Vegetable

Rasam, as prepared in most homes in Southern India, uses either tamarind or tomatoes as the base. It is a piquant broth poured over steaming hot rice. In our home—both in Kerala and America—rasam was a staple part of everyday meals. One night when I was a teenager, I was out to dinner with my brother Tom in New York City’s Little Italy and ate mussels cooked in a light tomato broth very reminiscent of rasam. I couldn’t wait to get home, buy fresh mussels, and cook them in rasam. This dish has made its rounds in my kitchens for close to three decades now. Make sure to have some fresh crusty bread to soak up the tomato-mussel broth.

Kohlrabi has a muted flavor and crunchy texture similar to a broccoli stem, which is something to keep in mind for this pickles recipe.

This bean recipe is purposely brothy; if you have leftovers, reheat and smash them—they're great on toast with an egg. Also, if you have any leftover meat, throw it in during the last few minutes of cooking for an even heartier flavor, just as we did.

This cassoulet is filled to the brim with white beans, lamb, garlic sausage, and smoked sausage (and breadcrumbs), but you can make yours with pork or ham, goat, or duck. Whatever you use, keep the proportions similar to those listed below, and you can’t lose.

Unstuffed wonton wrappers take the place of traditional dumplings in this simple and weeknight-friendly vegetarian soup.

Add ready-peeled shrimp to tomato sauce spiked with fennel and chiles for a fast and flavorful weeknight dinner.

Elevating the humble onion: Roasting them in their skins retains their natural sugars, and they get meltingly soft without disintegrating.

This roasted butternut squash recipe is perfect for a dinner party—serving on a large platter encourages second helpings and all the half portions, tastes, and just-one-more bites that follow.

It's a pain, but you have to peel the kohlrabi for this recipe. Take off enough of the purple or green skin to reveal the inner white flesh.

Adding ground pistachios creates a substantial dough that complements the leeks for these galettes.

All your efforts will be rewarded the moment you pull this custardy eggplant slathered in tangy sauce, and a crispy, cheesy top from the oven.

What's in your pantry? Chickpeas? White beans? Either will work in this easy, filling pasta.

Seek out romanesco (a bright green, conical cousin to cauliflower that’s in season right now) for this nutty, savory pasta dinner. Can’t find it? Broccoli or cauliflower will work well too.

Getting the consistency of the creamy mushroom sauce right is key for this pasta recipe—you want to reduce it just until it clings to the pasta.

Cook breadcrumbs—mixed with bright lemon zest and garlic—until toasted and crunchy and then try not to inhale them before garnishing this spicy anchovy pasta.

Turn any extra hardy greens or herbs you can find in your fridge into dinner tonight with this pesto pasta.

The crunchy, salty, sesame-drenched celery sticks at Bar Goto in New York are so good, you’ll forget they’re made from vegetables.

If you really want to go all out, you can brown the lamb in a wood-burning oven (erm, if you've got one handy) where it could absorb smoky flavors. For the rest of us mere mortals, that step for this recipe can be done in a hot oven.