You don't need much to make beans taste good, they already have that covered. This is a really good, simple, easy to make meal. (Revised January 2026)

Ingredients:
2 cans cannelloni (white kidney) beans, drained. I don't rinse them.
1 cup pasta, shells for example
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot, grated
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper. Add a little cayenne for heat if it suits you.
Cup of chopped cilantro or parsley
2 cups water. 

Directions:
In your soup pot saute/cook the onion, garlic, and carrot in the olive oil until the onion is transparent.
Add the beans, water, salt, pepper and cayenne and bring to a boil, then simmer covered 25 to 30 minutes, until the beans start to lose their structure. You can use your immersion blender or a potato masher if you want a smoother consistency.
The soup is best if the pasta is cooked separately.  Add it to the finished soup with most of the parsley or cilantro. 

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, some cilantro or parsley, and grate some fresh Parmesan cheese. This kind of soup really brings the taste of the Parmesan to the forefront.
And it's a fun ritual.

A great winter soup. The Kalamata olives make it formidable. Updated to reflect the importance of blending the ingredients with the stick blender. (November 2025)

Ingredients:
One can Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
One 14oz. can diced tomatoes. I like "Fire Roasted"
One pound potatoes, bite size pieces. I like Russet for this, but almost any will do.
6 oz.or more fresh Kale, chopped. Use as much as you like
One half cup chopped Kalamata olives (I love these, good for most recipes, and a bargain)
One onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed, or left whole
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, ground pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions:
Saute the onion and garlic, add three cups water, the tomatoes, potatoes, half of the beans, salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes.
Use stick blender to thicken the soup and completely blend the  ingredients.
Add the Kale and the rest of the beans, and cook on low another 5 minutes.
Serve with a topping of the Kalamata olives, and grated Parmesan to taste.

Very much a comfort food, this rice based porridge has enough richness to make it a satisfying meal.
The taste of a good risotto, but without the fussiness. You just can't be in a hurry. Good, easy, but not fast. (Also, you feel full on around 450 calories each.) Updated November 2025.

Ingredients:
1 pound of mushrooms cut up (Baby Bella are good)
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup rice, almost any will work
1 small red onion or 2 shallots, minced
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
4 or so scallions chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
7 cups of water or stock
Soy sauce for topping

Directions:
Cook the mushrooms in the butter for about 10 minutes. Set aside the mushrooms and liquid. In the same pot saute the onions in a little olive oil, then add the white wine and rice, and boil until the wine is absorbed. Add the water and salt , bring to a boil, and simmer for an hour stirring once or twice. Remove from heat and add the mushrooms, scallions and cheese.
Sprinkle with a good soy sauce for super flavor.

Awfully good, and fun to make. The stock is from dried  mushrooms, which are easy to keep around. Not as fast as some other FGE  recipes, but worth it.

Ingredients:

Ramen noodles, around 8 oz. give or take. You can get them from store bought  ramen packets and discard the flavorings.
Two eggs
Raw sesame seeds

1 1/2 cups dried  mushrooms. We are using Shitake, but most any will do.
One sheet of Kombu (seaweed) An option, and why not?
6 cups water

4 Tbl. Miso paste
1 Tbl. Sugar
1 Tbl. Sesame oil
1 Tbl. Sambal Olek or similar chili sauce
1/4 cup good soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Scallions, Bok Choy, Napa cabbage, spinach, corn or other toppings to taste.

Directions:

Boil the mushrooms and Kombu in the 6 cups water for 45 minutes. Strain and reserve liquid. Squeeze the liquid out of mushrooms with a ladle (or with your hand if cool enough).

Mix the sauce ingredients well.

Toast the sesame seeds. 

Put egg(s) in boiling water for 6 1/2 minutes, then cool quickly with ice water bath. Slice in half.

Prep the toppings: Slice the cabbage, chop  the scallions, clean the bok choy etc.

