Carla Lalli Music
Food Director Emeritus
Carla spent 10 years working in NYC restaurants and was the first General Manager at Shake Shack before making the leap to food media. Her books include the James Beard Award-winning Where Cooking Begins and That Sounds So Good. Since leaving Bon Appétit in 2020, Carla has increased her online presence via a podcast, cohosted with fellow BA alum Rick Martinez, and YouTube channel. She spends most weekends cooking for friends and family, and packs one helluva school lunch.
Fettuccine Alfredo
Classic, silky Alfredo sauce comes from the emulsion of grated Parmesan, cold butter, and starchy pasta water. Keep the cream out of it.
BA’s Best Risotto
With four ways to dress it up, this simple risotto recipe is worthy of a dinner party—but it's also delicious topped with nothing at all.
A Better Turkey Chili
Pair ground turkey with white beans and a robust dried chile purée for a bowl of winter comfort with major body and richness.
Instant Pot Collard Greens
These collard greens are great to make for a dinner party when you need to keep your oven and stovetop free.
Tostones With Creamy Green Sauce
Make this easy recipe for tostones for any get-together. The twice-fried plantains with creamy, spicy cilantro dipping sauce is the ultimate party flex.
Salt-and-Sugar Pork Rib Chops
Carla Lalli Music's ingenious shortcut for perfectly browned pork chops is the weeknight dinner cheat code we all need.
Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts With Crunchy Radish Salad
This fast technique brings out the best (a.k.a. the juiciness) in boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Extremely Cheesy Potato Gratin
Creamy, cheesy potatoes with crispy edges, tender middles, and just a whisper of heat—need we say more?
Coffee-Hazelnut Biscotti
Embrace biscotti as the anti-gooey-chewy cookie that can be packed with coffee, chocolate, and nuts, and dunked in amaro, bourbon, or cold milk.
Grilled Pork Shoulder With Butter Vinegar Sauce
A crispy-crusted pork shoulder glazed with a tangy vinegar and butter sauce.
It Isn’t Spring Until I’ve Had Rhubarb
I have many big plans for the slim pink-and-green stalks.
The Do-Nothing Dinner I Make at Least Once a Week
Relieve dinner fatigue with this low-lift meal.
The Only Time I Panic Is When These 5 Condiments Run Low
They’re the razzle dazzle all my meals need.
Buttermilk Spring Chicken
People have been brining chicken in buttermilk since forever, often as the first step in a dredged and fried chicken situation. But we have chef and cookbook author Samin Nosrat to credit for the idea of roasting poultry straight out of a buttermilk bath, which not only imparts delicious tangy flavor, but also helps the skin achieve a walnut-colored hue when roasted at high heat.
When I Don’t Feel Like Cooking, I Remember Canned Tuna
100% pantry-friendly and 100% delicious
I Love Everything About This Popcorn (Except the Name)
Lesser Evil’s branding makes me bristle, but I can’t find a flaw with what’s inside the bag.
Vegetarian Carbonara
Swapping traditional ingredients like guanciale and pancetta for vegetable-based umami bombs (hello, garlic and smoked paprika) isn’t the only thing to consider when making a vegetarian carbonara. Many hard cheeses (including Parmigiano-Reggiano) use animal rennet, so if you want to seek an alternative, ask your cheesemonger.
Classic Carbonara
The classic reconsidered: less pasta, more crispy-chewy strips of guanciale, and more silky creamy egg to hold it all together.