Favorite Meatballs and More Recipes We Made This Week

It’s no secret that Bon Appétit editors cook a lot for work. So it should come as no surprise that we cook a lot during our off hours too. Here are the recipes we’re whipping up this month to get dinner on the table, entertain our friends, satisfy a sweet tooth, use up leftovers, and everything in between. For even more staff favorites, click here.

February 27

Few-ingredient soba

Butter plus soy sauce plus soba. That’s the recipe. Throw a vegetable on top. I did roasted mushrooms (trumpets and baby bellas) inspired by the recipe in Health Nut by Jess Damuck. It’s a quick, comforting meal that I’ll be repeating for this last stretch of winter. Then, when the snow finally melts (if the snow ever melts?), I can return to one of my favorite dishes for warmer days: deputy food editor Hana Asbrink’s zaru soba. —Emma Laperruque, director of cooking

Thank you cookies

I wanted to deliver my friends a thank-you bake—my go-to way to express gratitude. For this occasion, I chose Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from my colleague and reigning cookie king Jesse Szewczyk’s cookbook aptly named Cookies: The New Classics. Three quarters of a cup of malted milk powder in the dough adds a toasty, buttery layer of flavor that upgrades these bars from good to great without much leg work. I brought them over with a little note, and the kind of nonchalance that implied I didn’t agonize over selecting a recipe, or check the oven every seven minutes to see how they were browning. —Sam Stone, staff writer

Blackout pierogies

Just as the New York City blizzard got underway on Sunday night, my building completely lost power. Apparently unrelated to the storm, but it certainly amped up the drama of the moment. I was halfway through making pierogies from scratch, so I soldiered on by candlelight. My ancestors would be proud. I adapted this tremendous recipe for Kielbasa, Sauerkraut, and Potato Pierogies by former staffer Claire Saffitz. There are many good things to say, but chief for me is the inclusion of tangy sauerkraut in the filling, which lands a vinegary punch that cuts through the dish’s richer elements. —Rachel Tepper Paley, site director

Sugared shortbread

Stuck in my apartment this weekend, avoiding the blizzard outside, I scrolled my recipe apps for a little baking inspiration. I came across one I’d saved years ago for Sugared Shortbread. The photo shows long cigar-like cookies topped in a thick layer of sparkling white sugar. The symmetry between this and the glistening layer of snow outside was reason enough for me to start heating up my oven. Once baked, I let them cure overnight, which is, admittedly, the hardest part of making these cookies. While not required, the overnight sit lets the flour fully absorb the butter, resulting in a crisp bite. Plus, waiting until the morning means you can nibble on a few for breakfast. —Carly Westerfield, associate manager of audience strategy

Meatballs from the past

Cooking recipes I developed years ago can be weird. I start to question decisions I made, and often deviate from my own work. But preparing this recipe as written, for a video dedicated to my kids, brought joy and validation. These meatballs aren’t meant to be the simplest or fastest. Instead, they embrace the small details: soaked sliced bread instead of breadcrumbs, finely chopped prosciutto for deeper flavor, fresh whole-milk ricotta for lightness. When I ate them with my colleagues after the shoot, they disappeared from the Test Kitchen within minutes. —Chris Morocco, food director

---

February 20

Very creamy oatmeal

The weather in New York got cold again, to my delight, because it means I made a lot of oatmeal. I like to soak rolled oats in water for at least 20 minutes, but ideally several hours, before actually turning on the heat. This gives them a chance to swell and further break down into the creamiest porridge. One morning I swirled in almond butter and a dollop of strawberry rosewater jam; the next morning I swapped out half the oats for buckwheat groats and finished with a big pat of salted butter, which melted delightfully. How will I dress my next bowl? Perhaps extra citrusy? Stay tuned. —Rebecca Firkser, Test Kitchen editor

