Main Dish recipe collection

Creamy macaroni with ham and asparagus comes together in about 30 minutes, tossing tender pasta with sauteed onion, diced ham, and crisp asparagus in a quick cream-and-cheese sauce. Easy springtime comfort.

Mom's oven bag brisket marinated overnight in soy sauce, white vinegar, ketchup, and a heavy coat of coarse black pepper. Low and slow in a cooking bag for fork-tender results.

Chicken with peppers and onions, boneless thighs seared golden and folded into sweet bell peppers cooked down slow with a splash of red wine vinegar and a pinch of sugar. A one-skillet weeknight classic.

Mom's chili with ground beef, kidney beans, tomato paste, and a touch of ketchup simmered low and slow. A no-frills homestyle chili that gets better the longer it cooks.

A thin-crust homemade pizza baked on hot tiles for a crisp base, with garlic oil, tomato sauce, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and cottage cheese in place of mozzarella. A lighter, vegetable-loaded family-night pie.

Mom's German meatballs: hearty egg-sized meatballs seasoned with celery seed, mustard seed, and garlic water, rolled in flour and pan-browned. Old-world German-American home cooking.

Low-fat turkey stroganoff with ground turkey breast, mushrooms, paprika, and dill in a skim milk sauce. The classic Russian-style comfort dish, lightened up.

Mom's baked macaroni and cheese with cheddar, eggs, milk, butter, and bread crumb topping. A custard-style mac and cheese that bakes up creamy with a golden crust.

Mom's meat loaf made with ground beef and pork, seasoned with oregano, basil, Worcestershire, and ketchup. A classic homestyle loaf that's juicy and full of flavor.

Mom's slow cook chili made with ground beef chuck, tomato sauce, chili beans, and paprika. Works in a crockpot for 8 hours or a pressure cooker in under 30 minutes.

Or How to feed boys with hollow legs in 15 minutes, even if you forgot to thaw out the ground beef.

Variation: Peas, hard-cooked eggs, artichoke hearts, olives, pimientos or many other foods may be used in place of the mushrooms. Swiss, Muenster, Monterey Jack, Tilsit. Mozzarella or any other cheese may be substituted for the Cheddar cheese.

Momma's sloppy joes the old-fashioned way: ground beef simmered with a can of chicken gumbo soup and tomato paste into a thick, savory filling for buns. Three ingredients, one pan, and a crowd-pleasing weeknight dinner.

Mongolian beef with crispy deep-fried sirloin tossed in a spicy dark soy and chili garlic sauce with ginger and green onions. Authentic wok technique with water chestnut flour coating.

Vegetarian bean and corn casserole topped with sliced zucchini and a cornmeal custard, loaded with Monterey Jack cheese and green chilies. One-dish Southwestern comfort.

Moo grataem, a Thai garlic pork stir-fry with fish sauce, sweet dark soy sauce, and fresh cilantro. Thin-sliced pork tenderloin over rice in 30 minutes flat.