When you are ready, add the mixed sauce ingredients to the heated mushroom stock. Cook the noodles per directions, place in your bowls, add the broth, decorate with vegetables and sliced egg.

Another sturdy combination of pasta and beans that could be the poster child for FastGoodEasy.
A delicious cold weather choice, but good anytime. One pot too.
Inexpensive, nutritious, simple. (Revised June,2025)

Ingredients:
One can chickpeas, drained
One cup ditalini or other small pasta, about 4 to 5 oz. Ditalini seems to work best.
8 oz. fresh tomatoes
One medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Sprinkle of hot pepper flakes
6 oz of chopped spinach, more if it suits you
2 1/2 cups water. Adjust as needed for stew-like consistency
Teaspoon or more salt, fresh ground pepper. Adjust the salt at the end.
Olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Saute the onion, garlic and pepper flakes a few minutes. Cut the tomatoes up a little, add them to the pot with the salt and pepper,  lower the heat and cook covered until dissolved, about ten minutes. Add a little of the water and the chickpeas, and use your potato masher to squash about half the chickpeas. Add the rest of the water. Turn off the heat until you are ready to go.
Then heat to a boil, add the pasta, cook until al dente. You might have to stir a little if the stew is thick.
Add the spinach and cook just until wilted, a few seconds.
Serve with Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

 Here's a fun quick one. Black beans with spices, soy sauce and vinegar topped with cheese, cabbage and salsa. We are having this a lot. ( We use Romaine instead of cabbage now).
I am using 9 1/2" "Burrito Grande" now. The recipe makes 2 of these, and I eat it like a pizza, but with a fork.

Ingredients:
2 cans of black beans, drained but not rinsed
8" soft flour or corn tortillas,  (This recipe made three tacos, one each and one we split. Plenty.)
1 Teaspoon smoked Paprika
1 Teaspoon chili powder
1 small bunch of scallions, chopped, bulb ends discarded.
2 Tablespoons real soy sauce
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water

Toppings:
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Shredded cabbage (bagged cole slaw works) or chopped spinach or romaine
Salsa of choice, we like green for this
Chopped hot cherry peppers


Directions:
Add the soy sauce and vinegar to the half cup water, set aside.
Put the scallions, Paprika and chili powder on a small plate, set aside.
Heat the oil until hot, add the dish of scallions and spices, stir ten seconds, add the beans and water mixture, cook while using your potato masher to mush the beans and flavorings. Cook until hot, turn off the heat.
When ready, put a tortilla on a plate, top with beans and cheese, put in microwave for 30 seconds to a minute (until cheese melts and taco is hot), take out and top with cabbage and salsa, and some hot peppers if you feel feisty.

This is a once a week favorite. Try it with different beans and pastas. Always satisfying. Great with a poached egg on top. (Revised March 2025)

Ingredients:
One can (drained and rinsed) of cannelloni, red or black beans
One pint container of cherry tomatoes, halved (around 10 to 12 oz.) You can use an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce instead of fresh tomatoes. Just add it with the beans after the onions and garlic are done. (We now prefer it this way. Faster too.)
One yellow onion
Three or four cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dried pasta, medium shells, penne, cellentani or similar,
One half teaspoon salt, more to taste
Ground pepper
Optional ground hot pepper flakes, cayenne, or your favorite chili paste
Chunk of Parmesan for grating
One cup chopped cilantro or parley

Directions:
Saute the onions and garlic, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper (and pepper flakes) and cook covered on low until the tomatoes dissolve, about 10 minutes or a little more. Add the beans, and cook another ten minutes. Check and stir every 5 minutes or so to be sure the tomato mixture does not stick to the pan. Add a little water if needed.
Turn off the heat, and when you  are ready, start the pasta.
Cook the pasta al dente, add to the tomato and beans. cook, stir, turn off the heat and mix in most of the cilantro.

Serve with cilantro garnish and grated Parmesan. We like Parmigiano Reggiano. Adding a poached egg makes this dish super.

