From a Chicago kitchen

Cooking

Mostly soups and slow braises, with the pasta, casseroles, and weeknight dinners that actually get made. Real recipes, real photos — written down so I can find them again.

35 recipes · 9 of them soups · cooking in public since 2020
Cacio e Pepe — the latest recipe

Latest recipe

Cacio e Pepe

Three real ingredients — pecorino, pepper, pasta water — plus a knob of butter for insurance, tossed into a glossy sauce that never breaks.

Read the recipe 20 min

The recipe box

pasta

Japanese Butter Soy Spaghetti

A five-ingredient Japanese-style spaghetti — butter, tamari, and parmesan tossed with hot pasta and finished with green onion. The wafu pasta I kept eyeing in Tokyo, made at home in ten minutes.

15 min
seasoning

Italian Sausage Dry-Rub

A fennel-forward Italian spice blend that turns any ground meat into proper sausage

70 min
Garlic Cilantro Lime Rice — from the Mager kitchen
side

Garlic Cilantro Lime Rice

A bright, high-impact rice finished with garlic, lots of cilantro, and fresh lime juice added after cooking.

Corned Beef: The Dutch Oven St. Patrick's Day Braise — from the Mager kitchen

Corned Beef: The Dutch Oven St. Patrick's Day Braise

4lb corned beef, mini carrots, cabbage, potatoes — braised low and slow in a covered Dutch oven. The St. Patrick's Day comfort food move.

Banana Bread — from the Mager kitchen

Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas, brown sugar, walnuts, and a scoop of plain yogurt — baked at 325° convection for the moistest loaf you'll make.

Cauliflower Garlic Soup — from the Mager kitchen
soup

Cauliflower Garlic Soup

Three ingredients, one sheet pan, and a blender. Roasted cauliflower and a whole head of garlic blended into a velvety, dairy-free soup that somehow tastes indulgent.

70 min
Golden Dutch Oven Chicken & Saffron Rice — from the Mager kitchen
chicken

Golden Dutch Oven Chicken & Saffron Rice

A whole chicken browned on the stovetop, then slow-roasted in a Dutch oven over turmeric-saffron basmati rice. Cozy, hands-off, and spectacular for a Sunday.

120 min
Greek Chicken Casserole — from the Mager kitchen
comfort

Greek Chicken Casserole

A dead-simple one-dish Greek chicken casserole with orzo, feta, spinach, broccoli, sautéed onion, and lemon. Minimal cleanup, maximum flavor.

55 min
Spaghettio Sausage Soup — from the Mager kitchen
soup

Spaghettio Sausage Soup

Italian sausage, tiny sea shape pasta, crushed tomatoes, kale, and a Parmesan rind simmered into a brothy, deeply savory one-pot soup.

45 min
Chicken Cacciatore Casserole — from the Mager kitchen
casserole

Chicken Cacciatore Casserole

A cozy Italian-American casserole featuring shredded rotisserie chicken, San Marzano tomatoes, peppers, and mushrooms topped with melted mozzarella.

65 min
Green Chile Chicken Soup — from the Mager kitchen
soup

Green Chile Chicken Soup

A slightly spicy white chile with green chiles, chicken, corn, and hominy.

75 min
Green Curry Broccoli — from the Mager kitchen
comfort

Green Curry Broccoli

A quick and flavorful green curry with chicken and broccoli served over rice - simple weeknight comfort food.

50 min
Chicken Enchilada Lasagna — from the Mager kitchen
casserole

Chicken Enchilada Lasagna

A delicious fusion of Mexican flavors layered like lasagna, featuring shredded rotisserie chicken, corn tortillas, green & red chile sauce, and plenty of cheese.

65 min
pasta

One-Pan Orzo with Spinach and Feta

A quick, one-pan meal featuring orzo, spinach, peas, and feta. Similar to spanakorizo, this is deeply satisfying but still on the lighter side thanks to all those vegetables.

