Makes about 1⁄2 cup

http://s3.amazonaws.com/atk-public/pdf/ATKRadio_Recipes_butternutsoup.pdf

Makes about 3 quarts, serving 8 to 10.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
With the goal of developing a no-fuss chili recipe that would taste far better than the sum of its common parts, we discovered that adding the spices to the pan with the aromatics boosted their potency. For our chili recipe, we added the beans with the tomatoes so that they cooked enough to absorb flavor but not so much that they fell apart. And we found that cooking the chili with the lid on for half of the cooking time resulted in the best consistency.
Good choices for condiments include diced fresh tomatoes, diced avocado, sliced scallions, chopped red onion,chopped cilantro leaves, sour cream, and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese. If you are a fan of spicy food, consider using a little more of the red pepper flakes or cayenne—or both.

Serves 4 to 6
When skimming the fat off the stock, we prefer to leave a little bit on the surface to enhance the soup’s flavor. The soup can be prepared through the end of step 2 and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Store the chicken breasts in a zipper-lock bag with the air squeezed out and the stock in an airtight container.

Serves 4 to 6
For ideal flavor, allow the gazpacho to sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Red wine vinegar can be substituted for the sherry vinegar. Although we prefer to use kosher salt in this soup, half the amount of table salt can be used. Serve the soup with additional extra-virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, ground black pepper, and diced vegetables for diners to season and garnish their own bowls as desired.

Serves 6 to 8
If half of the soup fills your blender by more than two-thirds, process the soup in three batches. You can also use an immersion blender to process the soup directly in the pot. For an even smoother soup, pass the pureed mixture through a fine-mesh strainer before stirring in the chicken broth in step 2. Serve this soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for a Crowd or topped with Butter Croutons (see related recipes).

Serves 6
The toasted flour in step 1 should be slightly paler than a brown paper bag. You can find fish sauce with the other Asian products at most grocery stores. Since the salt content of fish sauce varies from brand to brand, taste the finished gumbo before seasoning it with salt. Serve with rice.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Cajun food isn’t known for its healthfulness, and gumbo is no exception. Toasting flour in a dry pan and mixing it with the aromatics allowed us to slash the amount of fat needed for the “roux” while keeping the deep, toasty flavor. Lean breast meat replaces chicken thighs, but we use bone in to maximize the flavor while reducing the calories and fat. Fish sauce enhances the seafood flavor of lean shrimp, and just 4 ounces of andouille adds meaty richness and spice.

Serves 6 to 8
We prefer to make this chili with whole dried chiles, but it can be prepared with jarred chili powder. If using chili powder, grind the shiitakes and oregano and add them to the pot with 1⁄4 cup of chili powder in step 4. We also recommend a mix of at least two types of beans, one creamy (such as cannellini or navy) and one earthy (such as pinto, black, or red kidney). For a spicier chili, use both jalapeños. Serve the chili with lime wedges, sour cream, diced avocado, chopped red onion, and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, if desired.

Serves 4 to 6

The combination of rotisserie chicken and store-bought broth gives this soup a rich chicken flavor in minutes.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Store-bought broth proved a good substitute for homemade stock in our Quick Chicken and Dumpling Soup, especially after we added flavorful vegetables and seasonings. Shredding a precooked rotisserie chicken—available at most supermarkets—saved us cooking time as well as cleanup time. Rolled noodle-style dumplings were too labor-intensive for our streamlined stew. Dropped biscuit-style dumplings were easier to make and just as fluffy and soft.

Serves 6 to 8

If you cannot find hot Italian sausage, use the sweet variety and add 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes to the soup along with the garlic and rosemary in step 2. Serve with extra Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Traditional pasta and bean soup recipes start by cooking dried beans for hours in either water or broth to create a rich, flavorful base. Because we wanted to streamline our Pasta and Bean Soup recipe by using canned beans and store-bought broth, we knew that we’d have to get a lot of flavor out of the meat and vegetables. To do this, we started our Pasta and Bean Soup with hearty and fully seasoned hot Italian sausage, which gave it just the right amount of meaty, spicy flavor. Sautéing the vegetables in the sausage drippings (along with a bit of oil) built even more flavor. A can of diced tomatoes tasted better, and required less effort, than fresh tomatoes, since the juices had a bright flavor. To create body, we pureed half the beans with a portion of the broth prior to cooking—this gave a thick, creamy texture without the hassle of pureeing hot soup in a blender. Cooking the pasta separately before adding it to the soup at the end of cooking prevented the pasta from absorbing too much liquid and becoming bloated.