Use broccoli rabe and pistachios to make a summer pesto pasta.

Get the recipe: Orecchiette With Broccoli Rabe Pesto

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Ina’s Lemon Pasta With Roasted Shrimp is one of the most elegant-looking dishes you’ll ever make, and it’s also one of the easiest, on the table in just 30 minutes.  While you’re waiting for the water to boil, toss shrimp in a good olive oil, season with salt and black pepper and roast them until they’re pink. When the angel hair pasta is cooked to al dente, quickly toss it with butter, lemon zest, olive oil and the shrimp.

Editor’s Note: While some people leave shrimp tails on, guests will be grateful if you do the work ahead of time, keeping their hands clean.

Get the recipe: Lemon Pasta With Roasted Shrimp

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There’s an easy way to make weekly strides toward better health while still enjoying delicious dishes. Meatless Monday, an international movement, encourages people everywhere to cut meat one day a week for personal and planetary health. “Since its start in 2003, the campaign has spread to hundreds of schools, restaurants, workplaces and universities in more than a dozen countries,” shares Chris Elam, program director for Meatless Monday.

According to the Meatless Monday website, “Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.”

Get the recipes after the jump »

It’s time to move mint beyond juleps and mojitos.

Because in the U.S., mint has struggled to land on the dinner table. We tend to associate it with sweets (after all, it does pair nicely with chocolate) and breath mints.

But elsewhere in the world, especially North Africa, the Middle East and Asia, mint is used to lend a crisp, almost peppery contrast to savory dishes, especially fatty ones (think lamb with mint sauce).

First, the basics.

You’ll find mint sold with the other herbs in the produce section, often in large bunches that you’ll never manage to entirely use. No worries — it’s cheap.

Most of the mint sold in American grocery stores is spearmint or peppermint, just two of the many varieties (that grow like weeds) available. It should have a mix of large and small leaves that are bright green and firm.

Find out what you can make with mint »

Need a new and kid-friendly side to complement grilled chicken this summer? The classic sandwich is transformed into a pasta salad complete with works: bacon, lettuce and tomato.

Get the recipe: BLT Pasta Salad

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Meet your new go-to staple for hearty family and entertaining dinners that come together in under 40 minutes. Bow-tie pasta is tossed with tomatoes, basil, escarole and zucchini, than baked until a combination of fontina and Parmesan cheeses have melted.

Get the recipe: Baked Farfalle With Escarole and Zucchini

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Have last minute dinner guests? Dress up store-bought spinach ravioli with a homemade sauce tossed with plump San Marzano tomatoes, Italian salami and fresh basil — dinner will be ready in 20 minutes.

Get the recipe: Spinach Ravioli With Tomato Sauce

Browse Food Network’s pasta recipes for more dinner ideas.

If you find yourself with a wide stretch of free time on a cold Sunday afternoon, I can recommend no better activity than spending the day playing around in the kitchen. Winter cooking is a breed of its own, and dishes that are braised, slow-cooked, and roasted are just what the doctor ordered on frigid days. So when I found myself in this situation last weekend, I decided that I’d finally test out Anne Burrell’s Pasta Bolognese recipe that was featured in the premiere episode of Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. The recipe has been in my binder ever since I saw that episode, but because it lists its total cooking time at 4 ½ hours, it’s not exactly a weeknight dinner, so I was waiting for the right opportunity to tackle it.

Continue reading “Slow and Steady Wins the Taste”