Sauce

Forget too thick, too thin, too lumpy, too greasy, too salty, or just bad gravy. Nobody needs that—especially not you.

This gorgeous bright red paste is so much better than the store-bought stuff. Rub it on chicken, pork, or fish—it's especially delicious for these tacos al pastor.

If you don’t have both spices, it’s okay to omit one or the other.

The not-new but definitely improved Mickey D's holy trinity is right here, thanks to Dale Talde.

Three simple pasta sauces that come together in minutes, with zero stove time? Sign us up.

Schmear this on sandwiches, use it to marinate shrimp or chicken, or spoon a dollop onto eggs.

This recipe makes more spice mix and chile paste than you’ll need for a single batch of mole. Keep the extras on hand for chili, stews, braises, or another batch of mole!

You wouldn’t blanch tender herbs such as basil, but doing so here softens the collards and kale.

Easier than pie, faster than cake, rhubarb sauce is the best dessert you can make with those sweet-tart stalks. Here's how to go from stalk to sauce in 30 minutes flat.

You've got a pound of ground beef in the freezer: Now what? These six ideas for what to cook with ground beef have you covered for dinner tonight.

You can make pesto out of almost anything green and leafy, which makes spring the perfect time to experiment.

This makes enough sauce for three 12-oz. portions of pasta, but leftover sauce is a good thing. Freeze it for next time. Learn more here.

If making ahead of time, set the basil to the side; it will oxidize in the acidic sauce. Stir it in right before serving.

Here's how to go from "braising liquid" to homemade sauce perfection.

Leftover sauce? Bring a pot of water to boil: It’s pasta night.

Charring the vegetables adds bittersweet depth; serve leftovers on scrambled eggs.

You don't have to wait until summer to make pesto. Forget the basil and make one of these winter pestos, instead.

You can substitute ancho chiles for the chilhuacle amarillo chiles and the chilcostle chiles in this mole, but for authentic color and flavor, order these hard to find chiles from spicetrekkers.com.

There are no dried chiles in this green mole; it boasts bright, fresh flavors instead.

Chilhuacle negro chiles give this mole its traditional flavor and should not be substituted. They’re difficult to find in the U.S., but you can find them—and the other chiles you’ll need—at spicetrekkers.com.

While the turkey roasts, it releases tons of concentrated flavor into the pan—this is where the gravy takes on another dimension. As the bird rests, set the pan on your stovetop, roll up your sleeves, and get to work. Watch this video for more.

Parsnips are naturally sweet and not too starchy, which makes for an ultra-silky mash.

This pizza sauce produces excess tomato liquid, which would be great added to a braise.