12 most underrated recipes of the year

You may have missed these, but not today.

Dec 28, 2023

Because the robots that control the internet only eat cheese, carbs, and chicken, some great recipes don’t get a chance to flash across our screens. Following in my old boss Kristen’s footsteps, instead of highlighting the most popular recipes of the year, this list here features 12 recipes that I just want to make sure you saw because I found them especially lovable or cool. Though my idea of cool is, apparently, making oatmeal in a skillet and not drying blanched vegetables, so maybe that also has something to do with it.

As a thank you for welcoming 40 Ingredients Forever into your crowded inboxes this year, the majority of the links below are unlocked for everyone. An extra-big thank-you to paid subscribers, who support the labor that creates this newsletter (ideating, grocery shopping, recipe development, dishwashing, writing, recipe-testing, editing, good ol’ admin, and so on).

Spicy Tahini Meatballs | Zucchini Salad (would be great together actually!)

Spicy Tahini Meatballs With Pita, Cucumber & Avocado

“It is nice to be surprised by food!” —NYT commenter on the spicy tahini meatballs

It’s easy to end up with an incredibly long ingredient list to get all the textures and flavors you need to make a main-dish salad interesting and filling. I was proud of the brevity of this recipe and the abundance of the result.

Zucchini Salad With Sizzled Mint & Feta

It’s embarrassing how hard I worked on this recipe. The prompt from my editors was “the most delicious raw zucchini salad possible” and I wanted it to be able to sit out for a few hours, so I couldn’t throw a bunch of fresh herbs at the riddle and move on. The answer was to warm the vinaigrette’s oil so that sesame seeds could toast and dried mint and red pepper flakes could bloom and intensify (kind of like a warm, fresh za’atar).

Vegetarian Reuben Sandwich

“Come on, NYT, you can do better than this.”

The premise of this reuben is that the least important part of a sandwich is usually the meat. A burger without the patty is a sandwich with a ton of lettuce, tomato, mustard, ketchup, cheese, onion, pickles, maybe chips—that sounds amazing to me. So this reuben doesn’t replace the meat with something inferior; it beefs up (hehe) the exciting elements already in play.

Whole Roasted Squash With Tomato-Ginger Chickpeas

These chickpeas are reminiscent of olive oil-braised ones, so plump and rich, and the tomatoes are somewhere between sun-dried and jam. Also, tomatoes + cinnamon forever.

Oatmeal

This is the recipe I make most, at least twice a week. Something about the technique creates a texture that’s so cozy without the oats getting too mushy.

French Bread Clam Pizza

The pluck of a scampi or clam pasta, pizza-y but not heavy, and made in 10 minutes flat (but if you don’t have ten, know that the clam mixture can be made ahead). An ideal 3 p.m. lunch.

Kale and Butternut Squash Bowl With Jammy Eggs

“Like most gen x-ers i had my fill of boiled/steamed veg roughly 40 years ago.” —NYT commenter

Even if you skip the vegetables here—which all steam in a skillet, not a basket—the sesame-ginger yogurt sauce is the kind of thing you always want in the fridge for salmon, chicken, grains, salads, and okay fine roasted vegetables.

Snap Pea Salad With Walnuts and Parmesan

“The Parmesan was just awful with this recipe.”

Drying blanched vegetables is fiddly, but if you don’t, the oil in the dressing will repel from the vegetables. So the answer was to skip both the drying and the oil and stir damp snap peas with mustard and lemon juice until the liquids emulsify to make a dressing. This salad also works with any number of different blanched vegetables, nuts, cheese, and herbs. Carrots + walnuts + feta + dill. Broccoli + almonds + cheddar + chives. Green beans + pecans + blue cheese + parsley. Etc.

Steak, Salad & Garlic Fries

Just some good ol’ childhood nostalgia: the only way my family really eats steak (over arugula) with garlic fries like the ones at Lakers games.

Paprika-Roasted Chickens and Potatoes

Do we need another way to roast chicken and potatoes? No, but maybe one that gets you more servings and a sauce? The sauce is spicy, schmaltzy, and tangy (from the lemons stuffed in the cavities), and it’s funny how nuts this looks going into the oven. Will the sheet pan break?