Italian

Cozy up to this easy, creamy, 15-minute pasta, brightened up with fragrant lemon zest and refreshing parsley.

I love Jim Lahey's crust because it's thin, crispy, and so very reliable. I can't ever remember a night where it didn't work. When we're feeling healthy, we replace the white flour with whole wheat flour-if you want to be sneaky about it with the kids, you can start by just replacing half with whole wheat flour. We usually use one ball of dough for one dinner and then freeze the extra for another dinner later. To thaw, remove from freezer about two to three hours before using and work it with your hands if it's still stiff.

Recently, I have become a bit of a chicken thigh person, finding the meat moister and more succulent than the ubiquitous chicken breast. The addition of harissa, the spicy, tomato-y Moroccan paste, adds a subtle kick to this "hunter-style" Italian dish, but for those not in love with an extra bit of spice, then tomato purée works beautifully too.

Creamy ricotta cheese, herby pesto, and roasted cherry tomatoes give these French bread pizzas bright flavor and a fresh look.

Sweet and smoky flavors make this quick and easy pizza a new favorite.

Forget the freezer aisle! This classic is just as easy to make from scratch. Bonus: it's tastier, too.

Rather than pasta, this vegetarian version of the classic Southern Italian dish is tossed with spaghetti squash "noodles" for a delicious dinner that cooks entirely on just one sheet pan.

This entire Italian-inspired dinner is cooked on two baking sheets, making clean-up a breeze.

This Sunday sauce yields twice what you'll need, but it freezes beautifully; bank the extra and cash it in on another night.

Some say using a blender rather than a food processor results in a smoother puree. When combining pesto with pasta, Ligurians mix a small ladle of the cooking water into the pesto just before adding the noodles; this dilutes the concentrated sauce and helps it adhere to the pasta.

Bitter and bossy seeks warm and sweet: This robust dressing is capable of standing up to—and slightly softening—acerbic greens like dandelion or arugula. (Maybe it's the bacon...)