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Pasta & Grains

Pasta, rice, grains. Weeknight fast or Sunday slow — each recipe tested to get the ratio of water, salt, and time exactly right.

All ⏱Under 30 min ⏱Under 60 min 💪High Protein 🌾Gluten-free 🌶️Spicy 🥑Keto

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🇮🇹ItalyEasy

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Fettuccine Alfredo

Three ingredients: fettuccine, butter, Parmigiano Reggiano. No cream. The sauce is a pure emulsion of fat and starch — butter melted over hot pasta, Parmesan folded in with small amounts of hot pasta water until the whole thing turns silky and glossy. Fettuccine Alfredo was created in Rome in 1908 by restaurateur Alfredo di Lelio, who made it for his wife after childbirth. The dish is known in Italy as fettuccine al burro. American versions typically add cream, garlic, and flour — convenient but a different dish. The Roman original is lighter, cleaner, and more intensely cheesy. The technique is almost identical to Cacio e Pepe: the challenge is emulsification, not complexity.

20 min570 kcal2 serves

🌿Vegetarian⚡Quick

★4.6

🇨🇳ChinaMedium

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Fried Rice

Day-old cooked rice stir-fried over maximum heat with eggs, vegetables, and soy sauce until every grain is separate, lightly smoky, and coated in sauce. The technique is simple — but two things determine everything: the rice must be cold and dry, and the heat must be as high as your stove allows. Get those right and fried rice is one of the fastest, most satisfying things you can make.

20 min420 kcal4 serves

⚡Quick🌿Vegetarian

★4.8

🇺🇸USAMedium

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Jambalaya

Jambalaya is a famous spicy Creole dish from the American state of Louisiana — a flavorful mixture of rice, meat and seafood.

45 min500 kcal4 serves

💪High protein🌶️Spicy

★4.8

🇰🇷KoreaMedium

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Japchae (Korean Glass Noodle Stir-Fry)

Korean sweet potato glass noodles stir-fried with colourful vegetables, marinated beef, and a savory-sweet sesame-soy dressing. Japchae (잡채, literally 'mixed vegetables') is one of Korea's most beloved festive dishes — served at holidays, birthdays, and celebrations, but easy enough for any weeknight. The dangmyeon noodles are the star: made from sweet potato starch, they are naturally gluten-free, translucent when cooked, and have a distinctly springy, slightly slippery chew unlike any other noodle. The dish is traditionally assembled in a large bowl rather than continuously stir-fried, because each vegetable is cooked separately to preserve its color and texture. The effort is real but the result — a glossy, sesame-fragrant tangle of textures and colors — is worth every pan.

40 min420 kcal4 serves

🌾Gluten-free

★4.4

Jjajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles with Pork and Vegetables)

🇰🇷KoreaAdvanced

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Jjajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles with Pork and Vegetables)

Jjajangmyeon is a Korean-Chinese noodle dish of thick chewy wheat noodles topped with a glossy black sauce of fried chunjang (Korean fermented black soybean paste), pork belly, onions, potato, zucchini, and cabbage. The dish was developed in 1905 by Chinese immigrants at the Gonghwachun restaurant in Incheon's Chinatown, adapted from Beijing zha jiang mian to suit Korean tastes — sweeter, with caramelized chunjang and starchier vegetables. Today it is one of Korea's national comfort foods, sold in every neighbourhood and traditionally eaten on Black Day (April 14) by single people who got no Valentine's gift. Active work is 35 minutes, no long simmer needed. Serves 4 with 200 g noodles and 250 ml sauce per portion, topped with julienned cucumber for fresh contrast.

35 min720 kcal4 serves

💪High protein

★4.9

Khao Soi (Northern Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)

🇹🇭ThailandMedium

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Khao Soi (Northern Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)

Northern Thai egg noodle soup with a rich, golden coconut curry broth, braised chicken, and — the defining detail — a nest of deep-fried crispy noodles floating on top of the same egg noodles in the bowl. Khao soi (ข้าวซอย) is the signature dish of Chiang Mai and the Lanna region of Northern Thailand, though its origins trace the old trade routes connecting Thailand, Myanmar, and Yunnan. The broth is distinct from Bangkok-style curries: turmeric-forward, slightly spiced, coconut-rich, and not particularly hot. The condiments served alongside — pickled mustard greens, raw shallots, lime wedges, and chilli oil — are not optional. They complete the dish by adding sharp, sour, fresh notes that cut through the richness of the coconut broth. This is one of the great noodle soups of the world.

50 min640 kcal4 serves

🌶️Spicy

★4.7

🇺🇿UzbekistanAdvanced

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Lagman

A dish widely known throughout Central Asia — vegetables, meat, homemade noodles and a rich meat broth flavored with pepper, bay leaf and herbs.

95 min450 kcal4 serves

★4.8

🇮🇹ItalyAdvanced

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Lasagna

Lasagna is a classic Italian dish consisting of layers of wide pasta sheets alternating with sauces and cheese. Hearty and ideal for family lunches or dinners.

85 min900 kcal6 serves

💪High protein

★4.5

🇮🇹ItalyMedium

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Lentil Bolognese

Red lentils simmered with soffritto, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and red wine into a thick, deeply savory pasta sauce. No meat, no substitutes — just lentils doing what they do best when you give them enough time and heat. The sauce works because red lentils dissolve into the tomato base, thickening it while adding body and protein. Walnuts, added near the end, give the sauce a slight richness and something to chew on. The whole thing takes about 40 minutes and tastes better the next day.

45 min480 kcal4 serves

🌿Vegetarian🌱Vegan🌾Gluten-free

★4.7

🇨🇳ChinaMedium

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Lo Mein

Soft egg noodles stir-fried with vegetables and protein in a glossy, savory sauce built on oyster sauce, light and dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil. Lo mein (捞面) translates from Cantonese as 'stirred noodles' — the name describes the cooking method, a scooping, tossing motion that coats every strand. Unlike chow mein, where the noodles are fried until crispy, lo mein noodles stay soft and slippery, coated in a thick, glossy sauce. The dark soy sauce is the detail that gives the dish its characteristic deep mahogany color; without it the dish looks pale. The sauce is premixed before the wok goes on — lo mein moves fast.

25 min520 kcal2 serves

⚡Quick

★4.7

🇺🇸USAAdvanced

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Mac and Cheese

The ultimate American comfort food — elbow macaroni baked in a rich, velvety three-cheese sauce with a golden breadcrumb crust. Creamy on the inside, crispy on top.

40 min540 kcal6 serves

🌿Vegetarian🌶️Spicy

★4.9

🇮🇹ItalyMedium

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Mushroom Risotto

Arborio rice toasted dry in butter, then built up ladle by ladle with hot stock and mushrooms, finished off heat with cold butter and parmesan. No cream. The creaminess comes entirely from the starch in the rice — that is the whole point of the technique. It takes about 18 minutes of actual cooking once the rice goes in, and you cannot really walk away from it.

40 min480 kcal4 serves

🌿Vegetarian

★4.7

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