This Japanese-inspired mushroom pasta uses a mixture of mushrooms (such as oyster, shiitake, and cremini, but use whatever you prefer) and bacon tossed with garlic, soy sauce, butter, and spaghetti to make a quick pasta.
While the sauce coats the pasta lightly, its flavor is anything but subtle thanks to the addition of dashi powder. It is the key ingredient that adds a punch of umami to the dish. So before you start this dish, make sure you have dashi powder on hand. It is easy to get at an Asian market or online.
Begin by crisping the bacon in a skillet, then remove it and brown a pound of mushrooms in the fat left in the pan (any type or mix of mushrooms will do), followed by scallions and garlic. To finish the sauce, stir in some pasta cooking water, butter for silky texture, and the instant dashi powder and soy sauce. Despite only lightly coating the spaghetti, the resulting sauce turns the dish into a flavor powerhouse.
The Hubs had the leftovers for lunch the next day and said it was even better!
5 slices thick cut bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch strips
1 lb. assorted mushrooms, sliced ½-inch thick
4 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. instant dashi powder
Directions
Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and ½ tablespoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
Meanwhile, cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until bacon is golden and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate.
Add mushrooms to fat left in skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until mushrooms have softened and edges are golden, about 5 minutes. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook until fragrant and butter is melted, about 30 seconds. Stir in ½ cup reserved cooking water, butter, soy sauce, and dashi powder.
Transfer to pot with pasta along with reserved bacon and toss to combine. Adjust consistency with additional reserved cooking water as needed. Sprinkle with scallion greens. Serve.
Super-savory spuds for any time of day—breakfast, lunch, dinner, or late night. We beta-tested this recipe for America’s Test Kitchen many months ago, and it was published in Cook’s Country April/May 2025 issue.
This recipe for bacon-y potatoes demonstrates the superior browning ability of cast-iron skillets. For home fries with tender, fluffy insides and crispy, browned exteriors, precooking the potatoes is essential.
Peel and cut russet potatoes into ¾-inch pieces before microwaving them, covered, with oil, salt, and pepper until tender. Then crisp the potatoes in a hot cast-iron skillet, using bacon fat to give them smoky savoriness.
Fresh garlic and delicate chives provided sweet-savory depth without overpowering the spuds. As mentioned, these potatoes aren’t just for breakfast—they can be enjoyed any time of the day.
NOTE: To minimize food waste, when cutting peeled potatoes into cubes, don’t bother squaring off the sides of the potatoes. The cubes just need a few flat sides; some rounded sides are fine too. FYI: Six slices of bacon should weigh six ounces.
2¼ lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra as needed
1¼ tsp. table salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. minced fresh chives
Directions
Cook bacon in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate. Transfer rendered bacon fat to small bowl and reserve. (You should have about 5 tablespoons fat; add vegetable oil as needed to equal 5 tablespoons.) Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.
Meanwhile, toss potatoes with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, salt, and pepper in large bowl and microwave, covered, until potatoes are fully tender, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. (Take care when removing cover; steam will be very hot.) Transfer potatoes to colander and let cool for 15 minutes.
Heat reserved 5 tablespoons bacon fat in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add potatoes and cook without moving until first side is well browned, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring every 3 minutes, until potatoes are well browned and crisp all over, about 12 minutes longer.
Off heat, stir in garlic. Transfer to platter and sprinkle with chives. Serve.
FYI, bratkartoffeln is a comforting German side dish of pan-fried potatoes, bacon, onions, and fresh herbs. For tender, golden-brown potatoes with slightly crisp edges, infuse them with smoky flavor from the bacon and slight oniony sweetness.
While the dish is typically made with leftover boiled potatoes, this recipe starts with raw, so the potatoes are cooked in a covered skillet, allowing them to steam and absorb flavor. When the lid is removed, the potatoes are allowed to brown and crisp around the edges.
Due to the fact that the potato slices did not fit in one layer in the skillet, they had to be jockeyed around several times (instead of just twice) while covered. And again with the lid off.
Note from America’s Test Kitchen: For the most traditional flavor use a hickory-smoked bacon. If the bacon is difficult to chop, place it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to firm it up. These rich, hearty potatoes pair nicely with bratwurst, schnitzel, or scrambled eggs.
2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced crosswise ½ inch thick
½ tsp. table salt
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick or carbon-steel skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown at edges and just starting to render, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion and continue to cook until onion is soft and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon and onion to bowl, leaving fat in skillet (you should have about 1 teaspoon).
Add butter to bacon fat and melt over medium heat. Add potatoes and salt and stir to coat potatoes evenly with fat. Cover and cook, shaking pan occasionally, for 9 minutes. After 9 minutes, potatoes should be bubbling at edges; if there is no moisture around potatoes, lower heat slightly; if there is no or little sizzling around potatoes, increase heat slightly. Cover and continue to cook until potatoes can be easily pierced with tip of paring knife, 6 to 9 minutes.
