Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Sausage and Peppers – includes the Italian classic of Sausage and Peppers baked into mac and cheese.

Fusilli can be substituted for the rotini. Some popular brands of sausage come in packs that range from 14 to 19 ounces; this recipe will work well with any amount of sausage in that range. Use a 10-ounce block of American cheese from the deli counter rather than presliced cheese.

Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS
1 pound rotini
½ teaspoon table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 bell peppers (1 red and 1 green), stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups heavy cream
1¼ cups whole milk
10 ounces American cheese, shredded (2½ cups)
10 ounces fontina cheese, shredded (2½ cups), divided
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded (11/3 cups)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons fennel seeds (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until just al dente. Drain pasta; set aside.

Add butter to now-empty pot and melt over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until sausage begins to render its fat, about 2 minutes. Stir in bell peppers, onion, and salt and cook until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer 1 cup sausage mixture to small bowl; set aside.

Stir flour into remaining sausage mixture in pot and cook for 1 minute. Stir in cream and milk, bring to boil, and cook until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Add American cheese, 1 cup fontina, Parmesan, mustard, and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is completely melted, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir pasta into sauce until thoroughly coated.

Transfer pasta mixture to 13 by 9-inch baking dish and spread into even layer. Sprinkle with remaining 1½ cups fontina; reserved sausage mixture; paprika; and fennel seeds, if using.

Bake until topping is lightly browned and filling is bubbling, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes. Serve.

TO MAKE AHEAD
Fully assembled casserole, prepared through step 4, can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days. When ready to serve, remove plastic and bake until heated through, 40 to 45 minutes.

It’s true that cooking dried beans may not sound that appealing—they can’t compete with canned when it comes to convenience. But for recipes where beans take centre stage, dried are well worth the extra time and effort. By adding your own seasonings from the start to the Pizza Beans, you can impart big flavor and control the salt levels. (Canned beans contain added salt, which you can partially remove by draining and rinsing them, but it’s worth keeping in mind if you are looking to reduce your sodium intake.)

Dried beans lend themselves well to batch cooking, since it’s easy to cook up a large quantity at once, and you can freeze them after cooking to add to future meals. They also yield a cheaper cost per serving than canned. Another benefit to dried is texture: Dried beans maintain their shape better during cooking, while remaining soft and creamy on the inside, whereas canned beans tend to turn mushy and break down.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
1 lb (454 g) large lima, butter or gigantes beans soaked in cold water for 4-8 hours, or overnight in fridge
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ tsp fennel seed
½ tsp chili flakes, plus more for topping
4 cups water
1½ tsp kosher salt
2 dried bay leaves
1 sprig fresh oregano
1 can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes, liquid drained
A handful of cheese for topping (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook until translucent and beginning to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, fennel and chili flakes and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add drained beans, 4 cups of water, salt and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook, keeping at a gentle simmer until beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Add tomatoes, breaking up with your hands, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until liquid is thickened, tomatoes begin to break down and beans are very tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Season with more salt, if needed.

Serve beans topped with your favourite cheese, fresh oregano or basil leaves, some crusty bread and a drizzle of olive oil.

TIP
You can substitute two 15-ounce cans of lima or cannellini beans for dried. After you cook the garlic, fennel and chili flakes in Step 1, add the canned beans and move directly to Step 2.

Oaxaca Style Refried Beans recipe from Pati’s Mexican Table Season 6, Episode 9 “Oaxaca Breakfast: Messy and Delicious”

Serves 6

patijinich.com

INGREDIENTS
1 pound black beans rinsed
1 white onion halved
1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste
A couple sprigs fresh epazote or cilantro
5 dried avocado leaves or some fennel seeds
3 dried chiles de arbol or crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
1/2 cup white onion finely chopped
For garnish queso fresco
For garnish ripe avocado

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the black beans and the onion in a large soup pot or casserole and add enough water to cover by at least 2- to 3-inches. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat and cover with a lid, leaving it slightly open. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes – making sure there is always sufficient water (if you need to add a cup, make sure it is boiling hot).

Once the beans are cooked and tender, add 1 tablespoon salt and a couple sprigs of fresh epazote or cilantro. Cook for another 15 minutes. Turn off heat
.
In a hot comal or skillet set over medium heat, toast the avocado leaves or fennel seeds and chiles de arbol or pepper flakes for a couple of minutes until fragrant and browned, flipping as they toast. Remove from the heat. If using, break the leaves into pieces. If using, remove the stem from the chiles and break into pieces without discarding the seeds.

Working in batches if necessary, add the cooked beans and at least 1 1/2 cups of their cooking liquid (or add water if need be) to the jar of a blender, as well as the avocado leaves and chiles (or seeds and pepper flakes). Puree until a little chunky.

In a large skillet or casserole set over medium-high heat, heat the lard or vegetable oil. Once hot, but not smoking, add the chopped onion. Cook until translucent and edges are beginning to brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Incorporate pureed beans and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they thicken to your liking. I cook them for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Skillet Roasted Lemon Chicken is prepared in an iron skillet with the backbone removed. An Ina Garten recipe.

Serves 3-4

foodnetwork.com

INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 lemon, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 yellow onion, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 (4-pound) chicken, backbone removed and butterflied
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
1 fresh rosemary sprig
Juice of 1 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the thyme, fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a mini food processor and process until ground. Pour the olive oil into a small glass measuring cup, stir in the herb mixture, and set aside.

Distribute the lemon slices in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and distribute the onion and garlic on top.

Place the chicken, skin side down, on top of the onion and brush with about half the oil and herb mixture. Turn the chicken skin side up, pat it dry with paper towels (very important!), and brush it all over with the rest of the oil and herb mixture.

Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Pour the wine into the pan (not on the chicken!) and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 to 160 degrees.

Remove the chicken from the oven, sprinkle it with the lemon juice and the leaves of 1 rosemary sprig, cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut the chicken into quarters, and serve hot with the pan juices, cooked lemon, and onion.

Zuni’s Pasta with Preserved Tuna is adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook (which can never be praised enough). Judy Rodgers created the recipe as a way of saving leftover tuna on Sunday. I assume you do not have that problem, but if you do, take the time to preserve the tuna yourself. It isn’t hard and it is wonderful; you can find Rodgers’s method in the Zuni cookbook. What’s below is her adaptation for canned tuna — good olive oil-packed tuna. As for the pasta: Rodgers recommends penne, ziti, or ditali, but I’ve made this with spaghetti and perciatelli and I was pleased. Also, while we’re being heretical, have I substituted walnuts [why not roasted cashews?] for the pine nuts before? I have.

Serves 4

food52.com

INGREDIENTS
1 pound pasta (see above)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest, in thin strips
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional, for the sake of small humans)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (optional, for the same reason)
2 garlic cloves, slivered
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 cup pine nuts or chopped roasted cashews
2 tablespoons capers, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon preserved lemon, rinsed and chopped (optional)
12 ounces olive oil-packed tuna (slightly more or less is fine)

INSTRUCTIONS
Set a large pot of salted water to boil.

In a small skillet, gently warm the olive oil with the lemon zest, bay leaf, chili flakes and black pepper (if using), garlic, and fennel seeds. Cook for about 15 minutes over very low heat to let the flavors infuse the oil. Then add the canned tuna, pine nuts, capers, and preserved lemon (if using). Gently nudge apart the tuna and let it warm up but not cook.

Meanwhile, once the water boils, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well and toss in a serving bowl with the tuna mixture. Serve.