When you’re on the hunt for a meal that’s hearty and blissfully satisfying, there’s one dish that answers the call every single time: the casserole. This lineup is proof that you don’t need meat to get filling comfort food on the table.
From root vegetable pot pie and roasted veggie lasagna, to egg bakes and baked black bean burritos, here are 20 ultra-hearty casseroles that skip the meat.
(Image credit: Lauren Volo)
I’ve never feared dry, flavorless chicken breasts because I’ve always had honey curry chicken in my life. This dish has been in my family for as long as I can remember — sweet honey mingling with tangy Dijon mustard, fragrant curry powder, and a bit of rich melted butter to make the most flavorful and yet most ridiculously simple sauce for the meat.
In a departure from pretty much all of our norms, we went to Las Vegas this past weekend to celebrate a friend’s big birthday because… why not? Possibly needless to say, my opportunities these days to take long plane rides with no kids, lounge by pools long enough to finish books, uninterrupted even, and spend exactly zero minutes searching for or scrubbing sippy cup parts are scarce and when graced with a chance to do all of the above at once, it took half a second to book our tickets. Also needless to say, I could now use more sleep, less gin, and to reintroduce my system to fresh fruits and vegetables. This probably means we did it correctly.
I’m glad I did at least one semi-wholesome before I left, which was to make a big satisfying sheet of granola in the format of breakable “bark.” This comes from the new cookbook, Tartine All Day from Elisabeth Prueitt, half of the duo behind the famed bakery in San Francisco. To say I have been excited about this book would be the understatement of the season. Ever since I discovered Prueitt’s Instagram last year, where she shared the bits and pieces (with recipes!) of what she was fine-tuning for this book, I had a running list in my head of recipes I couldn’t wait to get to, and some I couldn’t even wait that long for. Also in this book, an apple beehive* that will torture me until good apples are back in season in New York; a 5-day sauerkraut, cider caramel ribs, and crispy waffles** also made the shortlist, but I’m glad I got to this first because it’s been way too long since we had a new granola recipe here and this one ticks all the boxes: not too sweet, good crisp, but not tooth-breaking crunch, and if you’re in it for the big chunks, you know, the ones you fish out of the jar first (of course you do), you’re in for a treat because this is basically all-cluster granola.
You’ve had your fun coloring all those Easter eggs, and now it’s time to use them up! Once you’ve had your fill of them sprinkled with salt and eaten out of hand, use these 20 recipes as inspiration to work through the rest of the bunch.
Whether you mix up the requisite bowl of egg salad, make a single deviled egg, whip up a vegetarian curry, or cook a protein-packed quesadilla, there’s no shortage of wonderful ways to use up your leftover eggs.
There are times when I have a recipe idea that I’m so excited about, I obsess over it until it becomes reality. Friends, let me tell you that this is one of them. I’ve loved the concept of Scotch eggs for a long time — I mean, who doesn’t like deep-fried eggs covered in sausage and breadcrumbs? But to up the ante, I decided to pull in my vegetarian friend: the falafel.
The (gluten-free and vegetarian!) result is everything I thought it would be: crispy, herby spiced chickpeas covering creamy boiled eggs, begging to be dipped in a lemony yogurt sauce. They take a little bit of effort, but boy, is the result ever worth it.
(Image credit: Leela Cyd)
When I first got sober more than a year ago, I worried about joining the same gatherings that I had loved — only now as someone who doesn’t drink. I was afraid that friends would judge me or that I wouldn’t have any fun. But soon enough, I learned a few tips and tricks to continue to enjoy social gatherings even without the allure of alcohol.
If you’re in recovery, you don’t need to send your regrets for every invitation you get. (Of course, going back to old social habits and environments is not for every person.) Even if you’re not an addict and you’re just not drinking for any number of reasons, you can still go to a party — and enjoy yourself.
Here are my best tips.
(Image credit: Christine Han)
Do you love all things breakfast-related? If so, have I got the deviled eggs of your dreams. Imagine egg salad became friends with avocado toast, and then everything bagel spice came to join the party. These deviled eggs get richness, velvety texture, and vivid color from ripe avocado, and the sprinkling of nutty, toasty everything bagel spice on top adds just the right amount of crunch and savoriness. They really don’t take much more effort than your standard deviled eggs, and you might like them so much that they become your go-to recipe.
Social drinking is a pretty normal part of American culture, so whenever we meet someone who doesn’t drink, it may seem a little strange at first. We instantly become curious about their lives, their choices, and their ultimate decision to pass on beer, wine, cocktails, and all the other alcoholic beverages we regularly enjoy. We want to find out everything there is to know about them, and without thinking, we start to say and ask things that are invasive, offensive, and potentially harmful.
The truth is, there are a variety of reasons people abstain from drinking. In the end, it’s a deeply personal decision that every person has the right to make on their own. So why is that we tend to react so inappropriately to people who say they don’t drink? Let’s all put a stop to that.
I was 23 and living in New York City when my new roommate invited me to spend Greek Easter with her family on Staten Island. At first, I declined the invitation, telling her I had to work the brunch shift at my restaurant gig because Easter was one of the busiest shifts of the year.
That’s when I got the first of many lessons about the holiday: Greek Easter usually falls on a different date than Western Easter. The Orthodox Christian church, my roommate explained, still uses the Julian calendar, which has a 13-day difference between the Gregorian calendar the rest of Christianity uses. That year, Greek Easter actually fell on May 5. And I was free!
I’m glad I was because, it turns out, Greek Easter is way better than the Easter I was used to. Here are five reasons I’d gladly say yes — or Nai! — if an invitation came way.
Kids get to have all the fun when it comes to Easter. (How come no one makes over-the-top frilly dresses for adults? And why doesn’t anyone leave a basket of candy for 30-somethings?) This year, though, we’ve figured out how the adults can get a piece of the action.
Here’s what you need to do in order to put together an awesome Easter basket for grown-ups. Make one for your SO, your bestie, or even yourself.