Remove lid and gently stir potatoes (it is OK if some potatoes break). Continue to cook, uncovered, gently stirring every 2 to 3 minutes until potatoes are golden brown (not all surfaces will be brown), about 10 minutes.
Gently stir in bacon, onion, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper, transfer to platter, and serve.
Instead of more traditional ground beef lasagna, try this shrimp and crabmeat casserole from Better Homes & Garden. Pair it with a side salad for a satisfying and vegetable-rich dinner.
With the cost of fresh lump carb meat sky-high, refrigerated pasteurized lump crabmeat is an excellent choice over the traditional canned crabmeat or more expensive fresh crab. Look for it at the meat and seafood counter of your supermarket.
When it comes to the rice, measure out 3 cups AFTER it is cooked. The Hubs had an off-moment and cooked too much rice and we used all of it. Although it did not alter the flavor of the dish, it did make it a bit too rice-forward. If you do have extra rice, save it for another meal.
Purchasing a 1-pound bag of frozen salad shrimp made prepping a lot easier because they didn’t need to be peeled and deveined; plus the small size was perfect in the casserole. This is an ideal dish when hosting/attending a potluck lunch or dinner, just make sure to keep it warm until serving time.
1 lb. fresh or frozen small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 medium green sweet pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. butter, divided
½ tsp. dried thyme, crushed
3 cup cooked long grain white rice, (1 cup uncooked)
4 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped
8 cups fresh baby kale or spinach, stems removed
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
2 cup milk
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz.)
16 oz. cooked crabmeat, flaked
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (2 oz.)
½ cup chopped green onions (4)
Directions
Make rice according to package directions.
Thaw shrimp, if frozen; set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large skillet cook the green pepper, onion, celery, and garlic in 1 tablespoon hot butter over medium heat about 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in thyme; cook and stir for 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl. Add cooked rice; stir to combine. Set aside.
In the same skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Add the kale; cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until wilted and tender. Remove from heat. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and Cajun seasoning; cook and stir for 1 minute.
Stir in milk; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Reduce heat to low. Add Monterey Jack cheese; stir until cheese melts.
Lightly grease a 4-quart rectangular baking dish. Spread half of the rice mixture over bottom of dish. Layer with half of the kale mixture, half of the shrimp, half of the crabmeat, and half of the cheese sauce. Repeat layers. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly and lightly golden. Sprinkle with green onions.
In the allium family, leeks are the tallest and offer the sweet taste of onion but with an earthier, grassy herbal character, and we love them! This first Braised Leeks with Bacon and Thyme recipe hailing from Molly Stevens “All About Braising” cookbook braises the leeks slowly in chicken broth until they collapse into blessed tenderness.
As Molly describes, braising reveals all of their goodness and brings out a complexity of flavor that would be lost by boiling or steaming. They are infinitely versatile and made a perfect accompaniment to our roasted chicken dinner. Serve them hot, warm, at room temperature or even a little chilled. They’ll keep for several days in the refrigerator.
Option number two is a vegetarian dish from Milk Street. Braised Leeks with Balsamic Glaze are meltingly tender. They are poached in olive oil and water then drizzled with a tangy-sweet balsamic glaze. The vegetable retains its mild spring onion flavor with none of the raw allium pungency—a wonderful example of letting the natural flavor of an ingredient shine through!
Leeks are at their best in the fall and winter. Shop for leeks that feel solid at the base, not at all squishy. The green top portion should be dark, not dried out. Inspect the white portion to see that it’s smooth and bright, not split or slimy. Late-season leeks may have developed solid woody cores, an indication it is way past their prime, and shouldn’t be purchased.
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
1 tsp. butter
4 to 5 lbs. medium to large leeks
2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut lengthwise in half
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (do not substitute dried)
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
1/2 lemon
Directions
Place the bacon in a medium skillet, set over medium heat, and fry, stirring often with a slotted spoon, until mostly crisp but with some softness remaining, 8-10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain, and set the skillet aside.
Preheat the over to 325°F. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. (We didn’t have as many leeks so we used a 9×9 square dish.)
With a large knife trim off the root end of each leek, but leave the base intact. Get rid of the heaviest green part and any tough white parts. Cut off the tops at the point where the green turns from pale and smooth to dark and leathery.
Cut the leeks lengthwise in half, without cutting completely through the root end, Wash the leeks thoroughly, holding them upside down under cold running water and flaring the layers to let the water run through to remove all the sand.
Shake off the excess water and place them in one layer in the prepared baking dish. Tuck the garlic halves in the dish and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Sprinkle on the thyme.
Pour off as much fat from the reserved bacon skillet, without discarding the bacon drippings. Place over high heat, add the stock, and bring to a boil to deglaze the pan, scraping with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot stock over the leeks.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and place on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Braise for 30 minutes.
