Most Repeatable Recipes of 2022

45 of my favorite dishes from the last year

DINE

Sam Livingston

Jan 22 2023 | min read

45 my favorite dishes from the last year

If you're anything like me, you love trying out new recipes and expanding the dishes in your regular rotation. Sometimes it’s challenging to know what will be worth the effort, especially if you’re cooking in a smaller apartment-sized kitchen: (🙋🏼‍♀️) I’ve compiled a list of recipes I spent the last year— and beyond— cooking, baking and repeating, sourced from The New York Times and my beloved cookbook collection, plus a handful from my own kitchen. You can find more of my recipes here, my favorite home and kitchen items here, and cooking videos here. Happy cooking :-)

Breakfast

Green Romesco Beans

Two things I’m obsessed with: romesco, and finding the most interesting possible variations for making beans: this recipe brings the two together. The green sauce is more of a sister-sauce to a traditional romesco, seeing that it lacks sun dried tomatoes and red peppers. For this one, I went with a jalapeño, but you could easily swap it for any sort of mild chili pepper, depending on what you’ve got on hand.

Turkish Eggs

Turkish eggs, or Çılbır, have been on my weekly rotation for years now: I love the eggs poached, soft boiled or over easy with this dish, though they’re traditionally served poached. Topping them with tons of fresh dill is my favorite, but if it’s not in season and is elusive at the store, you can top with a bit of parsley, chives or scallions. The cumin and paprika butter is my favorite part, and the dish is best served with some toast to absorb all of the delicious flavors.

Eggs & Cripsy potatoes with microgreens

I make these spicy, herby smashed potatoes at least once a week, and they happen to work incredibly well as leftovers with eggs in the morning.

Kinda Like a Blueberry Pie

Making yogurt taste new and exciting is somewhat a passion of mine: I often look to my favorite desserts for inspiration, and today, I felt like eating blueberry pie, but I wanted it for breakfast. If you’d like to spend the extra time, you could add an almond flour-cinnamon crumble of sorts for the full effect, but I love it as-is for a quick treat, whether eaten first thing in the morning or as a dessert to round out the day.

Two-ingredient bagels at home

I saw this recipe circulating on Pinterest and thought I’d give it a go: I’ll say I was initially a bit skeptical of these turning out well, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were so good that we made them again a few days later. I’ll caveat by noting that nothing will top a bagel from your favorite local spot, and these are a bit more scone-like in texture on the outside than a traditional bagel (still light and soft on the inside) but for a savory baked good that can be thrown together in around 30 minutes total, these are definitely a win.

Romesco Eggs

After making a fresh batch of romesco and adding some to a pan, I let my eggs sizzle in it and topped with freshly grated pecorino and basil.

DECONSTRUCTED BLT & A JAMMY EGG

I often find myself using about half of a 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes for a pasta recipe, and it’s always a task to come up with an interesting way to utilize the rest of the tomatoes. A consistent favorite that I’ve found is to cook them over low heat for about a half hour with some chopped fennel seed, dried dill weed, chili flakes, cumin and fresh sprigs of thyme. These are great served with eggs of any style, I generally eyeball it based on which spices I’m feeling: you can can throw whichever spices you like best in with the tomatoes if any of the above aren’t your favorite.

FRESH GREENS, SPICY BEANS & POACHED EGGS

Whenever I want something a bit more involved than just a couple of eggs for breakfast or brunch, I’ll throw this dish together: it’s perfect as the first meal of the day and equally great as a somewhat quick fifteen minute-ish lunch between phone calls or running errands.

LUNCH

Grains and Roasted Squash With Spicy Buttermilk Dressing by carla lalli music

I discovered this recipe in Carla Lalli Music’s 2019 cookbook, Where Cooking Begins. The entire approach of the book lies in finding simple swaps based on what’s in your pantry, and shopping often for seasonal items that excite you. I replaced wheatberries with farro and added a pistachio dukkah for this recipe, and the options are endless— you can create dozens of variations of this with other sauces and roasted vegetables.

