
This casserole of polenta and vegetables uses canned beans and store-bought pesto to cut down on preparation time, but the
slow cooker does all the hard work.
The recipe calls for an Italian cheese blend and specific vegetables, but feel free to mix things up with an American or Mexican cheese blend and different beans and vegetables, if you like.
To learn more about this easy-to-make, one-pot meal, read more.
[recipe|nid=2184941]

If you're in the mood for a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, but want something other than a traditional tomato sauce, I highly recommend this creamy
pesto dish! A tasty blend of bread and seasoning, the meatballs that dot the pasta are scrumptious with the perfect texture.Both the pesto and meatballs are simple to make, but do require time. The best thing about this recipe is it makes a lot, so save some for a later date.

A delightful alternative to the classic caprese salad, these skewers are bite-sized pieces of heaven. The recipe couldn't be easier, and the simplicity highlights the pure flavor of ripe tomatoes and fresh cheese. To make these easy appetizers, I tossed pieces of bocconcini, or mozzarella balls, with homemade pesto.

At the
Food and Wine Classic, I watched
Jose Andres make bread chips. He froze a baguette, sliced it superthin with a mandoline, and panfried it until crisp. While Andres topped his with anchovies and other Spanish ingredients, I haven't stopped thinking about this bread chip and wondered how it would translate into a nacho.

When browsing the
farmers market, I'm drawn to things I don't recognize. The minute I saw these beauties, I stopped to learn what they were. Called scapes, these vegetables are flowering stalks of still-developing garlic.Only certain varieties of garlic produce these delicate shoots.