Turn the leeks over with tongs, and continue braising uncovered until the leeks are fork tender, another 15-25 minutes. Scatter the reserved bacon over the leeks and continue braising for an additional 15 minutes, or until the leeks are soft enough to be easily pierced with the tip of a knife.
With tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer the leeks and bacon to a platter, and cover with foil to keep warm. Pour any remaining juices, along with those from the platter, into a skillet and reduce down to 1/4 cup. Add a generous squeeze of lemon, taste for salt and pepper, and simply pour over the leeks. Serve warm or room temperature.
You want to make sure not to stir the leeks too vigorously or too often when browning them. Stir gently just once or twice, without flipping them, so they color evenly. And once the water goes into the pan and the cover goes on, it’s best to simply shake the skillet, not stir its contents, so the leeks hold together.
These leeks just melted in the mouth! We omitted the sliced almonds for this meal; and next time we would cut the glaze in half. Although it was very good, we didn’t even use all of it and it was still a lot.
1 lb. leeks, white and light green parts only, outer layers removed
2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. salted butter, cut into 2 pieces
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
6 thyme sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. honey
3 Tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted (optional)
Directions
Cut the leeks in half lengthwise. Fill a large bowl with water, submerge the leek halves and swish them around to remove the grit between the layers. Pour off the water and repeat until the leeks are clean, then pat dry. Cut the leeks on the diagonal into 2-inch sections, keeping the layers intact as much as possible.
In a 12-inch skillet, combine the oil, butter and leeks, adding them to the pan cut side down. Set the pan over medium-high and cook, gently stirring only once or twice so the layers do not separate, until the leeks are lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, then slowly add ⅔ cup water. Add the thyme sprigs, cover and reduce to medium-low. Cook, occasionally shaking the skillet, until a knife inserted into the leeks meets no resistance and most of the water has evaporated, about 20 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the leeks to a platter, leaving the oil in the skillet. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Add the vinegar and honey to the pan, then cook over medium, stirring often, until the mixture is syrupy, 2 to 4 minutes.
Taste and season with salt and pepper, then pour over the leeks. Sprinkle with the chopped thyme and the almonds, if using.
We decided to pair it with a tasty and moist Sous Vide Pork Loin which came out of it’s immersion bath at just the right temperature, then was seared on all sides to achieve a golden crust…. but I’m getting ahead of myself… now about this cabbage dish.
The dish was incredibly good. We did notice however quite a bit of liquid in the bottom of the pot and thought perhaps next time we’d reduce the amount of maple syrup by half, using only a 1/4 cup instead of a 1/2 cup. Which would appeal to our preference for more savory than sweet.
These bite-sized appetizers are a perfect addition to your finger food array. The original recipe from Martha Stewart was altered to streamline the process and add more depth of flavor with the addition of bacon, and swapping out rosemary and thyme for the parsley.
Martha instructs to create breadcrumbs using 3 slices of white sandwich bread. We had some already made from focaccia which not only saved time but added even more flavor. It is not recommended to make them ahead of time as the bread will turn gummy.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs.
In a food processor, add garlic, goat cheese, bacon, thyme and rosemary, red-pepper flakes and remaining bread crumbs. Season with salt, and pulse filling until combined.
Spoon filling into each mushroom, pressing down with fingers to firm up. Roll filled side in reserved breadcrumbs. Place on prepared baking sheet; bake until mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
The love affair begins with the dressing, which is the key to adding unforgettable flavor. Just like a romance, it is sweet, spicy, tangy—with a jolt of garlic thrown in. Although I had to laugh at the notion that this Honey Garlic Shrimp, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Salad recipe from Half-Baked Harvest was supposed to feed six. Including daughter Julia who was in for a visit, the three of us polished it off entirely—yes, it was THAT good!
While there is not much cooking, you do need to char the ears of corn, crisp the bacon and sear the shrimp. Afterward, it comes together in minutes. Honey garlic seared shrimp cooked together with the bacon drippings is then tossed up in a fresh salad of romaine, grilled corn, salty feta, and creamy avocado. The herby dressing is so deliciously flavorful and pulls it altogether. You will be pining for more 💜…
To simplify things on dinner night, pre-prep by making the crispy bacon pieces and charred corn ahead of time, let cool, and store until ready to use.
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled (don’t buy the pre-crumbled variety)
Directions
To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
In another bowl, toss the shrimp with 1/3 of the dressing. Let sit 10 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan. Roughly chop when cooled.
Add the shrimp to the hot bacon fat and cook on both sides until seared, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the heat. You will need to do this in two batches.
To make the salad, combine the greens, corn, and tomatoes in a salad bowl and toss with a little dressing. Add the shrimp, bacon, and avocados. Spoon the dressing overtop. Top with feta. Season with freshly cracked pepper and salt. Serve warm or cold.
Accounting for Taste 