By Tanya Sichynsky, The New York Times
In 2025, there’s room for improvement. That room is the kitchen. Second only to our places of work, it hosts a good chunk of our waking hours — making it a natural focal point of annual resolution-making. Maybe last year you aspired to more baking, more meatless cooking, or simply more cooking, period. If you need ideas for the new year, below are a handful of goals, shared among members of the New York Times Cooking and Food staff, along with recipes to keep you on track for success.
Waste Less Food
Before you make yet-another trip to the grocery store, shop the fridge and pantry for end-of-week soups, fritters and sauces to ensure nothing goes to waste, and to keep you from buying more ingredients at risk of a garbage-can fate. Use up easy-to-waste refrigerator door staples like tomato paste in minimal-ingredient recipes that rely heavily on dried goods and take well to substitutions, but don’t fret so much about the shelf life of nearly expiration-proof items like miso. Storing fresh produce properly to extend its life as long as possible, and make use of carrot tops, kale ribs, citrus peels and herbs stems elsewhere in your cooking.
Samin Nosrat’s Whatever You Want Soup provides a foolproof template for using leftover bits and bobs of meat and vegetables accumulated during the week, particularly in the winter when all you want is a big bowl of something warm. “My aunt made it every Sunday night,” wrote one reader in the recipe comments. “She called it Weekly Review.”
A crunchy pajeon also makes for an exceptional final resting place for the vegetable knobs and trimmings left behind from other meals. Ready for dipping in a gingery soy sauce, Sohui Kim’s forgiving Korean scallion pancakes bind chopped or grated carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, kale — truly whatever you’ve got — with a bit of egg, starch and chopped kimchi.
Most likely to wilt and end up in the trash, though, are the fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, dill, mint) bought for garnishing a single dish. So incorporate recipes into your cooking routine that use them in high volume, like pesto, salsa verde or another all-purpose green sauce. For those tougher-stemmed herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage) that you’re less likely to blend into sauces, steep them in heavy cream for flavoring Ali Slagle’s pasta with creamy herb sauce.
Eat Breakfast
Amid the ceaseless demands of modern living, breakfast suffers. Two ways to make it easier? Rely on ultrafast dishes and prepare ahead at virtually no expense to your schedule. Sarah DiGregorio’s slow-cooker steel cut oats will burble away as you sleep, ready before you’ve even turned on the coffee pot. In the morning, finish them off with any combination of brown sugar, nuts, honey, fruit, jams or marmalades for a sweet bowl, or tahini, fried shallots, chile crisp, cheese or pickled onions for a savory one.
If sitting down for breakfast just isn’t an option, walking with breakfast still can be. With just 20 minutes on your least demanding day of the week, you can prepare a handful of Yewande Komolafe’s breakfast burritos for the fridge or the freezer, to reheat and hit the road with at your convenience. Hers are meatless as written, filled with cheese, refried black beans, eggs and avocado. But you could easily tuck in a little bacon, if you wish, prepared speedily with the help of Genevieve Ko’s recipe for microwave bacon.
Get Great at Meal Prep
Let’s get one thing straight: Success does not lie in a dozen uniform containers filled with the same protein, grain and vegetable. A few batched freezer-friendly recipes are not only easier to cook and store, but also keep you from getting bored with your meals — the greatest threat of the meal prep. A big pot of Eduardo Machado and Michael Domitrovich’s Cuban black beans can be eaten in burritos for breakfast, over rice for lunch and stuffed in sweet potatoes for dinner. Similarly, Dan Pelosi’s chicken pesto meatballs can be prepared in bulk and eaten over pasta one day, in grain bowls the next and tucked into soft rolls another.
Don’t just prep for the week; prep for the months ahead. A big batch of Yewande’s butternut squash soup, cooled and divided into freezer-safe single-serving containers, will be a relief on the days that wash over you, a gift from a past you. That’s the thing about goals: If you account for the times when you might fall short, there’s really no way to fail.
