Recipes

Chopped salads have been the lunch of choice for GP lately, largely because they are so riffable: As long as you have some greens as a base and a flavorful dressing, you can make a really good chopped salad with whatever else you have on hand. It was hard to choose which one to feature—we loved her Cobb-inspired move with bacon, boiled egg, grilled chicken, and blue cheese, as well as her charred chop with grilled veggies: scallions, asparagus, red pepper, zucchini, and a little added anchovy in the dressing because it complements that roasted pepper so nicely. But this one seemed extra pantry-friendly, with canned chickpeas for protein and the highly underrated tangy and spicy jarred pepperoncini. Think of this as a salad blueprint to work off of: Use what you have and make it yours.

These tacos were inspired by the popular Mexican dish papas con rajas. It’s traditionally made with poblano peppers, but we wanted to find a use for the oft-maligned green bell pepper. Turns out charring the green bell before cooking it adds a smoky depth that mellows its bitterness. Stuffing it in a tortilla along with crispy potatoes, red onion, and cilantro will make any green bell hater change their tune.

If a super savory breakfast is your thing, this is for you. Spigarello stems are delicate, and more like broccolini than less-palatable kale stems, so you can just roughly chop and cook the whole thing. Its broccoli-esque flavor is well matched with rich eggs and tangy goat cheese.

A very simple preparation lets the agretti shine. (When you’re trying out new ingredients, it’s good to not overpower them.) The lemon zest seems to bring out more of the agretti’s lemony flavor, and the chili flakes add a mellow heat in the background.

A quick-pickled veg always adds a ton of dynamic flavor to sandwiches, salads, cheese boards—you name it. Plus, it’s a way to use up extra produce before it goes bad. This brine works well with carrots, onions, radishes, and zucchini, too.

Babka may seem intimidating—sure, it takes a significant amount of time and planning, and the shaping takes a second to get—but you can totally pull it off. And it’s so worth it: Fudgy dark chocolate and hazelnut spread folded throughout butter-tender yeasted dough is amazing. We skipped the traditional streusel topping and instead finished it with a crunchy salty-sweet spiced-sugar blend. If wrapped properly, it will stay moist for a few days, and if it’s not, might we suggest babka French toast?

Baked ziti has all the hearty, cheesy qualities of a lasagna with a fraction of the effort. This one is inspired by those sausage and pepper subs you get at old-school Italian delis. We added broccoli rabe for some green and bitterness to cut through the rich sausage and cheese. You can drop this off for someone fully baked or just before baking with instructions.

“Migas” means “crumbs” in Spanish: This dish is a brilliant low-waste meal and a great way to use up stale tortillas when you have them. Our riff is more akin to Tex-Mex versions, with onions, jalapeños, and shredded cheese. We like to serve it with avocado, cilantro, and hot sauce, but you could add your favorite breakfast meat or meat substitute and a side of refried beans for a full-on feast.

Having a great rib recipe in your arsenal is clutch come BBQ season. These get rubbed in a super savory, smoky, coffee-spiked mix before slow-roasting until tender. Finish them under the broiler or on the grill for that nice bit of char.

Tart, sweet, and incredibly refreshing thanks to fresh mint.

Tahini makes this plant-based smoothie so rich and satisfying.

Balance is key with these banana-based nice creams, and the slightly bitter crunch of cacao nibs does the trick here. You could even skip the chocolate and go all nibs if you prefer even less sweet desserts.