Canned Tomato

For this gluten-free version of eggplant Parm, rounds of eggplant are sliced and breaded in a mixture of ground almonds and Parmesan cheese, then baked before being layered with cheese and sauce.

A generous dash of crushed red pepper cuts through the sweet, rich tomato-cream sauce of this Italian-American classic.

Ragù, as the Bolognese call their celebrated meat sauce, is characterized by mellow, gentle, comfortable flavor.

You need the fresh, soft, fiery red version of chorizo for this dish, the kind that bleeds out bright red-orange grease into the pot when you heat it.

Nduja, a spicy salami now produced domestically, blends cured pork fat and chiles in a spreadable, meltable consistency. Combining it with lobster is transformative, taking this basic pasta Pomodoro to the next level.

This simple weeknight dish relies on zucchini ribbons instead of noodles, and is stuffed with a zippy ricotta-pea filling.

This Tex-Mex classic features a unique twist on the original recipe. Adding seafood kicks flavors to a whole new level.

This is total comfort food, but made with less saturated fat and more veggies than traditional recipes.

Keep these ingredients stocked in your pantry, and a briny, flavor-packed, classic Italian pasta will always be a dinner option.

It wouldn’t be right to cook an herby Parmesan-stuffed pork shoulder roast without making a Sunday gravy in the same pot to soak up every stray bit of flavor.

Cervo’s restaurant in Manhattan serves a braised squid that is so rich we had to take a stab at our own version of the recipe. Slow-cooking breaks down the squid's collagen so you're left with fork-tender flesh and a tomato sauce infused with rich, briny flavor.

Chopped cauliflower adds earthy sweetness and turns as tender as the pasta in this more substantial version of mac ‘n’ cheese.

Cooking lemon slices just to this side of burnt adds a layer of complex flavor to this comforting dish.

Skip that dusty bottle of chili powder. Instead, soak and purée whole dried chiles to stir into this authentic Texas beef stew.

This simple, flavorful tomato sauce is a weeknight savior. Make a big batch and stash it in the freezer. Add to pastas, braises, soups, and stews in the weeks to come.

This one-pot stew takes its cues from chicken paprikash. Cooking low and slow is the key to getting deep flavor—and ensuring the potatoes are creamy and the chicken is pull-apart tender.

This pasta is so packed with vegetables and shrimp that it's a complete, satiating meal—despite using half the normal serving size of noodles.