Repeat-worthy radicchio rigatoni

When my coworker Shilpa Uskokovic developed her Radicchio Jam Rigatoni in the Test Kitchen, I secretly wanted it to be tweaked each time because I didn’t want her to stop cooking it. I really enjoy deeply bitter raw radicchio, but wow, does it transform into something sweet and silky when cooked down with vinegar and a touch of sugar. The wilted leaves tangle with the pasta alongside caramelized onions and crispy bites of well-rendered guanciale. And a generous final flourish of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon keep the dish firmly in the “hearty-but-bright” category. I’ll be making it for myself well into spring. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor

Cod with lemon butter sauce

As a lover of potatoes, cod, and tarragon, I had no choice but to cook my former Test Kitchen buddy Kendra Vaculin’s Cod With Lemon Butter Sauce for dinner. It’s a quick weeknight affair that yields far more flavor than the minimal effort warrants. The sauce itself is bistro-worthy, without calling for any wine. Instead, it relies entirely on lemon juice as its lift. I see myself riffing on this recipe many more times, subbing in salmon for cod, or even throwing in chicken breasts if I need a break from seafood. —Jesse Szewczyk, senior Test Kitchen editor

The easiest lasagna

I recently made my colleague Shilpa Uskokovic’s Sheet-Pan Spinach Lasagna, inspired by the one from Brooklyn’s Rolo, and it could not be easier. The sauce is made entirely in the blender with frozen spinach, hot milk, cheese (Parm and mozz), and a few aromatics. Importantly, you don’t need to thaw or squeeze out the excess liquid from the spinach since the uncooked fresh pasta sheets (Rana brand is great) soak up all the sauce. Plus, cooking lasagna in a sheet pan means more crispy edges for everybody. Shilpa fills it with sausage and more cheese, but it’s also a delight with roasted mushrooms, leftover shredded chicken or pork, or a jar of drained and chopped artichoke hearts. —Joe Sevier, senior editor, SEO and cooking

---

February 13

The crispiest roast chicken

When my family of four gathers for dinner, the default meal is roast chicken. A recipe we turn to time and time again is this no-fail roast chicken from Claire Saffitz because it renders the crispiest skin. All you have to do is pat down the bird so it’s dry, generously season it with salt and pepper, bathe it in melted butter, and usher it into a cast-iron skillet. Don’t baste your chicken! Leave it alone! We stuck Japanese sweet potatoes and broccoli into the oven to roast alongside. The hands-off time meant we could play a predinner game of Rumikub. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager

Freezer stash chocolate chippers

Let the record state: Everyone should have a zip-lock bag of portioned-out cookie dough in their freezer, ready to bake off at a moment’s notice. I go for the classic chocolate chip cookies from Mindy Segal’s 2015 cookbook Cookie Love, which stands out to me among the vast sea of choco-chip cookies. The recipe calls for two types of salt: kosher and flaky. Trust me, you need both. Together, they turn up the contrast between sweet and salty to 11, which is heaven. Plus, equal parts white and brown sugar translate to a crunchy exterior and gooey insides. Instant cookie nirvana, on demand. —Rachel Tepper Paley, site director

Sunday morning pancakes

I woke up, as I often do, craving a corn muffin. But too hungry to wait for the oven to preheat, I turned to pancakes instead. This cornmeal pancake recipe was easy enough to make while half asleep. Also: a great way to use up the buttermilk in my fridge. Instead of dolloping the batter in ¼-cup portions, as directed, I shrunk them to be about 1 Tbsp. each. This means more crispy edges, my favorite part. And they’re cute! —Emma Laperruque, director of cooking

Better waffles

A few years ago I did a deep dive into what makes a great waffle for Epicurious. Last weekend, I reconfirmed that the recipe I declared the best still lives up to the hype. It’s yeasted, but before you scroll on by, let me tell you why that’s a good thing: It means you can make the batter the night before, then wake up, fire up your waffle maker, and start cooking. (Just, please let the waffle maker heat up fully first.) I substituted half the AP flour with spelt for an even heartier flavor and topped mine with maple-syrup-stewed apples and whipped cream. My hubby ate his with smoked salmon and an egg. —Joe Sevier, senior editor, SEO & cooking

