Tomato

Seven ingredients and one skillet lead the way to home cooking that's as good as anything you'll eat in restaurants.

Rasam, as prepared in most homes in Southern India, uses either tamarind or tomatoes as the base. It is a piquant broth poured over steaming hot rice. In our home—both in Kerala and America—rasam was a staple part of everyday meals. One night when I was a teenager, I was out to dinner with my brother Tom in New York City’s Little Italy and ate mussels cooked in a light tomato broth very reminiscent of rasam. I couldn’t wait to get home, buy fresh mussels, and cook them in rasam. This dish has made its rounds in my kitchens for close to three decades now. Make sure to have some fresh crusty bread to soak up the tomato-mussel broth.

Add ready-peeled shrimp to tomato sauce spiked with fennel and chiles for a fast and flavorful weeknight dinner.

All your efforts will be rewarded the moment you pull this custardy eggplant slathered in tangy sauce, and a crispy, cheesy top from the oven.

The ingredient list for a curry can be a little daunting with all those spices, but the technique isn’t very far from a pasta sauce: you just toast the whole spices and then move on to a sort of sofrito of onion, garlic, and ginger. From that flavor base, you add tomatoes and whatever veggies you desire. At the end, a quick chutney, really just a rough chopped blend of herbs and coconut, gives the stew a bright pop of flavor (the way a few torn basil leaves make that tomato sauce sing).

Make a big pot of this classic slow-cooked sauce—it freezes beautifully.

The chicken should be falling-apart tender; if it starts to shred when you plate it, that’s a good sign!

Keep frozen shrimp in your freezer and a few staples like rice and coconut milk on hand and you can whip up this one-pot dinner any night of the week.

A quick dip in a simple marinade spiked with garlic and cayenne makes for grilled skirt steak that's tender and flavorful. While the steak rests, grill cherry tomatoes and toss with blue cheese for a warm side salad.

Want comfort food on demand? These family-friendly baked shells can be assembled ahead and refrigerated or frozen so they're ready to pop in the oven with no day-of work.

You won't miss the meat in this hearty vegan soup inspired by stuffed peppers. Cut day-of prep time by making a big batch of rice in advance and using it in multiple meals.

A spoon works fine for stuffing the manicotti noodles, but a piping bag—while it may seem fussy—makes quicker work of the assembly.

You probably already have everything you need to make this pasta in your pantry.