10,000 main dish recipes

Maine fish chowder simmers fresh haddock, potatoes, and onions in salt-pork-rendered fat and milk for a creamy, old-school New England chowder. No flour, no thickener, just pure fish flavor.

Kahlua chili: ground beef chili spiked with coffee liqueur, served Cincinnati-style over spaghetti with cheddar and onion. The coffee-and-cocoa background note that makes it work.

Authentic General Tso's chicken with dark meat deep-fried in cornstarch batter, tossed in a sweet-sour-spicy sauce with dried chili peppers. Restaurant-quality Chinese takeout at home.

Poached orange roughy topped with a spiced tomato-orange marmalade sauce with brandy, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne. A light, elegant fish dish with sweet-heat complexity.

Five beans and sausage casserole loads pork-and-beans, wax, lima, green, and chili beans into a tomato-mustard sauce with cooked sausage. A potluck legend that feeds a crowd.

Onion and Swiss cheese quiche in a flaky homemade soda water crust with a rich egg and cream custard seasoned with nutmeg. Made entirely from scratch.

Stuffed pork chops filled with chopped apples, cheddar cheese, toasted pecans, and Italian bread crumbs with apple pie spice, baked in orange juice until golden and juicy.

Easy shrimp etouffee with the holy trinity slow-cooked for two hours in margarine, then simmered with Rotel tomatoes, cream of mushroom soup, and two pounds of shrimp.

Singapore chilli crab: cracked blue swimmer crabs simmered in a sweet-tangy tamarind, ginger and bird's eye chili sauce. Hawker stall classic, messy, hands-on, completely worth the cleanup.

Slow cooker pork chops layered with onion, red bell pepper, and ketchup for a tangy, fall-apart tender crockpot dinner. Just 5 ingredients and minimal prep.

Peasant style fish pan-sears halibut fillets with lentils, green olives, tomato, shallot, and a quick balsamic pan sauce. Rustic French-inspired one-skillet dinner ready in 30 minutes.

Layered beef and noodle casserole with a triple-cream filling of cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream. Topped with Parmesan and baked until bubbly. Pure weeknight comfort food.

Tender beef cubes simmered low and slow in a tangy tomato sauce spiked with dry mustard and Worcestershire. This hearty, hands-off comfort food serves 4 over rice or egg noodles for a satisfying weeknight meal.

Pita bread calzone stuffed with ham, Jarlsberg cheese, sauteed peppers, and mushrooms. A quick, single-serving lunch baked in foil until golden.

Pork chitterlings: soul food classic of pork intestines simmered with vinegar, onions, and hot peppers until fork tender, then served hot or battered and fried. A Southern holiday tradition.

Sri Lankan curried leeks simmer in two rounds of coconut milk with turmeric, green chilies, and curry leaves. A creamy, mild vegetarian curry that comes together in 40 minutes.