pretty plain. My bog-standard Lucerne ricotta from Safeway probably didn't help, either--I really wished it were goat cheese or something. On the plus side, super quick to put together. I served with a arugula, fennel, and radish salad with parmesan (a good match), and buttered whole wheat toast.

  • ksg518 on May 24, 2023

    Agree with the other reviewers — this is fine but nothing special. I used local asparagus and handmade ricotta. I wouldn’t try this with basic grocery store ingredients.

  • ezwriternc on May 20, 2023

    This was ok. Nothing special. I used asparagus and zucchini. Just didn’t have a lot of flavor.

• Gruyère frittata with caramelized onions

  • Zosia on October 13, 2017

    The flavour was very good with a nice balance of onion, egg and cheese. The onions did take longer to caramelize than the recipe indicated and I needed to increase the heat to reduce the wine. Since we prefer a firm frittata, I baked it at a higher temperature. Worth repeating.

  • ksg518 on November 09, 2023

    Nice taste but the red wine turned it into an unappetizing brown slab. If I repeat this I’ll skip the wine. As Zosia mentioned my onions took much longer to caramelize than the recipe suggested.

  • tmitra on December 19, 2021

    I forgot to add the wine, and it was still good! I especially liked the creamy texture.

• Herbed Parmesan Dutch baby

  • Zosia on July 16, 2017

    A savoury dutch baby is a great idea and this one had wonderful flavour. I used an immersion blender to eliminate the lumps in the batter and since I substituted 1 tbsp olive oil for the butter, which meant the pan wouldn't be pre-heated stove top, I popped the pan into the oven for 10 minutes before adding the batter. We really enjoyed it. I served it with green beans with caper vinaigrette from the same book.

  • stockholm28 on May 02, 2017

    Wow. I would have skipped right over this had it not been for the reviews on chowhound. I loved this savory version. I made this with thyme and chives and loved those herbs with the parmesan. When I added the eggs to the flour, it was super lumpy; it looked like scrambled eggs. I had to really whip it into shape. I was concerned about this because her instructions say to mix "until just combined." It came out perfect, so don't be afraid to whip it, whip it good. Next time I will try sifting the flour and I will also cut back a bit on the butter. This will definitely be repeated. The recipe is here: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017789-savory-dutch-baby

  • chawkins on May 12, 2018

    My husband loved this. I have a 7’’ cast iron skillet and I cook for the two of us only, so I just made a third of the recipe and that even worked. The cooking time was a lot less than that for the whole recipe, it was done in about 12 minutes. All measurements were approximates, as I used 3 eggs rather than 2 and 2/3 eggs and I have no measuring spoons for 1/6 tsp.

  • blintz on October 20, 2018

    Finally had a chance to make this recipe. I've only made sweet versions of this humongous pancake. I had almost a pound of very fresh chanterelles from Berkeley Bowl that I brought home to Boston, so I sauteed them with shallots while the eggs were cooking. A fab combo and it looked amazing. Used an 11 inch cast iron skillet. Thyme and tarragon for herbs. Next time I will cook the eggs a bit less.

  • Rradishes on February 24, 2018

    Easy week night dinner. Next time I'll try to scale down, 8 eggs makes too much for 2 people. Also next time I'll go less on the flour, it was a little too dense for me.

  • Summerlandsky on April 04, 2020

    I made this with 9 eggs and a full cup of milk. I also used a Cooks Country trick and replaced the extra 2 tablespoons of flour with 1/4 cup cornstarch ( a little extra to account for extra egg and milk). The cornstarch makes it crispier. The cheese was probably a little more than a cup of Parmesan and a shredded blend I had in my fridge. I didn’t add the flaked salt until the finish with reserved thyme and chives. Served it with a hearty salad. My kids, 9 and 12, and my husband gobbled it up! Easy dinner.

  • SpatulaCity on December 25, 2023

    Good. The base was slightly thick, but had nice flavor. When the DB was almost done, I brushed a thin layer or Dijon along the bottom, then sprinkled on grated gruyere and thinly sliced ham. A few min back in the for everything to get a little melty, then topped with over easy eggs to serve. Tasty on its own, but I liked adding toppings to make it more of a special occasion breakfast.

  • pattyatbryce on April 19, 2025

    Very simple and rewarding. Perfect for Lent and you can do a clean up of leftover herbs to taste. I used green onion and tarragon this time and loved it. Just add a veg and you have dinner!

• Stovetop mac & cheese

  • Zosia on May 04, 2017

    It tasted good and initially the sauce was quite smooth and luxurious but it congealed very quickly - perhaps because I doubled the recipe? Regardless, everyone ate and enjoyed it.

  • westminstr on January 18, 2018

    For our family, use 12 oz pasta and increase other ingredients accordingly. Can replace cream w butter/milk combo. We also like to add extra cheese!

  • hirsheys on November 15, 2019

    This was quite easy, but one note. No need to do it again.

  • Larkspur on April 22, 2017

    Until I tried this recipe I never made a homemade mac and cheese that my family actually liked.

  • Lepa on July 25, 2017

    This is really quick and good. Like Niemie, I added steamed broccoli to make it a bit healthier. Delicious!

  • Frogcake on May 01, 2017

    I flagged this recipe as easy and SUPER delicious for my two sons to make at university. Why would anyone ever buy the crappy fake cheese boxed stuff when you can make this? As my youngest son loves crunch, we developed modifications that include making butter-garlic pan fried panko topping and extra crunchification under the broiler (mac and cheese goes into a casserole dish). We all loved this and will make again -so many other permutations and combinations. You can even eat this mac and cheese directly out of the pot!

  • Niemie on March 31, 2017

    Great weeknight fare. I added steamed broccoli and peas. With whole wheat pasta, I can almost rationalize that this as a healthy option.

  • sosayi on October 07, 2019

    Such a simple and quick recipe for homemade mac and cheese. It was great as a side for barbeque. Used whole milk in place of cream to no ill effect. Doubled the recipe quite easily. Would make again as an accompaniment to a meal or if the kidlets wanted a quick mac, but it's not full-on meal worthy on its own (not that I think it's intended for that, anyway).

• Stovetop fusilli with spinach, peas, and Gruyère

  • Zosia on May 24, 2017

    We really enjoyed the flavours of this, particularly the garam masala that wasn't there in enough quantity to identify but made up for the lack of other flavourings like aromatics. Based on my experience with the stovetop mac and cheese, I changed the method slightly. After draining the pasta, I added it back to the pan with the cream, spinach and seasoning and tossed over low heat until the spinach was wilted. It was quite dry so I added some reserved pasta cooking water and most of the cheese and tossed again until the cheese was melted. I avoided both the congealed sauce of my mac 'n' cheese and the "cheesy blob" that amandacooks described in her review.

  • Rachaelsb on July 05, 2017

    Easy to prepare after a day's work. Comfort food with nice texture and flavor.

  • Astrid5555 on April 04, 2017

    This was not mind-blowing, but probably because of the substitutions I had to make (Parmesan instead of Gruyère, cumin instead of garam masala). Apart from that I was looking for a quick weeknight pasta dish and this absolutely fits the bill.

  • Tweedles81 on January 25, 2018

    I got the cheese/spinach blob as well. I just continued to heat the final dish through in the pot and that helped disperse the cheese. I used whole wheat pasta and used whole milk instead of cream, since that’s what I had on hand. This ended up being a hearty, fast weeknight dinner that the whole family enjoyed!

  • amandacooks on April 05, 2017

    The garam masala really elevated this simple pasta dish. I used spelt pasta and it worked well here. (As a side note, this was the first time we had tried spelt pasta, and we found we liked it a lot better than whole wheat pasta.) My only complaint is that the spinach turned into a cheesy blob after wilting it in the cheese sauce, and it was hard to break up the blob when stirring in the pasta and peas without breaking up the pasta too. Next time I might wilt the spinach in the hot pot after cooking the pasta and peas, stir together the pasta/peas/spinach in a large bowl, and then pour the cheese sauce over everything and stir it together. Sure, it would dirty another bowl, but I think in this case it would be worth it.

  • Lepa on January 05, 2018

    This was quick and easy. My whole family loved it.

  • e_ballad on October 07, 2018

    Not very excited about this one. Perfectly fine, but nothing especially memorable.

  • FJT on July 17, 2023

    I managed to avoid the cheese blob! This was a quick, simple dinner and the garam masala was a nice background note ... I did put more in than stated in the recipe as I tasted the sauce and it was bland. Used Comté instead of Gruyère as I prefer it.

  • C_Richardson on October 13, 2020

    I also got the cheese and spinach blob. I should've come to EYB before making this recipe but I was looking for a quick dish to go with salad and this seemed like a winner. Overall the flavor is good, but cooking the creamy cheese with spinach was a mess. I ended up adding reserved cooking water and more heavy cream to break up the cheese blob. The family liked it but I don't know that I'd make it again. Quick note: the garam masala was a nice change, I'll definitely use that in another recipe for a flavor booster.

  • puddlemere on April 18, 2019

    I also got the cheese and spinach blob. Other than that, this was a quick and satisfying (if not very exciting) pasta dish.

  • Kato on July 12, 2025

    Very bland, didn't end up with a cheese blob but the texture still wasn't appealing. I'll never make this again. What a waste of a good cheese.

• Penne with Parmesan, fresh ricotta, and black pepper

  • Zosia on June 17, 2017

    Quite good thanks to the lemon zest and a lot of black pepper (and Parmesan cheese). A sharply dressed side salad helped to cut the richness.

  • bernalgirl on April 26, 2022

    Such an easy and delicious recipe! I used fusilli because my kids prefer it, and substituted Laura Chenel spreadable “chef’s chevre” for ricotta. I served it with the harissa tuna from this cookbook, it was an outstanding dinner that my family asked me to repeat.

• Cacio e pepe with asparagus and peas

  • Zosia on April 23, 2017

    Quick and easy and much more flavourful than I anticipated. Based on stockholms28's review, I reduced the pasta and sauce ingredients by one-third but kept the vegetables the same to serve two. My ratio of veg to other ingredients may have been off, but we really enjoyed it this way.

  • stockholm28 on April 01, 2017

    This was very good for a quick pasta dish. I couldn't find pecorino toscano, so used her suggestion and added extra parmesan. No pencil thin asparagus were to be found so I cut fat asparagus stalks into quarters lengthwise. The asparagus did not get done enough, so if I am faced with tough asparagus again, I might cook them in the pasta water for a minute or two before adding to skillet. She says this serves 2 to 3. I cut the recipe in half and it was a huge serving, so next time will make a third.

  • Emily Hope on March 24, 2017

    Based on the ingredient list I wasn't expecting this pasta to be anything special, I just happened to have all of the ingredients on hand, but it was really good! C felt so too--we couldn't put our fingers on why, but maybe it's the sauteeing of the black pepper? We used whole wheat penne--I'm sure it would be even better with white pasta but that's how we roll these days. Definitely will be making again.

  • Astrid5555 on May 05, 2020

    We really liked this! Based on the other reviews, I did not blanch the asparagus and peas, but added them to the pan with the pepper and sauteéd them until done. Next time I would even add more asparagus.

  • bernalgirl on April 01, 2024

    I omitted the peas and doubled the asparagus. The asparagus really shines through, an easy spring dinner or side.

  • Delys77 on January 29, 2025

    We used haricot vert instead of asparagus as that is what we had on hand and this worked out very well. The pecorino is lovely here and the additional veg makes for a more balanced and filling meal.

  • Rachaelsb on January 28, 2020

    Really enjoyed...I increased both the peas and asparagus and could have increased the pepper too! Easy to make, great weeknight dinner.

  • Hansyhobs on June 28, 2022

    This was delicious. I used in-season British asparagus and fresh peas. Just lovely and didn't feel the need to adjust the quantities of anything. I made half the recipe for a solo dinner and it was perfect for those who are on the greedy side :)

• Farro pasta with zucchini, mint, and ricotta salata

  • Zosia on June 28, 2017

    Despite the title, the recipe does not include mint. However, the book's photo of the finished dish has mint in it, and I liked the idea of a zucchini-lemon-mint combination so I made it with mint. This was a nice light-tasting pasta dish; the mint added freshness and the lemon perked up all of the flavours. Since I prefer my zucchini with a little texture, I removed it from the pan while the tomatoes cooked and added it back in with the pasta etc.

  • westminstr on July 20, 2021

    I doubled the zucchini & cooked in two batches, then removed from pan while the tomatoes softened. Parsley & mint at the end. Feta for cheese. This turned out good!

• Orecchiette with broccoli rabe and almonds

  • westminstr on April 17, 2017

    More complicated than my usual recipe and not as good.

  • Tweedles81 on February 02, 2019

    I thought that this was very simple and easy. Not much had to be chopped, and if it did it was not a mince or anything complex. I didn’t see where in the recipe that I was supposed to add the almonds back in after toasting them. The end result tasted earthy and slightly bitter and yummy. Definitely add the lemon juice to taste!

  • Zosia on October 30, 2019

    We really enjoyed this. I substituted shallots for the red onion as that's what I had and thought the sweetness they brought to the dish was a nice foil for the slightly bitter rapini.

  • Hansyhobs on February 26, 2023

    Tasty enough, pretty simple

• Penne and Brussels sprouts with bacon and pecorino

  • ksg518 on April 09, 2018

    Excellent pasta dish. I used bacon instead of pancetta but otherwise followed the recipe. Very tasty and quick enough for a weeknight. Clark says this serves 2-3; two of us ate it all.

  • Zosia on April 29, 2017

    Another delicious, quick pasta dish from this book. I used 2 small bunches of kale, one of the recommended substitutes, and added some of the pasta cooking water at the end since it was a little dry.

  • FJT on April 07, 2017

    Very tasty, quick weeknight dinner. We enjoyed it and will definitely make it again.

  • Astrid5555 on October 27, 2018

    Delicious, perfect weeknight dinner, will make again!

  • meduff on December 30, 2018

    This is a dish where I can say “yum” out loud. There just isn’t anything bad about this dish. So many of my favorites: pasta, roasted Brussels sprouts, pancetta, a little red pepper flakes, and lemon to add some brightness. Total yum! It was so simple and easy. It took me a little longer than the 20 minutes stated but that is par for the course with me. I changed out the penne for fusilli, pancetta for bacon, no jalapeno (I can control the amount of heat with red pepper flakes. I haven’t learned that with jalapenos yet), no pecorino at the end. I did sprinkle the juice of ½ lemon over the dish when it was done. Next time I will definitely add lemon zest and some capers. Melissa Clark seems to be such a big fan of capers I’m not sure why she didn’t add them. I increased the amount of pasta to 13 ounces, the brussel sprouts to 16 ounces, and the pancetta to 4 ounces. This then served 4. Total keeper!

  • ellencooks on January 03, 2019

    I made this but used extra sprouts and added some toasted bread crumbs and cheese to the top and put it under the broiler for a minute. This was really good. Next time I will add even more Brussels sprouts.

  • Frogcake on May 15, 2017

    Really delicious. I used white wine in place of water and sprinkled asiago cheese instead of pecorino. The best thing I did was get distracted during the cooking of the sauce. The result was lovely browned shredded sprouts. Perfect supper and very quick.

  • raybun on May 26, 2017

    I also made the kale version of this recipe, the family loved it. Quick & easy for a midweek supper. There's no mention of what to do with the rosemary so I chopped it finely before adding it to the bacon.

  • kari500 on December 23, 2023

    I’ve come down with a little cold, but needed to get something together for dinner. Happened to have everything for this except the Brussels sprouts, but did have cabbage, so used that instead (and my bacon was turkey bacon, so upped that by an ounce). Quick to put together and tasty. I will definitely make it again.

  • elena1049 on April 12, 2020

    This is a staple in our house - usually double to 16 oz brussels, a whole box of pasta, and about 8 cloves garlic

  • snoozermoose on December 06, 2021

    I loved this. Like couldn't stop eating it straight from the pan. Meanwhile my husband thought it was just okay. Sigh...

  • diana_2fkujq on February 08, 2026

    I made with spaghetti and bacon. It took awhile for my brussels sprouts to brown. While you could smell the rosemary when cooking, it didn't come through in taste.

• Fried lemon pasta with chile flakes

  • Astrid5555 on November 20, 2017

    I agree with Tweedles81, this pasta dish is amazing! I was lucky enough to have found some Meyer lemons at the store last week, so this was a quick weeknight pantry staple dinner. Added the optional parsley and used pappardelle pasta. My lemon-averse husband asked me to please, please make this again as soon as possible.

  • westminstr on January 23, 2019

    I liked this pretty well but my kids didn't. It was a bit more fiddly than a usual weeknight dinner. I think it would be less fiddly with repetition, but I probably won't repeat because my kids didn't eat it. It was however a great way to use Meyer lemons. I blanched for 2 min & I think 3 would have been better.

  • jenmmcd on June 17, 2019

    My family really liked this dish, kids included. I did blanch the Meyer lemons for 4-5 mins to get the bitterness out, but then they were great. I also topped it with roasted cauliflower with capers and breadcrumbs—kind of a mash up with the next recipe in the book. That was a yummy addition too. Will make again.

  • TrishaCP on May 04, 2020

    Wow, we absolutely loved this. I blanched my lemons for five minutes based on prior reviews, and added basil (didn’t have the celery leaves).

  • ellencooks on April 09, 2017

    This was quite good! I didn't have Meyer lemons and used my homegrown unknown variety, but thicker skinned than a Meyer so I doubled the blanching time. Really good and quick to go together.

  • meduff on January 23, 2019

    I really wanted to love this dish. What is not to love about lemons, pasta, and a little cheese? I made it twice just to make sure it I was giving it the justice it was due. For me this dish was a deceptively difficult the first time around, and way to fussy for a weekend night meal if you've had a busy day. I had to blanch my homegrown Meyer lemons longer than the recipe called for, and my lemons are pretty sweet. The second time around I omitted the celery leaves and substituted basil - which I liked much better. I had a hard time caramelizing the lemons and needed to use more oil than called for and turn down the heat so it didn't burn my pan a second time. Next time I would add capers - because almost everything is better with capers. I still really want to love this dish.

  • Tweedles81 on November 20, 2017

    This was amazing - probably the best pasta dish I’ve ever made! I used Meyer lemons and blanched for 3 minutes. The only substitution I made was that I used egg fettuccine, as that is what I had on hand. My toddlers didn’t like it (probably because of the prominent lemon flavor), but my husband and I gobbled it up!

  • bching on June 18, 2019

    We love this. I've made it several times--occasionally with straight from the tree lemons which I suspect are less bitter.

  • VineTomato on May 31, 2020

    I finally found Meyer lemons in London - a rare treat indeed and after searching Eat Your Books we settled on this recipe. We loved it.

• Fusilli and roasted cauliflower with capers

  • westminstr on November 06, 2017

    Like others, we thought this was very good. I used about 3/4 of a very large head of cauliflower - it was 6 cups chopped at least and filled an entire sheet pan - and about 12 oz pasta. This was a good amount and ratio for us. Even a little more cauliflower would have been fine. I doubled the capers as well but only used one raw garlic clove since my crowd is sensitive to raw garlic. I was out of lemon so had to skip that; added some chopped parsley which added freshness and improved the appearance as well (white on white is always kind of a drag to look at).

  • FJT on April 28, 2017

    This was a nice, tasty recipe. I agree that the Parmesan definitely isn't optional!

  • Astrid5555 on May 03, 2017

    This is very similar to Martha Stewart's "Pasta with roasted cauliflower and lemon zest" from "Meatless" which I have been cooking regularly since the book came out in 2013. The only difference is that MS includes red onions and parsley and uses orecchiette pasta, whereas MC wants you to add some minced garlic to wholemal fusilli pasta. I doubled the cauliflower and used one whole head, otherwise we would not have had enough for two adults. Both dishes are delicious, and now I have two options to choose from for my roasted cauliflower cravings. Yum!

  • TrishaCP on April 04, 2017

    Delicious! The roasted cauliflower and capers were amazing- the roasted capers were particularly great and I will use that technique again. I used whole wheat penne out of necessity and skipped the pine nuts and butter. I also only used one clove of garlic, and it was plenty.

  • hirsheys on January 23, 2019

    Simple, easy, and tasty. Next time, I'd use the whole head of cauliflower for a higher ratio and back off the garlic a bit. (Or maybe microwave one clove garlic and butter together to take the edge off it).

  • Delys77 on April 11, 2017

    Very easy to put together and very tasty. Add some reserved pasta cooking water to moisten a touch. For us the parm wasn't optional, I would also sprinkle with parm before serving. You can also up the cauliflower some. Replaced butter with all olive oil and was still very good.

  • stockholm28 on December 09, 2018

    The roasted cauliflower and capers were excellent and this was a surprisingly flavorful dish. I found the raw garlic a bit harsh and might try roasting some garlic next time I make this. I agree that the parmesan is not optional.

  • Zosia on June 20, 2017

    I also loved this dish...easy and very flavourful. I too used a whole head of cauliflower and some of the pasta cooking water.

  • Nerples on April 17, 2020

    This is EXCELLENT served cold the next day, so don't be shy about making a big batch! I've made this a few times and enjoy more of everything as other reviewers have mentioned. A whole head of cauliflower, and extra capers. Don't miss the lemon juice as this really makes it imo. I happen to love the garlic which I pummel into a paste in a suribachi so that it's evenly incorporated throughout. Also.....after running out of pine nuts I started substituting pecans never looked back. Yum!

  • Barb_N on February 11, 2023

    After reading the multiple recommendations to double the sauce, I did. I skipped the nuts and added a handful of fresh parsley to break up the monochromatic theme, as the capers don’t add much. I used roasted garlic from the olive bar but the flavor was so muted I wish I had used at least a clove of it raw. Definitely needs the preserved lemon. I added panko with the parmesan.

  • EmilyR on April 28, 2026

    Kids requested this, which is a rarity since I make so many different dishes. So much flavor!

  • EmilyR on November 19, 2023

    After taking in everyone's substitutions, recommendations, and modifications I roasted up 2 full heads of cauliflower, which was mixed with olive oil, salt, pepper, capers, and preserved lemon before roasting. I also threw in some garlic to make a confit on the side. I used double the sauce and to finish things off added the extravagance of pine nuts (they are about $1 per nut these days), the requisite parm and parsley to treat myself - since I'm fancy like that. Pasta used was cascatelli… surprisingly simple and flavorful.

