| Good morning, everyone. What are you planning to cook this weekend? While weeknights are when I tend to lean on leftovers and little-assembly-required meals, I give myself more leeway on Saturdays and Sundays to take on longer, more complex recipes. If you grew up in an Italian American family, that kind of dinner might have included the appropriately named "Sunday gravy," a meaty, marinara-adjacent tomato sauce simmered for hours on end. If not, there's a good chance your weekend meals still include something similarly saucy, rib-sticking and family-friendly, perhaps in casserole form. That's the kind of dish Olga Massov shared this week with her Baked Ziti (With Rigatoni). Olga doesn't cook her sauce for hours, instead simmering crushed tomatoes and aromatics just until the flavors meld and everything thickens, 20 to 30 minutes — plenty of time to develop savory depth, thanks to sautéed onion and browned, umami-rich tomato paste. (When you're in a rush, use store-bought marinara or whatever homemade version you've stashed in the freezer, such as Rao's Marinara Sauce.) In a twist on typical baked ziti, ridged rigatoni is the pasta of choice here, guaranteeing that there are plenty of crispy bits to go around after the noodles and sauce are combined with cheese and baked for about 30 minutes. Joe Yonan offered another take on a classic dish thanks to cookbook author Shaily Lipa's Fasolada (Greek White Bean Soup). To save time, this version employs canned beans, though in the spirit of the thrifty nature of the original, Joe offers instructions on how to make it using dried beans on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. This comforting, nourishing soup also includes crushed tomatoes, a variety of vegetables, and a bright finish of parsley and lemon. In keeping with the theme of recipe classics, I was excited to get to know Kimbap, the famed Korean rice and seaweed rolls. As writer (and former Post Sports reporter) Alex Prewitt tells us, the rest of the world is catching on to this beloved dish and running with all the different ways you can customize it. The version we shared from cookbook author and blogger Maangchi is pretty traditional, with a colorful filling of spinach, carrots, eggs, yellow pickled radish and beef. I loved the cross-cultural mashup of the Sheet Pan Chicken and Chickpeas that Aaron Hutcherson featured from cookbook author and "Great British Baking Show" champion Nadiya Hussain. Along with the drumsticks and legumes, this "tray bake" features eggplant, red onion and lemon flavored with a bevy of spices. The toppings are really where the fun happens: Mix and match with tahini, chili crisp, cilantro and lemon wedges when it comes time to serve the dish. The blend might sound discordant, but it works. Ellie Krieger's Raspberry Almond Chia Pudding Parfaits also make smart use of toppings. Instead of eggs or rich dairy, chia seeds serve as the thickening agent in the pretty pink pudding, which is then layered with sliced almonds and whole berries. Eye-catching, tasty and healthy: What more could you ask for? Speaking of asking: Be sure to join Aaron and me in our live — and lively — weekly chat on Wednesday at noon Eastern. We'll be answering your cooking questions, so submit them now, then join us when we flip the "on" switch. Until next week, happy cooking. |
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