My mates and I prepare Alison Roman’s squash and lentil soup so frequently that in our chat group we’ve taken to calling it “our soup.” As in: “I’m making our soup tonight,” or “Sorry you’re unwell! Can I deliver our soup this afternoon?” We may not have penned the recipe, but it’s ours now! Inspired, we asked Cup of Jo readers to share the recipes they’ve crafted countless times. Here, eight readers recommend their trusted dishes…
“Our” Alison Roman soup — the recipe uses acorn squash, but I’ve been making it with honey nut squash grown in my garden.
“Everyone has their preferred chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I rely on the one my mom always used from my grandmother’s The Best of Country Cooking book. I have the recipe memorized, and I also throw in a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. When I baked these cookies for a friend, she couldn’t believe I made them ‘out of my brain.’ Now it’s my favorite way to describe knowing a recipe by heart.” — Katie
“I make Dan Pelosi’s non-alcoholic Negroni repeatedly. Essentially, you steep half a box of Red Zinger tea with orange peel, sugar, cloves, and black peppercorns, then serve it with tonic (and grapefruit juice if you have it, but I typically don’t). It’s a lovely treat to sip on while assembling dinner. My husband and I enjoy it so much that there’s usually a big jar of it in our fridge.” — Sarah
“Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce is pure culinary enchantment. I’ve made it countless times that I no longer need the recipe. It seems too basic to be noteworthy — just tomatoes, butter, and whole onions — yet somehow the result is truly wonderful. My girls have always adored it — they’re busy teens now and still get thrilled when they come home and smell tomatoes simmering. They shout from the doorway, ‘It’s a tomato sauce day!’” — Ashley
“During a vacation in San Francisco, I enjoyed a life-changing sandwich from Golden Gate Market Deli & Liquor, a bodega near the Presidio. Since then, I’ve committed myself to perfecting my sandwich skills. My latest involves good sourdough, French Dijon, garlic aioli, Jarlsberg and smoked Gouda, an entire avocado, red onion, cucumber, perfectly ripe tomatoes (with salt and pepper, of course), wilted spinach, and a generous amount of sprouts. It takes thirty minutes to make, but it is so, so rewarding!” — Elizabeth
“We often make a kale Caesar with poached eggs. The secret is to tear the kale into strips and massage them for at least a minute. Then, add lemon juice, a splash of olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and plenty of freshly grated Parmesan. Toss it all together. The leaves should be tangy, salty, and mildly spicy. Sometimes we make homemade croutons from a fresh loaf of bread. Finally, poach eggs and put them on top! Dinner is ready in 20 minutes. The salad is super nourishing but also irresistibly tasty.” — Becca
“My definite go-to recipe is Smitten Kitchen’s confetti cookies. As Deb Perelman mentions, they’re the best because you can use ingredients straight from the fridge without the wait for them to come to room temperature. We label them ‘rainbow cookies’ in our home, and they’ve become my signature. My eight-year-old just baked them all by himself for the first time, and I was incredibly proud!” — Laura
“For several years, I’ve pre-made and frozen a batch of buffalo chicken meatballs for lunch. As a high school math instructor and mother of three, with limited time, I value the consistency. I like to serve these with roasted sweet potatoes. Never fails!” — Andrea
“A simple dish that my teenagers will always enjoy is Melissa Clark’s cheesy white beans. I serve it alongside a green salad and sliced baguette, and the entire thing takes 25 minutes, start to finish. We even had it over the Christmas break, and Lulu and my dad approved as well.” — Joanna
Your turn to share your favorite recipes! What dishes have you whipped up so many times you know them by heart? We want to add them to our collection.
P.S. 11 (more) readers share their favorite recipes, and what are five recipes in your repertoire?
(Sprinkle cookie photos by Deb Perelman; tomato sauce photo by Christopher Testani for The New York Times; meatball photo by Chrissa Benson.)