  • bernalgirl on March 07, 2022

    I doubled the pasta, and tripled the cauliflower and sauce ingredients, but skipped the pine nuts and used garlic confit instead of raw. My family of four + my Dad really enjoyed this. Can’t wait for the leftovers!

  • Hannaha100 on March 19, 2021

    Doubled pasta and used whole small head of cauliflower. Used grated vegan cheese but hooch would work well. Kept the rest as stated because not sure how girls would like but next time double. M1 loved this but both girls asked for more olive oil. A rare win!

  • bwhip on November 29, 2017

    Very good, remarkably tasty for such a simple list of ingredients and easy prep. I doubled everything so we'd have leftovers, as recipe said it serves just two. Garlic winds up being fairly strong, since it's effectively raw, but I didn't mind it. Photo in the cookbook looks like regular pasta, but we used the whole wheat as called for in the ingredient list and it was very good.

  • mfranklin125 on May 03, 2017

    I went heavier on the cheese and garlic. It was such a good dish.

  • meduff on March 13, 2019

    This is very good but as others have said there was not enough. Melissa’s recipe serves 2 but at 4 ounces of pasta, and ¼ head of cauliflower per serving as the entree in my house that would never get by the side eye of my family. I upped everything - I actually doubled almost everything. I used a full head of cauliflower, 12 ounces of pasta, doubled or tripled the capers (because, well they’re capers). I used the juice of two lemons and the zest of both those lemons as well. Doubling everything was enough to make three good size portions. This is what I learned in making this dish a few times: 1) I began to realize this dish needed some color. I knew that this dish would have been white (pasta), on white (cauliflower) on white (serving dish) - so I used purple cauliflower and I think that helped a lot. 2) Adding a protein to this dish would be so easy and so good and more filling. A happy accident tonight with the leftovers: I had a small amount of preserved lemons. So good!

  • Lepa on May 31, 2017

    We really loved this dish. I have had my eye on it since I bought the book but was prepared for it to be underwhelming. I was wrong! This dish tastes rich and bright at the same time and it is so compelling. I anticipate making it often.

  • Frogcake on April 20, 2017

    We found this to be very tasty and simple to make. Loved the technique of using capers. I made this using ravioli stuffed with cheese and spinach. I also added a bit of the pasta water. It made for a superb, quick and filling dinner. Will make this one again!

  • clcorbi on April 28, 2017

    As Delys says, the parm isn't optional! I added extra cheese, too. This was such a simple, tasty pasta prep. We upped the amount of cauliflower to about 3/4 of a head, which was the right ratio of veggies to pasta for us. I upped the butter, lemon juice, etc. to taste to compensate. This was a very nice dinner.

  • kari500 on May 05, 2020

    We liked this, but it didn't have the oomph of our regular version. I think there are two reasons for that. I should have doubled all the sauce stuff, since I doubled the pasta. Unfortunately didn't have that much lemon zest. The second thing is that I think the capers would have more impact if they were not roasted. We love roasted b sprouts, and I think would have appreciated them more on their own. Maybe with broccoli and tons more of the lemon/caper mix, this would be a home run. We all liked it, but it won't replace our normal, similar pastas.

  • Jane on May 21, 2019

    I don't cook pasta very often so all I had was half a box of shells, about 9oz. I used those with a whole head of cauliflower and doubled the sauce ingredients. I also added a chopped preserved lemon. It is very monochromatic but tastes great. I did find the raw garlic taste too strong (and I love garlic) so I'd use half the amount next time. As others have noted, the Parmesan cheese is essential not optional.

  • isabelle_jyrhjw on March 11, 2026

    Added chopped preserved and garlic while roasting Toasted some panko with garlic to make breadcrumbs

  • crysta_63qusi on April 09, 2026

    This is a regular for us. I always add a couple of diced chicken sausages and more parmesan and lemon. Parsley if I have it, for color. Easy, reliable, and the leftovers are great cold.

  • Coastal_Cook on November 02, 2021

    Pretty bland, despite the fact I was generous with the capers and lemons. Would not recommend.

  • Soulkitchenjen on December 03, 2025

    She’s ugly, but holy crap is she good. Double the sauce per the recommendations. Use the pine nuts. I used a small head of cauliflower and maybe 10 oz of pasta. Sooo easy. Mostly hands off time.

  • jhallen on July 21, 2020

    This was amazing - made exactly as written. Don’t change a thing. PS I don’t even like cauliflower, but still loved this.

  • hbakke on September 12, 2019

    Tasty. I used a whole head of cauliflower and 12 oz of penne and adjusted the remaining ingredients to accommodate the additions.

  • Churchim808 on April 18, 2025

    I made this with vegan Parmesan and skipped the extra tablespoon of oil in the last step. Excellent!I used a small 1 lb head of cauliflower and I still could have done with more.

  • ChelseaP on August 06, 2022

    Made exactly as the recipe and it was perfect for two of us. Loved the pine nuts and all the lemon juice and Parmesan on top. Next time I would cook the garlic or use garlic confit though.

  • Tweedles81 on April 11, 2026

    My family loves this recipe - we probably make it once a month. It is easy, tasty, and filling. I usually double it.

• Pappardelle with chicken livers and rosemary

  • Astrid5555 on August 14, 2017

    Excellent! 10/10 from a family of chicken liver lovers! Substituted Marsala wine for the dry sherry because this is what I had on hand and added some butter together with the pasta water in the end.

  • shep0012 on April 25, 2026

    We’ve made this many times and it’s delicious.

• Lemony pasta with chickpeas and parsley

  • Zosia on July 25, 2017

    The flavours were light and fresh - I particularly liked how well the lemon and rosemary came through - but between the pasta and the chickpeas, it was still a substantial dish. Like the other reviewers, I didn't use the full amount of parsley, about 2 cups.

  • clcorbi on April 15, 2017

    I love any version of chickpeas with pasta, and this one didn't disappoint. I didn't really think that mashing up the chickpeas improved the dish, so next time I'd just leave them whole. Also, I think 3 whole cups of parsley would have been a crazy amount to this dish. I substituted about a cup of chopped basil, because I had it and needed to use it up, and I thought the flavor of the basil worked so well here that I'd do it again next time. 1c was definitely sufficient, though.

  • bwhip on May 04, 2017

    This sounded kind of interesting, easy and different, so tonight I gave it a go. It was excellent! I made it with rigatoni, which I happened to have on hand. I probably used a little less than two cups of parsley, which was plenty. I'll definitely make it again for a quick and easy, yet tasty meal.

• Spicy pork noodles with ginger and baby bok choy

  • TrishaCP on April 02, 2017

    This was ok to fairly good for me. Somehow, the flavor felt flat (maybe because I was using low-sodium tamari for my soy sauce?). However, my husband really liked it and had no complaints. Personally, I don't feel like the Chinkiang vinegar garnish is optional here- it really perked things up. The recipe amount should serve four people generously- we used the thicker rice stick noodles so it felt pretty substantial. We used green cabbage in place of the bok choy- about one third of a large green cabbage.

  • mfranklin125 on May 04, 2017

    I added garlic and cilantro and parsley and did Swiss chard in addition to bok choy. Was so good.

  • Jane on August 13, 2021

    Loved this! It had so much flavor even though I didn't have scallions (used half a white onion) or cilantro (used basil). I added a few leaves of rainbow chard with the bok choy - I think any extra greens would work here.

  • coryelizabeth on April 18, 2019

    This was amazing. I used ground turkey instead of ground pork and simply mixed a little Chinkiang vinegar in at the end. Delicious and relatively light at the same time.

  • bernalgirl on February 18, 2022

    Absolutely easy and delicious as written, I used Thai basil and cilantro and would do so again. Don’t skip the black vinegar-ginger condiment. I look forward to trying some of her suggested variations although for most of those I would use wheat noodles.

  • meggan on September 30, 2024

    Kind of one note and salty.

  • tarae1204 on April 28, 2022

    I like this recipe, my children loved it. I veered from the written instructions by draining almost all of the fat from the pan after browning the pork. Also, I substituted white balsamic vinegar with a small dash of soy sauce for the black rice vinegar, which can be a little hard to find.

  • julesamomof2 on September 14, 2022

    I followed the recipe exactly and this was just ok, not great by any means. Used ground turkey instead of pork but i don't think that was the issue. Fine for a weeknight dinner but probably not a repeat.

  • snoozermoose on May 01, 2022

    Thought this was just alright. It tasted like it was missing something and the instructions for the rice noodles left them undercooked so I had to toss them in the wok for a lot longer.

  • M2a7ggie on July 03, 2025

    Adaptable Many good reviews

  • kkmatti on May 09, 2025

    This was a winner of a recipe. Next time I would increase the amount of bok choy to 18-24oz. I garnished with a generous portion of Thai basil. We served this with chili crisp which added some heat & dimension to the dish.

  • jhallen on August 20, 2022

    This was a good solid dinner. Easy to execute. I was expecting it to be spicier - maybe I just need to choose a spicier pepper next time

  • bwhip on August 06, 2020

    Easy and delicious! Just the right amount of kick with the habanero we used (seeds removed).

  • crysta_63qusi on March 24, 2026

    Good, but needs the fresh herbs at the end. Not sure the garnish added much.

• Coconut rice noodles with ginger and eggplant

  • Jane on March 28, 2018

    This was fantastic - such depth of flavor. It's not exactly quick, taking about an hour start to finish but it's so worth it. I served it as a vegetarian/vegan main, using vegetable stock and no fish sauce - it was a great meal.

  • som3rsault on August 04, 2023

    For me it was not intense enough. Next time I'd rather use the full amount of spice paste with half of the rest of the ingredients for 2-3 People

• Shrimp pad Thai

  • BethNH on April 08, 2017

    There was a bit of operator error for me. First, I noticed the lime zest in the ingredient list that was then never called for in the recipe. I added it as a garnish at the end. Secondly, because I seem to consistently have problems with undercooked rice noodles, I soaked my noodles for too long and therefore ended up with mushy noodles in the finished product. Third, and perhaps most important, I have never cooked with tamarind paste. The recipe calls for 1.5 Tablespoons of tamarind paste to be added to other ingredients to make a sauce. The tamarind paste just stayed a big glob in the sauce - never breaking down. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with it. I also bought tamarind concentrate so after trying to stir the paste to break it up, and pushing it through a sieve, I finally just added a couple of teaspoons of tamarind concentrate. I added three Thai chiles which meant that my Pad Thai was quite spicy which we enjoyed. Overall, we liked this but it needs tweaking.

  • Delys77 on April 24, 2017

    Rice noodles are always a risky proposal for me. I didn't follow her instructions nor the package instructions, instead I just covered with boiling water from the kettle for about 4 minutes, which was perhaps 1 minute too long. I also omitted the sprouts as they aren't popular around here. On the whole the recipe was pretty good, but it wasn't quite what I would call pad thai. Usually pad thai has some form of tomato product in it, and also the egg should be visible as opposed to being just a coating for the noodles as it is in this rendition. Flavour wise it was pretty good, but not likely a repeat for us.

  • Rachaelsb on April 18, 2020

    Different from other comments - we enjoyed this. Less as an authentic tasting Pad Thai and more as a satisfying noodle dish with shrimp. Comfort food. We also added chicken and I agree you need to go heavy on the garnishes and a twist of lime in the end gives it a bit of a kick.

  • SheilaS on June 13, 2024

    I thought this was OK but not great. 8 oz of rice noodles is a lot to cook properly at once and pouring the egg over everything adds to the risk of a gummy result. I absolutely loved the addition of sugar snap peas so I increased the amount of them, added a lot of bean sprouts, decreased the amount of noodles and scrambled the egg in a cleared area of the pan. I'll keep the idea to add sugar snap peas to Pad Thai but I won't repeat this recipe.

  • bwhip on March 30, 2017

    This was okay, though my wife and I both found it a bit too sweet. Also, although I followed the directions in the recipe for preparing the rice noodles in warm water, and used quite hot water and left them in longer than called for, they were still quite firm even after cooking a bit more with the sauce before serving.

  • clcorbi on October 26, 2017

    I thought that this was a serviceable pad thai, even though it didn't taste super authentic. Next time I would prefer to fry up the egg in advance and then chop it into pieces to mix into the finished dish, rather than letting it coat all the noodles (which, I agree with the other comments, was odd). The garnishes are pretty important here--I think you need a big squeeze of lime at the end and plenty of crunchy peanuts to make this dish shine.

  • Rradishes on March 19, 2018

    This was just ok. Just an ok noodle dinner. The rice noodles stuck together so I spent some time trying to separate them as they were soaking, but that might have been my fault. I would soak the noodles in a larger bowl next time.Overall, the dish tasted close, but not quite there for restaurant pad Thai version. Couldn't quite pinpoint what the sauce was missing, but tasty enough to make it again especially since now I have a whole jar of tamarind paste.

• Stir-fried tofu with summer squash, basil, and coconut

  • Delys77 on April 04, 2017

    This was easy and quite good. The onion adds a fair bit of sweetness so you could consider cutting it back a touch and adding some more acid or maybe even some heat to balance the flavour. I also blended the sesame with some peanut when sautéing the zucchini and tofu as it would have been too much otherwise. The tofu was very nice with the marinade. Doubled to serve about 4 adults and few little one's.

  • ksg518 on September 05, 2017

    I was somewhat skeptical of this recipe but needed to use some squash and wanted something different. It turned out to be very good and I will definitely repeat it. I used less coconut than Clark calls for because I wasn't sure that the coconut would work well with the squash but it was the highlight of the dish, adding a crunchy texture in addition to the flavor. Next time I might grill the squash since I couldn't get it to brown very well in the pan. I also had issues with the tofu sticking but it was still very tasty.

  • Emily Hope on July 21, 2022

    This was very meh for us -- the tofu marinade is pretty simple, and the basil, lime, and coconut didn't do enough to make the dish interesting. Required copious amounts of chili oil. Leftovers were eaten but without much joy -- won't repeat.

  • TrishaCP on August 13, 2021

    I needed to use up some squash so this fit the bill. It was much better than I expected (though I did end up topping with chile crisp). The coconut and squash were really nice together. I also used a mix of sesame and peanut oils rather than all sesame. My tofu also stuck a bit- I would use extra firm next time.

  • Sleeth on July 24, 2022

    It was okay, but won’t make again. The taste of coconut and squash got lost, and a bit too much sesame oil throughout. I’ve had much more flavorful tofu. I had to back off the high heat for the onions because they were burning. Unless you are set up to do wok cooking on really high heat, I think it better to cook the tofu as torn bits in the air fryer if you want the crisp edges, or in a more flavorful sauce on the stove.

  • sarahkalsbeek on September 07, 2020

    Ok, so we didn't make this recipe, but made something with flavors very much inspired by this recipe. We were looking for a veggie to serve alongside Clark's Thai Chicken Breasts from this same book. Took 2 zucchini and cut into long planks, bell peppers sliced. Put in baking dish and added the sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Baked in the oven at 350 for over an hour. Topped with the toasted coconut flakes and Thai basil. It was SO incredible!!!

• Stir-fried tofu with spring vegetables

  • Zosia on June 13, 2017

    We really enjoyed this. It was light and spring-like in appearance and the sauce ingredients didn't overwhelm the delicate flavours of the peas and pea shoots. I sliced my tofu and cooked it in batches using Thug Kitchen's dry fry method to get more of the crispy surfaces we like and added it back to the pan before the soy-sauce and rice wine went in. I used 227g sugar snap peas and 100g pea shoots so my proportions may have been a bit off (I find it difficult to measure these things in cups); I did need to add extra soy and sesame oil at the end.

• Mapo tofu with mushrooms and pork

  • BethNH on March 31, 2017

    This was the first recipe I tried from this book. Having never made Mapo Tofu before I found the directions very easy to follow. I may have cooked the pork just a tad too long because it got crunchy but it was still delicious. Both my husband and I enjoyed this but didn't find it spicy as the recipe indicated. After searching other Mapo Tofu recipes I found that most add chili oil. I added chili oil to the leftovers and that made the dish much better.

  • Frogcake on May 25, 2017

    Although we enjoyed this dish very much, I agree with BethNH that it needed something to get the fiery flavour, so chili oil also worked for us. I used ground turkey and served it with brown basmati rice. We loved the camphor smokiness of the Sichuan peppercorns, which was a new discovery for me. Will make this again!

  • poppleton82 on May 19, 2025

    Used cremini mushrooms instead, added in sugar snap peas just before I added the cubed tofu. Added a bit of sriracha and sesame oil to the sauce. Topped with chopped dry roasted peanuts and cilantro. Served over brown rice. Delicious!

  • tmitra on September 26, 2019

    I generally avoid tofu dishes, and unfortunately, this one epitomizes why. Even with Asian-inflected hot sauce on top, it managed to be bland. Per the introduction, I used chopped fermented black beans in lieu of black bean sauce with garlic, but I doubt that was the issue.

• Crispy tofu with ginger and spicy greens

  • Zosia on July 09, 2017

    Very tasty and not quite as mouth-numbingly hot as I expected. My green serrano chile added a grassy flavour that stood out from the other sweet, caramel flavours of the sauce so I'll replace it with another red chile next time. I used only 1 tbsp butter and baked the tofu cubes until crisp after first tossing them with 1 tbsp each of the soy sauce and cornstarch. I served it over rice.

  • TrishaCP on September 30, 2018

    This tasted good, and I thought the ratio of tofu to veggies (I used bok choy) was perfect. I don't usually de-seed chiles, but I did in this case, and had a good heat level. The tofu cooking method was good, but I think I'll be trying Zosia's method next time for a healthier approach.

  • clcorbi on June 21, 2017

    This recipe is clearly a riff on Ottolenghi's black pepper tofu, but a bit easier to execute and definitely less intensely flavored. I'm going to be forever indebted to this version because it taught me a lifesaving trick--if you toss your tofu in cornstarch, it doesn't stick to the pan! I always struggle SO much when frying tofu, and this method made it so easy and fast, and didn't leave me with a horrible pan to clean up. What a win! Anyway, the flavor here is pretty good. I was iffy on the molasses but I have to admit it was nice. I'd like a bit higher ratio of tofu to cooked veg, but that's just a personal preference. If I repeated this I'd try the suggestion on the Dinner: A Love Story blog to substitute green beans for the bok choy, and I might up the amount of sauce a bit, since this should be served over rice.

  • Lepa on January 25, 2018

    Overall, this was a hit with my family. I didn't add any chilis so my kids could eat it and the adults added chili sauce at the table. I liked this method of cooking tofu and plan to use it in other dishes. We ate this with brown rice, which was good. I can't imagine this feeding four people without rice.

  • kari500 on May 30, 2025

    Thanks to rhb for her tip on baking the tofu; I did it without the soy sauce, adding that later to the pan. I subbed maple syrup for the molasses. I didn't add the full amount of chilies and wish I had. I liked, but did not love this, I think mostly because for whatever reason I felt like the sweetness (which I enjoyed) brought out a sort of sulfur taste in the bok choy (which I normally love). So if I made this again I would add the correct amount of chilies and use a different green.

  • metacritic on February 28, 2025

    My partner cooked this so I cannot comment on the production but the flavors are out of this world. Should be regarded as an MC classic.

  • rhb on November 02, 2023

    Baked the tofu instead of frying (450 degree oven, tossed w/1 T soy sauce + 1 T avocado oil, quickly roll in 3 T cornstarch, bake on parchment-lined baking sheet for 20 minutes). Used napa cabbage for the veg and it was really good! And easy.

  • hbakke on May 02, 2019

    Tasty. Tofu was very crispy. We served this with jasmine rice.

  • kgmom on September 26, 2025

    I didn't care for the tofu texture. I will try baking next time. The sauce was great! I subbed chili garlic sauce for the chiles as I didn't have any. Very nice.

• Blood orange chicken with Scotch whiskey and olives

  • meduff on January 12, 2019

    I marinated it for 30 minutes but next time I would do it overnight. I used Melissa’s secret of topping the oranges with sugar to caramelize. That was a total fail for me. It took less than 30 seconds for the first batch of blood oranges to burn to a crisp because of the sugar. I then tried to sprinkle a tiny amount of sugar on to the oranges and it didn’t caramelize at all. I let the oranges sit under the broiler for two minutes, nothing happened except the color started to drain from the oranges. I got nervous and took them out. I decided they were pretty enough as is and served dinner. This was a winner. The chicken was tender, juicy, and really flavorful. The skin was crispy and the juice from the blood oranges flavored the skin. A total win.

• Roasted turkey breast with rosemary and anchovies

  • william_twih48 on February 24, 2026

    Very delicious!! Will add a touch of salt to the marinade or some sprinkled on top next time but otherwise a huge hit!

• Coconut kofte kebabs

  • dinnermints on February 01, 2021

    I used beef instead of lamb, and think these would have been better with lamb. I found these pretty easy to overcook. Maybe making them smaller and browning them in a pan would have been better? I don’t make meatballs very often, so someone with more experience might have better luck…

  • halfchefc on May 31, 2025

    I made these in the air fryer and they came out really dry for me, most likely my fault for overcooking. I couldn't get them to really form either. I could taste the coconut but T couldn't, we liked the flavor enough though to try this again and hopefully not overcook. Pulsing the onion in the food processor would be a time saver instead of grating it, I'll try that next time as well.

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    Had a hard time with these. They didn't want to stick together and cooking them with my admittedly poorly functional broiler didn't help. They came out crumbly and a bit dry with a strange texture from the coconut. Sadly there wasn't really any coconut flavor.

• Sweet peppers and sausages with ricotta salata and fresh oregano

  • e_ballad on June 14, 2020

    The ricotta salata really pulls this together so it MUST NOT be omitted! Very simple to pull together.

  • Frogcake on June 14, 2017

    So tasty! I love the idea of porky sausage juice glazing the roasting peppers. This came together in less than ten minutes-then, it was just waiting for everything to cook. I wish I had these quick and simple recipes when my kids were younger!

  • snoozermoose on December 05, 2021

    One of my favorite easy weeknight meals. If you serve it with bread, it's like a sausage and pepper sub/grinder. Ricotta salata is hard to find where I live so I usually sub feta instead and it works just as well. I don't usually have fresh oregano so I just use dried.

