It's-Finally-Spring Pasta and More Recipes BA Staff Cooked This Week (2024)

It’s no secret that BA editors cook a lot for work. So it should come as no surprise that we cook a lot during our off-hours too. Here are the recipes we’re whipping up this month to get dinner on the table, entertain our friends, satisfy a sweet tooth, use up leftovers, and everything in between. For even more staff favorites, click here.

March 31

Crisp, citrusy radicchio salad

I just got back from an appropriately carb- and butter-packed vacation to Paris, and I knew I wanted to eat a huge heap of vegetables upon my return. I picked thisRadicchio, Bean, and Feta Salad from our gallery ofspoon salads because it turns out I do hate eating salads at home that require a fork. In addition to the ingredients in the title, the recipe from associate food editor Kendra Vaculin features tons of thinly sliced brussels sprouts. I threw in extra garlic and red pepper flakes in the oil in the bean marinade, and in return I got a bright citrus-packed salad that had a buzz of heat with every few bites. I’m pleased to be eating it from my fridge all week.—Serena Dai, editorial director

Roast chicken with schmaltzy cabbage

For some reason I can’t quite explain (but that might be gas), whenever my husband goes out of town, I make thisRoast Chicken With Schmaltzy Cabbage and eat at least half right away. It’s a foolproof cast-iron-skillet dinner that relies on three of my favorite ingredients: a whole chicken cooked on top of cabbage with lots of butter. The chicken skin comes out salty and crispy, and the thick slices of cabbage are either delightfully charred or almost silky from cooking in a glorious combination of chicken fat and butter.—Emily Farris, senior commerce writer at Epicurious

Weeknight one-pot pasta

Sometimes you make a new recipe after plenty of prep and shopping. Sometimes, as in the case of this Claire Saffittz pasta, you make a new recipe after scrounging around in the back corners of your fridge and pantry. I had a whole pack of TJ’s fresh peas that were about to sprout in my fridge, some pasta shells that were taking up space in the pantry, a Costco tub of shaved Parmesan, and a mildly desiccated lemon. I added ricotta on the brink of expiration and tossed in some chopped chicken sausages for an easy weeknight dinner that came together in literally 15 minutes. —Urmila Ramakrishnan, associate director of social media

Soy-braised tofu

This was my second time making Kay Chun’sTofu and Mushroom Jorim in a matter of weeks. Both nights, the craving struck when there were no fresh shiitakes in sight—but that’s fine, because there are always dried ones in the pantry. (I rehydrated them, then used that broth instead of water in the sauce.) As you can guess from the shortness of the recipe, it’s highly doable, even when the only thing that sounds doable is ordering takeout. I love it with rice and kimchi, plus pickled daikon if I’m lucky.—Emma Laperruque, senior cooking editor

Tender, pillowy sponge cake

A few months ago food editor Shilpa Uskokovic was testing herany-occasion cake recipes, and I always found an excuse to be in the test kitchen on Victoria sponge days. The secret? Salt in the whipped cream and jam—just enough that it makes you go back for bite after bite. I decided to bake my own for a dinner party, but midway through I sent Shilpa a message of despair: I somehow had markedly less batter, by weight than the recipe dictated. (Shilpa, I swearI used a scale.) I needn’t have worried. Although my cake layers came out on the thin side, they were in every other respect just like the ones I had sampled in the test kitchen, and no one was mad at a generous filling-to-cake ratio. —MacKenzie Chung Fegan, senior commerce editor

March 24

Nutty, savory seared fish

If you want a dish that tastes like something you’dget at an acclaimed restaurant, yet takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, you can’t go wrong with Shilpa Uskokovic’sBlack Bass With Preserved Lemon and Pistachio Sauce. A nutty brown butter made even more nutty with the addition of pistachios, andbright, funky preserved lemon tops a fillet of white fish.If someone in your household is fish-averse, this sauce complements vegetables (they were delicious with the green beans I served alongside the fish) and chicken as well.—Dawn Davis, editor in chief

