35 Easy Recipes to Know By Heart (2024)

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Master these classic recipes for simple meals on the table whenever you need them. Whether you're in the mood for a Chicken Pot Pie or classic Spaghetti, this collection of must-know favorites is a resource you can return to again and again. Simply keep these recipes in your back pocket, and you may never decide to open a cookbook again!

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Best Damn Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

The name says it all—this pot pie is damn delicious! This crowd-winning chicken pot pie recipe comes from Julie Grimes's $10 Dinners: Delicious Meals for a Family of 4 that Don't Break the Bank; grab a copy today for more budget-friendly recipes that taste like a million bucks.

Spaghetti and Easy Meatballs

Spaghetti and Easy Meatballs Recipe

Serve a classic Italian-inspired dish for dinner. The easy meatball method will make you skip buying store-bought meatballs for good. Whether you're serving adults or a family-friendly crew, this dish is a pitch-perfect crowd pleaser.

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Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe

This chicken parmesan is an Italian staple that's easy to make and easier on your budget. Some things are classics for a reason.

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Easy Chili Recipe

Look no further for the ultimate, easy chili recipe. You may think you know how to make chili, but our homemade chili recipe is a gamechanger. With just a push of a button, your weekday dinner is taken care of as the chili cooks away in the slow-cooker. Add chili to your next barbeque to top grilled sausages for an upgraded version of chili dogs. You can easily substitute ground turkey instead of beef for a lighter option and the rest of the ingredients should already be stocked away in your pantry. To top the hot, spicy chili, add shredded Cheddar cheese and corn chips for extra flavor and texture. To go beyond our favorite classic recipe, find more chili recipes here.

Extra-Easy Lasagna

Extra-Easy Lasagna Recipe

When we say easy, we mean easy. You don't even have to cook the noodles for this speedy yet impressive lasagna that always gets rave reviews. Lasagna is a family favorite, but this version is extra-special because it only requires 5 quick ingredients: ground beef, pasta sauce, lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, and shredded mozzarella (we don't count the water!). It's rated 5 stars for a reason. Pro tip: Make a double batch: Enjoy one now and freeze one for a quick meal on a busy weeknight.

EC: An Easy Breakfast Quesadilla Recipe to Know by Heart

An Easy Breakfast Quesadilla Recipe to Know by Heart Recipe

The best savory breakfasts can be broken down into four essentials: egg, meat, cheese, carb, and anyone who disagrees is probably selling a fake food product you don't want to mess with. These breakfast quesadillas are easy to make and the perfect base for your favorite mix-ins. Brown your quesadillas in the pan—a light toast will give you a crunchier bite.

Easy Homemade Breakfast Sausage

Easy Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe

A little maple syrup in the blend adds a hint of sweetness and helps the patties develop a beautifully caramelized crust. We like to use dark maple syrup, formerly labeled as Grade B, because it has more intense maple flavor than lighter-colored syrup, so you can use less. This recipe makes a big batch but freezes well. Shape into patties before freezing for convenience, so you can use them as needed. While we like them for breakfast, they have enough savoriness that they'd also be great at dinner, served with snow peas, brown rice, and a tamari–rice vinegar dipping sauce.

Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese Recipe

Who needs a meal from a box when you can make something way tastier with the same amount of ease? Delightfully rich and cheesy, this hearty pasta dish is a staple for any home cook. Serve with Creamy Tomato Soup. Or serve with Green Salad with Simple Vinaigrette.

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Basic Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe

This is our go-to recipe for classic buttermilk pancakes, and it's the only one you need. Consider the fundamental blueprint for any and all pancake needs. Starting with this foolproof formula for rich and fluffy pancakes, you can create your own custom short stacks by mixing berries or chocolate chips into the batter, or topping the warm flapjacks with fresh fruit, whipped cream, toasted nuts, etc. Be it for a special occasion like Mother's Day breakfast-in-bed or just a lazy weekend morning, this baseline recipe for golden, glorious pancakes will never let you down.

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe

The ultimate rainy day food. Roasting the tomatoes adds an intensely deep flavor and buttery texture that defines comfort. Pair with grilled cheese for a crazy cozy dinner.

Spicy Black Bean Soup with Chorizo

Spicy Black Bean Soup with Chorizo Recipe

This spicy soup reciperequires little attention or effortwith the slow cooking powerof your Instant Pot. Tip:Dried beans don't have to be soaked—just toss them into the Instant Pot®.

Chicken, Broccoli, and Brown Rice Casserole

Chicken, Broccoli, and Brown Rice Casserole Recipe

This healthy whole-grain spin on a comfort food classic is indulgent, creamy, and a guaranteed family-pleaser. The whole thing comes together in half an hour.

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Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce Recipe

Are you ready for the best chicken enchiladas of your life? While you could use a rotisserie chicken for this cheesy enchiladathis link opens in a new tab recipe, poaching chicken breasts in a delicately flavored liquid both creates succulently tender meat (that won't dry out as the casserole bakes) and adds another layer of flavor to the dish.

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Ham Biscuit Casserole Recipe

Cheesy, easy, and delicious. The perfect breakfast (or lunch, or dinner) for a lazy day in.

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Simple Enchilada Casserole Recipe

This Test Kitchen favorite is spicy, creamy, and wholly comforting.

Basic Pizza Dough

Basic Pizza Dough Recipe

Every great pizza night starts with a great crust! This classic and basic pizza dough recipe can easily be customized with your favorite toppings for a pizza everyone will enjoy.

Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies Recipe

This dough will work for slice-and-bake cookies or as a rolled dough for your favorite cookie cutters.

Simple Lemon, Shrimp, and Prosciutto Pasta

Simple Lemon, Shrimp, and Prosciutto Pasta Recipe

Salty, umami-packed prosciutto complements the sweet shrimp and tomatoes in this streamlined 20-minute main.

Creamy Broccoli-Cheddar Casserole

Creamy Broccoli-Cheddar Casserole Recipe

This fresher take on the traditional casserole is loaded with vegetables and comes together with a homemade sauce instead of sodium-heavy canned soup.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe

One glance at this tuna noodle casserole as it comes out of the oven, golden and bubbly, and your family will be sold. Although the recipe calls for egg noodles, you can use any short pasta to make this dish.

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The Best Baked Potatoes Recipe

If you're looking for the absolute best baked potatoes ever, consider your search over. This recipe, fromAlfred's Steakhouse in San Francisco, is a definite winner.At the restuarant, they're baked early in the day, held in a warming oven, and crisped to order over smoking-hot mesquite coals. You can recreate the crispinessat home by placing the finished product under a broiler or crisping them quickly on a hot grill.

Hungry for more? Check out more of our favorite baked potato recipes here.

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Classic Birthday Cake Recipe

For a festive occasion, few treats can match the celebratory spirit of a classic birthday cake—and this easy-to-follow formula is the only one you'll ever need. Our birthday cake recipe yields two dense layers of buttery, vanilla-forward white cake wrapped in classically rich buttercream frosting. For the signature, picture perfect birthday cake look, don't forget to garnish your frosted cake with rainbow sprinkles. You can also stir a handful of colored sprinkles right into the cake batter to create a funfetti effect.

Quick Chive Mashed Potatoes

Quick Chive Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Frozen mashed potatoes are a near-instant option, with a better flavor and texture than boxed potato flakes.

Triple-Apple Pie

Triple-Apple Pie Recipe

How next-level store-bought crust, smart touches of fat and flavoring, and a trio of apples fit together fabulously.

Pasta with Italian Sunday Sauce

Pasta with Italian Sunday Sauce Recipe

Known as "Sunday Gravy" to many, this meaty tomato sauce is like marinara but with a major upgrade. Short ribs and turkey sausage add flavor; whole-wheat pasta brings heart-healthy fiber to the table.

Simple Lemon, Shrimp, and Prosciutto Pasta

Simple Lemon, Shrimp, and Prosciutto Pasta Recipe

Salty, umami-packed prosciutto complements the sweet shrimp and tomatoes in this streamlined 20-minute main.

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Penne with Spicy Vodka Cream Sauce Recipe

Simple and delicious, Penne with Spicy Vodka Cream Sauce is perfect with a simple salad and a glass of red.

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Sheet Pan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Recipe

This simple sheet pan technique allows you to make five grilled cheese sandwiches with at the same time (meaning everyone around the table gets an equally gooey and warm sandwich at the same time), and with not much more effort than it takes to prep one. We went with 4 type of cheese—goat, white cheddar, provolone, and Swiss—for these buttery, rich sheet pan grilled cheese sandwiches, but feel free to change the cheeses up depending on what you like or what you have in your fridge. You could also dress these up with a few added toppings, like spinach, basil leaves, and tomato slices—or allow folks to customize their own sandwich. Your grilled cheese, your choice.

Easy Chicken Adobo

Easy Chicken Adobo Recipe

Inspired by the Philippine national dish, this Easy Chicken Adobo uses a simple blend of garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce to give chicken a zingy boost. Traditional adobo sauces are commonly enriched with coconut milk, and the dish is frequently made with pork. But for everyday cooking, we like this lighter, simpler chicken recipethis link opens in a new tab. Serve with rice. This is the perfect dinnerthis link opens in a new tab for spicing up your usual routine.

All Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

When it comes to making cookies from scratch, thesecrispy-chewy chocolate chip cookies represent the best of the best. Simple ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions make this a recipe you'll come back to again and again.Whip up a batch of theseall-time favorite cookies and they won't last long. Pro tip:Bake 10 minutes for a softer cookie or up to 14 minutes for a crispier cookie.

After you've made these craveworthy cookies, don't forget to try our fun variations.All sorts of goodies—fromcrushed white-chocolate pretzels to toffee candy—can be added to the batter to create other signature cookies.

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Meatloaf Recipe

With a simple ingredients list and a fuss-free slow cooker method, this easy meatloaf definitely belongs in your recipe box.

Best Fudgy Brownie

Best Fudgy Brownies Recipe

Meet your new go-to recipe for homemade brownies. These decadenttreats are extra rich and fudgy, thanksto a double hit of baking chocolate and bittersweet chocolate morsels. They're incredibly easy to make, plus you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry already. And while we're definitely not above boxed brownie mixes, these homemade brownies would certainly steal the show at any party or get-together.

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Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake With Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

The addition of cinnamon adds a kick of "something special" to this rich chocolate sheet cake, but if you prefer, you can reduce the amount or leave the cinnamon out all together; you will simply have a delightful, classic chocolate cake on your hands. Once topped off with a decadent chocolate-cream cheese frosting, this cake is ready to please at virtually any event you bring it to.

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles Recipe

Serve these spiced cookies during the holidays with a mug of hot cocoa or anytime you're craving a tasty cinnamon treat.