  • Jviney on May 09, 2019

    This was one of those helpful, easy, quick, good-enough meals that are super nice for a weeknight. I wouldn’t say it was memorable, but I was grateful it was relatively healthy and only dirtied one pan!

  • averythingcooks on October 14, 2020

    I made this in a cast iron skillet using a mix of red, yellow & orange peppers with a mix of red & yellow onions. I used 2 mild & 2 "sweet with heat" sausages (for 1 lb). After the full cooking time, the sausages were not browned enough for me so I sliced each into chunks in the pan and finished it on the stove (rather than under the broiler as suggested). I finished with fresh basil and feta (as I've NEVER seen ricotta salata in a store here). This was a delicious main with a side of potato salad. It was easy to put together AND really good - a definite repeat!

• Seared sausage and rhubarb with Swiss chard

  • ksg518 on May 01, 2017

    This was very good and relatively quick. I think the photo is a little misleading since it doesn't look like the chard is really wilted. The addition of the maple syrup and the garam masala elevates this beyond a "put some sausages on some greens" dish. My sausages were on the spicy side - so much so that I wondered if they were hot Italian sausages in the wrong packet. I think I would have preferred sweeter sausages, but my daughter said she liked the extra kick.

  • ellencooks on May 26, 2017

    I liked this. First time using rhubarb in a savory dish. I served it with polenta.

  • megaelim on June 05, 2017

    This was really good, and so easy. We really liked the tartness of the rhubarb against the rest of the flavors.

  • TrishaCP on June 18, 2019

    We absolutely loved this. The tart rhubarb was great with the chard and the sausages. We served with polenta.

• Swordfish with lemon, chile, and fennel

  • bernalgirl on August 13, 2021

    Without a doubt one of my favorite ways to cook my favorite fish. I had some high quality hook-and-line caught swordfish (North Coast Seafood), and had read that poaching is a good method for previously frozen fish. This recipe results in tender, flavorful fish complimented by the lemony fennel salad. I look forward to making this again and again.

  • TrishaCP on April 07, 2019

    This is absolutely great. So simple and delicious. I also served this with pasta tossed with pan juices (I added a bit more butter too). I just added the marinated fennel on top, but it could also be served on the side.

  • MollyB on May 29, 2019

    Loved this dish! Quick, easy, and very good. I made it with mahi-mahi, which worked beautifully. I served it with rice, which was pretty good, but I'd probably go with bread or linguine next time.

  • kari500 on December 17, 2019

    Strong 5 stars for this recipe. It's easy and it's delicious. I use Flexitarian's fennel salad recipe (ground up fennel seeds added to the seasoning). The swordfish comes out nicely cooked, not tough the way it can sometimes be when cooked as a steak. I bump up the chilies.

  • westminstr on April 15, 2019

    I've made this at least three times but somehow haven't left a note. This is my favorite way to cook swordfish. Don't forget bread to dip in the sauce.

  • meduff on March 07, 2019

    This is all kinds of perfect and easy - super easy. It has some of my favorite things - lemon, fennel seeds, a little red pepper, butter add swordfish that wasn’t overcooked by using another one of Melissa’s secrets - cut the swordfish into cubes and cook them slowly in oil and butter. One of my favorite parts of this dish is the fennel that marinates in lemon and salt while the fish is cooking. That in and of itself is so very good- it is crunchy, salty, soaked with lemon - for me a total yum. This is meant to be a side or a garnish but I could make just this for a lunch and be happy. This marinated fennel will be used for many other things - all good. This recipe is everything I expected from this book. Excellent food, impressive to serve, and easy. Actually you could prep a lot of this in the morning and it would take a just a few minutes at night to heat the pan and cook.

  • Lepa on August 17, 2017

    This was a huge hit in our house. It is the perfect weeknight supper- very simple and quick and the flavor is extraordinary. My kids even loved it. We had it with panzanella and it was the perfect quick, late summer meal.

  • Lepa on September 15, 2017

    I made this tonight for a dinner party (four adults and four children). I cooked some pappardelle, doubled the fish recipe, tossed it with the pan juices and a bit of extra butter, then added the swordfish back to the pan. It was an excellent way to feed a crowd, especially one that included children who were more interested in pasta than swordfish. I served it with a caprese salad and green beans and it was a lovely feast.

  • mpo on January 07, 2020

    I too really enjoyed this dish. The amount of flavor for the little work was very surprising! I placed arugula on top, and put the fennel salad on top of that, and served with some sauteed eggplant.

  • Acarroll on September 12, 2022

    Wow, so good. My grocery delivery left out the fennel so I did without, but I'm not sure it was really even needed. I used Meyer lemon which I would definitely do again, and sablefish. I would reduce the oil next time. Definitely needs a side.

  • rachel_ywqstg on April 03, 2026

    Delicious, light, and flavorful! The marinated fennel pairs well with the swordfish. I can see this pairing well with rice, bread, or pasta.

• Roasted hake with crispy mushrooms

  • gastronom on September 02, 2019

    Simple and tasty way to prepare white fish. I used fresh halibut and it was delicious.

  • Delys77 on December 11, 2023

    For me the mushrooms were the star here. With a full 20 minutes of cooking the mushrooms were lovely with their concentrated flavour from the roasting. We used cod for the fish which is quite light in flavour so I was hoping the rub of citrus and herbs would jazz it up and I was a little disappointed. I needed to season a fair bit at the table and also douse the fish in lemon juice to give it a bit more flavour. I wouldn't repeat the fish portion of this.

  • ezwriternc on November 28, 2022

    Made with barrimundi. Bought sliced portsbellos and mixed in some tomatoes and garlic. Great simple dish.

  • tmitra on January 18, 2023

    I made this with cod. The fish, mushrooms, and citrus salad she recommends pairing with them were all fine, but in my opinion, none of the three go together.

  • Jviney on January 04, 2020

    This is one of those recipes that gives me great affection for Melissa Clark. I am not a big mushroom fan and picked the recipe because it fit a diet my husband and I are working through. As such, my expectations were low. I had sea bass in the freezer, and this dish came together in no time flat with excellent flavor. We loved it.

• Branzino with grapefruit and rustic olive-caper tapenade

  • ezwriternc on April 09, 2023

    Came out great. Got the branzino from Costco. Bones are part of the deal when you cook whole fish but we didn’t have many. Everyone loved it. Made it with jewel rice from sababa and Caesar salad from small victories.

  • meduff on December 27, 2018

    This is one amazing dish. We liked it so much we had twice in a row. The grapefruit and rosemary imparts just the perfect hints of both. This is a real keeper. The only frustration was the bones. Even having an expert fishmonger debone it he couldn't get them all and told me that would happen. In our minds it made no difference if it was deboned or not - same incredible flavors. I had visions of serving this to guests - that will not happen as I now have nightmares of us all sitting around the table picking bones out of our mouths. Nope, just no.

  • halfchefc on April 26, 2026

    UM WOW. I am feeling so impressed with myself after making this. The fish was so flavorful, we enjoyed the tapenade with it but found ourselves eating more of the fish without it! This was so easy to make and a fun weekend dinner date night. The only edit I made was adding a lot of fresh herbs at the end. Served it with lemony asparagus and potato slices.

  • kajicebaby on January 28, 2026

    Made this recently for my partner and I, and it turned out great! I loved the idea of grapefruit with fish. Would never have thought to do that myself!

• Sardine crostini with seared tomatoes

  • kari500 on October 22, 2022

    This was perfectly fine for a pantry meal, but not exciting. I like sardines but kept wishing it had a bit of ricotta under everything. May not have salted enough. I would make it again if I had everything and didn’t want to shop, but I won’t be craving this.

• Spiced crab and corn cakes with coriander yogurt

  • DKennedy on August 15, 2025

    Fabulous.

  • urmami on September 07, 2018

    I made this exactly as directed for a Labor Day kickback and they were pretty perfect. I found the batter very easy to work with, just enough filler to hold everything together without overpowering the crab. I'll always have a soft spot for Old Bay but the Indian spices and corn are such a great backdrop for super fresh crab meat. Also superb match with not-too-oaky Chardonnay, as crab always is.

  • clcorbi on July 12, 2017

    I've been eyeballing this recipe patiently waiting for corn season, but unfortunately I wouldn't recommend it. We made a half-recipe to serve two people. I actually had 1oz less crab than called for, but proceeded with all the other ingredient quantities as written. The cakes wouldn't hold together and were extremely difficult to fry--if I had had the full amount of crab I think it would only have been worse. Also, the pureed corn gave them an odd texture, and truthfully I didn't think the sweetness of the corn worked well with the Indian spices. These needed chile or something. (In fairness, I think the flavor is a matter of personal preference--my boyfriend enjoyed these a bit more than I did, although he agreed he doesn't want to repeat them.) The yogurt dipping sauce was tasty, but the cakes themselves were too much of a fail to salvage. Also, you really need a veggie or something crunchy and fresh to go with these--they don't feel like a balanced meal on their own.

  • rhughes24 on December 29, 2021

    I've made these, but with significant modifications. I didn't think the Indian spices would be so great here, so I went more traditional, with Old Bay, and served with a chipotle mayo. With those spices, the corn is a really nice addition to crab cakes - the sweetness of the corn and crap against the spiciness of the Old Bay and chipotles is perfect.

• Thai-style mussels with coconut and lemongrass

  • ksg518 on February 04, 2020

    This was very good and certainly quick and easy. I didn't have any chilies but will try to remember to include them next time since they would work well against the sweetness of the coconut milk.

  • lindseyshannon34 on July 11, 2020

    I was kind of disappointed with this dish. The flavors were not quite as vibrant as I thought they would be. And 2 lbs of mussels is probably more for 3-4 people, not 2.

• Shakshuka with golden tomatoes and goat cheese

  • e_ballad on June 07, 2018

    Very nice, but it’s a tough challenge competing against Ottolenghi’s recipe. We also found the dill to overwhelm some of the other flavours, rendering them largely obsolete.

  • dc151 on March 21, 2020

    I have made several different shakshuka recipes, but this is one of my favorites. I do cut back on the dill, as I'm not a huge fan.

  • Jviney on September 03, 2019

    I loved this - the flavor of the sauce was lovely, and filled the house with a delicious aroma. The amount of goat cheese was perfect and I had some nice golden tomatoes from the farmer’s market. Subbed basil for the dill - my husband’s preference. We ate all the eggs but I saved the rest of the sauce to enjoy with toast tomorrow. Will make it again.

  • snoozermoose on September 03, 2022

    Very tasty and easy! I used parsley instead of dill and feta instead of goat cheese, but this still turned out really well.

  • Lsblackburn1 on May 03, 2022

    Loved the freshness of this. I added half a leftover eggplant I had and cherry tomatoes. Should have used the broiler for a couple of minutes to get the egg whites more cooked.

• Spanish tortilla with serrano ham

  • Jviney on April 15, 2018

    I had to sub salami, as it’s what I had on hand, but this dish got better and better as I ate it the two or three days after making it.

  • jenverde on April 17, 2018

    This was excellent!

  • ezwriternc on November 27, 2022

    I made this with ham leftover from thanksgiving. It came out perfect,y. Everyone loved it. Complimented it with an aioli i also had on hand. Great dish.

• Chilaquiles with tomatillo salsa and baked eggs

  • clcorbi on May 01, 2017

    We made the easy version and used pre-made salsa, so I'm not really qualified to judge, but this recipe was easy and flavorful! H especially LOVED it. I'm sure that the tomatillo salsa adds something special, so I'd make the extra effort and do the salsa next time.

• Green eggs, no ham (baked runny eggs with spinach, leeks, and feta)

  • bernalgirl on February 19, 2022

    So easy and absolutely great over polenta. I made this for dinner or would serve for brunch.

  • halfchefc on June 19, 2025

    This was delicious and so easy. Will put it on repeat for sure.

• Japanese omelet with edamame rice

  • clcorbi on July 23, 2018

    I thought this was fairly good, and definitely low-effort, but the omelette was a bit too sweet to me. Maybe I'd use a little less mirin next time to compensate. However, this problem was nothing a little extra sriracha didn't fix. I agree it's nice to have extra veg here--next time I might stir-fry in a shredded carrot with the rice, and I also like the idea of having cucumbers on the side.

  • BeckyLeJ on February 25, 2018

    This omelet was easy and a nice alternative to my regular tuna or smoked salmon rice bowls! I wanted more veggies, so I paired it with the Smashed Cucumber Salad with Salted Peanuts and Wasabi Peas Smitten Kitchen Every Day, p 50. The marinated celery from Pucky Peach’s Easy Asian would be another good pairing.

  • Deja1 on March 01, 2025

    So good. Made this for lunch with leftover sushi rice and added avocado and nori.

• Scrambled eggs with smoked fish and cream cheese

  • SheilaS on March 06, 2026

    I used smoked sablefish and thought it was delicious.

• Egg crostini with radish and anchovy

  • meduff on January 15, 2019

    I think it’s perfect for appetizers. The watermelon radishes were new to me. I tasted one separately from everything else and it was quite peppery. When you put it all together it is a great bite. The watermelon radish loses it “pepperiness” and balances out the saltiness of the anchovy. This is not an easy dish to compile. In fact, I’m calling bull to the 20 minutes she says it takes to make, sorry Melissa. On the positive side much of it can be made and prep ready a day in advance leaving only the bread to toast the day you serve it. I bought a good egg slicer and a mandoline, otherwise the eggs fell apart and the radish was sliced unevenly causing the dish to fall apart when you pick it up. Another keeper!

  • Lepa on January 05, 2018

    This was good but fussy, so I'm unlikely to make it again. It's difficult to manage a bite that includes all the components because of the size/texture of the various components. The egg was crumbling, the anchovies and capers kept escaping. When I did manage to get a proper bite the flavor was good but my struggle with coordination prevented me from enjoying this as much as I had anticipated. I suspect this is a failing on my part, not Ms. Clark's.

• Summer spaghetti with uncooked tomato sauce and ricotta

  • Lepa on August 29, 2017

    This was fresh and tasted fine but we didn't love it. This is the first time I've tried a raw sauce and I strongly prefer the rich taste of cooked sauce.

  • Foodo on March 29, 2024

    This is a summer staple once the tomato plants start producing. So simple and super delicious!

• Fettuccine with spicy anchovy bread crumbs

  • Peterkjsoe on January 31, 2026

    Turned out a little bland. Perhaps we did not add enough anchovies?

  • ldyndiuk on May 28, 2022

    I made this once and really loved it, but I don’t think I even noticed that it has “spicy” in the title and doesn’t include anything spicy. I’m making it again tonight for a friend, and I may take jesinishibun’s advice to add some red pepper flakes. At any rate, I found it super easy and delicious.

• Pappardelle Bolognese with lentils and sausages

  • TrishaCP on January 16, 2021

    I really liked the flavors, but my lentils never quite cooked properly (too firm). I used more sausage (a full pound) since I needed to use it up.

  • Avocet on June 12, 2021

    This was okay, but we didn't like it enough for me to make it again. The lentils just didn't add enough character to the sauce; similar recipes with mushrooms instead of lentils are much tastier (and we love lentils).

  • Frogcake on May 16, 2017

    Good bolognese -would make again. It's a heartier sauce with the lentils. I've made it with ground horse meat, which is delicious but texture-wise, prefer it with sausages. I added about a quarter cup of dry red wine too.

  • cdglamontagne on May 26, 2019

    Love this recipe and we make it often. Use good sausage and the lentils will take on a deep savory flavor while adding a healthy and economical boost. I never have fresh rosemary and dried works fine - this recipe seems pretty adaptable. Leftovers are great too.

• Fusilli with burst cherry tomatoes, mint, and burrata

  • ksg518 on October 01, 2018

    This was great! I made it per the recipe using about 2/3rds mint and 1/3 basil (which the notes suggest as a possible alternative to just using mint). I wasn't sure if I would care for the mint but I really liked it. I'll make this again but probably up (or even double) the amount of cherry tomatoes. I thought the pasta to cherry tomato ratio was a little to much in favor of the pasta.

  • ddenker on August 03, 2017

    We liked this, but I made some changes (which I regret). Subbed fresh spaghetti instead of fusilli. Only used mint and didn't add the basil we bought. Epd thought the cheese was too much for him even though we each got one ball of burrata. Ruby (now 3 yo) cried hysterically when I put it in front her (garnished with green onions and mint). She just ended up eating the spaghetti! I liked it because of all the fresh ingredients/flavors, but wasn't blown away. 8/1/17

  • bwhip on August 15, 2017

    Another winner from this outstanding cookbook. Very simple to prepare, quick and easy - but remarkably flavorful. I loved the mix of the warm, burst tomatoes, the creamy cheese (I used buffalo mozzarella), and the abundance of fresh herbs (I used a mix of mint and basil). Excellent.

  • DKennedy on March 04, 2023

    Made this for my night Mah jong group - agree this needs a lot more cherry tomatoes and parmesan than the recipe suggests. I used scapes, flat leaf parsley and mint for my herbs. Highly recommend. Consider adding niscoise olives and topping with pine nuts next time.

  • westminstr on July 22, 2025

    I liked this but received complaints from the family - T didn’t like the “herb salad” and O objected to visible chunks of tomato. I also thought the leftovers were very good cold! But I won’t make again. (Made with 1pint of cherry tomatoes & three small field tomatoes, mozzarella instead of burrata)

  • krwhte on May 27, 2026

    Easy prep and fresh flavor combination, perfect for warmer weather days.

• Cold sesame noodles with celery salad

  • ezwriternc on November 29, 2022

    I wanted this to be better. I love the concept but It’s hard to like cold noodles with peanut sauce because they are no longer moist. The sauce is good, the salad is good. But together it was just ok.

  • celine_yl1s3t on April 16, 2026

    This was so good it almost didn't have leftovers. Spicy. Used ramen noodles

• Vietnamese rice noodles with daikon radishes and cucumbers

  • ddenker on August 03, 2017

    Epd didn't like this dish. I liked it, but would tweak it in the future. We have never used daikon radish before and found the flavor slightly bitter and unpleasant. The peanut sauce was good although we had to sub chile sauce for the chile oil. We added boneless, skinless chicken breasts that Ed made. We also used an entire 8 oz package of rice vermicelli noodles because we were adding four chicken breasts. We found ourselves craving pad Thai instead of this. 8/2/17

  • Niemie on March 30, 2017

    A terrific weeknight meal. Be sure to drain the rice noodles very well, otherwise the entire dish tastes somewhat diluted. I also made a double batch of the peanut dressing. When you have that prepared and on hand, this dish can come together in 5-10 minutes.

  • Hansyhobs on January 29, 2024

    I made this with small modifications, instead of radish and cucumbers, I used sugar snap and prawns. Very tasty and easy dish.

• Sweet and sour tofu with corn

  • ksg518 on July 31, 2018

    This is really good. I made it as directed except I used cut up tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes would be better because they will hold their shape better but I needed to use up what I had. If you don't want to go the tofu route, I think this would be good with shrimp. This sauce is great!

  • dinnermints on July 16, 2021

    Delicious and lovely to look at. I had misgivings about pan-frying the tofu, and indeed, it smoked up the house (we have no vent hood) despite fans and open windows, but the resulting texture was excellent - nice crust on the outside, chewy on the inside. Next time, though, I'll bake or grill the tofu to avoid the smoke, and maybe season it a bit more or marinate it beforehand. I doubled the recipe, used one less serrano for my toddler's sake. I like ksg518's idea of using shrimp; next time might double it and use half shrimp, half tofu. Cilantro was all I had time to chop up, but mint would also be very good (along with basil).

  • bernalgirl on August 22, 2024

    Marinate the tofu cubes 2-3 hours, bake on parchment for ~30”, add sauce gradually to final mix, may not need all.

  • snoozermoose on December 06, 2021

    This was fairly tasty and made a lovely light, summery weeknight dish. My husband, who does not usually like tofu, loved this and asked me to make it again. I luckily didn't run into trouble pan-frying the tofu.

  • ldyndiuk on May 28, 2022

    One of my favorite recipes in the book - I look forward to making it every summer when corn is in season. It’s easy, even for me who struggles a lot with stovetop cooking, especially frying tofu. The flavors are excellent, with just the right level of spice.

• Roasted tofu with broccoli rabe and garlic

  • meggan on May 09, 2019

    I don't feel my tofu benefited from roasting despite all the oil brushed on it. It was pretty dry and meh. Sometimes that's the nature of tofu.

  • cookingwithclaire on October 13, 2020

    I thought this was lovely! Very subtly flavored. The coriander isn't actually optional and next time I might use a bit more- it added a great citrusy floral note to the broccoli rabe. I'm not into rabe's characteristic bitterness so I blanched it for 3 min first and it was perfect. Also, my oven was broken so I actually seared the blanched broccoli rabe with the coriander mix until it was a bit charred (what I imagined the roasting might do) and sautéed the tofu slowly in the lemon juice-fish sauce-oil mix until the excess mix boiled off and each tofu side developed a good crust. Delish!

  • laublo on May 02, 2019

    Broccoli rabe came out very stringy and weird (maybe mine was more leafy than the author's?). I think it would be great with broccoli, broccolini, or cauliflower. The tofu was fantastic.

  • teandoranges on March 10, 2026

    Pretty good and less mess then frying tofu. Used broccolini and it was fine, nothing special.

  • purrviciouz on May 24, 2019

    I enjoyed this. The tofu was crunchy on the outside and creamy inside...almost like fried tofu. This will become a staple and will add tofu cooked with this method to salads and I'll sub other vegetables here.

• Maple-roasted tofu with winter squash

  • Lepa on April 18, 2017

    This was a bit fussy to prepare and we weren't thrilled with the results. If you make it, note that the recipe directs you to cut the tofu into slabs but you should instead cube it.

  • clcorbi on February 03, 2018

    We didn't love this. The flavor profile is kind of odd to me; it's close to tasting like an Asian dish, but somehow doesn't make it there. Also, as usual, I don't love adding sweet ingredients (maple syrup) to already-sweet vegetables (butternut squash). That being said, I did enjoy the flavor of the maple syrup rub on the tofu. We both wished there was MORE of the tofu, though: there's 2.5lb of squash to 1lb of tofu, which doesn't feel like the correct proportion to me. Overall, I wouldn't repeat this without making significant changes, even though I do like the concept of a sheet pan dinner involving tofu.