A Hungarian friend suggested this. Easy as can be, and for such simple ingredients, awfully good.
We made it with rice as a side. (Revised August 9, 2025)

Ingredients:
3 Yellow, red or orange bell peppers ( or little more than a pound of sweet banana peppers if you can find them)
2 Large yellow onions, about a pound
28oz. can whole peeled tomatoes (you can cut them up a little in the can) with sauce.
3 cloves garlic, crushed or diced
1 Tablespoon sweet Paprika (as fresh as possible, it's important)
1 Teaspoon salt, fresh pepper

Directions:
Slice the onions fairly thin, and cut the peppers into bite size chunks, (or slice them).
Saute the onions and garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil until translucent, add the peppers, cook until the peppers are tender, about 10 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and liquid, paprika, salt and pepper.
Cook/simmer for 30 minutes. Reduce it to have a stew-like consistency.  Serve hot.

Another nice surprise made from a modified Rose Shulman recipe. The garlic rubbed baguette toast is boffo. (Updated November 2024)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 cans of chickpeas, drained
6 oz. baby spinach
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved, about 5 to 6 ounces. (Or same amount of cut up fresh tomatoes)
1 largish yellow onion
3 or 4 cloves minced garlic
3/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon cumin seed, pan toasted briefly (or ground cumin if that's what is on hand)
Thick sliced french baguette bread, toasted, rubbed with cut cloves of garlic, and drizzled with olive oil. Or, use your garlic press and make a slurry of olive oil to brush on the bread.
Some fresh lemon slices

Directions:
Toast the cumin seed and then grind it in your mortar and pestle with the salt, pepper and cayenne.
In your large saucepan/pot saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil for 5 minutes or so, add the tomatoes and simmer a few minutes until the tomatoes dissolve. Add the ground spices, stock or water, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes. Add more water or stock if the mix is too dry. It should be slightly soupy. Turn off the heat. Relax. When you are ready,  toast the bread and prepare as above.
Put your toasted bread in your serving  bowls. Turn the heat back on the chickpea mix, add the spinach and stir and cook until just wilted. Serve on the toast, and add some lemon squeezes while eating.

This recipe may be the fastest, goodest, easiest of all the FastGoodEasy recipes so far. One pot too. My sister in law introduced me to a boil only version. I was a skeptic.
It is worthwhile finding a good source for Farro. We use a pearled variety that is packaged well and cooks in 25 minutes.

Ingredients:
One cup Farro, rinsed.
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Cloves garlic, minced or squeezed
One medium onion, chopped coarsely
8 to 10 ounces ripe tomato, cherry or other size, halved or chopped very coarsely
6 ounces or so of spinach, bite size
One teaspoon salt, fresh pepper
2 Cups water or broth


Directions:
Saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil, add the tomatoes, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes dissolve, about 10 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, farro and water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, only a few seconds.
Serve with Parmesan, hot pepper flakes, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Try it. A real surprise combination of pasta and potatoes. This Southwest breakfast favorite is an excellent casual dinner. Just substitute a glass of wine for the cup of coffee. (Revised July,2024)

Ingredients:
One pound Russet potatoes, cut into 3/4 " chunks
One cup or a little more dry small pasta. I like Mezzi Rigatoni, about 3.5 oz.
One large red onion, chopped
One medium green bell pepper, chopped
One medium red bell pepper, chopped
One Jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped fine, or chopped pickled hot jalapeno (optional)
One teaspoon salt, fresh black pepper
Four Tablespoons olive oil
Four eggs
Cilantro or parsley to garnish

Directions:
This is very much a no panic meal. You can take your time, It just needs to be heated right before the poached eggs go on.
In a large pan saute/cook the onion, peppers, jalapeno, salt and pepper in the olive oil until the onion is becoming transparent, a few minutes.  Cover, turn off the heat.
In another pot boil the potatoes  with extra water for 25 to 30 minutes, then add the pasta and cook until the pasta is done. Then drain the potato/pasta in a colander and add them to your vegetables.
Poke, push and prod the mixture until the potatoes lose a little of themselves to the other ingredients.

