Cheese

Packed with the bright flavors of citrus and dill, this greens-and-grains dinner comes together fast. Peas and blistered cherry tomatoes add sweetness, while feta contributes salty tang.

If you don’t have za'atar on hand, dried mint is equally delicious infused into hot oil.

Browning sausage in the same skillet used to bake this pizza not only preheats the pan (the key to a crisp crust), it also infuses that crust with rich, porky flavor.

Combine a few pantry staples to make this simple but luxurious anytime pasta.

This is an antidote to every side salad that ever was. Instead of meh greens, it's got shavings of fennel that bend and twist but keep their refreshing crunch. It's got a lean dressing and nuggets of deeply toasted croutons, meaty walnuts, and shards of Parmesan. It has acidity and zing—lemon juice, the zest, vinegar, mint, and red pepper flakes—just in case you were worried about palate fatigue. This is what salad looks like in 2018.

Warm feta, crispy chickpeas, and wilted hearty greens become a fork-and-knife entrée in about 30 minutes.

The cheesecake has a little lemon in the filling, giving it a lovely hint of tartness. When topped with the velvety sweet curd, the flavors truly sing.

A pesto that uses the versatile herb culantro, which tastes a little like a cross between parsley and cilantro.

While smaller squash, such as acorn, can be roasted whole, they are more starchy and liable to dry out. Stick with the big boys.

What's the secret to the silkiest scrambled eggs ever? A dollop of cream cheese stirred in right at the end. Piling them onto a sandwich with melted American cheese takes them even further over the top.

Risotto feels like restaurant food, but you can absolutely make a great version at home. This risotto gets its deep flavor from freshly made shrimp stock, tomato paste, herbs, and lots of garlic.

Seasoning each component really well in this vegetarian sandwich, will make everything pop.

Ribollita is like a heartier version of minestrone, thickened with bread and redolent with garlic. It is a beautiful soup when it’s fresh from the pot, but it is also perhaps the most noble of leftovers.

This savory oatmeal is reminiscent of cheesy grits: very creamy and rich with little bits of crisp bacon. An egg on top is terrific if you like your lilies gilded.

Polenta is often used as a neutral carb canvas for a rich sauce or braised meat, but here the creamy ricotta-and-spinach-enriched polenta is the centerpiece, with a simple little tomato salad on top for freshness. An egg on top is great, but optional.

Trouble finding kefir? Plain yogurt—or sour cream thinned with a little water or lime juice—works just as well in this hearty Tex-Mex dish.

Rich truffle butter and a heap of radicchio di Treviso put this "toast 'n' eggs" in a class of its own.