  • cdglamontagne on February 04, 2020

    Agree with others that this was good, not great. A little too sticky sweet, but that was helped with some lime juice and fresh cucumber mixed in along with the cilantro. I used delicata squash and added brussel sprouts. You could probably do this on one sheet pan, but my squash cooked quicker than the tofu browned.

  • ChelseaP on August 07, 2022

    This was really good. I served it with some baby spinach and herby bulgur wheat to make it a main. Next time I try it I think I’ll also add some sort of yoghurt sauce.

  • Ehcoggin on January 19, 2021

    This is one of my all time favorite tofu dishes. I love the flavor profile!

• Pomegranate roasted tofu with eggplant and toasted cumin

  • Avocet on May 07, 2021

    Very good, but next time I will cut the amount for soy sauce in half. I cut the tofu into 1" cubes before tossing with the marinade and roasting, which gave a well flavored crust on all sides.

• Red curry and coconut tofu with cherry tomatoes and green beans

  • vickster on June 09, 2017

    Very good Thai curry.

  • vickster on June 09, 2017

    This is really good - in spite of the cherry tomatoes not being in the recipe. I make Thai curries now and then, and this is the best I have made. Just a few tweaks from my usual recipe gave the flavors the refinement they needed. I pretty much followed the recipe, but added more mushrooms and also added broccoli.

  • westminstr on October 04, 2019

    I followed others suggestions on the cherry tomatoes and added at least double the amount of mushrooms, also extra coconut milk. Stirred in some brown sugar at the end and some extra fish sauce to balance the flavor. This was a solid B+. I used Thai Kitchen red curry paste and I think I would have liked this better with a different brand and flavor of curry paste.

  • Lepa on July 18, 2017

    The first time I made this recipe, I was confused about the lack of cherry tomatoes in the ingredients/directions so I left them out. This time I added a cup of halved cherry tomatoes with the tofu and green beans and it dramatically improved the flavor of this curry.

  • Sparkles75 on December 11, 2019

    My book may be a corrected edition as 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes are listed in the ingredients. This is a quick and yummy dinner when made with frozen white fish pieces which is what I did. I felt it was missing a little something and added a dash of brown sugar and it was perfect so would do this next time.

  • dosojosazules on June 05, 2024

    Easy dish to put together. I must add the cherry tomatoes next time but were completely missing from the ingredient list and recipe so didn’t have them on hand

  • amandacooks on April 05, 2017

    I am really confused as to why the recipe name says "with cherry tomatoes" when cherry tomatoes are not listed in the ingredients, instructions, or even in the header where the author often describes variations for the recipes. I have not been able to find errata for this book on the web...will try making it anyway (as written, without cherry tomatoes) and see how it turns out. ETA: So I made this...the flavors were really nice, but the sauce was very thick. 1 cup of coconut milk is definitely not enough liquid. It was already pretty thick with just the mushrooms and became almost impossible to stir once the tofu and green beans were added (without breaking up the tofu at least). I added 1/2 cup jarred diced tomatoes even though I had planned to follow the recipe as written. I probably could have added more (or some veg broth), plus the rest of the can of coconut milk. I left out the chile and used less curry paste for the toddler; the adults added red chile flakes to their servings.

  • averythingcooks on January 04, 2024

    This was a good choice for a "quick to prep, fridge clean out" dinner. She gives lots of ideas for substitutions so I chose chopped roasted chicken breast + cauliflower & chickpeas all to replace the tofu, mushrooms & green beans. I also used shallots, Thai basil, serrano chiles & few diced sweet peppers. To finish, I added some peas, spinach, a splash of pickled onion brine & some cooked egg noodles. The sauce (which we thought was quite good for such a quick cook time) reallly did perk up with the fresh lime & is easy to heat up if that's your preference. We both enjoyed this & thanks to EYB, I knew to add the mysterious cherry tomatoes from the title :)

  • Dannausc on February 09, 2025

    Relatively quick and easy. Quite good and flavorful but not super filling. I must have the updated cookbook because my recipe did include the cherry tomatoes in the ingredient list and instructions. Worth a repeat.

  • ChelseaP on July 08, 2022

    I have made this too many times to count. It's utterly delicious. Just made sure you add in the tomatoes!

  • gpolkes on January 13, 2026

    Great flavor! I like her perspective on curry paste as an ingredient and not standalone, although I did find the aromatics almost burnt on a medium high heat at first. Used bell pepper instead of mushrooms and no some red onion slices instead of cherry tomatoes.

  • Barb_N on May 29, 2026

    A very good Thai curry coconut dish. Initially I used TJ coconut milk that never melted and left an unappealing layer of oil. I skimmed this off and added a different brand of coconut cream. I used mushrooms and snap pease. I didn’t want to explore the tomatoes.

  • StephCooksAll on March 30, 2026

    I make this regularly subbing shrimp for tofu or edamame for green beans. I don’t think I’ve ever added cherry tomatoes. It’s a tasty meal with jasmine rice.

  • Rovo on March 27, 2026

    Meh. For a curry, not terribly flavorful. Followed recipe exactly and was underwhelmed.

• Chile and ginger-fried tofu salad with kale

  • Frogcake on August 10, 2017

    Delicious. Love the technique of coating the tofu in cornstarch, which helps prevent the tofu pieces from sticking to the frying pan. Will be making this one again!

  • Zosia on December 30, 2017

    This had great flavour and was relatively quick to make. I didn't marinate the tofu at all, just cut it into pieces smaller than directed to increase the surface area for the sauce to cling to.

  • TrishaCP on October 17, 2017

    We liked this as well- it is pretty flexible. I subbed chile garlic sauce for the Sriracha out of necessity, so omitted the garlic and reduced the soy sauce. Maybe because of this substitution, the ginger was not a prominent flavor. I only had time to marinate the tofu 30 minutes, but I still achieved great flavor. I would say that you really need a side like noodles or something if you are making this for a family of four as specified.

  • koolMoD on October 09, 2017

    Was pleasantly surprised at how simple and delicious this recipe was. I absolutely loved this recipe! The marinade was fantastic and the cornstarch coating on the tofu was a genius idea to make the tofu nice and crispy (and not stick to the pan). The pairing with the simply dressed greens was great. I served it with rice noodles on the side for a perfect dinner.

  • clcorbi on March 28, 2019

    I really enjoyed this recipe as well, especially when bulked up with some noodles. I also added sliced soy eggs to the salad for a little more protein. So flavorful, and the leftovers only get better, making it perfect to take for lunches. I used baby kale and would do that again--I think the kale holds up better here than spinach would.

  • Sleeth on November 16, 2019

    Good, though a bit too hot. I used Sriracha, but left out the Serrano pepper. I would use less Sriracha if I make this again. My slices were a bit thick, which would have worked better if I had pressed the tofu first before marinating it to reduce moisture.

• One-pot mujadara with crispy leeks and spinach

  • Emily Hope on January 26, 2018

    This one didn't work for me at all -- at the 20 minute mark, the rice was done, but the lentils were very crunchy and the whole thing was still soupy. After leaving on the heat for 10 minutes more, the lentils were edible (though still al dente, which I don't care for), the rice had turned to mush, and it was still a little wetter than I'd like. Although I like the idea of cooking everything together for mujadara, in practice I think that the lentils are too much of a wild card to make it work. I liked the flavors, so next time I'd saute the aromatics, add enough water to cook the lentils, and cook the rice separately. (Alternate idea: someone on the NY times suggested cooking it with brown rice; that might work because of the increased cooking time needed.) Also, my leeks were decidedly not crispy, they were soft and browned--not a problem for us, but also not as advertised...

  • Tweedles81 on December 31, 2020

    This turned out great for me. I followed the directions exactly. Along with the crispy leeks and hot sauce, I also added a squeeze of lemon juice and Trader Joe’s Chili Garlic Crunch at the end. It was a comforting, warming dish - perfect for a winter day!

  • mrshalf on March 30, 2017

    I'm not a fan of this dish in general but was a great choice to double for filling work lunches.

  • ldyndiuk on May 28, 2022

    This first time I made this it came out really well and I loved it - the crispy leeks really make it! But be careful, because there’s a fine line between crispy and burnt and this time I unfortunately crossed that line. Still managed to snack on the salted crispy leeks while I finished cooking, so apparently they weren’t too terrible. My husband claimed it was delicious despite the burnt leeks, but I still have memories of how good it was the first time. Will make again, and will watch the frying leeks more carefully.

• Sweet potato dhal with coconut

  • Emily Hope on January 26, 2018

    This dhal was totally delicious--loved the flavor that the sweet potatoes added. Not a huge amount of work for the result. We used yogurt instead of coconut cream and it worked well. My only problem was that I used the Instant Pot and there was too much liquid -- I needed to cook it down for a good 20 minutes after taking off the lid. Next time I'll try reducing the water by a cup to see if that works.

  • TrishaCP on May 19, 2017

    We made a half recipe for two of us- we thought it was very good but it made plenty and we have loads left over. The yellow split pea aroma is never my favorite, but once the wonderful smells of coconut kicked in, all was good. I would probably throw some garlic into the tarka the next time though.

  • paulabee on June 01, 2017

    I loved this recipe- the sweet potatoes cooked down to basically melt into the dhal. I didn't use the coconut cream, but served with a dollop of plain greek yogurt and the toasted dried coconut. Will absolutely make this again. This is the second of Melissa Clark's dhals that I've made and this was the clear winner so far. As others noted, this does make a ton of food, so be prepared to freeze a few portions + have leftovers.

  • EmilyinSF on February 17, 2019

    I loved this. I subbed red lentils for the split peas, and the result was smooth and very good.

  • clcorbi on April 28, 2017

    This was just okay. I think I prefer red lentil-based dahls, or maybe it was just this recipe--either way, the split peas had an almost dirt-like scent the whole time they simmered, and it was off-putting. I would suggest making a half-recipe of this unless you have an army to feed--it makes a TON of food.

  • bfish on January 06, 2026

    Graded on a curve for Clark’s other lentil soups and stews, this one is just alright.

• Red lentil dhal with spiced brown butter and yogurt

  • Rachaelsb on July 08, 2017

    Yum...even without the sauce. Make sure adjust temp when cooking brown butter sauce so doesn't get too crispy! Ha!

  • Emily Hope on March 24, 2017

    We liked this soup a lot--the browned butter topping really makes it (the soup by itself is relatively bland). I must be greedy, but I wished that there was more topping to go around (not butter, pe se, but the stuff in the butter). Only thing I changed was to use fresh turmeric instead of dried, since that's all I had around.

  • mrshalf on March 30, 2017

    I'm with Emily. That topping made the dish!!! Delicious. I love dal of all kinds and this was super tasty!

  • Maaseelulu on June 12, 2017

    This dinner was amazing. I love that I keep hitting homeruns with recipes from this book. This one was so simple and easy, and like the other two commenters mentioned, the sauce changes the game.

  • MariaSwe on January 10, 2022

    I thought this was quite spicy, but the flavour was nice all the same. Topping made the dish special. Probably will nog make again since there are many dhal recipes to try.

  • EmilyinSF on February 17, 2019

    I found this only ok. I preferred the sweet potato dhal, which came out with a more complex flavor for me.

• Tomato-braised white beans with chorizo

  • lorloff on April 27, 2025

    This recipe did not really work for us. We did not have chorizo and instead substitutes another salami whose flavor profile we liked and added the smoked paprika but the dish did not work. I agree with the comment that it was not bean forward enough. We tried making the left overs into soup and that did not work either. Will look for another braised bean recipe.

  • westminstr on January 30, 2021

    I thought this was pretty good! Used Marcella beans which I love. Left out the spinach but made Swiss chard on the side. Kids didn’t eat too much of it.

  • dinnermints on January 14, 2023

    Loved this. I doubled everything except the oil & chorizo. I over-browned the chorizo and it got a little tough, so next time I’d reduce the heat a bit and stir constantly. I swapped bean cooking liquid for the water and so reduced the salt by half. I used royal corona beans, which were wonderful in this, and made NYT’s pumpkin cornbread to accompany. Would definitely make again.

  • FJT on August 24, 2018

    Easy and tasty! Perfect for a cool, wet day. Will make again.

  • bernalgirl on December 08, 2022

    This tastes like something that cooked all day, it is complex and warming and packed with vegetables. I used RG alubia blancas, their broth in place of 1/2 the water, beet greens and stems (added with mirepoix) instead of baby spinach, and mild smoked paprika + chile flakes because I don’t keep hot smoked paprika. Even my bean-ambivalent Little had two bowls and declared that he’d like it again tomorrow. Served with Manchego cheese toast.

  • e_ballad on May 06, 2021

    I differ from the other reviewers as I was pretty underwhelmed by this recipe, when much tastier & more interesting recipes are about for beans & chorizo - check out The Blue Ducks or Karen Martini’s recipes for a really flavoursome meal.

  • tmitra on December 08, 2023

    In my head, this was going to be bean-forward, and instead, it's very much chorizo-forward. I love sausage, but instead of repeating this, I'll look for a recipe that better shows off the beans.

  • rhb on March 07, 2024

    Made some changes for what I had...used black beans, sauteed Trader Joe's soy chorizo crumbled up and left in pot, and used cumin and oregano instead of rosemary and thyme; forgot the spinach. It was easy and great.

  • Lsblackburn1 on May 14, 2018

    Easy and yummy. Love dried chorizo and this uses a lot of it! Used canned white beans and tomatoes from last years garden.

• Warm white bean salad with arugula pesto and preserved lemon

  • Lepa on July 05, 2017

    This came together quickly and was a very good, satisfying meal. Next time I will taste all the elements together before adding additional salt. I added some salt to the arugula salad but when I added the beans & pesto, it was a bit salty.

  • ellencooks on March 28, 2017

    This was fantastic! The picture looked like there were croutons although they weren't in the recipe. But I added some breadcrumbs, toasted on olive oil with some chopped garlic and Parmesan.

  • joanhuguet on March 22, 2017

    Simple and fresh tasting. A great way to use up one of those giant clamshells of arugula that always seems to go bad. I substituted lemon zest for the preserved lemon.

  • Jane on August 24, 2018

    This wasn't a great success though it wasn't the fault of the recipe. I cooked dried cannellini beans in the Instant Pot, following Melissa's instructions from her Instant Pot book. After 25 minutes at high pressure and a natural release they were still undercooked so I brought back to high pressure for 5 minutes more with manual release. And now they were mushy. So when mixing the beans with the pesto the consistency was all wrong (I should have loosened the pesto to compensate). I did love the taste of the pesto though so I will try making this again, maybe cooking the beans for 30 minutes.

  • Tweedles81 on February 05, 2019

    This was super easy and delicious - a great, healthy weeknight dinner! I made it with two cans of beans and followed the recipe as written (but left off the optional shallots). I agree with others that adding bread would be nice, but it was great without it! We will be making this again.

  • SpatulaCity on April 12, 2024

    Tasty! Preserved lemon isn’t usually a flavor I enjoy, but it harmonized with the arugula and became a perfect blend in this pesto. Next time I may add fresh basil or mint because I did miss that herby punch. But maybe not because it was great as is. Used homemade giant beans. Added leftover roasted chicken breast, but it would be better with tuna I think, or simply alone as written.

  • puddlemere on January 29, 2019

    I thought this turned out very well. I also had some homemade arugula-walnut pesto already in my freezer, so I just used that and threw in some minced preserved lemon along with the beans. I also added croutons made from homemade bread, and I think they made a big difference. She calls for optional sliced shallot, so I considered making some quick-pickled shallots to put on top, but I was too hungry to wait. Next time!

  • clcorbi on March 31, 2017

    I cheated and used some of my own homemade pesto from the freezer for this recipe. I defrosted the pesto and added in some chopped preserved lemon to taste, then proceeded with the recipe as written. This shortcut made the dinner really fast and easy to throw together! I added garlicky sourdough croutons as a garnish, as well as a few pine nuts. This wasn't anything earth-shattering, but it was good, easy and healthy.

  • Churchim808 on July 18, 2022

    This was excellent and very healthy. Since I only cook for myself, I froze most of the pesto after preparing a single serving. It does make for a mushy bean mix unless you add a lot more than 1/3 cup pesto. I also felt like it needed some crunch so I added sliced roasted almond. I’ll eat this again later with leftover chicken or a boiled egg.

  • bernalgirl on March 23, 2026

    What a great salad! I had homemake arugula pesto which came out a little one-dimensional and the preserved lemon pepped it up nicely! I added roasted beets and loved the touch of earthy sweetness, and topped it with toasted seeds for crunch. A great lunch!

  • Noknifeskills on June 03, 2026

    Used garlic greens instead of arugula and little gem lettuce for the salad base. I topped with homemade sourdough croutons for some crunch. The fam requested I make it again (stamp of approval).

• Curried lentils with poached eggs and garlicky yogurt

  • Emily Hope on March 24, 2017

    This soup was good, and very substantive with the eggs and yogurt (we went with one egg apiece, and had it with bread, not rice), but I'm not sure I like it as well as her braised lentils with the coconut topping from Cook This Now, which has a little more textural variety. It just seemed to need a bit more zip (to be fair, I left out the chilis because of the kids). I added some harissa to my bowl and that helped. Note that the flavor profile is pretty similar to the red lentil dhal in the book, which I preferred. C and the 2 year old liked it (I mixed a bunch of yogurt into her bowl), the picky 4 year old wasn't a fan.

  • diana_2fkujq on February 16, 2026

    I like the addition of garlic yogurt and poached egg, but this wasn't special enough for the time it took to make it.

• Smashed white bean toasts with roasted asparagus and sumac

  • saarwouters on June 05, 2018

    Lovely dish. Served it as an appetizer (not as a dinner). It's a bit more special than the usual Italian white bean on toast, because of the asparagus and the sumac. I did use canned white beans, which was fine for us.

  • Zosia on June 10, 2017

    These tasted as you would expect from the ingredients; they were good but nothing out of the ordinary. I cooked dried beans for the mash and grilled the bread and asparagus on the barbecue so that added a little extra flavour. I did like the use of sumac to perk the dish up.

• Black bean and roasted poblano quesadillas

  • southerncooker on March 23, 2017

    Daughter and I loved these. I couldn't find smoked mozzarella so used regular and added a couple drops of liquid smoke. We ate ours with the optional avocado slices and lime wedges. Omitted the cliantro and added some salsa when we ate them. I made a half recipe for the two of us.

  • eliza on March 11, 2023

    I also liked these a lot. I cut back on the amounts to feed fewer people, and was missing some of the garnishes, but they were still very tasty. Second time around, we had them without cheese, and they were still very good. Very quick as averythingcooks says if you have beans and chiles ready to go. I will have to look up that tortilla stack method; sounds intriguing.

  • averythingcooks on January 16, 2022

    These are really good! I have whole roasted poblanos & cooked black beans in my freezer so prep time was pretty quick. I used a mix of cheddar & pepper jack, added some leftover shredded chicken & some pickled jalapeno and I used Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill "3 tortilla stack, oven bake" method. These were cheesy, spicy, crispy & filling served with a green salad and leftover creamy jalapeno sauce from an earlier dinner this week. I would make these again for sure.

  • sosayi on November 05, 2018

    Very good and very filling quesadillas! For ease of prep I'd either make sure the beans are canned or cook them in advance. I'd also just use regular sour cream and sliced avocados as toppings, with a squeeze of lime. I sort of went overboard and made the suggested lime crema and pea guacamole, too. While they were good, I don't think they were necessary as there was plenty of flavor in the bean filling. Definitely cut the recipe in half, too! Waaaay too much for 3 people.

  • lean1 on January 29, 2025

    So far made just the black beans. I love their flavor. Very easy and straightforward

• Black bean skillet dinner with quick-pickled red onion and lime crema

  • jenmacgregor18 on February 08, 2023

    Satisfying & comforting. I think the lime crema and pickles are mandatory. I used canned beans and added 1 t Aleppo pepper. I could go for more heat yet. I didn't make the pickled onions, I used some pickled sauerkraut & jalapenos that I had on hand.

  • stockholm28 on April 22, 2017

    Overall, I liked this. I used dried beans so I actually started this 2 days in advance (soaked overnight on day 1, cooked beans on day 2 and stored in fridge, and made skillet dinner on day 3). I thought the chili was just average; when I want veggie chili, I will stick to my go-to recipe from "New Basics". The real takeaways for me were the lime crema (I used light sour cream) and pickled onions. These really jazzed up the dish. The other takeaway was in her instructions for storing the beans after you have cooked them. She suggests storing in some of the cooking liquid which I'd never thought of.

  • ksg518 on March 04, 2019

    I've made this several times and think it's delicious. I've always used dried beans and I think I wouldn't like it as much with canned beans. I find black beans from the can to be a little soft for my taste and I think cooking them again with the tomatoes and other ingredients would turn them to mush. I serve this over rice and, if anything, the leftovers are better than the original.

  • mharriman on March 25, 2021

    “This is a keeper!” was my husband’s response. I’m glad he liked it so much because I did, too. Delicious! Served over rice, it felt like jazzed up rice and beans to us. Changes: I used only 1 cubanelle pepper and 1/2 a jalapeño but added a whole diced green bell pepper. I also used ancho ancho chili pepper in place of regular chili pepper. The crema, pickled red onion, and sliced avocados went well as toppings. Will repeat when I want an easy kitchen night: A great vegetarian entree that’s mostly effortless.

  • ezwriternc on November 30, 2022

    This was easy, good and fun. I used canned beans and put out jalapeño slices rather than putting them in the skillet. We also topped it with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and salsa. A definite keeper recipe but not very original.

  • Emily Hope on March 31, 2021

    Needed a way to used up a bunch of cooked RG San Franciscano beans, and this was a nice showcase for them. Good effort to result ratio. Made more or less as written, though I did sub a red bell pepper for the cubanelles as we're not fans of green peppers, left out the jalapeno (for the kiddos), and upped the amount of chili powder. Served over rice, with the crema and onions, and a little bit of shredded cheddar, which was nice but not necessary. Had a cabbage and carrot slaw on the side.

