Recipes

The 10 Most Popular Recipes of December 2021

Comfort food was the move.
Image may contain Food Meal Confectionery and Sweets
Photograph by Isa Zapata.  Food Styling by Micah Morton.  Prop Styling by Paige Hicks

Predictably—and understandably—cozy comfort food was on your minds all of December. The most popular recipes of the month were takes on homey dishes from around the globe. From this classic Greek casserole that filled our bellies with saucy pasta, to veggie-packed Japanese curry, to Filipinx chicken afritada that’s basically a hug in a bowl, to the nostalgic sweet spirals of South Asian jalebi, the theme was soothing hearty cooking.

Do we yearn for brighter, warmer days ahead? The answer is probably obvious. But for now, we’ll keep warm by perfecting our eggplant biryani skills. Here are our most popular recipes from December—starting with No. 1.

  • A bowl of half white rice half Japanese curry with squash and mushrooms topped with sliced scallions and served with a...
    Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Micah Morton. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks
    1/10

    Japanese Curry With Winter Squash and Mushrooms

    Swap instant curry cubes for a homemade Japanese curry sauce that delivers the same rich and nostalgic flavor—without preservatives or fillers.

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  • Image may contain Food Meal Confectionery and Sweets
    Photograph by Isa Zapata.  Food Styling by Micah Morton.  Prop Styling by Paige Hicks
    2/10

    Jalebi

    It only takes a handful of ingredients to bring this dazzling South Asian snack to life in your kitchen. These particular jalebi strike the perfect balance between crispy, chewy, and sweet.

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  • Image may contain Cutlery Fork Food Dish Meal and Plant
    Photograph by Isa Zapata.  Food Styling Cyd McDowell.  Prop Styling by Paige Hicks
    3/10

    Mortadella Wedge Salad

    It’s not like a regular wedge; it’s a cool wedge—and by cool we mean stuffed with pickled jalapeños and paper-thin slices of mortadella and drizzled with tangy buttermilk dressing.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata.  Food Styling by Cyd McDowell.  Prop Styling by Paige Hicks
    4/10

    Tropical Babas With Whipped Coconut Cream

    We took the classic yeasted French dessert cakes known as babas on a tropical vacation with a boozy pineapple-rum sauce and pillowy whipped coconut cream.

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  • Eye Round Roast recipe
    Photograph by Isa Zapata.  Food Styling by Cyd McDowell.  Prop Styling by Paige Hicks
    5/10

    Eye of Round Roast With Jus

    You don’t have to break the bank to make this gorgeous hunk of roast beef with an umami-packed jus.

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  • Image may contain Food Lasagna Pasta and Pizza
    Photograph by Isa Zapata.  Food Styling by Cyd McDowell.  Prop Styling by Paige Hicks
    6/10

    Pastitsio

    This hearty Greek pasta bake is packed with impressive-looking layers of chewy giant noodles, spiced meat, and a creamy, cheesy béchamel to top it all off. 

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Produce Vegetable Bean and Lentil
    Photography by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Cyd McDowell. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks
    9/10

    Eggplant Biryani

    There's no denying this vegetarian biryani studded with silky eggplant is a labor of love. There's also no denying the end result is completely and totally worth it.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata.  Food Styling by Micah Morton.  Prop Styling by Paige Hicks
    10/10

    Skillet-Roasted Chicken Afritada

    Crispy-skinned chicken, velvety stewed tomatoes, and tender roasted vegetables come together in chef Melissa Miranda’s modern take on chicken afritada.

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Mehreen Karim was formerly the Recipe Production Assistant at Bon Appétit, where she built recipes and stories for bonappetit.com. She also developed recipes and wrote stories to help readers discover unlikely food combinations (caramelized dates and asparagus) and cooking hacks (how to grill chicken without a grill) to inspire home ... Read More
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