Vegetables

A hearty bowl of pasta plus savory cheese? You'd never know this whole-grain comfort food is diet-friendly! Squash supplies all the vitamin A you need for the day.

Meena Kumar doesn’t use standard curry spices when she makes zucchini because, she says, “Every vegetable needs its own specific blend of ingredients to bring out the uniqueness of the dish.’’ Because zucchini is a soft and watery vegetable with a delicate flavor, she says, it needs few spices. Here, she uses chili powder and mixes ground cashews and sesame seeds into the vegetable, which is garnished with fresh cilantro.

As vegetables go, cauliflower is something of a brute. With a sturdy texture and bold flavor to match, it pairs well with other ingredients that also have gusto. Here I offer a no-nonsense accent for cauliflower: a hefty dose of garlic and anchovies.

Dark leafy greens are the most nutrient-dense foods. That means that they contain more beneficial micronutrients per calorie than any other food, providing incredible nutritional bang for your buck, and in this case they're ready, and very tasty, in less than 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges for even more flavor.

Recipes using condensed soup and frozen broccoli may move products off supermarket shelves, but they turn this dish into a gluey mess. We set out to revive what ought to be an irresistible casserole. Here’s what we discovered: Instead of canned soup, we used half-and-half cut with a bit of chicken broth to add flavor. We also added extra-sharp cheddar and nutty Parmesan. To maximize broccoli flavor, we used both the stalks and the florets. Since stalks take longer to cook than florets, we sautéed chopped stalks in butter with onion, then added rice and liquids.

Why you'll make it: Because it's the perfect pasta dish — few ingredients, easy prep, big flavors.

It’s possible to travel the world and never leave home, all with a baked potato and something stuffed into it. Add zucchini, feta, and oregano for a Greek dinner; spicy black beans with tomatoes for Tex-Mex; and diced pepperoni and marinara sauce for an Italian variation. For kids, try broccoli trees and lots of grated cheese. Toaster ovens make baking potatoes easy and it’s possible to cook a couple at a time without heating up the kitchen. When the potatoes are tender, cut them in half to make ballet slippers, scoop out the flesh, and pile them high with filling.