Baked feta and greens

I love a dinner that revolves around feta.This Smitten Kitchen recipe (based off a TikTok recipe by Finnish food blogger Jenni Häyrinen) is a regular in my house, but this week we switched it up with a different feta-centric meal:baked feta and greens from Epicurious. Amazingly, the feta isn’t even the best part (though it’s warm and soft and very, very good). It’s the crispy, curry-flecked chickpeas, which are worth making on their own for salads or grain bowls or honestly to just eat by themselves. I didn’t bother with the lemony yogurt (love to skip a step wherever possible), and though I’m sure it’s great, I certainly didn’t miss it.—Meryl Rothstein, deputy editor

Jiggly, custardy Dutch baby

By the end of March my tolerance for squash and root vegetables is paper-thin. For weeks now there’s been an acorn squash glaring at me from a dark recess of the kitchen. I was sick of it. Then I remembered associate food editorKendra Vaculin’s cheesy Dutch baby and how every time she made it in the test kitchen, it was immediately ravaged. Roasted acorn squash? Ugh. Roasted acorn squash snuggled inside a custardy blanket? Yes. I skipped the green sauce in the original, blending the herbs directly into the batter instead and used Pecorino instead of parm because that’s all I had. It took less than 10 minutes to make and rose like a hot air balloon in the oven. Cleanup was minimal. A slice was as thick and jiggly as a baby’s thigh. I shingled the roasted squash on top and hit it with some chili crisp. It was the best send-off to squash season. —Shilpa Uskokovic, food editor

Aromatic, spicy chicken curry

In thearticle that accompanies this Burmese chicken curry, Genevieve Ko makes a compelling case for following recipes to at T: If you rely on your own culinary instincts instead of following the instructions as written, your food will be to your liking but it won’t surprise you with new flavor profiles, textures, and techniques. I hear you, Genevieve, but I did not comply. Guided by comments that found the sauce too thin, I blended the onions and garlic with a knob of ginger and cooked the aromatics like a sofrito. I subbed in 1 cup chicken stock for the 1½ cups water, and I upped the cayenne. The resulting stew may not have been exactly as the recipe developers intended, but I can attest that it was richly spiced, and even better the next day. —MacKenzie Chung Fegan, senior commerce editor

Homey, comforting lentils

It was one of those nights when I really—really, really—didn’t want to cook. I didn’t want to chop. I didn’t want to sauté. Iespecially didn’t want to do dishes. These sweet, savory lentils from food editor Shilpa Uskokovic were my savior: even easier than ordering takeout, and as comforting as a cat waddling toward you as you walk in the door after a long day at work. I used green lentils instead of black, made a double batch, and reheated the leftovers all week.—Emma Laperruque, senior cooking editor

March 17

Creamsicle-esque tender muffins

I bought a bag of tangerines that ended up being too sour to eat out of hand. They still had great flavor though, so I chose to swap in their zest and juice for the titular fruit in Shaina Loew-Banayan’sorange muffin recipe. The muffins have a high ratio of sugar and butter, so I knew the flavor would balance out, and a bright but warm flavor similar to a Creamscicle thanks to the combination of citrus and vanilla. The sweet, tender bakes remind me somewhat of my favoriteyeasted orange rolls, which I often make aroundEaster. Truth be told, making the muffins is markedly easier.—Joe Sevier, SEO editor, cooking

Crispy, crackly cauliflower

If you’re trying to make vegetables more of the main character, this dish I found scrolling on TikTok is absolutely it. I made foodiehug’s version with a couple of tweaks: I added crispy chickpeas and swapped harissa for sweet paprika and kashmiri chili powder. In order to get the cauliflower and chickpeas nice and crispy, preheat your sheet trays. I started using thistrick for brussels sprouts, and now it’s my go-to anytime I want that crunchy exterior. The resulting dish is a mix of warming spice and cooling dairy because you’re combining a zhuzhed-up yogurt with the heat of a hot butter drizzle. It makes the humble cauliflower feel so, so luxurious.—Urmila Ramakrishnan, associate director of social media

