Tomato

To make meatballs that are moist and tender, avoid using very lean ground turkey. For convenience, make a batch of sauce and meatballs ahead and freeze for up to three months.

Orecchiette are small ear-shaped pasta shells; fusilli or farfalle can be used instead. You can also replace the arugula with two cups whole fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves.

Baking pasta with cheese on top creates a chewy and crispy topping kids will love. You can assemble the dish ahead and refrigerate it, then bake it right before dinner.

Creamy polenta provides a wonderful counterpoint to this hearty stew. To time everything right, bring the water to a boil while the chicken is browning, then add the polenta to the water when beginning step three of the chicken recipe.

Curries can be quite mild or extremely spicy. It all depends on the type of curry powder that is used to make them—and how much is added. Feel free to adjust the recipe according to your own taste.

You can replace the zucchini with other vegetables, such as eggplant or bell peppers. Turmeric, which is related to ginger, is what gives curries and prepared mustard their distinctive yellow color. Look for it in the supermarket’s spice aisle.

In this foolproof pasta dish, the cherry tomatoes cook just long enough to bring out their juice, which blends with the garlic-flavored olive oil to make a great-tasting sauce.

Here is a meaty tomato sauce that doesn’t need to cook for a long time to be flavorful. And the sauce keeps well in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Whole-wheat pasta, which contains more fiber and is slightly chewier and nuttier tasting than regular pasta, adds nutritional value to this dish.

Soft hamburger buns work best with these kid-friendly sandwiches. Serve with pickles or potato chips.

This simply dressed assortment of wholesome vegetables and legumes is full of bright color, texture, and flavor. Serve it as a starter or side at dinner, and save any leftovers for lunch the next day.

For a delicious appetizer, serve the grilled tomatoes atop toasted pieces of Italian bread. Or use them in a grilled sandwich with fresh mozzarella and basil.

Elegant enough for a dinner party but simple enough to prepare any night of the week, this pasta dish makes good use of quick-cooking shrimp and two types of tomatoes.

When you find yourself with day-old bread, make this Tuscan salad, known as panzanella. Coarse-textured, good-quality bread works best. Feel free to improvise by adding olives, anchovies, or canned tuna.

Using a variety of colorful tomatoes makes a stunning presentation. The dressing is simple—since tomatoes are so flavorful in the summer, they don’t need much accompaniment.

Gazpacho is traditionally made by adding olive oil to vegetable purée; in this light version, we left out the oil and used only a small amount to cook the shrimp.