The Kitchen Tourist

Polenta Cheese Bake – Polenta Pasticciata

Jump to Recipe This update to my “Ceci Polenta” recipe is now a casserole with melted cheese and caramelized onions and it’s super easy to make ahead. So yeah, that’s going to automatically make it one of my favorites. Also, having a delicious vegetarian gluten free Italian recipe in my arsenal is not a bad thing…

Sauerkraut Pork Casserole – Kolozsvári rakott káposzta

If you love Eastern European smoked sausage as much as I do, you’ll find this recipe balances rich smoky meat wonderfully with sauerkraut and spices – made ahead. the melding of the different seasonings is especially delicious.

Baked Corn Casserole

When we serve this dish at holiday or birthday feasts, it’s almost always the first pan emptied, no matter what else we make – comfort food at its finest.

Family Favorite: Roasted Red Pepper Lasagna

If I was going to list my family’s top 10 favorite dishes, I think I could confidently say this would make the top five. It’s the most common dish on the menus I found when I reviewed my family’s Italian Birthday Feasts, and that doesn’t even include our non-Italian birthday menus, which still often manage to…

Lentil Meadow Pie

The first time my sister made it, we almost started a fight over the last piece. Since then we always make it in large quantities, and it frequently appears at holidays and parties, since it’s a delicious dish that’s easy to make ahead and vegetarian – yet also appealing to picky eaters.

Puerto Rican – Pastelón Plantain Casserole

A wonderful family recipe from my friend Iris – the “structure” is similar to lasagna or moussaka and many other layered casseroles from around the world, but the flavor is completely unique, the faint sweetness of the plantains contrasting with the richly seasoned meat filling.

Lemon-Herb Marinated Chicken

My family’s favorite make-ahead summer chicken recipe, it uses a handful of fresh herbs from the garden with a few lemons for amazing flavor that doesn’t require heating up the kitchen at all. Plus it all goes into a ziplock bag for minimal dishes!

Frittata with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

With garden chives in the spring or summer, this is one of our favorite go-to quick dinner options, though we have been known to serve it for breakfast too.

Rainbow Peep Popcorn Balls

Want to use up leftover Easter candy? Want to melt and mash and then eat something light and crunchy? Here you go!

Rosemary Roast Chicken

Our favorite roast chicken recipe is also the simplest – 4 ingredients, quick prep, easy to make ahead and so fragrant and delicious!

Lemon Italian Ice

If you want the flavor of real lemons, something that’s satisfyingly tangy and light, this is an easy option you can make anytime you have a little space open in your freezer.

Green Goddess Soup

The most vibrantly green soup I’ve ever seen, with a healthy dose of garlic balanced with asparagus, spinach and peppery watercress. It’s delicious AND sinister looking.

Cambodian Peanut Sauce with Coconut milk.

I do not know how authentic this recipe is, but I do know it is delicious and versatile and great for using up veggies in stir fries or as dip. We also have a pork meatball recipe that this goes well with as a weird Asian “fusion” meatballs and pasta option. So do what you…

Persian Pomegranate Granita

The flavor of this is as bright and refreshing as the color, made of fruit juices & herbs with no cream or fat. Also, it’s really easy to put together in the freezer (no ice cream maker required, a fork & pan will do).

Puerto Rican Rice

We’re serving a big Puerto Rican feast again this weekend and working on meal planning. I came here to grab our standard Arroz con Gandules recipe and realized I somehow had never posted it. Most people I know who’ve tried this dish absolutely love it. I’ve had so many people ask for the recipe, some more…