Weeknight Meals

Garrett McCord, coauthor with Stephanie Stiavetti of Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese, created this recipe exclusively for Epicurious. A completely traditional take on the ultimate comfort food casserole, we think this is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Plus, it's a flexible recipe that can easily be tinkered with to suit your family's mac 'n' cheese preferences. If you really like the crunchy topping, go ahead and add more—use an additional 1/2 cup of panko, an extra 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and a slightly larger handful of shredded cheese. Want more assertive cheesiness? Experiment with different Cheddars, including aged versions. And of course, feel free to add your favorite extras like raw or roasted broccoli or cauliflower, or crisp cooked bacon. For more on mac 'n' cheese, including tips from McCord and more mix-in ideas, see Classic Recipes: Macaroni and Cheese.

My mother grew up in Bad Nauheim, Germany, where she helped her parents with their inn and restaurant called Die Krone (The Crown). When I was growing up, she cooked several traditional German dishes, but one of the most memorable for me was her recipe for sweet-and-sour red cabbage. Though I was a pretty picky eater, I adored the cabbage and loved how it colored the mashed potatoes my mother would always serve with it. Mom never wrote the recipe down for me, but I reached out to German relatives and re-created it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed taking the trip down memory lane. Grating the cabbage takes a while, so make sure to have some good tunes on!

Sesame seeds have a powerful antidepressant effect and provide the basis for this healthy, restorative dinner.

These flavorsome burgers are ideal for relaxed family meals and offer a good hit of mood-lifting tryptophan.

Even a simple vegetable side can take on a deep, layered flavor profile when you add umami and heat to the mix. That's why I'm a big fan of bagna càuda, a simmered Piedmontese "hot bath" of garlic, anchovies, red pepper flakes, and olive oil. Thankfully, you don't have to zip around the streets of Turin on a scooter to get a taste of this mouth-filling, savory sauce. Tossed with lemony, oven-roasted broccoli, spicy bagna càuda brings full-bodied heat to any dinner table. Besides, it's just plain fun to yell BAHN-yah COW-dah!

No offense to traditional risotto lovers, but risotto made with amaranth is so much easier because it doesn't require 20 minutes of near-constant stirring. Just leave your amaranth to bubble slowly on the back of the stove, while you sauté our mushrooms for the buttery topping. Dried porcini mushrooms bump up the woodsy flavor of the topping, while their soaking liquid becomes a deep, mushroomy stock in which to cook the amaranth. This risotto is ideal for Meatless Mondays and will please all your vegan friends to boot, but if you are craving some cheese, 1/4 to 1/3 cup of Parmesan stirred into the risotto at the end will give it that extra boost that only Parmesan can deliver. Or keep it vegan and pass a bowl of grated cheese separately for those who want it.

A version of this salad has been on Estela's menu since its opening; Mattos has tried it with summer squash and apples in place of the kohlrabi. In any case, make sure not to cut your slices too thin—they need to stand up to the nuts and cheese.

The broccoli can be cooked early in the day, but toast the bread just before assembling so it doesn't dry out.

This smoky, fiery concoction is inspired by Bar Amá's "Bus Driver" salsa.

In defense of Velveeta: Its texture is supreme.

Kabocha squash is made for purées.

Fresh celery lightens this guacamole and adds some serious crunch.

Soaking the onion mellows its sharpness. If you can't find fresh horseradish, add 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish to the crème fraîche mixture.

Whether you pile this spicy, marinated grilled steak and cabbage into warm tortillas or over a bowl of rice, the only thing you’ll wish is that you had made more.

It might seem fussy to separate the vegetables when pickling, but if they're combined, the colors will bleed and they won't be as vibrant.

Cutting the vegetables into similarly sized pieces helps them cook at the same rate, so this entire dish—sauce included—can be made in one pan.

Cooking the potatoes on a wire rack lets hot air circulate around them, so they get extra crisp.

Mattos says to get both the walnuts and the breadcrumbs very toasty and dark brown; he loves the contrast between the rich, crunchy bits and the bright, juicy endive on top.

A virtuous, herby grain salad with a heart of indulgent butterfat. We love the white-on-white effect of using barley, but it's delicious with basically any whole grain; try wheat berries or spelt.

Think of the crunchy, granolaish sesame clusters as seedy croutons for this juicy and bracing salad.