When you are ready to go, get the eggs poaching and reheat and remix the potato/pepper/pasta.
Divide into two bowls, slide the eggs on, and sprinkle on a little cayenne and black pepper.
Garnish with cilantro or parsley.

 '
Fast and fun, and close enough to the real thing.  It's good with the eggs, but you can do without. Only try it if you have really fresh sprouts. (Edited May, 2024)

Ingredients:
Half pound of angel hair pasta ( I break the package in half to make the pieces manageable)
2 small limes. Use one or the sauce and cut other into wedges for squeezing.
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1/3 cup peanuts, crushed in your mortar and pestle
3 scallions, white parts sliced fine, green parts 1" long.
One carrot,  grated
2 Cups or more of Mung Bean sprouts. If they are packaged, make sure they should be white and crisp. (We just started sprouting our own from seed so we could be sure of freshness.)

Sauce: Mix together the juice of the lime, two tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 3 tablespoons good soy sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or a squirt of Sriracha sauce.

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in your wok or deep saucepan, crack the eggs on the oil, turn off the heat, and just let them sit there. They should partially cook with nice white edges. Relax.
When you are ready, cook the pasta. Drain and put directly on the eggs. Then turn on the heat,  medium high, and stir and cook just a minute or two until the eggs are done. Then turn off the heat, add the vegetables and the sauce, combine everything well, and serve with the crushed peanuts and lime wedges, which are important.

 Corn cut from the cob, and a lime/yogurt dressing make this a great summer dinner salad. Find your freshest corn and ripest cherry tomatoes. This makes a lot of salad, so maybe a lunch too. (Updated June 2023 to simplify ingredients)

Ingredients:
3 pieces corn on cob,  Slice the kernels off the cobs.
One can black or red beans, drained and rinsed. We like the small red beans.
1/2 pound chunky pasta, shells or similar
Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
Red bell pepper, sliced or chopped
Small head or four or five leaves of Romaine lettuce, chopped, or a couple handfuls of baby spinach
One lime for the dressing, and plain Greek whole milk or 2% Greek yogurt. We like Fage because of the consistency.

Dressing:
To half a cup of plain Greek yogurt add one clove finely chopped garlic, the juice of one lime, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, three tablespoons olive oil, fresh ground pepper and a half teaspoon salt. Add a little cayenne if you are feeling frisky.
Whisk with a fork.

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients is a large bowl. Serve in separate bowls and garnish with a dollop of dressing, with extra dressing on the side. Sprinkle with ground pepper or cayenne for color.

This is a kind of wonderful alchemy from Rose Shulman of the NYT. The marinade is cold, the pasta is hot, and the result is startling. A little hard to believe something so simple and so easy to make, is so good. You can serve it hot or room temperature. (Revised June 2021)

Ingredients:
3/4 pound fusille, orecchiette, or other pasta.
One pint of ripe cherry tomatoes, or about 10 oz Compari tomatoes. They should be ripe and juicy for this recipe.
2 small or one large garlic clove, minced fine
1 cup firmly packed arugula
3 or 4 basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper
Parmesan for grating.

Direction
Quarter the tomatoes, chop the arugula, "sliver" or finely chop the basil, mince the garlic, and put in a large bowl with the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix and let marinate for 20 minutes or more. Stir the mixture a few times while it sits.
There is no hurry. When you are ready, cook the pasta and add it to the bowl, mix together and serve with the Parmesan. It is good hot, warm or room temperature.

 A delicious stew flavored with Korean Gochujang (goh-choo-jang) sauce. Deeply spicy, salty, sweet, and with Umami to spare.
Make it with kale or spinach. If you use kale, add it for the last ten minutes of cooking. For spinach, just submerge it in the hot liquid until it wilts, just a few seconds.

