Simple Cooking

This easy taco dinner has lots of quick tricks: like cooking the pineapple and shrimp on one sheet pan, and then tossing the filling with the same dressing you used to quick-pickle the onions.

Dal tends to firm as it sits, so make sure to add a splash or so of water if you’re reheating it.

Make a double or triple batch of the dashi and freeze in airtight containers to keep for making savory soups on the fly.

Cooking lemon slices just to this side of burnt adds a layer of complex flavor to this comforting dish.

Stirring an egg yolk into each steaming bowl just before eating adds richness and body to this subtly spicy soup.

Skip that dusty bottle of chili powder. Instead, soak and purée whole dried chiles to stir into this authentic Texas beef stew.

Savory fruit toast is the new avocado toast. Other combinations we’re crushing on: lemony yogurt with cucumbers, almond butter and pears.

Eggs on toast goes veggie-centric with quick-pickled veg and marinated feta. Everything except the croutons can be made ahead, and any weekday can start off this colorful.

Salting the citrus draws out some of the juice, which becomes part of the vinaigrette.

Use a hot sauce that isn’t just heat and vinegar but has a personality of its own. We like Frank’s.

Don’t expect something sweet and muffiny here. This rustic cornbread is sturdy and dry and meant to be dunked.

The texture of shrimp cooked in the Instant Pot is such a pleasant surprise: You’d think the shrimp might be tough or mushy, but it’s firm, tender, and briny.

This hearty Alsatian classic is perfect for the Instant Pot. The meat is fork-tender, and its fat virtually melts away, adding richness to the sauerkraut and cabbage.

The ingredients of this classic Portuguese soup (namely chorizo, kale, and potatoes) meld beautifully under pressure, so you only need water—no stock—to get a savory, rich broth.

This simple, flavorful tomato sauce is a weeknight savior. Make a big batch and stash it in the freezer. Add to pastas, braises, soups, and stews in the weeks to come.

Salty, rich pancetta balances bitter broccoli rabe in this savory, chile flake–spiked bread pudding.

Jarred marinated artichoke hearts get super-crispy and delicious when roasted, making them the secret star of this simple sheet-pan dinner.

This showstopper is a kaleidoscope of colors, a treasure chest of nutrients . . . yet not a berry to be seen. Winter fruit has its merits: Kiwi is an excellent source of vitamins C and K (the latter is needed for blood clotting), not to mention digestion-enhancing fiber. Reddish-orange persimmons contain twice the dietary fiber of apples, plus more potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, and antioxidants. Cantaloupe and honeydew both provide potassium and are super hydrating—helpful for the winter months when you might be stuck indoors amid dry, re-circulated air. Dressed in a tropical coconut kefir-and-mint vinaigrette, it's a pleasure for all of the senses.

Meet my version of an energy bar. About 30 minutes before a workout, I’ll grab one of these scones, plus some coffee and a gulp of kefir; the whole wheat flour gives me the sustained energy I need to make it through a five-mile run or an hour-long SoulCycle class . . . or just a normal, hectic day.

Gingersnaps add a hint of spice to this cream cheese–enriched make-ahead summer classic.