  • TrishaCP on April 08, 2020

    We really liked this served the night of and the leftovers were great too. I would probably be wary of using canned beans. As other members noted - the extra cooking with the vegetables might make the canned beans too soft. I used dried beans and the final texture was perfect. I didn’t have red onions so made the best of it with pickled ramps. Red onions would have been better though!

  • westminstr on April 15, 2019

    I've made this twice, once with canned and once w home cooked beans. I think it is quick, flavorful and healthy but nobody else in my family likes it at all. (Writing this note now to remind myself not to make again.)

  • Maaseelulu on August 01, 2017

    Another successful recipe from Dinner for me! I omitted the cubanelle/bell pepper and used ancho chili powder. I found this to be an all around very flavorful, easy, vegetarian dinner that I will definitely make again.

  • amandacooks on April 05, 2017

    I thought the lime crema was the best part of this dish. Definitely a keeper for serving with other Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes instead of plain sour cream. We weren't fans of the quick-pickled red onions, but we don't normally care for raw onions anyway. I liked the idea though, so the next time I make black beans I might try serving them with pickled red onions from a jar since we usually like the softer texture of those. We thought the beans were good, but nothing terribly special. Maybe the cubanelle peppers make a difference? I'm not sure I've ever had them, and they weren't available at my grocery store. I subbed a large yellow bell pepper.

  • clcorbi on April 15, 2017

    I really enjoyed this, and I'm not always a huge fan of tex-mex. I reduced the cubanelle pepper to 1 pepper rather than 3 - maybe my supermarket just had enormous cubanelle peppers in stock, but I thought 3 would have overpowered the black beans. I think the red onions were the best part of this meal. We used sour cream for the crema and really enjoyed it, but next time I'd make a half-recipe, because we came nowhere close to needing the full cup. I served this in tortillas for dinner, and then had the leftovers over rice for lunch the next day, and I really liked it both ways.

  • mrshalf on March 30, 2017

    We eat a ton of black beans and have had them all ways I bet. This recipe is a keeper because it made me excited for lunch to have leftovers!! The flavor combo is wonderful and the Lime Crema had me licking the serving spoon after plating! I was excited to see how easy the red onions were to do - need to keep those on hand. Yum????

  • dc151 on April 04, 2022

    Made it tonight- my partner couldn’t help himself from taking thirds. Lovely dish. Elevates black beans. Highly recommend!

  • ldyndiuk on May 28, 2022

    This is a go-to recipe when I want something vegetarian that doesn’t take a long time. I use canned beans because dried are SO much effort and they never come out with the right texture. The lime crema and quick-pickled onions are what really makes this dish!

  • barbara_xcaci9 on April 08, 2026

    Very filling and flavorful, but be sure to make the lime crema and pickled red onions - they make the dish. I used green peppers instead of cubanelles, cooked dried beans in the pressure cooker, and served it with sliced avocado and rice. I cut the final simmering time to 15 minutes as most of the liquid was gone and I didn’t want it to be too dry.

  • halfchefc on October 10, 2025

    This was easy & quick, nothing special but that's the beauty of it. Like others said, def don't skip out on the pickled onions & lime crema. I used canned beans & added it at the very end. Also thought the crema needed lime juice but followed the recipe otherwise!

• Olive oil-braised chickpeas and Swiss chard with cumin

  • westminstr on April 19, 2018

    I used home-cooked chickpeas and their broth, subbed kale for swiss chard, cut the olive oil to about 1/3 cup (which seemed like plenty). Was nervous about using the full amount of cumin but it turned out to be perfect. Also I was out of lemon so subbed some juice & goop from a jar of preserved lemons. Did not blend. The kids ate it w feta but I preferred it plain. I really enjoyed this dish! I don't have too many vegan dishes in my repertoire so this was a great find.

  • TrishaCP on July 22, 2020

    This is a great combination of ingredients, and it made a lovely dinner. The garlic bread was so good with the stew, and I loved the lemon and smoked paprika at the end.

  • crandall57 on May 27, 2020

    Made this as a side dish and omitted the bread. Cut the recipe in half and was enough for four as a side. Enjoyed leftovers for breakfast, heated up leftovers with an egg white and topped with Manchego cheese.

  • seherhussain on May 04, 2019

    Super easy weeknight recipe; the chickpeas definitely need a good amount of salt and the lemon at the end lifts the whole dish. Very tasty with chard and would make again.

  • seherhussain on October 20, 2025

    This was much better than I thought it would be! Such a cozy dish for winter. We also added feta on top and would make it again.

  • aromo on January 18, 2019

    This was amazing, from deceptively simply ingredients. I used spinach, a sub she suggested and it has lingered in my memory for months. I did not blend at the end, I think.

  • amandacooks on April 05, 2017

    This is one of the better incarnations of chickpeas and Swiss chard that I've made. I think the extra olive oil really made a difference (most recipes only call for a tablespoon or two). I don't have an immersion blender, so I followed the instruction to put about half into my high-powered blender...where I proceeded to blend it for what was probably too long. It looked like a green smoothie and made the finished dish look less appealing than the photo. Next time I would leave it a little chunkier and blend less of it. I will definitely make this one again if I decide to buy the book (using a library copy right now).

  • MariaSwe on January 06, 2022

    I thought this was very good, much better than it sounded like. However, I omitted the bread and had leftover focaccia on the side. Unfortunately, i blended a bit too much so it didn't look as appetising as the picture, but the taste was still great.

• Curried chickpeas with eggplant

  • Lepa on June 26, 2017

    I wasn't crazy about this. The recipe was too fussy and labor intensive and the result wasn't worth it. The flavor of garam masala was dominant. It was fine with some yogurt and chutney but overall not worth repeating.

  • Jane on July 29, 2018

    I liked this. I love curry spices and all the other ingredients so this was a good recipe for me. My only slight quibble is that the baby eggplants looked gorgeous before cooking - pale purple and white striped - all that was lost in the cooking. But that is probably always the case with these - it was my first time cooking them.

• Asparagus carbonara

  • SheilaS on February 22, 2025

    meduff wrote a great review and I really should have popped over here to read it before cooking. I do make pasta carbonara and know how important it is to get the temp right. I knew the pan was still too hot but went ahead and followed Melissa's instructions to immediately add the eggs, hoping rapid tossing would avoid a scramble. Alas, it did not so I enjoyed a delicious plate of asparagus and scrambled eggs!

  • meduff on January 08, 2019

    I have never made carbonara sauce before so for me this recipe was a practice in frustration, and perseverance. I made this a total of 5 times to get it right. The first three times as instructed with the same results of cooked scrambled eggs. After doing some research of watching Youtube videos, and reading more recipes about carbonara I learned that the sauce is an exercise in time and temperature - which is crucial for carbonara. The fifth attempt was so much better with a few minor tweaks - one whole egg, one egg yolk, more cheese. In the end with above mentioned changes I really loved this dish. It was really really good - minus the fact that I could not execute it the way the recipe was written. After more practice I would even serve this at dinner. It was salty, rich from the eggs, and filled my veggie quotient. I would say if you are more experienced than me in making carbonara sauce none of the above will cause you frustration and you will love this dish.

• Eggplant gratin with tomato and goat cheese

  • westminstr on September 26, 2020

    I thought it was just ok. It was easy and fast, but also somewhat watery bc the eggplant and tomato weren’t precooked. Flavore were good but texture left something to be desired.

  • jackthebaker on February 03, 2022

    Tasty. We changed out the cheese for mozzarella and added some tomato paste. Kind like eggplant parmigiana. It was really good. We have made it several times.

  • lindydorfman on March 29, 2022

    I made this sans eggplant and it was delicious. Reminded me of a quick tomato pie

  • Lsblackburn1 on August 24, 2018

    Very simple and fast. Yummy and filling served on top of toasted slices of Kalamata olive loaf.

  • pam_e10et2 on April 22, 2026

    I use cherry tomatoes because it’s not tomato season and basil because that’s what I had. Others commented that it was watery, I didn’t have that issue. ? it was good. I think it would be better with some nice summer tomatoes. And my particular goat cheese was really potent, you couldn’t really taste the eggplant. If I made it again, I would use a different brand of goat cheese, or a different cheese.?

• Scalloped potato skillet gratin with Gruyère, leeks, and black pepper

  • Lepa on March 13, 2018

    Today was a cold, drizzly day and I was craving comfort food. This hit the spot. I remember loving scalloped potatoes as a child and my kids were crazy about this, too. It was a bit more sophisticated than the dish I grew up with (creme fraiche and sage!) but every bit as comforting and delicious. This makes a large amount and we will have plenty of leftovers (hooray!)

  • bernalgirl on October 25, 2023

    Incredibly rich, wonderful with prime rib or a beef tenderloin roast.

  • Rachaelsb on April 02, 2018

    Trying to think of some new dishes for Passover and this one was perfect. I had forgotten how delicious Potatoes gratin are. The addition of the leeks and sage gave it a bit of a step up from usual gratin without compromising on the comfort factor. This is also a fun recipe to make and presents beautifully on the table.

  • Lsblackburn1 on December 26, 2020

    Accidentally bought vanilla creme fraiche (never knew this even existed!), so used heavy cream instead, which worked. I don’t think I’ve ever used eggs in my gratins before, and I’m not sure they added much, but still, this was very tasty.

  • sdeathe on May 08, 2021

    I found this scalloped potato recipe disappointing - quite dry, and curdled-looking. I would reduce the nutmeg by half. In my opinion, her scalloped potato recipe in 'Dinner in French' is far better.

• Roasted carrots with walnuts, feta, and dill

  • Zosia on August 16, 2017

    The combination of pomegranate molasses and sweet roasted vegetable is fabulous. I made this the first time with sweet potatoes and coriander and the second, as per the recipe, with carrots and dill. Both were delicious.

  • ksg518 on January 31, 2023

    Delicious. My carrots were very thin so I only halved the larger ones and reduced the roasting time accordingly. I really loved the pomegranate molasses on this.

  • pistachiopeas on June 28, 2017

    Very delicious. A nice vegetarian main with some other dishes.

  • eliza on September 13, 2019

    This was quite good. The carrots I used may have been smaller since they were completely done in 20 minutes and some were quite burnt. I liked the balsamic better than the pomegranate molasses.

  • coryelizabeth on June 23, 2018

    This was wonderful, but with balsamic and pomegranate molasses. I think the overall roasting time could be reduced slightly (the tips of my carrots turned black). But then again, the tips were delicious.

  • westminstr on January 26, 2018

    Fantastic. I subbed parsley but want to try the dill. Carrots cooked down a lot.

  • meduff on January 01, 2019

    Once again a great dish. What is not to like about roasted carrots? I found the feta to be a nice touch in balancing the sweetness of the carrots. I used my favorite aged balsamic ( Aceto, Balsamico Di Modena, Oro Gold), which may have been a little too much for the carrots and feta. I didn’t use the walnuts at all. A super easy and very elegant dish. This will for sure be made many many more times in my kitchen. Melissa Clark says to cut the carrots lengthwise. You need to be super careful when doing this. One slip of those carrots or knife and you could badly cut your finger or hand. The carrots are rolling around, the knife was slipping - this recipe could come with a danger sign: handle knife and carrots with caution. Next time I would just cut one side of the carrot flat a few millimeters in so it doesn’t roll.

  • Lucylew on October 12, 2019

    We really enjoyed this, even my vegetable adverse husband had two servings. The pomegranate molasses is so good on the carrots! The dill, walnuts, molasses, it all worked brilliantly!

  • Happykikkers on October 09, 2024

    We liked it and my husband made sure there were no leftovers, but I’m not sure if I’ll make it again. There are just so many other carrot recipes I would like to try! Husband got the “wrong” carrots (not the skinny ones) so improvised on cooking time and temperature. Also I forgot to add balsamic vinegar.

  • clcorbi on April 15, 2017

    Really delicious and easy. I need to accept that I'm just not a huge dill fan, so next time I'd try these with mint or cilantro.

  • MariaSwe on May 03, 2026

    Served this as a side dish, but I could have eaten it all by myself. I loved dill in this.

  • crysta_63qusi on January 07, 2026

    Delicious and easy. I served it over a can of cannelini beans for a complete meal.

• Curried okra and tomatoes with browned onions and lime

  • ksg518 on September 04, 2023

    Not a wow dish but still pretty good. This won’t convince anyone who already hates okra to change their mind. Next time I’ll add a little more curry powder but perhaps it’s just that my powder is a little stale.

• Green and wax beans with olives, tomatoes, and mozzarella

  • Lepa on June 26, 2018

    Meh. Lots of fuss for a salad that tastes a bit muddy. Nobody liked this and most of it went in the compost.

  • Kojak on August 01, 2021

    I loved this dish. I may have had fewer beans than called for since I just used a bag from the farmers market. Don’t skimp on the anchovies.

• Fried halloumi with spicy Brussels sprouts

  • joyous on February 21, 2018

    Tasty and quick. I served with lemon chicken thighs from Genius Recipes and felt like it was 3 side dish servings.

  • ksg518 on April 05, 2022

    Very good and very easy. I might up the lemon juice next time or add some zest. My halloumi didn't brown but I think that may be because I used a nonstick skillet. In any event, a definite repeat.

  • Zosia on October 26, 2018

    Very easy and tasty. I had only half the required halloumi but the ratio of cheese to vegetable was fine for a side dish.

  • bernalgirl on April 11, 2025

    We really enjoyed this but it’s not spicy to our tastes, which disappointed my son. I love the interplay of the salty halloumi and the charred sprouts. I took a page from Six Seasons snd added a few tablespoons of chopped pepperoncini, which id definitely do again , along with adding a healthy dose of cayenne.

  • FJT on June 07, 2019

    I’ve been meaning to make this since I got the book and finally did. I used lime juice instead of lemon and a fresh chilli instead of chilli flakes but because they needed to be used up. Really tasty dish - we loved it!

  • j_h on July 10, 2018

    Great, added lemon zest before I roasted the sprouts. Next time instead of lemon juice and aleppo pepper I might try drizzling with apple balsamic. Perfect with lamb cutlets.

  • Wende on September 20, 2021

    I can't count how many times I've made this. It's easy and delicious. Use the Aleppo pepper if possible - it goes so well with the flavors of the dish and really makes a big difference. I have alternately used what is known as bread cheese in place of the halloumi on occasion. It works just as well because it keeps its shape when cooked in the way that halloumi does. My whole family loves this dish and my husband would eat it weekly if I made it that often.

  • westminstr on January 02, 2019

    I finally made this dish and loved it. I tweaked it by roasting the halloumi alongside the sprouts which worked great and one less pan to clean. Loved the cumin with these flavors. I had to make additional tweaks since I was out of lemon and aleppo pepper - had to sub preserved lemon juice and hot chile flakes. The regular lemon would have been better as the dish was pretty salty with preserved lemon plus halloumi, but some acidity is needed. I would easily make this again.

  • Jane on November 26, 2017

    I make these a lot, probably once every couple of weeks. They can be a veggie dinner on their own or served with a protein on the side. I love the combination of the caramelized spicy sprouts alongside the crispy, salty cheese.

  • crandall57 on February 19, 2025

    Easy and delicious. I cut the recipe in half and didn’t make any other changes. I used Aleppo pepper. I will make this again.

  • peacheater on February 22, 2026

    Pretty good for a quick dinner; make extra plain halloumi for the kids.

  • Dcampos on September 22, 2020

    Easy and delicious. Used both Turkish pepper and hot Aleppo.

  • chefrodney on April 24, 2018

    Simple, good, quick.

  • sosayi on March 02, 2018

    Absolutely moreish. Very easy and quick to make. I served it with roasted cod with a ladolemono sauce and farro. I would agree that the recipe make about 2-3 side dish servings. Maybe it felt like 2 to us, as our cod portions were about 3 oz. The recipe list should probably include lemon juice, as a heads up, as you are supposed to finish the dish with a few tablespoons of it. I used the ladolemono sauce instead, but felt that the lemon really adds a brightness to the dish that you would miss if it weren't there.

  • Bessp on May 31, 2025

    This was very tasty, and came together pretty quick. The only change I made was using the zest of the lemon as well in at the end with the juice. Salty, green, crispy, and deeply comforting.

  • jenburkholder on December 30, 2021

    Tasty if very simple. Ate with an herbed tahini sauce and quinoa for a nice, fast dinner.

• Winter vegetable hash with jalapeños and fried eggs

  • MollyB on February 14, 2018

    Very tasty and healthy recipe, good for a weeknight. I was cautious with the chile (we used a serrano), and I wish I had added more. Don't skip the vinegar - it really perks it up and ties things together. It would be good with cooked potato added, if you happen to have some around. My only quibble with the recipe is that it claims to serve 4-6 - the full recipe served 2 adults for dinner, with 1 egg apiece atop the hash.

• Fresh corn cakes with tomatoes and fried sage

  • southerncooker on March 26, 2017

    Made these for our lunch. Son, daughter, hubby and I all agreed these were delicious. I used grape tomatoes since they seem to have the most flavor this time of year. I also used frozen corn. Can't wait to make these again at peak tomato and corn season.

  • Zosia on June 23, 2017

    We really enjoyed these. The pancakes had good corn flavour that was nicely complemented by the garlicky tomatoes and sage. I was also going to comment on the odd texture of the pancake but just realized I forgot to add the butter to the batter. Oops

  • coryelizabeth on August 07, 2017

    This was just okay. Somehow, it felt like a lot of work for -- essentially -- cornmeal pancakes with some tomatoes on top. The final product was fine but not something I'd repeat.

  • Lsblackburn1 on August 25, 2019

    This were tasty, but I think I should have served them with the suggested creme fraiche or yogurt. They were pretty dense and needed something a bit tart and creamy to wake them up a bit.

• Spicy beets with yogurt and ginger

  • ksg518 on December 16, 2019

    I thought this was just OK but perhaps that's because I like beets because they are sweet. Notwithstanding the recipe title, mine weren't particularly spicy although that could be because my jalapeno was fairly mild. I served this with the suggested coconut rice and thought the two dishes complemented each other very well.

  • MollyB on June 05, 2022

    Great recipe! I’m not a huge beet fan, but this is nicely balanced with the yogurt, chile, and lime offsetting the sweetness of the beets. It was perfect alongside grilled pork.

  • cdglamontagne on May 26, 2019

    As someone who doesn't always love the sweet beet flavor, this is a great recipe. The seeds counter the sweetness and the yogurt sauce is nice and zippy. If you hate beets, just make the yogurt as a nice condiment for anything roasted or grilled.

  • nutrica6 on September 18, 2023

    Great recipe for roasted beets. The yogurt dressing was perfect. I didn't have enough beets so supplemented with carrots and they were great in this as well. Would try with coconut rice next time.

  • Stephenn31 on November 29, 2022

    Easy and delicious. I didn’t use the jalapeño as there was a fair bit of kick from the garlic

  • ljl1989 on April 03, 2026

    Delicious recipe for beets! I ~doubled the yogurt because I didn't have 2 lbs of beets and didn't feel like scaling back the sauce, and I'd probably do that again, as the sauce was delicious.

• How to cook quinoa for 4

  • mlbatt on October 28, 2018

    Comes out perfect!

• Summer grain bowl with browned corn, black beans, chiles, and arugula

  • chefmichael on July 01, 2020

    Very good. Used wheat berries. Added sour cream and used some Tajin seasoning.

  • southerncooker on April 30, 2017

    I made a half recipe of this for daughter and myself. We loved it. I had some Kamut that we've never tried before and decided to use that for the grain. This made for a very filling, beautiful and delicious supper.

  • coryelizabeth on August 20, 2017

    Wonderful. The pine nuts felt essential to the finished dish; they really pull all the flavors together. The pickled jalapenos are also a delicious addition, but I think you could substitute sour cream for a similar note.

  • apw2020 on July 17, 2025

    Great summer lunch. A nice hack is that you can make quinoa in the rice cooker (1 part quinoa, 2 parts water).

  • clcorbi on August 04, 2017

    Yum! Very simple and delicious. I omitted the arugula (we were out), but added the optional avocado. I had to broil the corn a bit longer to get any char on it, but that's fine, as I'm pretty sure my broiler isn't very high-powered. For the grain, I used a mix of rice and quinoa. I was concerned that this bowl would be bland, because you don't really salt any of the veggies while assembling, but the cumin/garlic/olive oil vinaigrette has plenty of salt added and was very tasty. The resulting bowl is nice and flavorful and fresh-tasting. I'm excited to eat the leftovers for lunch today. I think a fried egg on top of this bowl would be a very welcome addition (but when wouldn't it be?).

• Asian grain bowl with roasted shiitakes, tofu, Brussels sprouts, and miso dressing

  • Frogcake on June 24, 2017

    A really great make-ahead dish. I didn't bother pickling the carrot. I had a few left over roasted heritage carrots that I threw into the food processor with the other dressing ingredients, adding a pinch of sugar and an extra squirt of lime juice. This made a very yummy miso dressing. My husband bbq'd carrots, brown mushrooms, eggplant and red peppers, all tossed in sesame and peanut oil as directed. I also fried the tofu in advance according to the recipe. I served this family style on a giant platter, at room temperature with BBQ'd salmon fillet. Our guests raved about it!

  • bernalgirl on June 10, 2023

    I mean to make this whole recipe but I made the dressing and it’s very balanced, I’ll make it again.

  • Delys77 on April 16, 2025

    This was most popular with my son. The dressing was nice but I feel like it is a slight mismatch with the salad and grains. I’m on the fence for this one and would consider repeating with more heat and more mushroom but less sprouts. Also id likely cut the honey and increase the miso. Lastly I didn’t love the large triangular pieces of tofu so I’d likely do a smaller domino style.

  • stockholm28 on April 21, 2019

    Excellent bowl, but there are a lot of components.

  • MollyB on February 21, 2021

    Great recipe (but a lot of work). I used einkorn for the grain and oyster mushrooms instead of shiitake, and we loved it. Don't skip the pickled carrots - I thought the sweetness of the carrot pickle really enhanced the dish.

  • clcorbi on April 15, 2017

    There are a lot of steps and ingredients to this one, but the result is really delicious, so I'd say it's worth it. For the grain base we used a mix of quinoa and white rice (which was already cooked, so we just mixed it in with the quinoa before serving). The dressing is really delicious. I had leftovers of both the miso dressing and pickled carrots, and I used them on fried egg tacos for my breakfasts the last few days, which was absolutely delicious. This would definitely be repeated.