30 min
Broccoli Cheddar Soup — from the Mager kitchen
soup

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

A rich and creamy broccoli cheddar soup with sharp cheddar cheese, perfect for a comforting meal on a cold day.

45 min
Cottage Pie — from the Mager kitchen
comfort

Cottage Pie

A hearty cottage pie made with ground beef, following Alton Brown's method. Perfect comfort food for a cold day.

120 min
Slow-Cooked Pork Roast — from the Mager kitchen
meat

Slow-Cooked Pork Roast

A beautifully tender pork roast, slow-cooked in savory aromatics with an incredible crust. Works great with pork shoulder or bone-in pork chops.

330 min
Coconut Curry Chicken Soup — from the Mager kitchen
soup

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

A light, comforting soup packed with vibrant flavor and healthy ingredients like butternut squash and lentils. It delivers all the richness of a curry without being heavy.

50 min
Chicken Pistachio Meatballs — from the Mager kitchen
meat

Chicken Pistachio Meatballs

A lighter, bright and nutty take on classic meatballs with chicken and pistachios.

130 min
Chimayo Turkey Chili — from the Mager kitchen
soup

Chimayo Turkey Chili

A hearty and warming turkey chili with a deep, smoky flavor from chimayo pepper, perfect for a cozy dinner.

60 min
Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken — from the Mager kitchen
meat

Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken

A reverse sear technique for perfectly crispy skin and juicy meat, every time.

90 min
Perfectly Seared Tomahawk Steak — from the Mager kitchen
meat

Perfectly Seared Tomahawk Steak

A foolproof recipe for a perfect medium-rare Tomahawk steak. Seasoned overnight with Holy Cow BBQ Rub, seared hot, and finished with indirect heat on the grill.

55 min
End Of Summer Grilled Zucchini Lasagna — from the Mager kitchen
casserole

End Of Summer Grilled Zucchini Lasagna

A lighter, summery lasagna using grilled zucchini instead of noodles, with mozzarella, ricotta, and a simple tomato sauce. Optionally spicy with Calabrian chilies.

85 min
Dutch Oven Pulled Pork — from the Mager kitchen
meat

Dutch Oven Pulled Pork

Incredibly tender, flavorful pulled pork made easy in a Dutch oven using a sear-first, low-and-slow braising method.

320 min
Meatballs — from the Mager kitchen
meat

Meatballs

A taste of Italy anytime, these meatballs will steal the show at any special occasion or a Tuesday.

125 min
pasta

Mac & Cheese

My staple mac & cheese, just a few pantry ingredients and a lot of comfort.

60 min
Potatoes au Gratin — from the Mager kitchen
comfort

Potatoes au Gratin

A creamy and indulgent potato casserole, perfect for holiday gatherings, that will leave you and your guests wanting more every year.

150 min
Chicken Lemon Rice Soup — from the Mager kitchen
soup

Chicken Lemon Rice Soup

A staple soup that warms the heart and calms the soul.

75 min
Detox Chicken Soup — from the Mager kitchen
soup

Detox Chicken Soup

A delicious, healthy soup that will reset your system.

75 min
Zuppa Toscana — from the Mager kitchen
soup

Zuppa Toscana

One of the best soups to kick off the autumn season, a variation that uses chicken sausage

90 min
Thanksgiving Stuffing — from the Mager kitchen
comfort

Thanksgiving Stuffing

It's not Thanksgiving without the stuffing...

180 min
Rigatoni alla Vodka — from the Mager kitchen
pasta

Rigatoni alla Vodka

One of my go-to "last meals" that you need to try before you die.

65 min
Thanksgiving Turkey — from the Mager kitchen
meat

Thanksgiving Turkey

I stole this recipe from the November 2019 Bon Appetit. This expertly spiced & glazed turkey is cut into pieces, dry-rubbed overnight, and glazed continuously during it's slow cook. It's still the best turkey I've ever had.

300 min
Quarantine Chocolate Chip Cookies — from the Mager kitchen
comfort

Quarantine Chocolate Chip Cookies

Your new go-to cookie recipe, great for quarantining.

28 min