Rice & Grains

Making oat milk from scratch means creamier, richer, dairy-free milk for mixing into coffee. With this basic formula you can drink it plain, or flavor it however you like.

The Italian word for the ideal risotto texture is all’onda—literally, “like a wave.” Risotto should spread and move and undulate. If you can stand a spoon up in it, it needs more liquid.

Gluten-free meatballs are as easy as adding cooled cooked rice instead of bread to ground meat.

It’s a humble combination of two everyday ingredients, but Kiribath has enormous significance in Sri Lanka—it’s cooked by the Sinhalese to mark the new year in April, and on other special occasions that celebrate new beginnings.

I try to make a big batch of steel-cut oats early in the week, ready to reheat for breakfast in the days that follow. This is a favorite autumnal way of topping it, which helps to keep an old standby interesting through all the weeks of the year. Rather than stirring the squash into the full pot of oatmeal, you can add it to individual bowls, treating it as a topping.

This smoothie mimics the flavors of everyone’s favorite muffin.

Miso and a paprika-packed squash purée makes this dairy-free risotto hearty and satisfying. Double or triple the squash purée, and use it in other meals throughout the week.

You can fold all the toppings into the rice and it’ll still be delicious—but you’ll get maximum wow factor if you create a pattern with them on top.

This garlicky, gingery soup is a heartier take on classic chicken and rice, thanks to the addition of sweet potatoes.

Coconut milk and curry powder lend comforting warmth and spice to this simple vegetarian dinner.

Butternut squash melts into the polenta as this creamy, make-ahead dish cooks, while chunks of Fontina create gooey pockets of cheese throughout.

When 5:15 p.m. hits and there’s still no dinner plan, Deb Perelman makes this Instant Pot soup. While the beans cook you can prepare the taco fixins, manage life’s last-minute chaos, and take a load off.

This dish is triply aggressive, with sweet, sour, and spicy tastes strung together in an intense interplay. To make it your own, experiment with the balance of those three elements—you might make it more sour, or very, very spicy, depending on your palate and preferences.

It’s way too easy to fall in love with the Malaysian dish Nasi Lemak, a coconutty rice bowl topped with crispy-crunchy crumbles of teeny little fried anchovies dressed in a sweet-spicy sambal. 

We did it! We wanted to make dinner for one where the cleanup is just washing out a few bags and that’s it.