Recipes with salt and black pepper

Pasta with beans, the Italian-American take on pasta e fagioli, with elbow macaroni tossed into a brothy tomato base loaded with cannellini beans, garlic, and Parmesan. Rustic one-pot comfort food.

The minty and toasted almond sauce is a hit, roasted chicken goes very well with this citrus, garlicky and nutty sauce.

Broiled lobster stuffed with a creamy crabmeat filling in a butter-roux sauce with Worcestershire and pimentos. A classic New England surf-and-surf showpiece.

This delicious white pizza is topping with caramelized onion, leafy greens and the mixture of the ricotta and parmesan cheese.

Pancetta stuffed flounder baked with a crispy pancetta and bread stuffing, served over buttered new potatoes with hollandaise. An elegant dinner party fish dish ready in about an hour.

Quick sautéed mushrooms and kale cooked under a smothering lid with garlic, butter, and sherry. This easy vegetarian side dish is ready in just 15 minutes.

Potato soup with kale, bacon, and cream, finished with balsamic vinegar. Chunky mashed potatoes, crispy bacon cooked in its own fat, kale braised in cream, and a vinegar hit to balance the richness.

Chicken thighs marinated overnight in honey, sesame seeds, lime, and warm spices like cinnamon, cumin, and ginger. Grilled or broiled until sticky and caramelized with a gentle kick of cayenne.

A herb-loaded Greek vegetable casserole from Mystras with eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, okra, and fresh dill and parsley, topped with toasted breadcrumbs. Vegetarian comfort food, served warm or cold.

No-cook rigatoni pasta tossed with raw tomatoes, sliced bell peppers, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan. A fresh vegetarian summer pasta ready in 30 minutes.

High-fiber bread quiche uses stale multigrain bread as the crust, filled with low-fat cottage cheese, eggs, and evaporated skim milk. A lighter take on classic quiche with no pastry dough required.

Fluffy couscous pilaf with toasted coriander seeds, red bell pepper, cayenne, and cinnamon, finished with fresh mint. Served with a blended saffron cream of Neufchatel cheese and yogurt.

Tender and juicy grilled flank steak is great to make a sandwich, especially when you have leftovers. Herbed goat cheese and caramelized onions sure will add tons of yummy flavors into every bite.

Pasta with garlicky broccoli and cherry tomatoes in a silky olive oil sauce with a whisper of cayenne heat. A vegetarian weeknight dinner, finished with asiago and starchy pasta water that pulls everything together.

Refined split pea soup with fresh sorrel, ham hock, lemon, and cream, puréed silky smooth and strained. Serve it piping hot in winter or well chilled as an elegant summer starter.

Dump chicken breasts, cream of mushroom soup, white wine, and sliced mushrooms into a slow cooker and let it do all the work. Fork-tender chicken in a savory mushroom gravy, hands-free.