  • katiesue28 on April 07, 2025

    A bowl of goodness! While there are a lot of components to this dish, it’s all quite easy to prepare. A very satisfying meal that would be great for meal prepping.

  • jenburkholder on April 21, 2023

    This was good. I added some thin sliced serranos to the pickled carrots and it was probably my favorite part! REALLY needed that brightness, the rest of it was definitely on the heavier side. Would reduce the oil in the miso dressing - it was tasty, but again felt a little heavy.

  • meduff on March 28, 2019

    I agree with clcorbi there are a lot of components to this dish so I prepped as much as I could the night before, including the dressing. Everything held up really well. While the grain bowl is good the star of this dish is the miso dressing. Without it this dish would be fine, plain, but fine. The dressing is really the star. I would use this dressing on many salads, veggies, chicken and fish. Total deliciousness.

  • jessro on February 13, 2026

    I love this dressing - have made it as a stand-alone dressing for a green salad with carrots to go with sushi

• Kimchi grain bowl with kale and runny egg

  • MollyB on April 12, 2018

    This was great! I made it with short-grain brown rice and a mix of baby kale, chard, and spinach, and other ingredients as written. Very easy and tasty for a weeknight if you have cooked grains on hand. Will definitely make again with whatever grains I have around.

  • TrishaCP on July 19, 2018

    I liked most of the major components of this recipe (the sauce, kale, kimchi), but if making this again, I'll probably just fry an egg with a runny yolk rather than soft-boiling it. My personal preference. Also, I made this on a weekday, and it generated many dishes since I had to cook the grains from scratch.

  • joyous on January 08, 2018

    Love this recipe. I've made it multiple times switching up some of the components but always with the dressing and the kimchi, kale and egg. Especially like it over leftover coconut rice.

  • eliza on January 01, 2026

    We loved this bowl. I used farro (Flourist) and the last of the fresh kale from the garden. I streamlined by cooking the eggs (from my sister’s white chicks, therefore blue) under the kale and had to omit the avocado since mine were not ripe. Also subbed some local sunflower seeds for sesame seeds. I used less grain than recommended and more of everything else; really delicious, will def make again.

  • clcorbi on January 17, 2018

    Very tasty and quick to throw together. I'm not a huge fan of steamed kale and might rather chiffonade it and massage in the dressing to tenderize it next time. Otherwise, very good and leftovers keep well.

• Pomegranate quinoa with crunchy chickpeas

  • Lepa on February 19, 2018

    We thought this was awful. The dressing doesn't compliment the other ingredients at all. I made it with the avocado and spinach salad, as suggested, and the combination was tolerable (only because that salad is so good) but we threw all the leftovers away.

  • EN1 on February 04, 2019

    I liked this, esp for meatless Monday. I like the sweetness of the pomegranate molasses

• Farro salad with cherry tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, and mint

  • Lepa on January 05, 2018

    I liked this salad and my family did, too. It had just the right balance of flavors.

  • Frogcake on May 14, 2017

    A very tasty salad, which I served with BBQ'd flank steak. A few tasty additions: sliced avocados, eggplant chips, roasted tofu (inspired by the amazing tofu recipes in this book that I will try soon!) and roasted broccoli.

  • stockholm28 on August 20, 2017

    I didn't love this salad, but attribute that to learning that I really don't care for smoked mozzarella. Had I made it with a different cheese, I think it would have been fine. It definitely needs the lemon and mint. I preferred the farro with crispy leaks recipe (also in this book) to this one.

  • Zosia on July 25, 2017

    Such a simple salad but a few choice ingredients like smoked cheese and sherry vinegar added complexity to its flavour profile. I used basil in place of mint.

  • rglo820 on August 31, 2017

    I was really underwhelmed by this as it was written. It was too much farro relative to the other ingredients, and even squeezing the entire optional lemon over the salad, it barely tasted dressed. Were the farro quantity halved, I think it would be a totally different story.

  • TrishaCP on July 31, 2017

    I liked the flavors (especially the smoked mozzarella), but again I thought this was too oily and would just add to taste in the future. (I said again because I had the same issue with another farro salad from this book.) I subbed basil for the mint.

  • clcorbi on July 05, 2017

    Very tasty salad, and it kept really nicely at room temp (we took it to a 4th of July picnic). I might prefer basil to mint next time. I also decreased the amount of farro to 1.5c but kept the other ingredients the same, and found that the amount of vinegar plus add-ins was perfect that way.

  • mrshalf on March 30, 2017

    Fun to make farro - no need to be intimidated ever again. This was a great lunch for work. I'd never had smoked mozarella- tasty stuff!!

  • mfranklin125 on August 15, 2019

    So easy and tasty good weeknight dinner made along side to wings and did feta instead of mozarella and also added arugula and parsley and cilantro.

  • Tweedles81 on June 23, 2019

    This was very good and fairly easy. I only used 1.5 c (got the 10 minute farro from Trader Joe’s) and that seemed like the right amount. Mine had a bit of a bitter flavor to it but that just may have been the particular sherry vinegar that I used or the especially grassy-tasting olive oil. The mozzarella and tomatoes were a great combo. I can see why people subbed basil but the mint was also fine. Will likely make again for a quick and healthy lunch.

• Farro and crispy leeks with marinated chickpeas and currants

  • TrishaCP on May 22, 2017

    We really loved this too. We also halved the recipe and maybe the proportions were off, but I would use significantly less olive oil next time.

  • michalow on November 05, 2023

    Commenting a second time to note that when a bit short on fresh lemon, I added some chopped preserved lemon, which worked perfectly with these flavors.

  • michalow on December 06, 2021

    This is a very good farro salad. The sweet, silky leeks are a delicious contrast to the chewy, lemony farro. I agree with others that you can reduce the oil significantly and adjust the proportions of other ingredients to your liking. I added some sliced celery along with the leaves, as well as some ribbons of radicchio.

  • dinnermints on March 30, 2021

    Great flavor, and with the leeks prepped ahead of time, this was a quick weeknight dinner to pull together. I took others' recommendation to up the leeks from 4 to 6, and would do that again. I also cut the oil way back - used 3 T for roasting the six leeks, then added another 2 T when the chickpeas and leeks are combined, and that worked just fine. It can be difficult to get my toddler to eat a grain salad since it's tricky for him to get it onto a spoon/fork and then into his mouth, but even he gobbled this down.

  • julesamomof2 on September 10, 2019

    This was great - next time I would up the leeks and the lemon. I made the whole recipe and it makes A LOT so when I (definitely) make this again I'll halve the recipe.

  • stockholm28 on July 15, 2017

    My crispy leeks turned out to be mostly charred leeks, so next time I will watch more closely. I thought this was better on the second day after the farro had absorbed the flavors.

  • Lepa on January 05, 2018

    This is delicious and has become part of my family's frequent rotation. It is a fantastic salad to have in the refrigerator for quick snacks/lunches.

  • Jscantlin on December 06, 2018

    Really good. Made 1/2 recipe and used 1/2 c. dry chick peas. Also much less farro- about 1 c. cooked. This will be a make-ahead, easily packed lunch staple.

  • ellencooks on August 31, 2017

    I made the leeks a day ahead and nibbled. Loved them but they were a bit salty. I crisped them up the next day and used golden raisins. Quite good.

  • purrviciouz on April 11, 2018

    This was fantastic and we made the whole recipe to have on hand for lunches throughout the week. I added an extra drizzle of good olive oil just before serving. This would also be perfect to bring to a party. I might do 1.5X the leeks next time.

  • bwhip on March 23, 2017

    This was excellent! Easy to put together, with a great variety of textures and flavor. We used Italian parsley in lieu of celery leaves, and I cut the recipe in half since there's just two of us. Delicious. Served it with the Jalapeño-Honey Steak with Cilantro and Lime (used Italian Parsley for that too), from the same cookbook.

  • SpatulaCity on September 27, 2023

    Thought this was simple and nice. Trying to eat healthily and this was a clean option! I can many variations - serving on a bed of arugula, adding nuts, sprinkling or grating a sharp and salty cheese on top. Wish I had read reviews to up the leeks because yum those were tasty. Used canned chickpeas, parsley, and olive oil to taste instead of measuring. My farro took close to an hour to cook fully. No complaints!

  • puddlemere on December 10, 2018

    Very good. I agree that this is better after it sits a while to let the flavors meld. I used dried cranberries in place of currants and also added some toasted chopped pecans.

  • clcorbi on May 09, 2017

    Agreed that this was excellent. I would make this again in a heartbeat. We also made a half-recipe, and it makes a lot of food, but this is so good that I'd still make a full recipe next time. I also added one extra leek, because I had it, and the crispy leeks were the best part of this dish so I'm glad I did! I omitted the currants because we don't like fruit in savory dishes, and garnished with a little sriracha, which was tacky but delicious. This is really great cold too. Yum. I will be making this again.

  • halfchefc on February 24, 2026

    The leeks were incredible. I halved the recipe and eyed the olive oil for the leeks based off the comments. I also swapped chickpeas for white beans, so I can get more fiber in for my lunches this week. I'm going to add spinach and rotisserie chicken to round it out but it's a good meal prep type of dish.

  • Beck001 on December 17, 2025

    Thought this was ok though my family liked it more. I should have cut down more on oil while roasting leeks. They took forever to roast. I cut down on it in the actual salad which I’m glad I did.

• Polenta with broccoli rabe and fried eggs

  • SheilaS on August 01, 2017

    I cooked the polenta in the Instant Pot (pot-in-pot) and substituted broccoli for the broccoli rabe. I found it to be a quick, tasty and satisfying breakfast. I'll certainly make this again with the broccoli rabe or another more bitter green when I have a chance.

• Turkish bulgur pilaf with yogurt and pumpkin

  • Lepa on July 23, 2017

    This was simple to throw together and really good with some broiled fish. The topping of yogurt, chile and salt at the end is essential.

  • ksg518 on December 23, 2020

    Very good and easy. I probably had less squash than the recipe requires but it was fine. I would increase the squash next time if I had it on hand. What really makes this recipe different is the tangerine zest in browned butter (we used oranges). This would be great with roasted carrots! One small issue - this makes a lot more than four servings, especially if you consider it a side dish.

• Spicy Thai fried rice with sausage and greens

  • Joyceeong on April 05, 2018

    Made a couple of changes, using ingredients I already have. Instead of chorizo, I've used dried Chinese sausage. Since the Chinese sausages are lacking the spiciness of Chorizo, I've added 1 tablespoon of chilli flakes. Instead of stir-frying the eggs with the rice, I've fried them and serve with the rice. A lovely delicious lunch.

  • mrshalf on December 19, 2017

    This was good. A bit salty because I used Chinese sausage (new to me). Could just leave out. A different take on fried rice - glad I tried it.

  • lou_weez on November 07, 2018

    I used Chinese sausage and added some kecap manis. Next time I would cook the eggs separately as it made the dish a bit gluggy, still tastes good though.

  • cdglamontagne on May 26, 2019

    Really liked this! Great flavors and the plentiful greens + lime are very welcome balance to the salty funky spice. Will make this again.

  • JulieCruz on January 29, 2024

    The texture of the hard pieces is spicy salami were a little off putting for us, as was the strong fish sauce flavor - and I’m usually a fan. Would use chicken next time, way more lime than I did and maybe some ginger. I like the idea of cooking the eggs separate and the raisins were a nice surprise.

  • kellyluc on January 19, 2024

    Pretty salty...I would cut back on soy sauce and fish sauce.

• Tofu fried rice with sugar snap peas

  • MollyB on December 05, 2019

    This was great, though more work than my standard fried rice, with the browning of tofu and vegetable prep. It was a nice, flavorful meal-in-a-bowl for a weeknight (though the 8-yr-old in the family did not approve). I used French green beans rather than snap peas, as there were no snap peas to be found at the two stores I tried, and they worked well as a substitute.

• Pizza with broccoli rabe, ricotta, and olives

  • Zosia on January 03, 2020

    There were quite a few ingredients in the topping that tempered the bitterness of the rapini so even those who aren't fans of the vegetable enjoyed this. One small issue was that the toppings didn't stay put...perhaps mozzarella or provolone instead of ricotta might help anchor things. I blanched the rapini and mixed it with a little oil in which I cooked the garlic rather than frying it in oil.

  • hbakke on April 30, 2019

    We made one big pizza. It took at least double the amount of time listed in the recipe to cook. The pizza was tasty. Maybe use more chili flake next time.

• Butternut squash pizza with sage and roasted lemon

  • Zosia on December 17, 2018

    Interesting and delicious pizza with nicely balanced flavours. I agree that the pizza could use more topping.

  • bwhip on March 27, 2017

    This was delicious, and very easy. Flavors were excellent. Remarkable how well blanching the lemons took the edge off. Next time I make this I'll double all of the topping quantities, as I thought they were a little sparse for two pizzas.

  • BasicStock on May 06, 2017

    I told my husband "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" in trying this recipe, and I've gained a totally new slant on pizza toppings. And I've not been shy about trying different toppings in the past. The lemon slices are so different, but work well with the cheese, sage and squash. I think next time I'll add even more squash, it seemed the lighter element in the mix. Will definitely make this again.

• Quick Southern ham and navy bean soup with spicy cornbread croutons

  • mrsmadam on July 04, 2024

    Made only the croutons to go on a kale salad. Excellent! Come winter I’ll do the soup too as navy beans are a staple around here.

• Greek avgolemono soup with greens

  • pistachiopeas on April 14, 2017

    Pretty spartan. Not a repeat for us, since M didn't like it.

  • Lsblackburn1 on January 29, 2024

    I used stock made from roast chicken leftovers and this was very tasty. No escarole at my store, but Swiss chard worked great.

  • fprincess on February 22, 2026

    This was nice and comfor and didn’t require any special ingredients. I used misuna from the garden for the greens.

• Butternut squash and red lentil soup with coconut and spinach

  • chawkins on April 20, 2018

    Quite delicious. It turned out that I only had 3/4 cup of lentil in the house, so I reduced the amount of water to 3 cups and used the the same amount of stock as stated for the recipe, the consistency of the soup was just about right for me. No baby spinach at the market so I just got an 8-oz bag af regular spinach and used it all. My husband felt that I should have either chopped the spinach up a little or blended it up with the rest of the soup, but I’m pretty sure that once puréed in with the other ingredients, the color of the soup would turn into an unappetizing brown.

  • Frogcake on June 17, 2017

    We enjoyed this soup very much. I didn't reduce the liquid as others did as I preferred it more fluid (not porridge like). Nice with chopped parsley or coriander sprinkled on top. I served this with grilled garlic bruschetta for a light dinner.

  • e_ballad on September 04, 2017

    I seem to be in the minority for this one: whilst this is an ok soup, made as per the book, we found it fairly bland. The lime added a slight pique in interest & we certainly seasoned generously. This may be more reflective of our liking for a number of pumpkin dhal recipes that have a bit more going on, rather than the recipe itself.

  • caitmcg on April 04, 2017

    I liked this soup a lot. The earthiness of the lentils and cumin balance the sweetness of the squash, and the coconut milk adds lushness. I recommend reducing the stock/water to 4 cups for best consistency. I did not use more than 2 T. olive oil for the sautéing.

  • bc2rlh2023 on December 31, 2023

    Didn’t have sweet potato so I substituted for carrot and a potato and it worked wonderfully. I also added chilli flakes. The lime was lovely in it.

  • meduff on March 21, 2019

    I am in the minority on this soup, but I am glad I am not alone. This recipe calls for coconut milk and red lentils both of which were new to me and neither one do I care for based on this recipe. I agree that there is way too much liquid required. In the end I used 3 cups stock and 1/2 cup heavy cream to make it "thick and porridge like". I changed things in my next 4 attempts because with so many great reviews I wanted to like this - I do like butternut squash soup - this one would not be on my make again list.

  • bwhip on November 16, 2017

    Delicious soup. My wife and I both enjoyed this very much. Based on other comments, I reduced the amount of water added to two cups, and found the consistency of the resulting puree to be quite perfect. I used a bit more squash than the recipe called for, and was generous with the cayenne. Lovely soup for a cool fall evening.

  • lou_weez on May 28, 2017

    I wish I had read caitmcg notes on reducing the amount of stock/water. The soup was too watery. The taste however, was really nice and it is a recipe I will try again minus 1-2 cups of water!

  • EatinSnax on July 25, 2025

    As written, this was a miss for me. It tasted nice before adding the coconut milk, but adding the whole can muted the flavors and turned the soup a sickly pale color. I also agree with the other comments that 2 cups stock + 4 cups water + 1 can coconut milk is just too much liquid. Next time I would just use 4 cups stock and drizzle in coconut milk to taste or reserve it as a garnish.

• Leek, tomato and farro soup with pancetta

  • Emily Hope on March 29, 2017

    I suppose this goes without saying, but I'd only make this soup with a pancetta that you really like, as the flavor of it really permeates the dish. We used a Fra' Mani pancetta that was a bit too funky, and I wish we'd used something else, or reduced the quantity. The soup itself is solid, if not amazing--a nice winter stewy-type of soup, as she says in the headnote. I used a 4-cup bag of frozen tomato puree from the summer, which worked well. However, I only used about 3/4 cup of farro (all we had in the house), and I still ended up needing a couple of cups of additional water to thin it out (she mentions in the headnote you might need some)--if you were making it with 1 1/2 cups of farro as the recipe calls for, I'd imagine you'd definitely need the extra water, unless you like your soup super-thick.

  • chawkins on April 16, 2018

    I would not have made this had I not had a leek and some pancetta that needed to be used. How on earth do you expect to cook one and a half cup of farro in the juice of a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes? It tasted good after I made some changes based on what I had on hand and previous comments. I upped the amount of carrots and celery since I only had one leek. Added about 2-3 oz of prosciutto since I only have 4 oz of pancetta. Added 4 cups of chicken broth and only used 1 c of TJ’s 10 min farro. It was soup when served, but tomorrow it will probably be the consistency of risotto. ETA: it remained soupy the next day.

  • Plumberful on February 11, 2026

    This soup is very satisfying and it’s made with ingredients that I nearly always have on hand. I used canned San Marzano-style tomatoes, and cut them up in the can. I like the richer sauce and flavor. I added water and chicken stock until it was the consistency I wanted. This was very good and very simple to make.

  • bernalgirl on April 30, 2026

    I generally followed this recipe, although soup is a fridge clean-out opportunity and I added 1/2 cup chopped cauliflower And 1.5 c chopped spinach, as well as a pinch of chile flakes and 1 t smoked paprika based on previous comments. It was good, but not something I’m likely to make again.

  • annie_mfqcpw on February 02, 2026

    Loved this! Used fire-roasted tomatoes and added chicken stock.

  • sosayi on January 19, 2018

    I'd agree with past reviews that this is nothing like a "stew" in my mind and that I also needed to add a fair amount of water to have the farro cook through (maybe 2 cups?). BUT. The final flavors of the bowl (which was more like a risotto), were phenomenal. I followed amounts of everything else exactly, only adding in a parmesan rind to the pot. Very warm and comforting and I'd certainly make it again. In fact, I'm devastated that the leftovers went to the husband and not me. Sigh.

• Smoky fish and potato chowder

  • dinnermints on June 11, 2023

    Wonderful chowder. I reduced butter to 1 T, subbed smoked sausage for bacon and sautéed that in 1/2 T olive oil. After reading the comments, I upped the smoked paprika (mild, so there would be a chance my 4-yr-old would eat it) to 1 tsp. I think I used half clam juice and half stock, 8 oz of rockfish, and 4 oz of Trader Joe’s frozen seafood blend. The amounts I mention are for a single recipe and I doubled it, which turned out to be quite a lot of chowder. Next time I’d make 1.5 recipes (and there will be a next time!).

  • bernalgirl on October 26, 2023

    This is so easy and delicious! I followed others and sliced the potatoes in 1/8” pieces to facilitate quicker cooking, and I used three cans of tinned mackerel. Great pantry meal.

  • ddutton848 on June 11, 2017

    We loved this! We made a few changes based on what we had on hand. Used pollock in place of hake for the fish, Yukon Gold potatoes from our CSA in place of fingerlings, 2% milk in place of whole, and chicken stock in place of fish stock. We also did not pour off the bacon fat (didn't have much), but just added 1 T of butter to the bacon fat before the leeks went in, because extra smoky bacon taste is not unwelcome in our house. It was excellent! Served with the Rye Cheddar biscuits as suggested. Husband rated the meal 'incredibly satisfying'.

  • snoozermoose on September 04, 2022

    To call this "smoky" is a bit misleading as there really wasn't any smokiness to this, but it was still a very tasty and easy chowder. I used a combo of 1% milk and heavy cream as I didn't have whole milk.

  • Lsblackburn1 on May 04, 2020

    Very yummy light-ish dinner (hey, whole milk, not cream!). Used cod.

  • sosayi on August 16, 2017

    Absolutely delicious chowder! Only changes: using (3) cups of homemade fish stock, not (2) and (1) of water; not pouring off the bacon fat (there really wasn't that much); cutting the fingerlings smaller than she called for (which allowed them to cook more quickly than 25 minutes and also fit on a spoon better); adding a few cloves of garlic. I'll definitely be making this again and again. Super simple and full of flavor. Oh, we used halibut!

  • westminstr on December 08, 2025

    Great soup! I used leftover clam/mussel broth as the base, hake for the fish. Left out the bacon and smoked paprika but added a bit of chipotle powder to add a touch of smoke & heat. Used extra potatoes and fish and had a small amount leftover.

• Crispy chicken-skin pho

  • cjross on March 13, 2021

    I thought this was delicious and my three year old liked it so much he asked me to make it for his birthday (his highest praise)! Will definitely make again, especially since it was so easy.

  • rmardel on August 19, 2023

    This is delicious as well as being a fast and easy meal. The entire dish can be made in the time the chicken cooks and the result is light yet complex and satisfying. I will be making it again.

  • Happykikkers on January 02, 2025

    Nice meal that's not super complicated. I used homemade chicken stock and it was a success! I love that the chicken and skin went in the oven the same time and the crispy skin added a nice texture.

