Simmer

Why spend 90 minutes making green beans? That long cooking time infuses the beans with porky goodness and makes them silky-soft.

Adding the veggies in phases, from longest cooking first to fastest last, guarantees the ideal texture for each.

Cooking the shrimp with their shells on helps them retain flavor; scoring them along the back lets you remove the vein and makes peeling easier. Win-win.

This tortilla soup has everything you want: chicken, corn, and, of course, chiles.

Chef and author David Tanis insists on making broth for this restorative and iconic soup (pho ga) from scratch and warns against over­cooking the noodles: “They should be pretty firm and snappy, not flabby.”

Despite being a timeless classic, it’s probably been a while since you made this dish. Entertaining bonus: It gets better as it sits, which means you’ll be rewarded for making it ahead of time.

Humble cabbage takes center stage in this vegetarian ramen-inspired cabbage soup.

You could use any melting cheese in this grits recipe, such as a sharp cheddar, fontina, or Gruyère—in which case, just call them “Cheesy Grits.”

This stew might come together quickly, but it gets plenty of backbone from fennel and white wine.

Making risotto is like taking care of a baby—it demands a lot of attention, but its needs are simple. Coddle this one with frequent stirring and it will turn out just fine.

Okay, so maybe you don’t live across the street from a blooming locust tree—you can still make a killer butter sauce.

The key to a vibrant green (not khaki) soup: Bring the water up to a boil quickly over high heat, and err on undercooking the peas to preserve their color.

Preparing this soup on the weekend means lunch is ready to grab and go on your way out the door Monday morning.

The success of this simple soup depends on using the freshest watercress available. Choose the full-grown, thick-stemmed variety; it has more of the green's characteristic bold, peppery flavor.

To keep the matzo dumplings light, don't overtax the dough.

For this meatball recipe, ground chicken is leaner than other meats, but less fat doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavor—these meatballs are loaded with aromatics like scallions, ginger and garlic, and served alongside delicious Chinese broccoli.

Heart-healthy coconut oil adds delightfully nutty, aromatic flavor to this creamy, sweet soup. If you can't find harissa to garnish with, drizzle it with hot sauce or sprinkle with a pinch of chili flakes instead.

Semi-pearled farro has had some of its outer kernel removed, which allows the starch to release and create a creamy sauce while cooking.

Consider this fiery Korean kimchi jjigae-inspired tofu stew recipe a weekend detox. It’s spicy, clean, and capable of reversing any damage the previous night may have caused.

Ask anybody’s nonna: Making Sunday sauce is not an exact science. You can use other meats—like thick pork chops or short ribs—in place of or in addition to the ones listed here.

If you’ve made risotto, this recipe will feel intuitive, but the combination of earthy rye berries and mushrooms will taste completely new.

The oysters will plump slightly in the hot soup and take on a creamy but firm consistency; if overcooked, they’ll become rubbery.