Ingredients:
One pound new potatoes, halved
One can white (cannellini) beans, drained. Use two cans if you love white beans. We do.
One large red onion, chopped coarsely
A large carrot is a nice addition. Chopped or sliced.
6 garlic cloves, chopped
Around 6 oz. of spinach or kale (stems removed)
3 or 4 Tablespoons of Gochujang paste (supermarkets, Amazon). Test for level of heat.
2 Tablespoons real soy sauce, not low sodium
One teaspoon of brown sugar for luck
Three cups of water or vegetable broth

Directions:
Mix the sugar, soy sauce and Gochujang in a cup, to save time
Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil a few minutes. Add the water and all ingredients except the spinach or kale
Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered 30 minutes. (If using kale, add it for the last ten minutes). Turn off the heat, add the spinach, cook a few seconds until it wilts.
Serve with more sauce on the side.

Partially mashed white beans make a sauce for this perfect combination of tastes and textures. (Updated Dec.2022). We have this a lot. Fast and nutritious.

Ingredients:
8 oz. small pasta, your choice
One can Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup grated Parmesan. Grate it fine enough so it will mix and melt easily on the pasta and beans.
One small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
One small lemon (juice and zest)
One large or two small bunches of parsley, about 2 to 3 cups of leaves chopped.
1/2 teaspoon salt, pinch of hot pepper flakes, ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 and 1/8 cup water or vegetable stock

Directions:
Combine the parsley, Parmesan and lemon juice and zest in a bowl
Saute the onion, garlic, pepper flakes salt and pepper until the onion is soft, a few minutes.
Add the beans and stock, bring to a boil, and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Use a potato masher to break up the beans and thicken the sauce. Relax if you want. Then cook the pasta until done, drain and add to the sauce. Bring heat up to just a boil, stir, turn off the heat, cover, and let the pasta and bean liquid sit for a minute while the pasta absorbs some of the liquid.
Add the bowl of parsley, cheese and lemon, stir, and serve with additional Parmesan if it suits you.

You can use Farro or Barley too, just adjust the cook times. Make it as spicy and salty you like. An excellent way to get that extraordinary miso taste.

Ingredients:
One pound of mushrooms, tough stems removed, very coarsely chopped.
One cup brown rice, farro or barley
3 tablespoons Red or White Miso, more at the table. Mix the miso and soy with some hot soup water before adding it to the pot. This will dissolve the miso clumps.
2 tablespoons real soy sauce
6 oz. baby spinach
One small bunch of scallions, chopped
Hot pepper flakes, sriracha, or other hot pepper sauce to taste.
6 cups water, some olive oil.

Directions:
In your soup pot cook the mushrooms, scallions (and pepper flakes) in 3 tablespoons olive oil until the mushrooms  have reduced and lost their moisture to the pot. Add the brown rice and water, and cook 40 minutes. Adjust time if using farro or barley.  Add more water if needed. When done, add the dissolved miso and soy then add the spinach. Cook just a few seconds more until the spinach is wilted.
Serve with a sprinkle of fresh black pepper and with additional dissolved miso and hot sauce on your dinner table.

Sometimes potatoes just hit the spot.  It's great when something unassuming like this works.
Serve it with or without the poached egg. It is good without the egg, but great with it. (Revised February 2024)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 lbs. baby potatoes cut in half. An assortment works great, pretty and tasty.
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
I cup water or vegetable stock
1 cup cilantro or parsley chopped coarsely
6 small or three large scallions, white and green parts sliced
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Grind the spices together in your mortar and pestle. Heat the olive oil and saute the onion well, add the ground spices, potatoes and chickpeas, and stir to coat everything. Add the stock or water, heat to just boiling, turn heat down to a simmer, cover, cook 15 minutes, stir, cover, cook another 15 minutes.
Most of the liquid will have been absorbed. Turn off the heat, add the scallions and most of the cilantro. Poach the eggs, plate the potatoes and add the poached eggs. Garnish with the remaining cilantro.