Sweet, smoky braised chicken

This cozy, saucy dish was comfort incarnate on a recent blustery evening. If you keep chicken thighs in the freezer like I do, you probably already have everything you need to make it tonight. (The possible exception: If you can’t remember the last time you used your paprika, it’s worth a trip to the store to replace it. You’ll need three tablespoons of it, so use a jar that smells sweetly earthy, not like dank sawdust.) I plated the chicken over mashed potatoes instead of buttered noodles, and the leftover sauce went on top of scrambled eggs and toast. —MacKenzie Chung Fegan, senior commerce editor

Aromatic, herby moules frites

I order moules frites (a perfect dish) any time it’s on a restaurant menu, but I’d never cooked it myself until this Sunday, when I scored two pounds of mussels for $8 at Whole Foods. This recipe for steamed mussels takes a simple approach: Infuse a light beer broth with lots of aromatics, let the mussels bathe in it until their shells open, then garnish with fresh tarragon. I swapped the beer for Chardonnay, added thyme to the pot, and tripled the amount of garlic. Paired with crinkle-cut fries (I usedfrozen), half a baguette, and aioli for dipping, this 20-minute dinner made a regular Sunday night extraordinary. —Zoe Denenberg, associate cooking & SEO editor

Lemony, savory pantry pasta

I end up making some version of Pantry Pasta about once a week, and the base is always the same: this combo from Andy Baraghani that’s a saucy, glossy mix of lemon, grated parm, and plenty of good olive oil. From there, it’s always a riff. This week I introduced briny, savory back-of-fridge olives to the mix along with a tin of salty mackerel, and some baby spinach that I wilted into the pan last-minute. I piled the pasta into a giant bowl, cozied up, and tucked in while getting my heart ripped out catching up onThe Last of Us. An evening well-spent.—Antara Sinha, associate cooking editor

March 10

Pollo a la brasa–inspired rice

Herby, spicy, creamy, tangy—this winner fromour February issue was so good, my husband and I fought over the leftovers. (I won.) I usually buy baby bella mushrooms because they are one of the cheapest varieties, but in this case splurging for oysters was more than worth it.—Emma Laperruque, senior cooking editor

Spirit-free, cinnamony punch

I made this spirit-free punch for a baby shower and everyone raved. It was a great change of pace from the saccharine punches often served at these kind of events, and the mother-to-be loved having a co*cktail to sip alongside everyone else. It gets some warmth from a remarkably good cinnamon syrup and brightness from lemon and pomegranate juice, but the bulk of the punch is made with Ghia, anonalcoholic apertif we’veextolled the virtues of before. Finished with dealcoholized sparkling wine, the punch is lightly effervescent and totally refreshing.—Joe Sevier, cooking & SEO editor

Carrot cake for a crowd

When our neighbors invited us over for sushi last weekend, I knew I didn’t want to show up empty-handed. I also didn’t want to spend the whole day in the kitchen. This cake was perfect. It hit all the notes of a great carrot cake: You don’t have to peel any carrots, the cake is super moist thanks to Shilpa’s genius temp-checking technique (so long, toothpick method), and there are so many textures from the crystalized ginger, dried pineapple, and roasted pecans. I am cream cheese frosting’s least favorite fan, but this cream cheese whip is something I’d eat by the spoonful.—Urmila Ramakrishnan, associate director of social media

Filipino eggplant omelet

Despite the temperatures frequently dipping below freezing, I had an eggplant craving I couldn’t deny. A simple recipe for tortang talong fromI Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cookscratched the itch. With a hill of white rice and crunchy salad, it was everything I want from a weeknight dinner and then some.—E.L.

