Cheese

Straining the ricotta will tighten the filling, making it easier to roll. Let it hang out in a sieve while you’re measuring everything else out.

The classic Pecorino and black pepper combination is delicious on way more than pasta. Try it on veg and rice, too.

The little sprinkle of buckwheat delivers a much-needed crunch factor. If you don’t have any, add some chopped toasted almonds or homemade breadcrumbs.

If using different types of beets, separate them when roasting and tossing to keep the colors from bleeding.

If you think you don't like blue cheese, these 3 might change your mind.

You haven't lived till you've marinated your cheese.

The garlic knot is all grown up, and it brought mortadella to the party.

If you can find Chihuahua cheese for this, use it! If not, Monterey Jack can be subbed. Not the same, but still crazy good!

Then go forth and make the best damn quesadillas of your life.

Visit an Italian deli and splurge on the cold cuts, but hit the supermarket for everything else, including the not-too-crusty rolls that are usually loaded into bins in the bakery section.

If your largest skillet isn’t large enough to hold 12 oz. pasta and toss everything together, dump the mixture back into the pot from cooking the rigatoni and toss.

We like the combo of spicy and sweet Italian sausage, but use any uncooked sausage you like—merguez or chorizo would work. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

Parmesan rind and a kitchen sink’s worth of aromatics give heady flavor to this classic Italian recipe with cannellini beans and pasta.

Big group? Go for the show-stopping giant baked brie recipe. Smaller party (or can’t find the large size)? Smaller wheels are perfect, and the cook time is the same.

Try this with white beans on toast, in salads, or puréed and spread on pita.

Rather than being cooked in salted water, the pasta is treated like risotto—simmered in stock and stirred until cooked and creamy—which gives it plenty of time to pick up meaty flavors.

A doubly crunchy topping marks a breakthrough moment for creamy roasted fennel.

We’re into the celery-on-celery concept, but you could make this with celery root alone and it would be great.

The liquid will not submerge the endive at first, and that’s okay. Take the gratin out of the oven after 10 minutes and press down with a spatula to submerge the endive in cream.

Salad, meet pizza. Pizza, salad. The key here is to get the crust as thin as possible when stretching it out.

Yes, we think it’s a great idea to eat giant chicken nuggets for breakfast. But this delicious, indulgent dish works for dinner (and lunch, too). If you prefer white-meat chicken, use skinless, boneless breasts that have been cut in half crosswise.

Be careful not to overbeat or your filling will curdle. This is perfect for our Bûche de Noël.

Also known as the “cooked to hell” method, this braise renders the greens meltingly tender.

If you’ve given up on stovetop rice methods, you’ll love this hands-off oven technique.