This is spicy, and fun to eat: Requires deft spoonwork. A little sour cream, a little tortilla...
Even better the next day. (Revised February 2024)
 
Ingredients:
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups red lentils
4 1/4 cups water or vegetable stock
2  Chipotle peppers, chopped, (or 1 for less heat) and a little sauce from canned Chipolte peppers, ("Embasa", or "Goya" for example). You can freeze the extra peppers in individual snack bags.
1  14 oz.can of diced  tomatoes, undrained. I like "Fire Roasted"
1 teaspoon of cumin seed, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper (ground together in a  mortar and pestle)
Garnish: sour cream/ Greek yogurt mixture, cilantro or parsley and toasted tortilla chips (there are a lot of fun flavored snack packs to choose from).

Directions:
Saute the onion, garlic and bell peppers in the olive oil until the onions are translucent, a few minutes. Add the spices, lentils, tomatoes, chipotle pepper and water, bring to a simmer, and cook at least 30 minutes. Use your stick blender to consolidate the ingredients.
The soup should be thick, but add a little more water if needed for the right consistency.
When done, garnish with broken tortilla chips, chopped cilantro, and the sour cream/Greek yogurt mix. Sprinkle a little cayenne pepper for color.

I make this a lot when I am on my own. I used to cook the eggs separately, but this is simpler. (Updated October 2023)

Ingredients:
5 eggs
One cup of uncooked white rice (you can use brown rice too)
Scallions, about one cup chopped (* or half an onion) Save some scallions for garnish
3 Tablespoons olive oil
Hot chili paste (optional)
 
Directions:
Cook the rice.
When the rice is done, in a large pan or wok (non stick works best) saute the scallions in the olive oil, add the eggs, break them up and stir until almost done, add the rice, stir to combine. (I add hot chili paste to the oil before starting to cook)
Top with scallions and serve with real soy sauce. Kikkoman is very good.
Halve the recipe for a single portion, use two or three eggs, same amount of olive oil.

Canned white beans and fried eggs. Delicious. You could just poach the eggs, but the chewy edges of the fried eggs are tasty. And just enough hocus pocus to make you feel like a real cook.

Ingredients:
2 cans white beans, undrained
4 eggs
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Olive oil
Fresh lime
Hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper

Directions:
In your skillet cook the onions in 3 tablespoons olive oil until slightly browned, several minutes. Add the beans and cook until the liquid is thickened. Turn off the heat, and use a potato masher or large spoon to mash the beans. Add fresh pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover to keep warm.
In a large saucepan heat 4 tablespoons olive oil until glistening, then slide the pre-cracked eggs onto the oil. When the egg whites start to brown, turn off the heat, add pepper flakes, then tilt the pan so you can use a large spoon to ladle hot oil over the egg whites to finish cooking.
Serve the eggs over the beans with a squeeze of lime on each. (You can use lemon or vinegar too.)

 A street food from Shaanxi province in China. In the authentic version hot oil is poured over the spices, but here I made it easier and with less oil.
This is something you would want after the bar closes. A new favorite. (Revised July 2023)

Ingredients:
12oz. wide pasta. Fettuccine or linguine work well. I break them into quarters. Also egg noodles. Pictured above are Chinese "hand cut noodles".
6 to 10 oz. baby spinach or Bok Choy
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1/2 teaspoon fiery "roasted chili pepper paste".
4 to 6 cloves minced garlic, or more. (Don't crush them)
4 small or 2 large scallions sliced thinly
1/4 cup minced cilantro or parsley
1 tablespoon full strength soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark or mushroom soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (Chinese black vinegar if you have it)
4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
Mix the soy sauces and vinegar in a small bowl. Put the pepper flakes, scallions, garlic and cilantro on a small plate.
Cut the greens into preferred shape and size. Spinach is OK uncut.
Have your wok ready with the oil.  While you are boiling the pasta (in salted water), heat the oil to just about smoking, then quickly dump the scallions etc. into the oil, and stir the sizzling pieces for 10 seconds. Add the soy mixture and stir for another 10 seconds. Turn off heat.
When the noodles are just about done, add the greens and submerge them in the cooking water with the noodles until they wilt, 30 seconds or less.
Drain the noodles and greens, pour them into your wok, and mix.