SWEET & SAVORY CARROTS + TANGY GARLIC YOGURT

This is a dish I love so much I eat all of it on its’ own until it’s gone, but it would make a truly excellent side as well. It’s smoky due to the chili, sweet from the honey, tangy from the lime juice and punchy and bright because of the garlicky yogurt sauce and herbs. I like to pack some more parsley, dill and often chives, onto the plate, but for photo purposes I kept it looking a bit more elegant.

Little Gems with crispy pancetta & Green Caesar from Salad for president

I mention several salads throughout this post that I deem the ideal salad… but this one might be the most ideal of all. I share this recipe far and wide and it’s always on the menu the first time I cook for friends— the green caesar alone is enough to convince me to make this on days when I don’t have pancetta at the ready.

Spicy Salmon, Scallions & Greens

I love salmon because of its’ quick roasting time and buttery flavor. I’ve found that I enjoy it as leftovers only when it’s packed with some really powerful flavor: the combination of honey and Sambal Oelek really delivers here. This recipe is just as delicious the second night as it is the first, and if you throw your salmon in the oven to broil for a minute or two the next day, it’s all ready to top off this tangy and refreshing salad. (Of course, you can make this all at once, too!)

Stone Fruit Salad

Stone fruit salads are one of the main dishes I dream about whenever August comes to a close. Being that there are only about two months of perfectly-in-season peaches, nectarines, pluots, plums and apricots, you’ll find me making every possible iteration of this salad all summer long. I really like to play around with the amount of ingredients in the dressing and end up eyeballing it 99% of the time: just taste and adjust as you like. Sometimes I’ll add lime juice, a tablespoon of super-finely-diced shallots and/or about 1/2 teaspoon of sumac powder.

SWEET POTATOES WITH TAHINI & MICROGREENS

One of the most helpful meal-prep tips I’ve adopted is boiling a pot of potatoes once or twice a week and keeping them in the fridge: this shortens their roasting time significantly and doesn’t leave you waiting 45+ minutes when you just want a quick lunch or dinner. I love balancing out the candied flavor of sweet potatoes with a rich and citrusy sauce, and topping it all off with microgreens is an easy way to get some antioxidants, iron, zinc and magnesium in. If you’ve already boiled your sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes, you’ll only need to roast them for about 20 minutes, and if you haven’t boiled them, you’ll need to roast for closer to 45 minutes. As always, you can find a discount code for the bowls and plates I use here.

DINNER

Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.

Blue-Cheese Steak and Endive Salad for Two

A perfect dinner, no notes.

Steamed Artichokes with Anchovy Butter

Steamed artichokes and their hearts in a bath of garlicky butter would fully be my death row meal— they’ve been my favorite food since I was about four years old— nothing else compares. They’re at peak season in the spring, and this method offers the perfect way to enjoy them.

Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.

Shrimp in Purgatory

A simple, last minute dish for nights where I’m not overly motivated to cook.

Little Gems with Garlicky Lemon and Pistachio

My most ideal salad— every time I make this for friends and family, everyone’s asking for the recipe after the first bite.

Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma

I’ve made this recipes dozens of times and it’s a truly foolproof meal. Be sure to serve with everything mentioned in the intro: pita, tahini, chopped cucumbers, some olives, chopped parsley, feta, fried eggplant, hummus swirled with harissa, rice or rice pilaf.

Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times. Prop Stylist: Kalen Kaminski.

Tomato-Poached Fish With Chile Oil and Herbs

Another one I can’t count how many times I’ve made: a super easy way to cook fish, and it always comes together quickly.

Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Quick Ragù With Ricotta and Lemon

A solid dish for a crowd— let the sauce simmer and return to the dinner party, then spend a few active minutes waiting for the pasta to reach your ideal texture and plating everything with a bit of lemon zest.

Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times. Prop Stylist: Amy Elise Wilson.

Leafy Herb Salad

I first came across this salad when I was planning out my Thanksgiving 2019 menu: it’s since entered my regular rotation for dinner parties and holidays. It’s packed with herbs and bright with lemon juice and only takes a few minutes to prep.

Crushed Sour Cream Potatoes

Another recipe I discovered at the same time as the salad above, this has become a holiday staple as well. Perfectly classic, yet textured and full of flavor: much more exciting than a traditional mashed potato.

Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Honey and Soy Glazed Chicken Thighs

Another perfect chicken recipe!

