Ground Pork

When we opted to cut out grains from our diet, one of the hardest things to give up was, strangely enough, stuffing-the kind you eat with Thanksgiving dinner. Most stuffing is made with bread crumbs, and that just wouldn't do. So Ryan put a lot of effort into developing and testing more nutritious alternatives, and eventually came up with this-a delicious and more-than-satisfying substitute. When they taste it for the first time, many people want to know his secret. They're shocked when he tells them it's omitting the bread crumbs. But there's no denying this dish tastes like the real deal, and it's more filling (so it involves less actual stuffing of the face!). It pairs nicely with any poultry, so there's no need to wait until Thanksgiving to make it. Try it with our Sweet Cherry Sauce for an extra decadent side.

This rich 15-minute ragù turns pasta or polenta into a quick hearty dinner any night of the week.

This Asian-inspired recipe contains ground pork and a velvety peanut sauce (made with the very same peanut butter that you use to make PB&J sandwiches when no one's looking) accentuated with sharp ginger, lime juice, and fresh herbs. Wrapped up in crispy lettuce, these cups can be eaten like tacos.

Anytime you put crispy potatoes in a warm tortilla, it's a win.

Served warm or at room temperature, a frittata makes for an easy yet impressive dinner. If you are following our $68 Dinner Story, buy 1 bunch asparagus and use 3/4 bunch for the Fettuccine with Asparagus, Beet Green Pesto, and Poached Egg and the remaining 1/4 bunch here. This is the perfect opportunity to use up any leftover beet green pesto from the pasta dish as well.

Want to show someone you really care? Make them our ultimate spaghetti and meatballs.

Bolognese is a hearty sauce that needs a toothy, wide noodle like fresh pappardelle, or a sturdy dried shape like rigatoni.—Mike Easton

These dumplings are delicious whether you put the classic pleats in them or not.

We know, this combo sounds nuts. It's meant to be mixed together so you get some garlicky pork, floral lychees, sweet coconut, sharp onions, and crisp salty accents in each bite.

MAKING BREAKFAST SAUSAGE is an old family tradition for us. My grandpa's family used to raise their own hogs, and when it came time for butchering day, they made sure that nothing went to waste. All parts of the animal were used—for hams, bacon, lard, and sausage. My grandpa was in charge of making the breakfast sausage—a tradition he passed on to us. Breakfast sausage is a loose sausage that hasn't been cured, which makes it appropriate for a home cook. My grandpa's recipe was typically Texan in that it was seasoned with sage. While there is nothing finer than a basic breakfast sausage, I find it's an excellent base for other flavors, such as the smoky notes of bacon and smoked paprika and bittersweet tones of molasses. This isn't exactly my grandpa's breakfast sausage, but I'm sure he would have enjoyed it just fine.

It might look like a lot when the greens are raw, but add them all anyway. They'll quickly wilt down to a silky texture.

A dairy-infused pork sausage stuffing infuses this turkey breast with richness and perfumes the meat with warm spices.

The ultimate holiday vacation cooking project: lasagna with two homemade sauces and layers of homemade pasta.

Of all Chinese dumplings, wontons are the simplest to make, if you buy ready-made wrappers. They cook in minutes and have a delightfully slippery mouthfeel. In Sichuan, the source of this recipe, they are known as "folded arms" (chao shou). Some say this is because the raw dumplings look like the folded arms of a person sitting back in relaxation; others that it's because of the way they are wrapped, with one corner crossed over the other and the two pinched together. The basic wontons can be served in a host of different ways and this Chengdu version is one of my favorites, with its sumptuous, heart-warming sauce. Wonton skins can be bought fresh or frozen in most Chinese food shops; they should be very thin and supple. If you want to take the easiest option in wrapping the dumplings, you can simply fold them in half, on the diagonal, to make a triangle. Otherwise, wrap into classic "water caltrop" shape, as professional cooks and market vendors do across China. (The water caltrop is an exotic-looking aquatic nut with a pair of horns.) This recipe makes 15-20, enough for four as an appetizer, or two for lunch. If you use fresh ingredients and make more than you need, the surplus can be frozen and cooked straight from the freezer.

This deeply savory tomato-based pasta sauce is flavored with garlic, red pepper flakes, and a mix of ground pork and hot (or sweet) Italian sausage. Use any short, tubular pasta you like.

A handmade sausage mix takes the place of cocktail franks in this new party classic. A couple of these will keep those Manhattans you're swilling in check.

Soy sauce, sriracha, hoisin, and Asian sesame oil assert an Eastern influence on the traditional burger. Since the burgers and sauce can both be made ahead of time, this is a versatile, no-fuss meal perfect for a dinner party or after-work bite. With the lettuce, bell pepper, carrot, and cilantro in separate bowls, guests can customize their burgers as they please.

Mexican Red Sausage The craving for chorizo is just as evident in its adopted home of Mexico as it is in its original home of Spain, and in both countries the cuisine would be unimaginable without the sausage. The main difference between the two is the use of the more potent chile in the Mexican chorizo and the milder dried pimiento in the Spanish sausage. Over the years, I have spent time in and around Toluca, the capital of the state of Mexico, where a conclave of Spanish settlers introduced pigs into this high valley. The Spanish historian Carlo Cereya suggests that "although the horse was of real significance in the conquest, the hog was of greater importance and contributed to a degree that defies exaggeration." Here, the Spaniards began making their beloved sausage, soon adapting it to local culture by adding chile. One of the main features of the huge, rambling Friday Mercado Juárez (now moved from its longtime site) is stalls cascading with ropes of both red and herb green chorizos, the latter a more recent version. Some of the chorizos verdes glisten with an almost-brilliant green artificial coloring and are to be shunned. This recipe for traditional red chorizo is an adaptation of a recipe used by one of the leading sausage makers in Toluca, second-generation Jorge Figueroa, who makes it in voluminous quantities to sell to the throngs of waiting customers at his family shop, Carnicería La Figueroa. Ricardo and I use chorizo in a wide variety of dishes, from Frijoles Puercos con Chorizo to Tinga de Cerdo. Although chorizo is usually stuffed into pork casings, it is a lot less work to make it in bulk and freeze what is not needed right away. I have provided directions for both links and bulk here. If you opt for links, you will probably need to special order the casings (salted, well-cleaned small pig intestines) from a butcher. Do not be deterred and use synthetic casings, as they are not satisfactory.

This is the kind of over-the-top meal guests will talk about for days afterward, and it's actually much easier to prepare than it might seem. Lobster, ground pork, and a host of Asian condiments create a riot of complementary flavors.