Our 18 Favorite BA Recipes of 2019
We published more than 400 new recipes at Bon Appetit this year. Which means, we could have cooked something different every day (even multiple times a day!) since January 1. And while that sounds nice—and crazily ambitious (save it for your 2020 resolution?)—we, well, didn’t. Instead, the BA staff all found their favorite recipes, and cooked them over and over and over again. From new weeknight staples to Sunday supper projects to soups that cured our colds (seriously!), these were our favorite new recipes of 2019.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich1/18Apple-Walnut Upside-Down Cake
“I’ve made this cake (and peer-pressured my friends into making this cake) more times than is socially acceptable to post on Instagram. But can you really blame me? It’s an incredibly forgiving recipe that draws on freshly roasted and ground walnuts to add toasty depth to a tender, glistening cake that’s studded with apples. And trust me, once you flip the cake out of the skillet and see the sheen on those golden apple halves, you’ll take to your soapbox too.” —Jesse Sparks, editorial assistant
Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, Food Styling by Simon Andrews2/18BA’s Best Risotto
“I always used to tell people that it’s not worth it to make risotto at home, that you should leave it to the pros. This exceedingly creamy and flavorful version proved me wrong. Yes, it demands your attention, but it’s not difficult to make. And the final cheesy, buttery product—delicious on its own, or a blank canvas for any number of toppings and swirl-ins—is more than worth it.” —Adam Rapoport, editor in chief
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou3/18Soy and Ginger Steamed Fish
“I’ve always hated the phrase ‘nice piece of fish’ (what am I, 85?), but a sturdy black bass fillet steamed in sake, soy sauce, and mirin is nice indeed. Those layers of cabbage, torn mushrooms, and ginger matchsticks may read as fancy, but believe me when I say this recipe has quickly become a weeknight favorite, especially after a long weekend of holiday parties and late night pizza. It’s quick, craveable, and the steaming technique is almost impossible to mess up.” —Aliza Abarbanel, assistant editor
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens4/18BA’s Best Bolognese
“Do NOT tell Andy that I think his recipe for bolognese is one of my favorites all year (his head is too big already), but really, it is. It’s one of those project recipes with a huge payoff, and it’s always a crowd pleaser. I even made it once to bribe my friend into hanging all of the picture frames in my bedrooms. The bolo knows no bounds.” —Emily Schultz, social media manager
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone5/18Chicken and Rice Soup with Garlicky Chile Oil
“Maybe it’s because I just downed bowls of this soup for the last five (five!!!) meals, and I believe that it literally cured my cold, but this humble chicken and rice soup is all I want to eat when it’s chilly outside. It actually sits somewhere between soup and congee, thick but still brothy, filling, and warming. The chile oil puts it over-the-top (and if you’re smart, you’ll make extra to go on...everything else). Shoutout to these two tomato salads for a couple of summer favorites, too.” —Emma Wartzman, assistant producer
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk6/18Tomato Galette
“This might be a recipe you’ll only make once or twice a year—you know, during that month when you start sweating the second you wake up and the tomatoes are bloated as water balloons—but it’s worth the wait. Whereas lots of other tomato galettes and tarts and pies (imitators!) ask you to roast and cool the tomatoes first, lest the finished product turn out soupy, Andy Baraghani (God bless ‘im) figured out a way that you can go from slicing those juicy boys to tucking them into a galette crust in 5-ish minutes. The secret is a landing pad of grated cheese that soaks up all of their delicious juices and makes this, yes, a pizza galette.” —Sarah Jampel, Basically editor
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou7/18Sushi Rice With Miso-Caramel Glazed Salmon
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Kat Boytsova8/18Marinated Lentils With Lemony Broccolini and Feta
“I love anything that gets better with time, and that includes a lunch I can make ahead, and store in the fridge for a few days. This lentil and broccoli dish was engineered with that purpose in mind, and for that I am eternally grateful—and eternally stocked with the pretty little legumes. It’s good clean fuel for the whole work day, and so delicious, that I’ll still look forward to it having it again tomorrow.” —Sasha Levine, Bonappetit.com editor
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova9/18Big-Flavor Broccoli
“I thought only a #gymbro could eat this much broccoli for dinner, but Chris Morocco’s recipe turns the kinda-boring brassica into a one-skillet dinner I could crush in one sitting. It’s got anchovies, Parmesan, and sweet red onion that melts into the broccoli as it roasts, not to mention two whole heads of broccoli (stems included!). Most importantly, it resolves my what-do-I-eat-for-dinner whining on the regular, whether it’s leg day or not.” —Amanda Shapiro, Healthyish editor
