I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s hard to believe that 2025 is already coming to a close. When the ball drops on Dec. 31, New York Times Cooking will have developed, tested and published more than 1,000 recipes this year. You loved so many, and for that, we are delighted.
View the full collection of recipes.
Below are 25 of your favorites, the ones you took the time to rate, comment on, share with friends and come back to again and again. Weeknight chicken (no surprise here!) is a clear winner, but plenty of vegetarian recipes and even a handful of ground beef ones made it to the finish line this year. Cook one, cook all, then come back and tell us all about it. We’re so glad you’re here.
Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
“This was seriously the best thing I have cooked in all of 2025. Shared it with literally all the foodies I know. Bravo Alexa Weibel! A+.”
For those of you looking for a vegetarian meal that isn’t heavy on pasta or beans, Alexa Weibel is here for you. Her oven-steamed broccoli is topped with chile crisp breadcrumbs then scattered over a bed of whipped cashew cream (just a fancy name for silken tofu and cashew butter whizzed in a food processor until light and fluffy).
Recipe: Roasted Broccoli and Whipped Tofu With Chile Crisp Crunch
Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“Oh man, was this a hit with my husband! And me, of course. He absolutely raved about how delicious it was, how crispy the chicken skin, how fabulous the pan sauce! 5 thumbs up, he says.”
Crispy chicken never goes out of style. Eric Kim borrows a technique from the chef Paul Bertolli called “bottom-up cooking,” in which chicken cooks almost entirely on the skin side over moderate heat, resulting in shatteringly crisp skin. A speedy pan sauce of stock, lime juice, maple syrup and butter completes the dish.
Recipe: Crispy Chicken With Lime Butter
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“This was super easy and punches way above its weight. My family wants to ‘put it in the rotation.’ 5/5.”
Store-bought lemon pepper does the heavy lifting in this weeknight recipe from Lidey Heuck, adding acidity, salt and a touch of heat. Deglazing the pan with fresh lemon juice gives it all just the right amount of eye-opening brightness.
Recipe: Lemon-Pepper Chicken Breasts
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“One of the best NYT recipes I’ve made. And so easy!”
Try this stellar recipe from Kristina Felix, and you’ll never want to make chicken tacos any other way again. Boneless thighs take a quick dip in garlic, lime juice, hot sauce and onion powder before they’re seared in a pan, chopped into small chunks, then returned to the pan to simmer in the rich gravy that forms from the chicken’s juices and the marinade.
Recipe: Easy Chicken Tacos
Credit…Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
“I never follow exact cooking instructions but did with this one as I was tired and lazy. SOOOO GOOOD!!! Incredibly flavorful and so easy. It will be on repeat.”
Kay Chun’s fast, easy skillet dinner of ground chicken (or pork) and sweet potatoes manages to feel both cozy and bright, thanks to some coconut milk, fresh lime juice and cilantro.
Recipe: Fragrant Coconut Chicken and Sweet Potato
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“I have made this five times since seeing the recipe a few weeks ago.”
Crawl under your grandmother’s quilt and slurp this creamy chicken stew from Dan Pelosi. Using boneless chicken thighs ensures that you’ll end up with tender meat, and heavy cream makes it richer and more filling that traditional broth-based chicken soup.
Recipe: Chicken Stew
Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Heather Greene.
“This is a wonderful recipe!!! 5 stars all the way!!!”
In this 45-minute recipe from Ixta Belfrage, rehydrated dried porcini mushrooms are combined with tomato paste, garlic, chile, parsley and Parmesan, then tossed with ribbons of pasta for a breezy weeknight dish that tastes like it has been simmering for hours.
Recipe: Porcini Ragù
Credit…Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
“This was so good. Made as is, the cilantro and lime at the end really help to brighten up the richness of the dish. Made this to reconcile with my ex and it worked. 1,000/10 would make again.”
Our readers love a one-pot meal, and Yasmin Fahr’s did not disappoint. Salmon fillets are coated with a mixture of miso and turmeric before being steamed atop a bed of spinach and rice until flaky but still tender.
Recipe: One-Pot Miso-Turmeric Salmon and Coconut Rice
Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop Stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.
“Absolutely magnificent.”
Equally welcome at a dinner party or in your lunch box, this vibrant lentil salad from Lisa Donovan is bright with lemon and vinegar, earthy with lentils and carrots, and just bitter enough with radicchio. Make it on a Sunday, and you can nibble on it all week. C’est vrai.
Recipe: French Lentil Salad
Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi.
“Made exactly as written, and results were impressive and delicious.”
If you love a sweet project, try Caroline Schiff’s recipe for Dubai chocolate, that viral chocolate bar stuffed with pistachio cream and delicate shredded phyllo. And if you don’t have a chocolate bar mold, you can make rounds in a silicone muffin pan, as one resourceful reader did.
Recipe: Dubai Chocolate
Credit…Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
“Made this tonight and it was a big hit with the family. My kids scarfed theirs down and begged for seconds.”
In this Roman version of chicken cacciatore from Cybelle Tondu, a tangy sauce with capers replaces the traditional red sauce and pairs beautifully with rich bone-in chicken and floury potatoes.
Recipe: One-Pot Roman Chicken Cacciatore With Potatoes
Credit…Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
“Where I’m planning my next meal while eating my current meal, my partner eats because nutrition is a biological requirement for maintaining life. Halfway through this dish, he proclaimed, “Way to go, New York Times. This is a keeper.” Higher praise has never been spoken.”
Ali Slagle really knows her way around a bag of store-bought gnocchi, as evidenced by her many recipes featuring the little potato dumplings. This 15-minute dish is loaded with pan-seared gnocchi, asparagus, arugula and a silky, rich sauce of miso, butter and vinegar.