A colossal game day spread

Speedy this, speedy that, but what about celebrating the joys of cooking all day long? This past Sunday, that’s what I did, making a monster of a spread for the big game. My invite list included vegans, carnivores, and heat chasers, so the menu I came up with reflected just that. Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets with hot-honey mustard, hand-cut Old Bay french fries, Harissa-Honey Popcorn Chicken, and coconutty green beans (this recipe minus the shrimp). I finished just in time for the football, though I barely paid attention. I was, however, glued to the TV for Bad Bunny’s performance. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking

---

February 6

Cookies from an ocean away

One of my favorite meals in Paris—years ago, I’m still thinking about it—was at Mokonuts. We had pulpy orange juice; za’atar-speckled bread; a fried egg with a trembling yolk, perched on toast, covered in salad. The only problem is, I messed up the timing of our visit, and their world-famous cookies weren’t available. I’d like to say I handled this gracefully! The truth is, I tried to rearrange our entire itinerary to make space for a second visit, to eat the little treats I’d heard so much about. This didn’t work (c’est la vie, etc!) and I wrote it off as another reason to go back to France. Which I will someday. But in the meantime, I have the recipes from the newly released Mokonuts cookbook. I was reminded of this thanks to author David Lebovitz’s newsletter, when he recently wrote about Mokonuts’ Multigrain Chocolate Chip Cookies. Crackly edges, jam-packed with seeds, they called to me loudly. And even an ocean away, they were just as special as I imagined. —Emma Laperruque, director of cooking

Beans and greens with seared cheese

This is my plea for you to make Test Kitchen editor Rebecca Firkser’s Beans and Greens With Halloumi Cheese Crumbles. It mostly relies on nonperishable pantry goods, plus a bunch of greens (take your pick of the kale, chard, or collards on discount) and a block of salty cheese. It’s the kind of recipe that teaches you how to maximize the staples you have on hand for a quick-cooking dinner that tastes even better than the sum of its parts. Make it, like I did, when the weather is a bummer and you’re exhausted. You’ll be rewarded with dinner and a newfound habit of topping every soup, salad, and grain bowl in sight with crispy cheese. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor

Snow day pot pie

I recently learned that my roommate had never had chicken pot pie, and a snowy Sunday seemed like the perfect excuse to remedy that. I grew up on Ina Garten’s recipe, so I had to make her version. My grocery store was out of skin-on chicken breasts (what I get for last-minute, night-before-snow-day shopping), so I took the opportunity to practice breaking down a whole chicken into parts. I made a half batch of the pot pie using the breasts and wings and saved the legs for another day. It was as good as I remembered—rich, creamy, laden with veggies and big chunks of chicken and crowned with a golden sheet of puff pastry. —Alaina Chou, commerce writer

Three-ingredient noodles

Inspired by this mesmerizing video of buttered noodles, I scrapped my original dinner plans (bean chili from the freezer) and decided to make pasta instead. Chef Mattia Moliterni’s version is made with just three ingredients: rigatoni, butter, and Parmigiano Reggiano. I had fusilli (a cute corkscrew version I love from Trader Joe’s), butter, of course, and sharp cheddar instead of parm. Good enough! I mimicked the technique in the video and the result was cheesy, glossy, and incredibly comforting on a cold night. —E.L.

A miso-mayo super sauce

My kids love anything miso. Umami-packed with a sweet edge, it instantly adds oomph to any dish. Because of this, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate the pantry staple into dinners. Last week I made former BA staffer Kendra Vaculin’s recipe for Miso-Mayo Chicken Bowls, which shook my world. The sauce—made with miso, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a dollop of mayo—doubles as both a marinade for the chicken and finishing drizzle. And under the broiler, it becomes burnished on the bird, almost candied in taste. Since making it, I’ve used that super sauce on salmon, sandwiches, and plan to dip crudités into it on Super Bowl Sunday. —Andrea Strong, contributing writer and editor