Caramelized Shallot Pasta

My hope is that you’ve already made this one and understand the sheer joy that is this dish, but if not, might I recommend you make it for dinner tonight. This takes the cake for my favorite pasta to make at home— it’s graced my kitchen dozens upon dozens of times over the last couple of years and always elicits the most joyful reaction from my partner when I mention it’s on the grocery list for the week.

Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Pickled-Brined Fried Chicken

Pickle-brining is truly the key: since discovering this one several years back, I’ve learned to brine all of my chicken in pickle juice prior to cooking and this usually eliminates any of the unfortunate weirdness you’ll occasionally get from chicken.

Miso Chicken

All hail Sam Sifton! This one is a hit every time.

Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

I was first introduced to karaage at Afuri in Portland a while back, and have since loved recreating it at home.

Takeout-style sesame noodles

This is the meal I opt for after a late night out: thankfully this recipe takes about 10 minutes to toss together, and is always what I spend the Uber ride home dreaming about.

Shrimp Scampi With Orzo

A classic for a reason: so bright and savory— the perfect comfort food.

Seared Short Ribs with Quick Kimchi and Sesame Salt from Dining In by Alison Roman

An essential short rib recipe: if you’ve never made them before, start with this one.

Snacks & Starters

WATERMELON AND CUCUMBERS WITH SPICY SUMAC from Dining In

Another stunning summer appetizer: bring it along to your fourth of july parties or snack on it under the sun on any given day. (I add mint and a few good drizzles of olive oil)

Labneh Dip With Sizzled Scallions and Chile

Huge fan of dips: that’s mostly what you’ll see in this section! Love chopping up fresh veggies for serving alongside some kettle chips.

Lemony Whipped Feta With Charred Scallions

An essential starter for dinner parties: serve with fresh bread or garlicky toast and carrots.

Fancy Citrusy Olives

A quick and worthwhile way to elevate your snacking olives.

Real Sour Cream and Onion Dip

Another classic for grazing boards and holiday parties.

Brown Butter Potato Salad

I made this for a memorial day party this past year and when I tell you nearly every person came up to me asking for the recipe, floored that they were so obsessed with a potato salad…. truly a perfect thing to bring for an outdoor gathering.

Vinegar marinated beans

If it wasn’t apparent by now, Alison Roman’s recipes live rent free in my head. This one is no exception, and is what I usually pair with the citrusy olives (a few recipes up) to start out a dinner party.

Grapefruit and Burrata with Chile Crisp from cook this book

10/10 as an app or served as a course of its own— a perfect palette cleanser— amidst a larger meal.

Desserts

Strawberry Shortcake Cobbler

This dessert has forever cemented itself into my arsenal as the superior summer dinner party dessert. You can make this with essentially any fruit and most of it can be prepped in advance, only requiring a toss into the oven and plating with whipped cream at the last minute.

Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Hilary Robertson.

Cranberry Lemon Eton Mess

I just made this for New Years Eve and it was wonderful and surprisingly simple— already plotting the next occasion to break this out.

Dutch Baby

Sometimes I make a dutch baby for breakfast, sometimes for dessert: a dream with syrup, fresh berries or jam.

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Cozy, classic and somewhat easy Autumn recipe I keep coming back to.

Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Susan Spungen.

Cranberry Lemon Bars

Big fan of the cranberry-lemon combo: made these a couple of times over the summer and they’re such a refreshing way to end a very hot day.

The Fluffiest Pumpkin Cookies

My mom has been making these cookies my whole life, and I’ve looked forward to them every Autumn that I can remember. My very favorite pumpkin-forward treat!

Pomelo Treat

The chillier months are peak citrus season which fully compensates for the lack of berries and stone fruit this time of year (in my humble opinion). I’m always searching for sweet and savory ways to enjoy grapefruit, pomelos and all kinds of orange alike. This dish is one I had for both breakfast and dessert recently and you better believe I’ll be spending the next several months coming up with every iteration possible using other nuts, spices and syrups.

MORE RECIPES HERE + Cooking videos Here + FAVORITE HOME & KITCHEN ITEMS HERE

Thanks for reading! Hoping that you find a few new recipes to fall in love with this year.

Disclosure: I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you decide to buy any of the products I refer to and promote. All opinions are my own.