• Mexican tortilla soup with avocado and chipotle

  • dinnermints on February 10, 2021

    This turned out excellent. I did make one maybe more significant change, which was switching out the chipotle for some of EatingWell's "Jonathan Perno's New Mexican Red Chile" sauce (1 cup for a double recipe of soup), as it's been hanging out in my freezer since Thanksgiving looking for somewhere to go. I had some very flavorful homemade chicken and turkey stock in the fridge, and used a combo of frozen turkey and chicken in the soup. And instead of frying, I sprayed some corn & wheat tortillas on both sides, cut them into strips, and baked those at 350 for around 24min until crunchy. Won't hesitate to make this again next time I have leftover chicken (or turkey).

  • stockholm28 on June 09, 2018

    This is very fast to make if you have leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken. I did not bother with the fried tortillas. It also freezes well if you freeze without the various garnishes. While it is not the best tortilla soup I’ve ever had, it is quite flavorful. I froze individual portions and it has been a great option when I get home late from work and don’t feel like cooking.

  • Zosia on September 01, 2017

    This had good flavour for such a quick cooking soup. With only the chicken meat from a cooked thigh, I was quite short on that ingredient so added cooked black beans for a bit more substance. I also used grated garden fresh Roma tomatoes instead of canned.

  • tarae1204 on July 06, 2021

    Fantastic recipe, practically qualifies as a “pantry cupboard” recipe if you have chipotles and chicken. I omitted the green bell/poblano and it was still spicy enough. I increased the stock from 3 cups to 5 cups to stretch it for family of four. I incorporated chard by adding diced chard stems to onions and four handfuls of sliced chard leaves to soup halfway through. Melissa doesn’t list cheese as an add-in, but Mexican shredded cheese worked great. It was easier to fry the corn tortillas than I’d anticipated and they were delicious freshly fried, salted and crispy in the soup.

  • ezwriternc on August 01, 2023

    This is such an easy Mexican soup. You can throw anything in it. I don’t think this version has a ton of flavor. I added a can of enchilada sauce to punch it up.

  • BethNH on April 02, 2017

    While my husband unpacked the groceries I started this soup for lunch. From start to finish the entire process took about 35 minutes - well under the 45 minutes stated in the recipe :-) Once I got the onion, poblano pepper and jalapeno in the pan, I was able to chop the rotisserie chicken. I broke up the tomatoes as I put them in the pot. As everything simmered I made the homemade tortilla strips and cut up avocado and cilantro. The only deviation I made from the recipe is adding a jalapeno and smoked paprika when I realized I forgot to buy chipotle in adobo. The soup would have been better with the chipotle in adobo but that would have meant waiting for another day. Even with this substitution, the soup was very flavorful and delicious. I'd definitely make it again.

  • TrishaCP on March 12, 2021

    This was so easy to pull together and really flavorful. You really should plan to use all of the garnishes.

  • JoanN on July 10, 2025

    Made this three times now, always making stock from the carcass of a roast chicken and using the shredded breast meat. Using four, instead of three, cups of stock doesn't dilute the flavor any. I sprayed the cut up tortillas with oil and air fried them. Worked fine, but watch timing. Used a large, mostly seeded, jalapeño instead of the poblano and that seemed to add a decent amount of heat. Skipped both the avocado and the sour cream. Might use crema if I happened to have it in the fridge.

  • aisy on May 06, 2021

    This was very tasty, especially with all of the garnishes. I used tortilla chips instead of fried tortillas as it's hard to find corn tortillas where we live. We didn't find the quantity was quite enough to fill bowls for our family of two adults and three little people. I would increase everything by half next time.

  • Acarroll on November 27, 2022

    Clearly I'm in the minority but I didn't like this. I found it lacked depth of flavor and was flat. Many of the flavors I'm used to in tortilla soup (dried chiles, epazote, Mexican oregano) were absent - this seemed like a very Americanized version of the soup.

  • kkmatti on March 10, 2024

    Solid tortilla soup recipe! I added a jalapeno to the diced peppers to add some flavor and spice. I had to laugh that the tortillas in the tortilla soup are listed as "optional" in the recipe. I fried our tortilla strips in some cheap canola oil for 2 mins and they came out perfect. Served our soup with cilantro, lime slices, and guacamole.

  • lean1 on August 01, 2023

    I like this soup very much. I left out the poblano chili(didn't have it), and family doesn't like cilantro and used pre-made tortilla chips. It has excellent flavor and the addition of lime juice and cheese topping makes it even better. Took 20 minutes. Will make often.

  • Lsblackburn1 on December 14, 2021

    Easy and very tasty. I used roasted Hatch chilies instead of the poblano. Also served over chips and shredded cheese with avocado.

• Spinach salad with chickpeas and sweet potatoes

  • aliceanne on February 06, 2019

    This is a dinner-party-worthy vegetarian salad. I add extra roasted carrots and sweet potatoes.

  • Lepa on July 17, 2017

    We liked this. It was easy to pull together. I loved the contrast of the sweet potatoes and carrots with the texture of the spinach and the garlicky dressing pulling it all together.

  • mrshalf on December 19, 2017

    Very tasty and we're always looking for ways to use cheap chickpeas to feed us all. I don't know I'd say this was Dinner tho. Maybe a good lunch...

  • halfchefc on January 30, 2026

    I kinda riffed this recipe. We used spinach, sweet potato, and the garlic yogurt sauce with chicken (thought I had chickpeas but I didn't). Tasty and easy!

• Niçoise salad with basil anchovy dressing

  • Lepa on March 27, 2017

    I made this with fresh poached tuna. I omitted the radishes/cucumbers but added hard boiled eggs. It was lovely and easy. I will definitely make this again!

  • pistachiopeas on June 28, 2017

    This is my new favorite Nicoise recipe. The dressing is absolutely delicious.

  • FJT on August 02, 2024

    Loved the dressing!

  • kari500 on August 19, 2019

    Delicious, and in rotation with a few changes. I don't serve it as a composed salad, and I add a head of bibb or boston lettuce torn up. Dressing is fantastic.

  • mrshalf on November 01, 2017

    Awesome! We love this. I make the potatoes and green beans with the dressing quite often as a side dish.

  • SpatulaCity on March 13, 2024

    Agree with the others - it’s a delicious dressing! I didn’t have radish, so substituted celery for crunch, and added a hard boiled egg because why not. Will happily make again.

  • Apepin on June 16, 2021

    Everyone liked this, the children used extra dressing (usually i have to set aside dry salad for them). Made with grilled fresh tuna, added hardboiled eggs.

• Escarole salad with crispy pimentón chickpeas and a runny egg

  • ellencooks on November 15, 2017

    My canned chickpeas didn’t crisp but still tasted good. I’ve had similar recipes that were good, as this was. Repeatable but not spectacular.

• Roasted cauliflower salad with chickpeas, tahini, and avocado

  • Londonyankee on July 02, 2018

    Okay but not great.

  • Emily Hope on March 24, 2017

    We totally loved this salad--it has a lot of variety in textures and flavors, with something new going on in every bite. I especially loved the dressing and can see using it for other things (poached chicken, kale salad...) I did change a couple of things: left the chickpeas out of the dressing (forgot to add them), used mixed salad greens instead of watercress, as that's what I had (I think next time I'll try arugula instead), and left out the sesame seeds. Still good! I will say that, even with the chickpeas and a piece of toasted bread on the side, it didn't seem very substantial--next time I might add a soft-boiled egg.

  • chefrodney on April 17, 2018

    Fine but unexceptional; the flavours ended up pretty muddled together.

  • dinnermints on August 21, 2025

    Great flavor with some tweaks. I used a large cauliflower (2.75 lbs), 3T oil for cauliflower and 3 T in dressing, and upped the garbanzos to 2 cups. I added 10 oz of tomatoes, a bit more salt and a glug of preserved lemon brine. Would make again.

• Horta salad with feta and olives

  • Lepa on April 18, 2017

    We weren't crazy about this dish. It was too lemony. I think I would have liked it better if it had deeper flavors, perhaps if it was sauteed in anchovy first? I don't think we will try this again.

• Burrata Caprese with peaches, tomato, and basil

  • Lepa on September 12, 2017

    This was okay but I didn't love it. The concept is lovely but the pesto wasn't creamy enough. If I made it again, I might add nuts to the pesto.

  • joyous on February 21, 2018

    This recipe is all about the ingredients. If you have amazing fruit, tomatoes and cheese -- you can't go wrong. It takes virtually no time to pull together. We enjoyed it with proscuitto or salami and crusty bread. And a cold glass of rose. Pretty much my idea of a perfect summer meal.

  • ksg518 on September 11, 2019

    This is great! We made it several times this summer. It's a perfect summer lunch or dinner and comes together in minutes.

  • lhkelsey on July 30, 2017

    This was delicious!! Perfect summer salad.

  • bernalgirl on August 29, 2021

    When all the flavors come together, this salad is delicious. The burrata is essential to bring the tomatoes and peaches together, the basil mixture tempers both the sweetness and the cream. The said, when it was just a bite of peach and tomato, the textures and flavors didn’t quite jive, the creamy ripe peach overwhelmed the sweetness and texture of the sun-ripened tomato. This has been a huge hit but I think I prefer a corn, tomato combination as my ideal summer salad.

  • Lsblackburn1 on August 13, 2021

    I loved this! Had it with bread, cheese and prosciutto. Only regret is that I had no white wine to go with it.

  • SpatulaCity on August 09, 2024

    Yum! Added a few slices of prosciutto and it was perfection. A touch extra basil and pine nuts only helped. Can see this being a go-to every summer

• Spicy Thai salad with coconut and crispy tofu

  • ksg518 on July 31, 2019

    This was a very good summer dinner, only requiring a small amount of cooktop time. We omitted the chilies so I suppose we made Thai Salad instead of Spicy Thai Salad. The only negative is that, not surprisingly, the tofu doesn't stay crispy for leftovers. Perhaps it should be stored separately. I agree with jenniebakes that the dressing is very good.

  • jenniebakes on October 13, 2018

    This is really good. I personally prefer to make the tofu just cooked and soft rather than crispy, but the dressing is excellent.

  • jenburkholder on July 10, 2020

    Unlike the others, we thought this was only ok. Good enough to eat all of, and certainly pretty easy, but the flavor was uninspiring and not worth the amount of chopping. There are better salads out there with similar ingredients.

• Roasted winter vegetables with herbed buttermilk dressing

  • Lepa on February 24, 2019

    I liked this but it was a bit odd how the lovely, crisp roasted kale becomes chewy in this dish. My kids love kale chips but didn't like them here because of the texture. Overall, I like the flavor combination and the toasted walnuts are a nice finishing touch.

  • lou_weez on August 30, 2017

    This was nice, nothing mind-blowing. I added a boiled egg to everyone's plate for bulk and protein. Probably should've added some boiled rice too as it was a smallish dinner.

• Classic roasted chicken salad with green aioli and chicken skin croutons

  • mamacrumbcake on July 20, 2023

    Nice salad. I was skeptical about the chicken skin but in this salad, it reminded me of bacon bits. The green aioli is yummy, though the flavor of the herbs and garlic is light. Use more if you like a more assertive herbal flavor. I used all arugula but next time I would mix arugula with other greens because it was a little too bitter for my taste.

• Killer hummus with whole chickpeas

  • ksg518 on November 27, 2017

    I thought this was a wonderful hummus and will repeat. This version uses the baking soda method to help soften the skins and it resulted in some of the smoothest hummus I've ever had.

  • southerncooker on November 10, 2019

    I used canned chickpeas. I didn't put any whole ones on finished hummus like in picture. I did drizzle on olive oil and sprinkled on half sharp paprika. It doesn't say anything about adding the whole ones in recipe. We ate with garlic chive pita crackers and also Ritz. Delicious.

  • redbird on April 10, 2026

    Really, really good. Used RG garbanzo beans. Only used about 1/3 cup tahini.

  • lourdesj on May 25, 2026

    Very good recipe. I had heard Mike Solomonov's recipe was the best and looked it up to compare. This recipe is very similar, just varies slightly the amount of cumin and adds olive oil. I use more garlic and less tahini. I make the tahini mix separately first, crushing garlic into a paste with the salt in a mortar and pestle, and mixing in the lemon juice first. I wouldn't want it sprinkled with whole beans at the end like in the recipe, better as a dip. Many ways to serve and garnish - with za'atar, sumac, or a drizzle of high-quality olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

• Pea pesto with ricotta

  • bernalgirl on August 22, 2022

    I read this recipe twice to see if I had made a mistake. It was tasty but so one-dimensional. The ricotta was wonderfully creamy but my family and I wanted some acidity to counterbalance the ricotta. I blended ground black lime and black Urfa chile (Burlap & Barrel) into the dip and we all liked it much better

  • Rachaelsb on November 19, 2017

    Yum! Reallly fresh recipe that is great for crowd as appetizer. Serve either with crackers or pita chips.

  • cdglamontagne on May 26, 2019

    This is a great dip and really tasty nut free pesto. I used only basil but would try with mint next time.

  • snoozermoose on August 20, 2022

    This was really light, refreshing, and dead simple.

• Carrot muhammara with toasted cumin and walnuts

  • ksg518 on November 27, 2017

    This was amazing. I cut my carrots a little too small and some ended up charred. Once I discarded those, I probably had a higher ratio of peppers to carrot than Clark intended but it was still very, very good. The key here is the walnuts, some of which are ground up as part of the spread and the rest added as a chunky addition. I did top it with the toasted cumin seed, but I could easily see skipping that part in the future.

  • kkmatti on April 19, 2023

    This recipe produced burnt carrots that, when added to the rest of the mixture, was a strange bitter/sweet flavor. We kept trying it and couldn't decide if we liked it or not. But then no one went back for more. Won't be making this again.

• Creamy red lentil dip with lemon

  • Londonyankee on October 14, 2018

    Added more lemon juice and coriander to give it flavor,

  • bernalgirl on August 28, 2023

    I made a half batch and found it thoroughly underwhelming. It looked beautifully smooth but had a slightly pasty texture and was the painfully bland. I doctored it and it will get eaten but I don’t plan to make this again.

  • Lepa on March 28, 2020

    This was a good spread to make while stuck inside without many groceries left. I added more lemon and salt and found that it was better once we drizzled it with flaky salt and black sesame seeds (as recommended). We ate this with warm flat breads and my kids didn't notice that it wasn't the regular hummus we normally eat (but they liked the extra smooth texture). Pretty good but not exciting and I probably won't revisit.

  • sck on January 01, 2018

    Tastes just like hummus. Good but not too interesting.

• Israeli beet labneh

  • Lepa on April 18, 2017

    I made this for my book club and it received rave reviews. The flavors were interesting and the jalapenos added a nice kick. Excellent with the recommended wasa crispbreads, which I don't normally like.

• Homemade seedy crackers

  • raybun on June 22, 2017

    I would never have considered making crackers before I saw this recipe. They took 5 minutes to make, and 15 to bake. They had a great texture and flavour, with no gmo's or other hidden ingredients store bought ones often hide. I cut them as soon as they came out of the oven as I thought it would be tricky once they hardened but I managed to cut them in half when cold too, without breaking them.

  • okcook on December 04, 2018

    I didn't have as much success. The dough was very wet so I added 40 more grams of flour. I guess I did not roll mine thin enough because I had trouble getting the middle cooked without burning the edges. The taste is ok. I will have to try again.

  • Jviney on March 15, 2019

    I really liked these...I broke them apart once they cooled, and used sesame seeds, minced dried garlic, and caraway seeds. Hard to stop eating them...

  • ehandsman on May 12, 2020

    I swapped out the whole wheat/rye flour for chickpea flour and while they're a bit thicker than they probably should be, they are crisp and delicious!

  • JimCampbell on September 22, 2025

    A 3.0 out of 5. Our first time making crackers so we don't want to be too critical. Used wheat flour instead of spelt flour since it's what we had on-hand. We used a shaker blend on top and some of the bits darkened. The edges were very dark, and were tossed, which the recipe alludes to. We set the oven to 425 degrees, as per the recipe, but next time would go with 400 degrees. Definitely needed salt sprinkled before going into the oven. Next time we know. Will try it again.

  • lizzietrot on April 17, 2026

    Flavor is great but mine broke apart after cooling to the point of being unusable. I measured the ingredients and used spelt and all purpose flours. Not sure I’ll try again.

• Winter vegetable salad with kale, cabbage, and Thai lime dressing

  • aliceanne on February 06, 2019

    The Brussels sprouts are a must - but you can change up everything else. I almost never use leaf lettuce - I've used baby spinach, baby kale, and even just shredded red cabbage + herbs.

  • mharriman on March 08, 2022

    Husband and I liked this salad. After reading the other two reviews/notes, I decided to omit the red leaf lettuce. I doubled the Napa cabbage. Husband said he liked the lighter quality of the Brussels sprouts compared to roasted ones. My dressing version was also lighter in flavor. I omitted the fish sauce because of the high sodium, but added two teaspoons of reduced sodium soy sauce. This is a great way to eat a variety of healthy green vegetables all at once.

  • joyous on June 12, 2018

    This turned out better than I expected. The only odd part was the red leaf lettuce as it wilted compared to the hardier greens. Totally agreed with MC's note that the Brussels add a meaty quality. I may make this again in winter.

• Tomato salad with herbs, shallots, and lime

  • Frogcake on June 26, 2017

    We loved this dressed up tomato salad! I used heirloom tomatoes as suggested, which made for quite a pretty and scented platter with the torn herbs. The shallots pickled in lime juice were a very, very tasty new addition to an otherwise simple salad. I drizzled blood orange scented olive oil on the salad.

  • Astrid5555 on September 03, 2017

    So good, the shallot-lime addition is just delicious! Perfect for the last summer tomatoes.

  • DKennedy on August 27, 2020

    Very easy to put together from stuff in my garden but not that exciting.

  • jhallen on August 08, 2022

    This was a very good, easy salad, perfect for summer’s fresh tomatoes. Let’s the herbs shine.

  • Tweedles81 on September 20, 2020

    This is very easy to make and very refreshing! A great summer salad.

  • BeckyLeJ on February 25, 2018

    This is a fairly basic salad, but I that’s exactly what makes it such a good pairing with a hearty main dish. The lime is tangy and refreshing and the salad as a whole is really easy to put together.

  • halfchefc on July 24, 2025

    I love a simple tomato salad during the summer & this was great. Really only took like maybe 10 minutes to put together. Had it as a side to a steak recipe from this book and it was perfect. Excited to have the leftovers on some crunchy toast tomorrow.

• Citrus salad with olives

  • westminstr on January 26, 2018

    Used blood oranges and skipped the olives. Aleppo pepper and smoked salt. So good!

  • saarwouters on July 27, 2018

    Skipped the olives and added some sumac. Great side dish!

  • bernalgirl on February 02, 2025

    This was perfect for a winter brunch, although I left out the olives, elthe chile and mint are lovely with in-season citrus. I used a pomelo, navel oranges, and a blood orange.

  • teandoranges on March 10, 2026

    A nice version of citrus salad. I did use green olives will skip them next time, distracted from the visual presentation and the taste of the citrus - flaky sea salt a must though!

  • meduff on January 15, 2019

    This is the prettiest salad I have ever made. The smell from the oils in the peel on a very cold and very rainy day made my kitchen smell so good. The bits of mint added a hint of sweetness and another pretty pop of color. I used red grapefruit, and the following varieties of oranges; blood, cara cara, and navel. Instead of regular olive oil I used a Blood Orange olive oil. I did not add the olives. In my mind it also took away from the wow factor of this very simple but very beautiful salad. I had this great citrus that I wanted to let shine all on its own. This dish came together in no time. Still a little longer than Melissa Clark says but not too much longer. It took me a total of 15 minutes. This would be a great salad to serve on a warm sunny day . I would miss the blood oranges in the summer. They sure brightened my salad today.

• Pan-fried asparagus with lemon zest

  • caitmcg on April 04, 2017

    This was very nice (you can't go wrong pairing asparagus with lemon and garlic), and very fast, but a bit of a PITA. I used a larger skillet than the 10-inch one Clark specifies for my pound of asparagus but found the spears were still too tightly packed to move by shaking (per the recipe), nor were they easy to turn as the browned in the fast time they cooked over high heat.

  • meduff on January 06, 2019

    This is a beautiful dish and is super simple. The lemon adds brightness and color. The garlic is almost always a go to for asparagus at our house. All in all is great for whipping up a pretty dish that requires very little thought at the end of a very busy day.

  • danlaik on June 09, 2024

    So easy. Turned out very delicious.

  • peacheater on March 08, 2026

    Easy and delicious!

• Green beans with caper vinaigrette

  • Jane on August 07, 2017

    This is a great, simple but flavorful treatment of green beans. I served it with Anchovy salmon with chive butter which worked well.

  • imaluckyducky on August 27, 2019

    Bright and zippy, an excellent counterpoint to a more robust or fatty main. Comes together quickly and, as promised, there were no leftovers.

  • Zosia on July 16, 2017

    Simple and lightly dressed but with lots of flavour. I served them with the herby Parmesan dutch baby from the same book.

  • Lepa on July 09, 2017

    This was a nice, easy green bean dish. Perfect with salmon!

  • rachel_ywqstg on April 03, 2026

    Very good, a simple and quick side. I used canned green beans (shhhh please don’t tell on me) since that is all I had, and unfortunately I do think that made a big difference - it’s missing the sweetness and crunch of fresh green beans.

  • pastaplease on April 23, 2023

    Quite good, no leftovers. Went well with Zaatar Chicken in this same book. Have made several times. Nice foil for a rich main.

  • snoozermoose on December 06, 2021

    This was easy but not as great as it sounded. The capers didn't really come through in the dressing even though I added more than it called for. I needed more than 1-2 minutes to blanch the green beans. Even after 3.5 minutes they tasted quite raw. Maybe I'm not a blanched green bean fan?

  • Maefleur on February 26, 2023

    Added a splash more vinegar, and this was a delicious suggested side for the Turkish Lamb Chops p72.