Recipe: Skillet Gnocchi With Miso Butter and Asparagus
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“So insanely good. This recipe has an intense depth of flavor and was devoured by my toddlers and my husband.”
In this classic, cozy dish from Dan Pelosi, ground beef, carrots, onions, celery and peas are smothered in a thick tomato gravy, then topped with a blanket of Cheddar mashed potatoes. Now is the time to put that bag of frozen vegetables in your freezer to good use.
Recipe: Cottage Pie
Credit…Joel Goldberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
“5 stars!!! I made this exactly as written, tossing items into the pot in the order given. Pushed a button and walked away. Came back 4 hours later to a perfectly seasoned and cooked chicken dish.”
Sarah DiGregorio’s hands-off recipe is the sort that makes slow cooker doubters into devotees. Boneless chicken thighs, white beans, butter, garlic, parsley, shallots and lemon juice are tipped into the slow cooker, then left to braise until the chicken falls apart. Stirring in a little sour cream before serving adds richness, while croutons lend texture.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“We made this recipe tonight, and it immediately earned a spot as one of our favorites.”
Boneless chicken breasts get a bad rap these days. Properly cooked, they can be just as succulent as thighs, and even more so when enrobed in a buttery white-wine spinach sauce, as in Dan Pelosi’s chicken Florentine. The secret ingredient? A little cream cheese, which creates a glossy sauce that clings to the chicken.
Recipe: Chicken Florentine
Credit…Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
“This is now my go-to everyday dressing. I make the full amount at the weekend and add it to fresh salads throughout the week. It makes me feel in control of things, even as the rest of the world appears to be falling apart.”
Want to eat more salad in the new year? Make this mustard-shallot vinaigrette from Samin Nosrat, which she adapted from the West Village restaurant Via Carota. Adding a little warm water to the mix softens the sharp edges of the vinegar, so it’s great on practically everything.
Recipe: House Dressing
Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“Oh muh gawd. This was outstanding.”
Thai red curry paste is the secret to this superfast Bolognese from Genevieve Ko that tastes as if it has been simmering all day. A little cream added at the end rounds it out. Use a squiggly pasta shape like pipettes or fusilli so that there are plenty of nooks and crannies for the sauce to hold onto.
Recipe: Spicy, Creamy Weeknight Bolognese
Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Judy Kim.
“Not gonna lie — we might have licked our cast iron frying pan if it wasn’t so hard to hold up!”
Halloumi stars in this vegetarian dinner from Nargisse Benkabbou. A quick stew of tomatoes and white beans tops planks of it, then the whole pan is slid under the broiler until the cheese browns and bubbles in spots. Many readers recommend doubling the recipe, so you probably should.
Recipe: Crispy Halloumi With Tomatoes and White Beans
Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Prop Stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.
“Wow! Everyone in my family, including one very picky child, devoured this. It was delicious!”
Yotam Ottolenghi embraces the ease of a sheet-pan meal with this complete dinner of roasted chicken, potatoes, sweet peppers and chickpeas seasoned with ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice blend that often includes cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander and pepper.
Recipe: Chicken and Chickpea Tray Bake
Credit…Ghazalle Badiozamani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
“My toddlers, as well as mom and dad, love these.”
These cute and adaptable little egg muffins from Naz Deravian are a big hit with grown-ups and kiddos alike. Make a double batch, and freeze one for busy mornings ahead.
Recipe: Cottage Cheese Egg Bites
Credit…Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
“Wow, this was good! I used Trader Joe’s squiggly noodles (wheat) and just tossed the sauce packets out. Perfect! Followed the recipe exactly. Perfect quick and yummy dinner for movie night.”
Store-bought Cantonese hoisin sauce is the workhorse of Hetty Lui McKinnon’s salty-sweet dish of rice noodles, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil and a touch of maple syrup. Add steamed broccoli for something green and leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken for heft.
Recipe: Hoisin Garlic Noodles
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“I finally pulled this out of my ‘want to cook’ folder and wish I had done so sooner! Made exactly as written, served with coconut rice and the suggested cucumber salad.”
In this 25-minute dish from Lidey Heuck, honey-garlic sauce does double duty, serving as a sweet-and-savory marinade and as a pan sauce for the tender pink shrimp. Shrimp cook in a flash, so if you can, use larger shrimp to avoid ending up with the texture of old tires.
Recipe: Honey Garlic Shrimp
Credit…Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
“This is my favorite soup!! I make it roughly every two weeks since it’s so tasty and nutritious (fiber, protein, fat).”
Packed with protein and fiber, this wholesome soup from Andy Baraghani is perfect for when you’re feeling under the weather, physically or otherwise. Plenty of pepper and lemon juice adds brightness, while turmeric gives it earthiness and lovely golden color.
Recipe: Chicken and Red Lentil Soup With Lemony Yogurt
Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Judy Kim.
“I cooked this today in the middle of a snowstorm. It was the perfect dish for me as I live alone in my eighties, and this will be three or more good meals. It was delicious.”
Ali Slagle’s smart recipe works with practically any grain, bean and green. If you want more protein, add leftover cooked chicken or any other meat on top during the last few minutes of cooking.
Recipe: One-Pot Beans, Greens and Grains
Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
“Made as written with no regrets. This is one of those recipes that tastes so much greater than the sum of its parts.”
Drumroll, please! This spectacular 25-minute recipe from Zaynab Issa is as easy as can be while still feeling special. Ground beef is hard-seared in a pan to which turmeric, raisins and walnuts are added. It’s piled atop a bed of cucumber yogurt, then served with soft pita for swiping and scooping.
Recipe: Smashed Beef Kebab With Cucumber Yogurt
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