Recipe: Pasta With Creamy Herb Sauce
Recipe from Ali Slagle
This cozy pasta is the perfect place to use up any hard-stem herbs like sage, thyme or rosemary that are languishing in your fridge. Add the herbs and a cinnamon stick to a pot of heavy cream. As they bubble together, the cream takes on a surprising but subtle herbaceousness. Use it to sauce pasta noodles and winter greens. If you don’t have the herbs listed, leave them out or swap in marjoram or bay leaves, or even dried chile, lemon peel, garlic, shallot or leeks. The method of infusing cream with flavorings, then using it to sauce pasta, is open to adaptation.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 sage leaves
- 3 sprigs thyme or oregano
- 1 small rosemary sprig
- 1 cinnamon stick (or a grating of nutmeg)
- Black pepper
- 1 pound linguine, fettuccine or another long noodle
- 1 bunch dark leafy greens, such as kale, mustard greens, broccoli rabe or mature spinach, stems removed and cut or torn into 2- to 3-inch pieces
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream, sage, thyme, rosemary, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium and cook until the cream has thickened slightly and is reduced to about 1 cup, 12 to 15 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove from heat until the pasta’s ready.
2. When the cream is at the halfway point, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until a minute or 2 shy of al dente. About 3 minutes before draining the pasta, add the greens to the water. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and greens with a colander and return to the pot.
3. Place the just-used colander over the pot of pasta, then strain the infused cream through the colander into the noodles. (Discard or compost the herbs and cinnamon stick.) Add the 1/2 cup pasta water to the pasta, set over medium-high heat, and cook, tossing, until the sauce glosses the noodles, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe: Whatever You Want Soup
Recipe from Samin Nosrat
This basic recipe can serve as a canvas for any kind of chunky soup. Mix and match ingredients to suit your cravings, using an aromatic base of onions and garlic, seasonings, flavorful stock (or water), and whatever main ingredients you choose. This recipe, like a similar one in Julia Turshen’s cookbook “Small Victories,” highlights soup’s basic transformative qualities. With just a bit of time, ordinary ingredients can become an extraordinary winter meal for tonight, and for days to come. Covered in the refrigerator, it will last for up to five days, but it also freezes exceptionally well for up to two months. Just return it to a boil before using.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: About 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, olive oil or neutral-tasting oil
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- Kosher salt
- 6 to 8 cups meat, vegetables or other add-ins (see notes)
- About 1 1/2 pounds raw, boneless chicken (optional)
- About 8 cups water or chicken stock, preferably homemade (see notes)
Preparation
1. Set a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat and add 4 tablespoons butter or oil. When the butter melts or the oil shimmers, add onions and garlic, and a generous pinch of salt.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Place the meat, vegetables and other add-ins in the pot, along with the raw chicken (if using), and add enough liquid to cover. Season with salt. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
4. Cook until the flavors have come together and the vegetables and greens are tender, about 20 minutes more. If you added raw chicken, remove it from the soup when cooked, allow to cool, shred and return to the soup. Taste and adjust for salt.
5. Add more hot liquid if needed to thin the soup to desired consistency. Taste and adjust for salt.
6. Serve hot, and garnish as desired.
Tips
For add-ins, you can use a combination of vegetables diced into 3/4-inch pieces (use one or more of carrots, fennel, celery, leeks, winter squash, potatoes or parsnips); cooked beans, lentils or chickpeas; up to 4 cups of sliced kale or green cabbage; or up to 3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken or pork, if not using raw chicken.
If desired, replace some of the liquid with bean broth, heavy cream, chopped tomatoes in their juices or full-fat coconut milk.
Recipe: Vegetable Pajeon (Korean Scallion Pancakes With Vegetables)
Crisp at the edges, soft at the center and filled with scallions and other vegetables, these irresistible, comforting pancakes (adapted from Sohui Kim of Insa and the Good Fork restaurants in Brooklyn) make for a quick dinner that you can throw together on any given weeknight. It’s extremely forgiving, so feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Kim recommends finely shredded raw vegetables, or even leftover cooked vegetables. And if you don’t have the bandwidth to make a dipping sauce, a drizzle of soy sauce and squirt of Sriracha adds verve without any work. Serve pajeon by itself or topped with a fried egg or two, if you want to add protein. — Melissa Clark
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the pancakes:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup potato starch (or 1/4 cup each white rice flour and cornstarch)
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup ice water
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup finely chopped kimchi
- 4 cups finely chopped or grated mixed vegetables (carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, kale, whatever you’ve got)
- 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch-long sections and thinly sliced lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed or peanut oil, plus more as needed
For the dipping sauce:
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger or garlic (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, plus more to taste
- Pinch of sugar
Preparation
1. Prepare the pancakes: In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, potato starch, salt and baking powder.
2. In a medium bowl, combine water, egg and kimchi. Whisk kimchi mixture into flour mixture, and whisk until smooth. Fold in vegetables and about three-quarters of the scallions. (Save the rest for garnish.)
3. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Scoop 1/4 cup portions of batter into the skillet, as many as will fit while not touching, flatten, and fry until dark golden on the bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and continue to fry until other side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with a little more salt. Continue with remaining batter.
4. Before serving, make the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, vinegar, ginger or garlic (if using), sesame oil and sugar. Sprinkle sliced scallion over pancakes, and serve with dipping sauce on the side.
Recpe: Slow-Cooker Steel-Cut Oats
By Sarah DiGregorio
This is a practically effortless way to have a hot breakfast ready to go the moment you wake up. The trick to cooking perfect steel-cut oats in the slow cooker is to make use of the auto-warm setting, which switches on when the set cook time is over. (The majority of modern slow cookers have this function, though some older ones may not.) Cooking the oatmeal on low for two hours, then on warm for up to six more ensures very creamy, risotto-like oats that have a pleasant chew. (You can also cook the oats on low for 4 hours, then immediately serve, but if you venture any longer than that, the oats may overcook.) Think of this as a whole-grain meal that you can take in any sweet or savory direction you like: Top with a pat of butter and a squeeze of honey, or a sprinkle of salt and a bit of hot sauce, or any of the topping suggestions below.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: About 8 hours
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Toppings, optional (see Tip)
Preparation
1. In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the oats, salt and 4 cups water. Cover and set the cook time to 2 hours on low, at which point the slow cooker will automatically switch to warm. Cook on warm until the oatmeal is creamy and tender, about 6 more hours. (The 6 hours on warm is not optional; the oats will not be done after 2 hours on low. If you wish to cook them more quickly, you can cook for 4 to 5 hours total on low.) Ladle into bowls and serve with the toppings of your choice.
Tips
For serving, use toppings like tahini and za’atar; fried shallots and lime juice; chile crisp and peanuts; shredded Cheddar and pickled red onion; olive oil and grapefruit slices; crumbled cooked bacon and marmalade; coconut milk, brown sugar and turmeric; cashews, honey and banana chips; honey, flaky salt and butter; peanut butter and jelly.
Recipe: Breakfast Burritos
By Yewande Komolafe
A delightful breakfast, these burritos filled with soft scrambled eggs, scallion-flecked refried beans and buttery avocado slices are also great any time of the day. Cilantro adds freshness, and a few drops of your favorite hot sauce will deliver a nice zing. The nontraditional open-ended rolling technique used here will tightly encase the filling in the smaller-size tortillas while ensuring the optimal tortilla-to-stuffing ratio. To seal completely, wrap each tortilla in a strip of foil and twist both ends. For convenience, the little wraps can be made ahead of time, stored in the refrigerator or freezer and reheated in an oven.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 medium (soft taco-size) flour tortillas
- 5 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated (1 1/4 cups)
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup refried black beans (from a 16-ounce can)
- 6 large eggs, beaten
- Kosher salt
- Hot sauce, for drizzling (optional)
- 1 small ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Preparation
1. Heat broiler to high and line two sheet pans with foil.
2. Place the tortillas on the sheet pans. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the tortillas. Broil, one pan at a time, until the cheese is just beginning to melt, about 20 seconds.
3. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add the scallions and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the refried beans, stir to combine and cook until the beans are warmed through, about 2 minutes. Divide the beans among the tortillas, spooning in even lines down the centers.
4. Wipe out the skillet and set over to medium-low heat. Pour in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, add the whisked eggs and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggs are just set, about 3 minutes. Divide the eggs evenly among the tortillas, in lines over the beans. Drizzle on hot sauce, if using.
5. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the eggs and top with avocado and cilantro. To roll, fold one side over the filling to enclose it, then tightly roll away from you, leaving the ends open. Serve immediately, or wrap in foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Reheat in a 400-degree oven or toaster oven until warm, about 8 minutes.
Recipe: Microwave Bacon
By Genevieve Ko
Sometimes, you just want a slice of bacon (or two) for yourself. Maybe for someone you love, too. And if you want — need? — that bacon now, there’s no faster way to cook it than in the microwave. The strips brown on a plate while a paper towel laid over them soaks up grease and prevents splatters inside your machine. Once you try this technique, you’ll have a better sense of how long your microwave takes to cook a strip or two.