Melissa Clark of NYT made this popular. Here is a slightly modified version. It is simple and fast, and more of a comfort soup than a big deal. You need red lentils.

Ingredients:
One cup dried red lentils
One large onion, chopped
One large carrot, grated
Two or three garlic cloves, minced or pressed
One teaspoon ground cumin, one teaspoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons salt, fresh ground pepper
Four cups and a quarter cups water or vegetable broth. A quarter cup more if adding pasta.
Juice of half a lemon or more
One cup or more cilantro or parsley
One half cup dry pasta optional

Directions:
Saute the onion, garlic and carrot well, add the spices and lentils, stir to see how pretty it looks, add the water, bring to a boil, cover, turn to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, use an immersion blender to smooth the texture if desired, add the lemon and cilantro. Serve with lemon slices, a sprinkle of chili powder, maybe drizzle a little olive oil. Note: Pasta goes very well with this soup too. You can add a cup of dry small pasta at the end and cook just a little more than directed, (stir to keep the pasta from sticking) then add the lemon and parsley or cilantro

Cold pasta for hot days. You can use most any vegetable you like. If you have a dinner party, serve the vegetables and sauce on the side in separate bowls so your guests can build their own meals. The recipe is easy to scale up. (Revised May 2023)

Ingredients:
12 oz. pasta. I like Linguini or Fettuccine. (To make the pasta easier to cook and eat, you can break the pieces in half by bending the box over the counter. Be sure to stir the pasta when you first put it in the boiling water to stop the pieces from sticking together).
5 or 6 leaves or small heart of Romaine lettuce, cut into bite size pieces
Handful of pea pods, bite size
Cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, de-seeded and sliced 1/4 inch
Half of a red onion, sliced thinly, optional
One tablespoon toasted sesame oil to mix with cold cooked pasta

Directions:
Cook the pasta in salted water per directions, drain and rinse in cold water, put in your serving bowl and mix with the tablespoon of sesame oil. Refrigerate until well chilled.
When ready, mix the vegetables with the pasta and serve with the sauce on the side.

Peanut Butter Sauce:
Beat together three large spoonfuls of creamy peanut butter (around 1/3 to 1/2 cup) with one tablespoon sugar, two tablespoons real soy sauce, two tablespoons lime juice, two tablespoons rice vinegar , 2 cloves finely minced garlic and a sprinkle or more of cayenne pepper. Add water to blend to the consistency of heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. (You can use less peanut butter, it will just make the  sauce a little thinner, but will still taste great.)
If you have an easy to clean jar with a lid, use that to get the peanut butter to mix easily. Just shake it until you have a good consistency.

Fun and fast to put together, and a family favorite. You can use any short pasta. (Revised 4/13/23)

Ingredients:
1 medium cucumber
1/2 pound small pasta
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 of 9 oz bag of baby spinach
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin, optional (sometimes the onion can be harsh)
1/2 cup of Kalamata olives (bulk baby olives from Amazon save you a ton)
1/2 of a 6 oz block of feta cheese, approx. 3 oz, crumbled. (It is still good without the cheese.)

Directions:
Make the dressing first: Combine 4 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or  red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon each of salt, sugar, Dijon mustard and 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper. Whisk together with a fork. Let it sit while you make the salad.

Cook the pasta al dente, drain and rinse with cold water
Cut off ends of cucumber, peel and slice it lengthwise.Use a spoon to remove the seeds. Stack the halves and cut into 1/4" slices.
Cut cherry tomatoes in half
Cut red onion into thin slices
Roughly chop the Kalamata olives
Put all the above in a large bowl with the spinach, crumble the feta on top, add the dressing and toss well.