Tomato

When Jamie craves salad (believe it or not, he does!), this is what he’s after: something you can chow down on. Hearty, crunchy romaine is perfect for that. We also love it with Mama’s Tasty Baked Beans and Sausage Soup (page 126) and Sautéed Ravioli with Cheese and Bread Crumbs (page 166).

Who doesn’t love this combo? You can pay twenty bucks to eat it all nicely stacked up at a five-star restaurant, or you can make it at home for a lot less, and it’ll be just as good. Try it with any Italian-accented dish, like Braised Chicken with Peppers and Mushrooms (page 129) or Creamy, Spicy Sausage Pasta (page 105).

We came up with this salad, inspired by traditional burger fixin’s, to eat alongside cheeseburger casserole. It’s a match made in heaven. Try it with Turkey and Black Bean Burgers with Corny Salsa (page 44) or our Grilled Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Sub Sandwich (page 84).

Our Aunt Peggy doesn’t serve a meal without this delicious salad. She sometimes makes a variation with banana peppers or bell peppers added in. It’s such a simple, healthy side, and all you need to get dirty is your cutting board and one bowl. Its fresh garden flavor is a terrific complement to the spicy rice or just about any main course in the book, but we especially love it with Honey Mustard Baked Chicken (page 33) and any kind of pork chop (pages 22, 23 and 24).

We’ve never met a kid who doesn’t love grilled cheese—with extra-gooey cheese, please! We like to slip in some tomato, too, which some kids won’t eat otherwise. And let’s be honest here: You may as well make yourself one of these while you’re at it; otherwise your kid’s sandwich doesn’t have a chance.

Just about everything Mama makes involves sour cream or mayonnaise. Well, guacamole, with its rich, creamy taste, is like the Mexican version, and it goes great with a chicken and rice salad. This is another Bag Lady cult favorite. People still talk about it—the combination is a real keeper.

Orzo, a type of pasta shaped like flat grains of rice, is perfect for use in salads because it holds its shape and texture so beautifully. For this heart-healthy meal in a bowl, Jamie was inspired to use Italian flavors like fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives, plus Brooke’s all-time favorite salad ingredient, pine nuts.

When we were traveling around the country shooting episodes of our Food Network show, Road Tasted, we ate lots of fried, barbecued, and sugary food (Hey, it’s a tough job but somebody has to do it). Wherever we were, Bobby would seek out a salad for lunch or dinner to add a little balance to his diet. The night he discovered chopped salad, it was love at first sight. He developed this easy week-night recipe as soon as we were back home. It’s a salad that accommodates almost any ingredient—feel free to add your own personal favorites into the mix.

This full and satisfying meal is Jamie’s dream salad—heavy on the sausage and spuds. What’s not to love?

Bobby loves his goulash. It’s still the dish he begs Mama to make for him, even though he can have this easier, leaner version ready for himself when he gets home whenever he likes. Mama often serves her goulash the next day to let the flavors marry; cooking it in a crockpot in a single day achieves the same delicious effect.

Cooking chicken with mushrooms gives you such a nice intense and meaty-tasting broth. Along with meltingly soft bell peppers and onions, this throw-it-all-in-the-pot stew has wonderful Italian flavor. We love it over buttered noodles.

Serve this hearty chili over rice for a simple meal, or do it up Deen style over a bowl of Fritos corn chips with cheese, fresh onions, and sour cream. It sure tastes good with Moist-and-Easy Corn Bread (page 45).

One of our favorite things about pasta is that you can get creative with your sauce. Bell peppers, black-eyed peas, and Tabasco give this baked pasta a racy Southern taste. Jamie and his family eat so much pasta at their house that we like to joke that if they weren’t from the South, they’d be from southern Italy.