Food55: Easy Home Recipes for Weeknights & Gatherings

Everyday Recipes for Every Kind of Meal

Food55 is a recipe collection for people who want dinner sorted without a lot of guesswork. You will find weeknight skillets and slow-cooker meals, bakes for weekend afternoons, plant-based dishes and centerpieces for holidays. Recipes are grouped into five categories, so you can start from the kind of meal you need and narrow down from there.

What You Will Find in Each Category

Comfort Classics is the largest section: familiar dishes from many kitchens, such as Sausage and Perogies skillet, Classic Backyard BBQ Ribs, Pizza Burger and Rainbow Jello Cake. Expect generous portions and food that reheats well.

Quick & Healthy is built for busy evenings. Garlic Shrimp Scampi, Sesame Crusted Tuna Steak on arugula and Corn on the Cob roasted in the husk all come together without much hands-on time.

Special Occasion collects dishes for holidays, birthdays and dinner parties, including French Silk Pie with an Oreo crust and Strawberry Cake with pink frosting. Many can be partly prepared a day ahead.

Plant-Based covers meals without meat or dairy, such as Creamy Mango Coconut Chia Pudding, which is made the night before, and Swiss Chard Curry with coconut milk.

Fusion Kitchen mixes traditions on one plate. Korean Ground Beef Ramen, Turkey Enchilada Stuffed Poblanos and Chicken and Shrimp Dumplings are good examples.

Cooking by Theme

Alongside the categories, some recipes are gathered into themed collections for a particular ingredient, season or occasion. Examples include grilled salmon, pumpkin dishes, sourdough for fall, cucumber sandwiches for tea parties, Fourth of July party food, soups and stews, sheet pan dinners and school snacks. They are handy when you have a bunch of chard, a pumpkin or a guest list to plan around.

How to Get the Most Out of a Recipe

A few habits make any recipe go more smoothly:

• Read it through first. Check the ingredient list, the equipment and whether anything needs to chill, rise or marinate overnight.
• Treat times as a guide. Ovens, pans and stovetops differ. Use the visual cues in the steps, such as color, texture and bubbling, along with the clock.
• Use a thermometer for meat. Poultry should reach 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part, ground beef 160°F (71°C), and salmon and other fish 145°F (63°C).
• Substitute with care. Swapping one herb, leafy green or similar vegetable is usually safe. Changing flour, sugar, eggs or leavening in baking can change the result, so make one change at a time.
• Check allergens yourself. Read the labels on packaged ingredients, since nuts, gluten, dairy, soy and sesame can hide in sauces, broths and spice blends.

Storage and Leftovers

Cool cooked food promptly and refrigerate it within two hours, or within one hour on a hot day. Store it in shallow, covered containers, where it generally keeps for three to four days. Reheat leftovers until steaming hot throughout. Soups, stews, curries and most casseroles freeze well; custards, cream-based desserts and dishes with fresh greens usually do not.

How the Recipes Are Prepared

Recipes on Food55 are developed and then edited so the steps are clear and in a sensible order, the times and temperatures are realistic, ingredient substitutions are suggested where they work, and food-safety notes are included where they matter. Even so, kitchens vary, so please use your own judgement, adjust seasoning to taste and confirm doneness with a thermometer.

Find Your Next Recipe

Pick a category above, or scroll up to the latest recipes. Once you have cooked something, leave a rating or comment on the recipe page to tell other readers how it went. If you have a question or spot a mistake, the contact page is the quickest way to reach us, and you can read more about the site on the About Us page.