Weeknight Meals

It's hard to believe there's no cream in this soup, it's so velvety. A swirl of minty pistou, added at the last minute, provides complexity.

A few simple ingredients come together in an unexpected way to create a delicate beginning for a luxurious dinner.

Grape focaccia is a Tuscan classic. Here, we've reworked it with two kinds of cheese and a dash of sweet wine.

Delicious when served hot, this pasta dish is made for the culinarily creative—feel free to use your favorite mushrooms for a recipe all your own.

Baked creminis bursting with a buttery pecan and garlic stuffing make for eye candy just waiting to be devoured.

There's no tomato or mozzarella on this flatbread. Instead, we have sausage, sweet bell peppers, and Asiago cheese, just one example of how you can devise a simple but original pizza by drawing on just a handful of ingredients.

Chef Michael Schlow of Boston's Via Matta created this dish for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. Serve with Schlow's Red Snapper with Black Olives, Capers, and Tomatoes.

Chef Michael Schlow of Boston's Via Matta created this dish. Serve with Schlow's Crunchy Green Bean Salad.

Vongole in brodetto Chef Michael Schlow of Boston's Via Matta created this dish for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

The Standard Hollywood, which serves celebrities such as Heather Graham and Megan Mullally, has a trendy diner feel, but you'll find more than the burger special on the menu. Executive chef David Linville offers international treats like this salad with protein-rich lean flank steak.

Chef Kerry Simon (celebrity fans at his showy Las Vegas restaurant, Simon Kitchen and Bar, include Kate Hudson and Lucy Liu) is bringing his simple, organic American cuisine closer to the stars with the planned opening of Simon LA at the Sofitel Hotel this month. This succulent salad provides vitamins, including A, C and folate, among others, plus some zinc from the hearts of palm and juicy ruby red grapefruit.

One of the perks of fame: getting five-star food without leaving the sofa. Whenever Denise Richards craves a healthy, delicious meal, she calls private chef Dorte Lambert, founder of DL Creations. Don't be put off by the high fat count in this dish; it's mostly the heart-friendly unsaturated kind.

Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Cal-a-Vie Living: Gourmet Spa Cuisine and is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Cal-a-Vie. We would not think of removing this lunch from our repertoire! After a decade, we have only made it better with homemade low-fat chipotle mayonnaise and sliced mozzarella.

Editor's note: This recipe is reprinted from Rose Hammick and Charlotte Packer's book Great Parties for Kids. For their tips on throwing a kids' summer party, click here. Kids will enjoy helping to make these burgers — let them squelch the mixture into patties and hide a piece of cheese in the center. The burgers can be made and frozen well ahead of time — just remember to defrost them well before cooking.

The pesto is also great on portobello mushroom burgers, chicken burgers, and turkey burgers.

If you can't find green garlic, just blanch a regular garlic clove in boiling water for two minutes to soften its bite.