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova10/18Red Pesto Pasta
“Molly Baz has saved my weeknight nothing-in-the-fridge woes with a pesto full of ingredients that I always have on hand: anchovies, garlic, olive oil, walnuts, tomato paste, lemons, and Parm (confession: I skip the Fresno chiles due to said empty fridge). Even if I did have a full fridge, I’d probably still make this pasta because I love the tomato sauce-meets-pesto vibes.”—Carey Polis, digital director
Photo by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski11/18Fall Fruit Galette
“There’s always money in the banana stand. There is always Carla Lalli Music’s galette dough in my freezer. And I have successfully referenced Arrested Development in a story! But back to the galette. It’s easy to put together, requiring little baking equipment and time, and still delivers on a consistently flaky, buttery texture, thanks to all the little tricks, tips, and photos in the recipe (roll the butter into ribbons?! Genius!). And though it says fall fruit, this dough is versatile and evergreen, like Adidas Superstars. It works in the summer, the most delicious receptacle for my summer haul of juicy Georgia peaches that were verging on too ripe. It works in fall, when everyone is apple-picking and suddenly you have a bushel of apples. All year long, Carla’s dough has been there for me.” —Elyse Inamine, digital restaurant editor
Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Kat Boytsova12/18Chicken Biryani
“Why did it take so long for BA to have a biryani recipe? I was always too scared to attempt it because my aunties made it seem overwhelmingly difficult to get that perfectly fluffy rice and super complex flavor without spending multiple days in the kitchen. Our very own Sohla El-Waylly made it totally doable, while still capturing all the flavors of my childhood. Oh, but one thing: The recipe tells you to use ghee or oil. GET THE GHEE, FOLKS." —Priya Krishna, contributing writer
Photo by Marcus Nilsson, Food Styling by Frances Boswell, Prop Styling by Amy Wilson13/18Beef and Ginger Stir-Fry
“In my efforts to live a more planet-friendly life, I rarely cook or eat beef anymore, but I am also a child of Texas, and sometimes I get a craving I cannot deny. That’s when I pull out this quick and easy spin on Filipino bistek, which makes the most of a good skirt steak by dousing it with a deeply flavorful sauce of onion, ginger, and sesame. I like to cook down the onions and ginger a little extra so they get nice and soft, then throw in some snow peas near the end, for health. What results tastes a lot like what I might get at my favorite takeout spot, but without all the plastic containers. See? Sustainability.” —Hilary Cadigan, associate editor
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones14/18Spicy-Sweet Sambal Pork Noodles
“SAMBALOGNESE. The big, take-no-prisoners heat here is the only kind of confrontation I can handle in my life. It’s amazing how much flavor happens in this recipe with a handful of ingredients: Ginger, sambal oelek, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, tomato paste, rice vinegar. That’s Chris Morocco for ya.” —Alex Beggs, senior staff writer
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Kat Boytsova15/18Tteokbokki
“For years we dreamed of publishing a recipe for chewy-firm tteok (cylindrical Korean rice cakes) in a wonderfully flavorful gochujang-packed sauce. 2019 was the year it happened. Look, we get that some of these ingredients aren’t easy to source for everybody and if we could, we would make every grocery store sell at least two styles of rice cakes, but for anyone who actually makes it, we know you will become believers as well.” —Chris Morocco, deputy food editor
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski16/18Feel-Better Chicken and Rice Soup
“A long day at work. Sniffles that lasted TWO WEEKS. A hungover morning that faded into a hungover evening. These are all (very real!) scenarios that were cured by Andy Baraghani's Feel-Better Chicken and Rice Soup. It's easily the recipe I've made the most times in 2019 (wait, did I have a bad year?) and at this point I pretty much have it memorized. Sometimes I make it as is. Other times I'll let it go an extra 15 minutes for a more congee-like consistency. It's versatile, soul-warming, and there for you when you need it—which, uh, apparently was a lot for me this year.” —Rachel Karten, associate director of social media
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro17/18Just-Keeps-Getting-Better Lentil Salad
“Let me start by saying there are four kinds of fat in this salad (toasted almonds, a spiced olive oil, salty feta shards, and rich Castelvetrano olives) which, unsurprisingly, makes it the one salad I would happily eat for lunch every day for a week (and I have!) The genius flavored oil (don’t be scared, it’s easy) is infused with all kinds of yummy things like lemon, garlic, scallions, and toasted cumin seeds, and since you’re pouring it all over sturdy ass kale leaves, you know it’s gonna be just as good on Day 3. The result is a hefty lunch that would put you out $16 at the Whole Foods salad bar, but way cheaper and way more delicious.” —Christina Chaey, associate editor
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova18/18Party Steak With Grilled Scallion Salsa Verde
