Root Vegetable

A great side, but also a nice vegetarian dinner when made with vegetable broth and served over rice.

Kugel is most often made with potatoes or noodles. Here, carrots, zucchini, and two kinds of onions add color and flavor to a potato version.

For a vegetarian version, use 24 ounces extra-firm tofu instead of chicken, and increase the soy sauce to 2/3 cup and the vinegar to 1/2 cup. Serve with brown rice or soba noodles.

The sweetness of the carrots is a nice contrast to the slightly bitter beer.

This exotically spiced soup has an incredibly velvety texture.

Fish sauce and dried shrimp flavor the sweet, spicy, and bright chile jam used to glaze this side dish with deeply savory notes.

Cumin gives greens and tomatoes an exotic, almost Indian touch.

Gremolata (a classic Italian garnish made from lemon peel, parsley, and garlic) gets a new twist here with the addition of tarragon.

Eggs become a silky, creamy sauce when they're tossed with hot pasta. Here, leeks add a nice spring touch to the traditional Roman dish.

A decadent—but still healthy—vegetarian main.

Baking the crust first keeps it from getting soggy beneath the toppings.

Give your pan-seared salmon fillets a lemony pop with mustard-herb butter.

A single pot-au-feu can become several courses. First, serve the marrowbones with salt and toast, then present the meats and vegetables. The broth can be a separate course or can be immediately ladled over the meats and vegetables, with mustard and horseradish added to taste and cornichons served on the side.

A mountain of skinny, crisp fries adds drama to the plate. Unlike thick-cut fries, which are traditionally fried twice (first to cook them through and then to crisp them), shoestrings are fried only once. And like potato chips, they taste great at any temperature.

With an earthy flavor punctuated by hints of orange and a smooth, velvety texture, this soup is perfect as a simple weeknight supper or as a starter for an elegant party.

Thin green beans add ribbons of color as well as bite to a celeriac rémoulade.

A leek, carrot, and celery mirepoix, cooked until tender with rich white beans, gets a crisp, crunchy texture and delightfully rustic flavor from a garlicky bread-crumb topping flecked with parsley.