Today, pesto describes many sauces that don’t necessarily adhere to the traditional formula of cheese, basil, nuts and olive oil. Spicy Red Pesto Pasta, which is inspired by pesto alla Siciliana, the scarlet cousin of green pesto Genovese, leans on sun-dried tomatoes, nuts and tangy roasted red peppers and uses basil as a garnish only. Though pesto is traditionally pounded by hand, a food processor simplifies the effort. This pasta sauce is versatile: Crown it with lemon zest for brightness, or stir in heavy cream for extra richness. Should you find yourself with extra pesto, drizzle it over steak, slather it on sandwiches or serve it alongside a cheese board or crudités.

cooking.nytimes.com

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
⅔ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup drained jarred, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (about 3½ ounces), roughly chopped
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (a scant 2½ ounces)
3 tablespoons double-concentrated tomato paste (or ⅓ cup tomato paste)
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Kosher salt and black pepper
½ cup drained chopped, jarred roasted red peppers (about 4 ounces)
1½ ounces finely grated Parmesan (about 1 packed cup), plus more for serving
1 pound rigatoni, orecchiette or other shaped pasta
Sliced fresh basil leaves, for serving
Fresh lemon zest, for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare the pesto: In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, tomato paste, garlic and red-pepper flakes. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until mixture is toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl to let cool for a few minutes.

Add the roasted red peppers and Parmesan to a food processor. Top with the cooled tomato mixture and the remaining ⅔ cup olive oil, and pulse the mixture until you form a paste. (It makes 2 cups.)

Season the boiling water generously with salt, then add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1½ cups pasta water, then drain the pasta.

Return the pasta to the pot, along with about 1½ cups of the red pesto and 1 cup of the pasta water, and stir vigorously until the sauce is glossy and the pasta is evenly coated. Stir in additional pesto or pasta water to taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide among bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan and top with torn basil. Shave some fresh lemon zest on top, if using. Serve immediately.

Butternut squash gets roasted, puréed, then tossed with Parmesan to make this nutty, creamy pasta sauce – Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta With Sage and Walnuts. Each serving is topped with crispy fried sage leaves, a hint of lemon zest, and toasted walnuts, adding a crunchy contrast to the squash. Feel free to forgo wrestling with a giant squash and use a package of cubed precut squash instead.

Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta With Sage and Walnuts

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS
2½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ¾-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves
5 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
¾ packed cup fresh sage leaves
¾ cup chopped walnuts
1 lemon, zested (about 1 tablespoon)
1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock, plus more as needed
1 pound short pasta, such as gemelli, casarecce or penne
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the squash and garlic on a sheet pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss well and roast until the squash is very tender, 30 to 35 minutes, tossing twice throughout. While the squash roasts, bring a large pot of water to boil.

Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium. When the oil is hot, add the sage and cook, tossing often, until the leaves begin to crisp, about 1 minute. Add the walnuts and a generous sprinkle of salt and cook, tossing often, until the sage leaves are lightly browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sage and nuts to a paper towel-lined plate and wipe out the skillet. Let the mixture drain for 1 minute, then add it to a small bowl with the lemon zest; toss lightly and set aside.

Working in batches if necessary, transfer the roasted squash and garlic to a blender or food processor, along with 1 cup stock, and blend until smooth and thick. The consistency should be somewhere between a purée and a thick soup. Add more stock as needed, if it seems too thick.

Transfer the puréed squash to the reserved skillet and keep warm over very low heat. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water, along with 1 tablespoon salt, and cook until al dente. Just before draining, ladle ½ cup pasta water into a measuring cup and set aside.

Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss to coat the pasta evenly, then, off the heat, add the ½ cup Parmesan and toss until the cheese is incorporated. Add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water if the sauce seems too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the pasta among shallow bowls and sprinkle the sage, walnut and lemon zest mixture on top, and serve with extra Parmesan on the side.

Tart cranberries and toasted walnuts add flavor and a crunch to this crowd-pleasing holiday side dish. Rustic hunks of toasted bread form the backbone of this stuffing; a buttery sauteed mixture of onion, celery, herbs, and cooked sausage fills it out with rich flavor. Simmering the cranberries first in vinegar and sugar both intensifies and rounds out their distinctive tartness. Serve this versatile side with roasted turkey, pork, or beef.

Serves 12

foodandwine.com

INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
1 (1-pound) day-old rustic bread loaf, torn into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 10 cups)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups sweetened dried cranberries (5 1/4 ounces)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed
1 large (12 ounces) yellow onion, chopped (about 2 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery (from 4 large celery stalks)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons minced garlic (from 2 small garlic cloves)
¾ cup (6 ounces) dry white wine
1 ¼ cups chopped walnuts, toasted
⅓ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
2 large eggs
3 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with butter; set aside. Spread bread pieces in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until light golden and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through bake time. Transfer bread to a large bowl; set aside. Increase oven temperature to 375°F.

While bread bakes, cook vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar, until mixture comes to a boil. Add cranberries and return to a simmer over medium-high. Remove from heat. Let stand until ready to use, about 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add sausage; cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up meat using a wooden spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage from skillet and set aside. Do not wipe skillet clean.

Add butter to skillet, and melt over medium-high. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add sage, thyme, and garlic; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in wine; cook, undisturbed, until almost evaporated, about 1 minute, 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

Drain rehydrated cranberries. Add drained cranberries, cooked sausage, onion mixture, walnuts, and parsley to bread in large bowl; toss to combine. Whisk together eggs, broth, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture; toss thoroughly until bread soaks up all liquid.

Transfer stuffing mixture to prepared baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Bake until stuffing top is light golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with additional parsley, and serve.

Aya Brackett Everyone needs a little attention now and then, but risotto isn’t as high maintenance as its reputation. When you make this, go for heartiness and satisfaction and choose the whole-grain barley, even though it takes longer to cook.

Serves 4

markbittman.com

INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups whole-grain (“hulled”) barley
½ cup chopped walnuts
4 to 5 cups vegetable stock or water
4 tablespoons olive oil, or more as needed
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
½ cup dry white wine or water
12 ounces beets, peeled and grated
2 cups arugula, or chopped beet greens if they came with the beets

INSTRUCTIONS
Put the barley in a large dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, shaking the pan often, until the barley is golden and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Put the walnuts in the skillet and repeat the process to toast them the same way. Warm the stock or water in a medium saucepan.

Put the olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the barley and cook, stirring often, until it is glossy and coated with oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then add the white wine. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid bubbles away.

Use a ladle to add the warm stock, 1 cup or so at a time, stirring after each addition. When the stock has just about evaporated, add another ladleful. The mixture should be neither soupy nor dry. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles and stir frequently.

After 20 minutes, add the beets. Continue cooking the same way, tasting the grains regularly—you want it to be tender but still with a tiny bit of crunch—it could take as long as 40 minutes to reach this stage, depending on the barley. When the barley is as tender as you’d like, add the arugula or beet greens a handful at a time, stirring until each addition is wilted. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with the walnuts, and serve hot.