  • SpatulaCity on August 09, 2024

    Am going to try this one again. Our green beans didn’t taste great. I think it was the beans themselves because overall the dish was pretty bitter. Used haricots vert. While normally I love dill, I think I would have preferred the parsley instead. Next time may also try quick frying the capers

• Smashed Sichuan cucumber salad

  • raybun on June 09, 2017

    I bypassed the smashing step and just sliced the mini cucumbers I had. The sharp rice wine vinegar dressing with ginger garlic & chilli went very well together with the ginger pork meatballs from the same book, served with coconut rice.

  • ezwriternc on March 24, 2023

    I never understood why it had to smash cucumbers but I tried it and liked it. I can see where salting them would bring out more flavor. I’ll definitely make this again.

  • julesamomof2 on May 16, 2018

    This was just okay, even with the chiles it was a little bland. On the plus side, it was very easy to put together which is definitely a must when preparing several dishes. However, I would be willing to put in more work for better flavor for sure.

  • Delys77 on April 12, 2017

    I wanted to like this but I found the cucumber just gave off so much water that the dressing didn't get a chance to permeate the dish. It was ok, but not a repeat for us.

  • TrishaCP on July 03, 2021

    This was ok. I salted the cucumber in advance and that definitely helped. I didn’t like the use of a single chile here-I prefer chile oil for better disbursement of flavor.

  • clcorbi on April 15, 2017

    This was edible, but really not good enough to make it again. I don't really know why I thought I'd enjoy it more than the many excellent cucumber salads from Dunlop's books. The flavor was too mild, other than the slices of red chile, which were too assertive to me and felt sort of out of place.

  • Dannausc on September 14, 2020

    Quick and easy. Fine.

  • snoozermoose on December 06, 2021

    I've made a lot of smashed cucumber recipes. This one was pretty good. The ginger was an unexpected addition but I liked it more than I was expecting.

  • Happykikkers on September 23, 2024

    This was nice but not fantastic. I forgot to follow the note here to salt first and let sit. This would have probably made the marinade less bland. Sprinkled with tons of salt when serving to make up for it. Did use chili oil instead of fresh chili and it gave a nice heat to the dish.

  • meduff on February 02, 2019

    I had to make this 3 times. I had the same problems as others have had. For anyone wanting to make this dish I have a couple of suggestions that I think might help - especially with the dressing getting so diluted. 1) Smash the cucumber in a ziplock bag - otherwise you may be finding cucumber slime and seeds all over your kitchen. 2) Salt the already smashed cucumbers with about 1 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt. Let them drain for 30 minutes. Cucumbers contain about 98% water. This will help to keep the dressing from being so diluted. I pulled 8 tablespoons of water out of mine. 3) Buy the Chinese Black Vinegar - it makes a huge difference - all for the better. You can find it on Amazon - I bought Soeos Chinkiang Vinegar, Chinese Black Vinegar, Zhenjiang Vinegar. This is a good quality one that I will use often. 4) I could not find any fresh red chilies so I used something called Sambal Oelek Fresh Chili Paste in the Asian section of my local market.

  • hbakke on September 15, 2019

    Ty liked this more than I did. Not as flavorful as I had hoped. The sauce became very watery after adding the cucumber. The cucumber smashing made an enormous mess in the kitchen. As usual, I replaced the red chiles with jalapeno since nowhere sells red chiles around here.

  • teandoranges on March 10, 2026

    I have made this a couple of times, both times with English cucumbers. I prefer slicing the cucumbers to smashing, smashing yields no benifit and is just more mess as far as I can tell. The second time I doubled the sauce, it need it. Used about half a jalepeno, may try chili oil next time. Added sesame seeds as well.

  • bernalgirl on August 31, 2025

    This is the most straightforward of the four smashed cucumber recipes in my cookbook collection. It benefits from lightly salting the smashed cucumber while making the dressing, and adding some gochugaru if you like it spicy, as well as crushed Szechuan peppercorns for that numbing effect. Let it sit while making the rest of the dinner for best results.

• Rye and cheddar biscuits

  • Lepa on September 16, 2017

    These were delicious. We ate them slathered with butter with potato leek soup and they transformed a simple meal into an extraordinary one.

  • skvalentine on July 28, 2025

    So good! Would absolutely make these again.

  • westminstr on March 25, 2026

    I’d wanted to make these for a long time. I was cranky while making them because they took longer than expected. Also the batter seemed dry but I didn’t want to add extra liquid (I used Greek yogurt). In retrospect I should have added a touch more yogurt or a tbsp of water. They actually turned out pretty good in the end, so much so that I would make again. Next time blend the butter & flour a bit more.

  • kmcooking on January 01, 2026

    These were great! I did not have fine sea salt so I used 1.5 tsp of diamond crystal, I will probably increase to 2 tsp DC next time. I used about 5oz of extra sharp cheddar (ended up being slightly over 1 cup) but came out with a nice cheesy crust. I had mine too spaced out and they kind of splatted, so make sure they are close together. Will definitely make again!

  • ldyndiuk on May 28, 2022

    I love making this biscuits to go with the Caramelized Broccoli Soup. They’re just the perfect accompaniment, and always come out well.

  • klrclark on February 23, 2021

    These were soo good! The nutty taste and cheddar was good. They were better than the soup. The star of the meal.

• Coconut rice

  • Lepa on June 06, 2017

    This is easy and the result is very rich and satisfying. We ate it with tofu with garlicky peanut sauce (from Clark's In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite) and gingery stir-fried broccoli. The rice was fabulous with the peanut sauce.

  • raybun on June 09, 2017

    This was very good! The coconut flavour really comes through. It went very well with the ginger & pork meatballs from the same book.

  • chawkins on May 08, 2022

    Great coconut flavored rice. Since I only made half a recipe, there was more than enough coconut milk in my 8.5 oz carton that I did not have to add water.

  • TrishaCP on September 30, 2018

    Great coconut flavor.

  • sosayi on December 18, 2017

    Worked great with brown rice. Served with the Vietnamese Caramel Salmon.

  • SpatulaCity on October 25, 2024

    Great tasting coconut rice!

  • averythingcooks on January 25, 2018

    Such a simple idea with such good results !

  • shep0012 on March 24, 2026

    I followed the directions exactly and got a gloopy, undercooked mess. In retrospect, the ratio between rice and coconut milk seems way off—too much liquid for that amount of rice.

• Quick-roasted broccoli

  • TrishaCP on October 23, 2021

    I made this for my husband with the cumin (but not the mustard seeds) and he really liked it.

  • twoyolks on April 28, 2020

    Simple but great roasted broccoli.

  • william_twih48 on May 25, 2026

    I feel strange rating roasted broccoli but this was really good! The cumin add is a game changer for roasting my broccoli in the future.

  • sosayi on February 06, 2018

    I feel strange reviewing this... as I sort of feel roasting broccoli doesn’t require a recipe, but I did like Melissa Coark’s suggestion to add the optional whole spices (cumin seed and mustard seed) partway through cooking. So... yes. As delicious as roasted broccoli always is.

  • snoozermoose on February 18, 2022

    Pretty standard roasted broccoli. A nice reliable back-pocket recipe.

  • eileentien on November 04, 2022

    Love the simple roasted broccoli!

• Quick-roasted cauliflower

  • ksg518 on April 16, 2023

    Good basic recipe. It calls for adding cumin seed and/or mustard seed partway through the roasting as an option. I added both and liked the combination.

  • westminstr on November 27, 2017

    The cauliflower turned out perfect with this high heat roasting technique. I used romanesco and it was tender and browned.

  • Happykikkers on December 27, 2024

    Used as a base for a different recipe. Solid!

• Skillet brown-butter cornbread

  • TrishaCP on February 08, 2021

    This is light and custardy the first day of baking-and greasy and heavy tasting as leftovers. Not a repeat for me.

  • chawkins on February 02, 2020

    Very buttery with a lighter and fluffier texture than Goin's brown butter cornbread. I made half of the recipe in a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Also like the addition of fresh corn in the batter.

  • e_ballad on June 01, 2020

    Absolutely delicious & so easy to prepare. Our new go-to recipe.

  • Lepa on September 07, 2017

    This cornbread was custardy and luscious- one of the best I've had!

  • rhughes24 on December 29, 2021

    So good - sweet, buttery, corn-forward. This is my go-to recipe.

  • jhallen on January 28, 2022

    This was amazing (and I don't even like cornbread that much). Glad to have tried it.

  • DFarnham on March 11, 2021

    Easy and delicious! No corn, so subbed finely diced jalapeno. New go-to recipe.

  • Bessp on April 26, 2026

    This was very tasty. It was only very mildly sweet, next time I'd add more honey, but it had a fluffy texture and the brown butter was a nice touch.

  • wyndle on December 31, 2025

    My favorite cornbread recipe. I don’t have a 12 in skillet, so I halve the recipe for a 10 in or use two skillets for the whole recipe. Freezes well too!

• Garlicky yogurt

  • bernalgirl on October 25, 2023

    More than the sum of its parts, excellent wherever a little something is needed

• Scrambled eggs with roasted green chiles and cheddar

  • averythingcooks on December 05, 2025

    We both liked this flavourful scramble. I used a mix of roasted Anaheims & jalapenos from the freezer and started the pan with diced red onion & Fresnos along with the garlic. A good aged cheddar went in and we ate these eggs beside hash browns, breakfast sausages & big spoonful of chile sauce.

• Pasta carbonara torte with tomatoes and sage

  • pattyatbryce on June 09, 2024

    Very easy to put together with a big win at the table. Agreed on others to add some extra tomato and a little extra sage. Filling and delish. Serve with a salad or green veg.

  • Jviney on September 05, 2019

    Excellent, easy dinner. I almost cried at the kitchen table when, for the first time ever, my five- and three-year-old boys said this was the best dinner I have made. Might up the sage next time as I could not taste it...and I would add a few more peak season cherry tomatoes...but then the kids probably wouldn’t like it anymore. Anyway. Otherwise, I wouldn’t change a thing.

  • Babycarrot on April 27, 2023

    This was delicious albeit very rich between the three types of cheese and the pancetta. Echo the comment about adding additional cherry tomatoes. Mine came out more like a carbonara pie instead of a tarte as I baked mine in a springform pan as I didn't have a big enough oven-proof skillet. There was some leakage, but I put parchment paper underneath, so it was fine. I did drain off some of the fat from the pancetta before tossing in the spaghetti and cheeses. Would make this again but likely on a weekend as it took a couple pots/pans, some grease cleanup from the pancetta, plus the boil and bake time (40 min).

• Tofu spaetzle with Gruyère gratin

  • lindseyshannon34 on January 08, 2025

    My family didn’t love the texture.

• Thai-style shredded tofu with Brussels sprouts

  • jenburkholder on January 04, 2023

    One of us thought good, the other said very good. Love the shredded technique for tofu contrasting the soft tofu with more-textured sprouts.

  • Cathy.s on May 21, 2024

    One of my favourite tofu recipes

• Shredded tofu with spicy ground chicken and edamame

  • sdeathe on April 01, 2021

    This is just delicious. Easy and quick to make, just a bit of chopping. I thought the toasted sesame oil would be overpowering at 1/4 cup, but not so. My husband and I ate almost the entire dish, although it is meant for four. I think you could successfully substitute shrimp for the chicken or other meats.

  • rhb on November 12, 2023

    Very nice and very easy! Used bock choy instead of edamame and increased chicken to 8 oz. The shredded tofu is such a great idea and I'm going to use it in other recipes to substitute for meat.

  • anya_sf on April 02, 2021

    https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2019/06/20/shredded-tofu-with-spicy-ground-chicken-and-edamame

  • anya_sf on April 04, 2021

    Quick, easy, and delicious. Not too spicy for my son. I used 8 oz ground turkey and 3 of us still nearly finished it all, and we had a side of broccoli for extra veg. Next time I might just add more cooked vegetables to this dish. My family usually complains about tofu, but not this time.

  • sarahkalsbeek on April 11, 2026

    Easy and delicious! My 10-year-old son loved this. We used frozen peas instead of edamame, and 8oz of chicken instead of 4oz. I also left out the garlic and increased the ginger by a bit. We left out the sriracha (for kiddo) but my husband and I added chili crisp to our plates at the end. We like to top dishes like this with fresh shredded carrot for an extra boost of veggie for the kiddo, and I mixed the carrot with parsley (since kiddo also isn't a fan of cilantro). Served with rice, avocado, and sliced cucumber. I cooked a full pound of ground chicken and just took out half before adding the tofu - will be using that for fried rice with the leftover rice tomorrow!

  • Afiesler on May 16, 2026

    This was a tasty, weeknight dinner. We served with jasmine rice and chile crunch.

  • MariaSwe on May 03, 2026

    I made the vegetarian version with mushrooms and thought it was a bit bland. Also realised I don't like shredded tofu just added to the dish. If I make this again I will fry the tofu first to add a bit of structure and flavour.

• Braised pinto beans with bacon and winter vegetables

  • excurvatus on July 26, 2019

    I could eat this if I had to, but it was so unappealing, I'd pass.

  • meghan_wxa4di on March 28, 2026

    Make this all the time. Simple, delicious, comforting. We use heirloom beans. A staple in my family.

• Roasted eggplant and corn with ricotta and mint

  • innerharbors on October 28, 2025

    This was fine, really more of a side dish. This may work better with grilled eggplant as it was hard to get mine to brown well. Wouldn't necessarily repeat this but it was a fine for a change of pace.

• Zucchini-cornmeal cakes with mint chutney and yogurt

  • mgmcewen on June 28, 2017

    These are excellent but I've used simpler zucchini cornmeal cake recipes that didn't need as much prep or as many ingredients that were just as good.

• Ratatouille with crunchy, meaty crumbs

  • Lsblackburn1 on August 18, 2019

    Great way to use the summer garden’s veggies and herbs! Served over white rice.

  • bwhip on September 02, 2018

    We enjoyed this dish very much. The ratatouille is delicious on its own, but the crispy lamb crumbs really take it to another level. Clever and delicious. Pretty easy to prepare, and uses just one (big) pan.

• How to cook farro for 4

  • eliza on January 01, 2026

    I sautéed the farro first as in Six Seasons, and my farro (Flourist) took 30 min to cook properly. I then gave it a 15 min soak in the pot, then drained. I think different sources of farro would cook up differently.

  • halfchefc on May 28, 2026

    Note to self: add more water.. I cut the recipe in half and it took the full 20 min.

• Asparagus polenta with burrata

  • jess_sv0kou on November 22, 2025

    This was okay. As a southerner, I kept wishing it was grits while eating. Maybe I’ll try it that way next.

  • redbird on May 30, 2026

    My husband was more enthusiastic about this dish than I was. It was fine but the flavor combination didn't really work for me.

  • amandacooks on April 05, 2017

    This hands-off method of making polenta worked really well for me. Seems like every time I've made polenta before, I've had to stand there stirring the whole time. I guess I thought it would get lumpy if I just left it to cook. I used about 2/3 broth and 1/3 water, and it was plenty rich even though I forgot to add the butter at the end. The asparagus turned out great...I liked that the author gave a broad range for the cooking time so I knew when to start checking it. And you can't go wrong with burrata. The whole combination worked really well together.

• Butternut squash polenta with ricotta and fried sage

  • pattyatbryce on March 25, 2025

    It's a nice dish. I probably prefer as a a side. It's good, but a bit more flavor would make it great.

  • pattyatbryce on March 25, 2025

    Be careful! Ratio of water/broth to polenta will vary based on coarseness of polenta. Mine was very wet as written. Overall nice flavor, but not super special.

  • meduff on February 14, 2019

    This is the second dish, that I have made, where the butternut squash is the star of the show and this dish is just OK. I am disappointed. I think my execution of this recipe was accurate. The dish is creamy, the squash is flavor forward and the polenta comes in second. The squash is shredded and that really helps to incorporate it with the polenta. I just thought this dish was fine - nothing great. It was easy to make and did take me about 40 minutes minus the prep. I did change the garnishes to pancetta, brussel sprouts, and parmigiano-reggiano. I am tired of the fried sage leaves as a garnish, I had done that in at least two other dishes. I think the garnishes I did pick were more interesting and secretly I had hoped my family could get passed the squash part if it had enough pancetta on top.

• Middle Eastern farro-lentil balls with tahini

  • clcorbi on March 19, 2018

    Yum! We really liked these--they feel like very substantial despite being vegetarian. I didn't love the tahini sauce, and might prefer a garlicky yogurt sauce next time. I also found the cinnamon to be a tad much in comparison to the other spices. Otherwise, delicious.

• Sausage polenta with red cabbage and caraway

  • sosayi on October 11, 2019

    Perfect for a blustery fall evening. Changes: I added some extra caraway, used broth instead of water in the polenta (which MC says is an alternative), cut my cabbage into eighths instead of sixths, and eyeballed the apple cider vinegar at the end. The cabbage was beautifully caramelized, the vinegar added a great tang, the polenta was very creamy, and the sausage flavor (we used polish sausages from our local butcher) permeated throughout. Lovely.

• Basic pizza dough

  • averythingcooks on September 09, 2022

    I cut this in 1/2 for one 12 inch pizza and I tested my yeast 1st in some warm water but I still struggled with this long "fridge rise" dough. After approximately 30 hours in the fridge, it hadn't risen that much, it came out very sticky and it was really difficult to pull/stretch/roll into a 12" inch circle. T did say that it tasted okay but I have had great success with lots of "same day" pizza doughs and I won't make this one again.

• Spiced lamb pie with dill, mint, and olives

  • halfchefc on February 23, 2026

    This was a fun Sunday project! It definitely needs a sauce, I used tzatziki, but the meat was flavorful and tasted so good with the pastry. I served it with the suggested cucumber side and a squeeze of lemon all over.

• Greens and feta phyllo pie

  • lou_weez on November 01, 2018

    We enjoyed this simple tasting pie with a salad. It's not anything overly amazing but ticks the meatless Monday box.

• Creamy caramelized broccoli soup with lemon zest and chile

  • Tweedles81 on January 01, 2026

    Yum! My family and I enjoyed this healthy, comforting soup. I did use frozen homemade turkey stock instead of water, so I might try it with water when I don’t have stock on hand. I served the soup with Trader Joe’s cheddar and jalapeño biscuits - yum! Including prep, this recipe took me 80 minutes, so it’s more of a weekend indulgence vs. a weeknight dinner.

  • Jviney on March 11, 2019

    I didn’t love this right away...the consistency was more puréed than I expected but somehow not as smooth as I wanted. At any rate, it was really good the next day and I crumbled leftover rye and cheddar biscuits over the top. Super.

  • clcorbi on October 03, 2017

    This was good--not great, but good. I didn't find that the soup tasted particularly caramelized, although pan-searing the broccoli was definitely a fast way to soften it. I was hesitant to add as much salt as MC calls for--over 2t seemed like quite a bit, but I think it actually is necessary to give this enough flavor. Next time I'd just follow the salting instructions as written. Even so, this is the kind of soup that really needs the lemon juice/parm garnish to make it shine. Maybe a bit too bare-bones for me.

  • mfranklin125 on October 19, 2017

    This soup was light and yummy. I added beef boullion and lemon and lime and Parmesan. Was nice. Needs bread :)

  • Churchim808 on July 13, 2024

    I made this and found it very flavorful. I did make sure my broccoli was very browned on two sides and the flavor really comes through. I all also used a can of white beans instead of potatoes. I just didn't have any potatoes on hand but the white beans worked great and add a lot more fiber.

  • Lnbrittain on November 03, 2024

    I thought this was delicious just as written.

  • snoozermoose on December 06, 2021

    For how much extra work this ended up being, it was just okay. We won't make it again.

  • ldyndiuk on May 28, 2022

    Another of my favorites from this book. I like to make the Cheddar and Rye Biscuits to go with it for a delicious and satisfying meal!

• Rustic shrimp bisque with fennel

  • meduff on January 18, 2019

    This soup is incredibly good, but Melissa Clark how do you ever get this done in an hour? I've made it twice and both times it took more than two. In addition the photo does not quite match the instructions if garnishes matter at all to you. In the instructions Melissa says to peel and devein all the shrimp. After they are cooked the instructions say to save some of the pretty shrimp for the garnish. Mine are not pretty now - they are peeled and deveined - no tails on. Yet when you study the photo she has clearly left some of the tails on the shrimp for the photo. I find this frustrating and not the first time the photo didn't match the instructions completely. Still an exceptionally good soup with many layers of flavors. It would be very very good with apiece of crusty bread slathered in butter with a little garlic. Yum.

• Watermelon gazpacho with avocado

  • SpatulaCity on August 08, 2024

    Tasty! Played around with the quantities of fruit and veggies and added small dice cucumber to the garnish. A leafy herb would be lovely here.

• Summer vegetable salad with tapenade and new potatoes

  • snoozermoose on August 28, 2022

    A nice take on a nicoise salad. We felt like the potatoes and cucumber were unnecessary and will leave them out next time, but the tapenade was lovely with the corn and tomatoes.

• Roasted acorn squash and broccoli rabe salad with ricotta salata

  • Hansyhobs on February 16, 2022

    Looked a bit gross and mushy once it had all been mixed but it tasted nice.

• The controversial pea guacamole

  • mpo on January 02, 2026

    Not sure if really necessary to broil the jalapeño but overall very good. Don’t skip the lime, or sub with lemon which I usually do!

• Mediterranean tuna and olive spread

  • lean1 on January 29, 2025

    Made with Italian canned tuna. Would be better to use the blender I tried it with my Cuisinart. not as smooth but very tasty.

• Green tahini dip

  • Jviney on January 01, 2020

    This dip is very good - nutty, herby, lemony. I loved Clark’s method of blanching the spinach by pouring a kettle of boiling water over it and through a colander. Next time I’ll double it.

• White bean dip with charred scallions

  • puddlemere on July 18, 2018

    I left out the dill and put this on crostini with slices of pickled egg, and it was quite good, although the raw garlic flavor was a bit much. I would use just one small clove if I make it again. The charred scallions really make this dip.

• Spicy coconut cashew dip

  • Dannausc on February 09, 2025

    Super quick and easy. Delicious and addictive! Definitely worth a repeat.

• Simplest green salad

  • Stephenn31 on April 24, 2026

    Easy basic salad dressing. I salted the avocado first which was a revelation of taste

  • excurvatus on July 26, 2019

    This has become my salad jumping off point. I vary the acid/fat depending on the style of food it's accompanying.