Yield: 1 to 2 servings
Total time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 to 5 bacon strips (not turkey)
Preparation
1. Put the bacon on a microwave-safe plate in a single layer and cover with a paper towel. Microwave on high (regular) power for 45 seconds per slice. Check to see if it’s done to your liking. If you have thick bacon, or you want your bacon dark and crisp, microwave in 30-second bursts until desired doneness.
2. Set the bacon on top of the paper towel to drain and serve.
Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup
By Yewande Komolafe
With a combination of squash, onion, garlic and a little spice, this soup is as simple as it gets. Roasting the squash helps concentrate its natural flavors and is a step that can be done a day or two ahead. A splash of rice vinegar adds a tangy sparkle and, if you want a touch more sweetness, you can stir in some brown sugar or honey. Taste your soup before adding any — you may find your squash’s natural sugars offer just the right amount of sweetness for you.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise and seeded
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Salt
- 1 medium white onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 cups vegetable stock, plus more if desired
- 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or dark brown sugar (optional)
Preparation
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Rub the flesh of the squash with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt. Place the squash cut sides up on a small baking sheet, and cover tightly with foil. Bake until the flesh is tender and a knife can be inserted easily, about 50 minutes.
3. In a large stock pot, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and just beginning to brown around the edges, about 8 minutes. Scoop out the cooked squash with a spoon and add to the pot. Add the ginger, black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the vegetable stock, stir and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Using an immersion blender or working in batches in a standard blender, purée the soup until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and add the rice vinegar. Taste and add the honey or dark brown sugar if you’d like the soup sweeter, and add more salt if you’d like. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve, thinning with water or more stock to your desired consistency.
5. Divide the soup among bowls, drizzle with additional olive oil and finish with an extra sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Recipe: Cuban Black Beans
Recipe from Eduardo Machado and Michael Domitrovich
Adapted by Pete Wells
This classic recipe is adapted from “Tastes Like Cuba,” by Eduardo Machado and Michael Domitrovich. The secret is the homemade sofrito, but bottled will do in a pinch. — Pete Wells
Yield: 8 to 10 Servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 green peppers, stemmed and seeded
- 10 garlic cloves
- 1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and picked over to remove any stones
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 slices thick bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 Spanish onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño, stemmed and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon turbinado or other brown sugar
Preparation
1. Cut 1 green pepper into 1-inch squares. Smash and peel 4 of the garlic cloves. Put the green pepper and garlic into a large pot with the beans, ham hock, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon salt. Add 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer until the beans are tender, an hour or more.
2. Meanwhile, make a sofrito. Cut the remaining 1/2 green pepper into 1/4-inch dice. Peel and finely chop the remaining garlic. Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and onion and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining garlic, jalapeño (leave out the seeds if you don’t want it too spicy), oregano, cumin, black pepper and 2 teaspoons salt and stir for another minute. Pour in the vinegar and scrape any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. This is your sofrito.
3. When the beans are cooked, discard the bay leaf. Remove and set aside the ham hock and let it cool. Transfer 1 cup of beans to small bowl, mash them into a paste with the back of a fork and return to the pot. Add the sofrito, then the sugar. Pull the meat from the ham hock, leaving behind any white sinew or gristle. Chop the ham into 1/2-inch pieces and return it to the bean pot.
4. Stir the beans well and bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so, skimming any foam from the top. Taste for salt and serve with white rice.
Recipe: Chicken Pesto Meatballs
By Dan Pelosi
Simply adding pesto to chicken meatballs is a quick, easy way to infuse them with complex flavor while providing enough fat to ensure they are moist and juicy. With few ingredients, these meatballs come together fast and work well with any kind of pesto, whether homemade or store-bought. These meatballs can be eaten on their own, make a great addition to any plate and are the perfect companion to pesto pasta, of course.
Yield: 15 Meatballs
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup homemade or store-bought pesto, plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- Salt and black pepper
- Red-pepper flakes
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Preparation
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Add pesto, panko, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper and a pinch of red pepper to a bowl and mix to combine, ensuring the panko is fully moistened. Add chicken and cheese and mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
3. Form the meat mixture into 15 small balls (about 2 tablespoons each) and place onto a baking sheet. Bake meatballs for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
4. Serve with extra pesto sauce on the side or with pesto-coated pasta.
Tips
Alternatively, pan-fry meatballs over medium heat on the stovetop in a little oil until golden brown.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.