Sweet-and-spicy roasted carrots

While parsing through spring recipes for upcoming Easter content, I stumbled upon this recipe for shawarma-spiced carrots and, thinking of the bunch going soft in my fridge, knew what was for dinner. The aromatic spice rub—including cinnamon, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and more—draws out the natural sweetness of the carrots, which blister and char in the high heat of the oven. As directed, I topped them with dates, which I sizzled in a pan until slightly jammy. Then I went slightly off-script and traded the herb salad for dollops of carrot-top chimichurri (no food waste!). —Zoe Denenberg, associate cooking & SEO editor

March 3

Healing, hearty chicken stew

First came the hoarse voice and then the sneezing. First it was only one person and then it was two, including Nana, as we call my mother, who happened to be visiting.I knew it was time to make a homemade chicken soup. Right now, Matthew Raiford’sNana’s Chicken and Rice Stew is a favorite. Though it’s called a stew, I transform it into a soup by preparing the rice in a separate dish and adding it in just before serving. It has a bevy of herbs like sage, marjoram, rosemary, and a bright, golden hue thanks to butter, in which the veggies are sautéed. Until the weather is firmly in the 50s, I’m going to make this again and again. —Dawn Davis, editor in chief

Cozy, comforting shepherd’s pie

In Salt Lake City, it’s cold and gray, which is great news for my snowboarding, but also demands cozy meals on repeat. (It will be warm again one day, right?) This Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie is a labor of love and like a fuzzy blanket for your entire being. For the lentil-y base, you caramelize mushrooms and leeks until your whole house smells like a French bistro. You mash potatoes and sour cream together like they’ve done you wrong. Then you layer it together in a beautiful mess and stare at the clock while it bakes and bubbles in the oven. The best news? You’ll have leftovers all week. —Ali Francis, staff writer

Tastes-like-autumn apple cider cake

Every year since it published, I have promised myself I’d make this cake. And this year I did! I really did. It tasted like pulling on a fleece, frolicking through an orchard, plucking an apple from a tree, and taking a juicy bite. And the leftovers turned into the world’s best breakfast for days.—Emma Laperruque, senior cooking editor

Easy pineapple upside-down cake

I recently joined a neighborhood cookbook club, and as host, I was tasked with choosing a book to cook from and assign recipes. I’ve also been on a five-year quest to find a pineapple upside-down cake recipe that I could perfect for my aunt’s birthday (it’s her favorite cake). So when I saw Illyanna Maisonet’s version in Diasporican, I assigned it to myself—and it’s a winner. It’s easy because you use box cake mix, and you don’t have to pull out the scale to weigh ingredients. The recipe also uses coconut cream instant pudding mix, which I swapped for vanilla pudding with some coconut extract. What you get is an extra moist cake with deeply dark caramel that cuts through the acidity of the pineapple. —Urmila Ramakrishnan, associate director of social media

Cheesy scramble turned frittata

I was feeding two instead of four and the thought of halving quantities made my brain hurt. So I stuck with the original ingredient list but switched up the method: a frittata instead of a scramble. (Theslow-baked method is my go-to.) This set me up for one of my favorite leftovers: a cold wedge of frittata, sandwiched between toast, with spicy mayo and whatever lettuce is in the fridge.—E.L.

Speedy, spicy tempeh tacos

These tempeh tacos from the genius that isAli Slagle hit on so many levels, I don’t even know where to start. First, there’s the fact that they’re a direct line to my sense memory of thoseOld El Paso taco kits I loved as a kid. Second, I dig that they’re a vegetarian (or vegan, depending on your toppings) riff on a ground beef icon. Third, I love how fast and easy they are to make—mindless even. Fourth, tempeh is rad and I’m trying to integrate it more into my cooking routine. (Does making the same recipe two or three times in as many months count?) And fifth: The recipe works just as well as a plate of nachos. —Sasha Levine, digital director

Thai ajad-inspired steak

I almost never buy steak. I cook mostly vegetarian meals at home, and when I do use meat, it’s rarely beef. But this week I wanted to make a dish that felt a little more celebratory and special—and Shilpa Uskokovic’s steak recipe was definitely worth it. The steak marinade was wonderful, but it was the Thai-inspired cucumber dressing that really knocked it out of the park. The weather is starting to warm up again in Texas where I live, and this dish served on a bed of greens was perfect for transitioning away from winter cooking. —Olivia Quintana, associate social media manager