Recipes

17 Genius Shortcuts for Rotisserie Chicken, Tomato Sauce, and More

Because you have more important things to do than spending 3 days making porchetta.
Image may contain Food Pasta Spaghetti Noodle and Meal
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott

Nothing may ever beat a real-deal porchetta, slow-roasted rotisserie chicken, or cooked-until-forever tomato sauce. But these 17 recipes, which come together in a fraction of the time it takes to make their slowpoke counterparts, slay in a pinch. And we think they're every bit as delicious as the real thing.

  • Image may contain Food Pasta Noodle Bowl Plant Egg Spaghetti Dish Meal and Fruit
    Lennart Weibull
    3/17

    Ramen with Smoked Turkey Broth

    Check your authenticity meter at the door. This is the speediest, least traditional—and most fun—ramen ever invented.

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  • Classic chicken pot pie recipe using storebought rotisserie chicken puff pastry and a simple gravy spiked with...
    ALEX LAU
    4/17

    Fast Chicken Pot Pie

    The only not-last-minute thing about this recipe? Thawing the puff pastry. Make sure to put it in the refrigerator the night before making this dish.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Bowl Noodle and Pasta
    Alex Lau
    5/17

    Weeknight Red Curry

    "Curry" rhymes with "hurry" for a reason. A few shortcut ingredients yield a gently spiced, deep-flavored sauce that’s ready in under an hour.

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  • Image may contain Plant Bowl Food Vegetable and Produce
    Yossy Arefi
    6/17

    Oven Risotto with Kale Pesto

    This rice is so self-sufficient it doesn't need your constant attention, and it's happy to share the spotlight with a nutty green sauce.

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  • Image may contain Food Meal Dish Pork Lunch Dinner Supper and Roast
    Photo by Heidi's Bridge, styling by Molly Baz
    7/17

    Weeknight Porchetta

    We cut corners on the classic Italian dish—using bacon and skipping the multiday air-drying process. It’s not traditional, but it sure is delicious.

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Hot Dog Plant Pottery Vase Jar and Platter
    Alex Lau
    8/17

    Sausage Meatball Sandwiches

    We like the combo of spicy and sweet Italian sausage, but use any uncooked sausage you like—merguez or chorizo would work.

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  • Image may contain Food Pasta Spaghetti Noodle and Meal
    Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    9/17

    Quick 5-Ingredient Tomato Sauce

    You don’t need hours to simmer tomato sauce. This recipe shows you how to make an excellent one in 30 minutes, with 5 ingredients, in 1 pan, with very little effort.

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  • Image may contain Food and Pizza
    Alex Lau
    10/17

    Cast-Iron Pan Pizza

    Thanks to a store-bought dough, a screaming-hot cast-iron pan, weeknight pizza just got a whole lot better.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Cutlery Spoon Food Dish Meal Plant Soup Bowl Soup Vegetable and Produce
    Danny Kim
    11/17

    Quick Miso Soup

    No need for powdered packets for this quick soup recipe: Just pack a thermos with veggies, tofu, and miso in the morning. Come snacktime, you’re a cupful of water and a couple of minutes away from a delicious, bone-warming soup.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Produce Bowl Vegetable Bean and Lentil
    Alex Lau
    12/17

    Weeknight Italian Wedding Soup

    For soup in a hurry, this spin on Italian meatball with a few clever shortcuts (hi, storebought sausage) delivers every time.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Produce Vegetable and Meal
    Alex Lau
    15/17

    Coconut Beef Curry

    There's a time for a 20-ingredient, four-hour curry, and it's not 5 p.m. on Tuesday. This shortcut version yields a hearty crowd-pleaser.

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  • Image may contain Plant Vegetable Food Bean and Produce
    Marcus Nilsson
    16/17

    Pot o’ Beans

    Our no-soak bean recipe is foolproof and ripe for improvisation. Throw in whatever moves you and simmer away.

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As the senior food editor at Bon Appétit, Christina spends her days in the BA Test Kitchen dreaming up recipes for home cooks (Chocolate-Matcha Butter Mochi Cake and Green Curry Lentil Soup are favorites). She also oversees the brand’s digital recipe content, working with freelancers and test kitchen staff to ... Read More
Senior Food Editor
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