Mozzarella

The tortillas and filling are layered (instead of rolled) to reduce prep time.

It's hard to improve on grilled cheese with tomato soup—but that's exactly what the folks at Noca are doing. The restaurant layers red heirloom tomatoes and smoked mozzarella on the sandwich. It transforms the soup with green heirlooms—and serves it cold. The mix of flavors, textures, and colors takes this classic to a new level.

Olivada, an Italian olive spread, adds flavor and color to this side dish.

What makes this beautiful appetizer even more attractive? Both of the salsas and the toasted baguette slices can be prepared one day ahead.

This recipe for a typical Puglian snack comes from Donatella Arpaia's aunt. Keep in mind that the ricotta cheese needs to drain overnight.

Use a rolling pin or meat mallet to crush the fennel seeds. Fresh mozzarella can be found at many supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.

The Original: Breaded, fried eggplant with a thick oregano-flavored tomato sauce. Our Version: Broiled slices of eggplant wrapped around a mint-and chard-flecked ricotta filling.

Crispy cornmeal polenta is the health star of this salad: It may be easier for your body to absorb corn's carotenoids from milled products such as polenta, rather than from whole kernels.

Get your fix of two favorites (Chinese and pizza) in one crusty canapé—for fewer than 150 calories.

This bravura sandwich stimulates all the senses. Grilling eggplant instead of frying it adds lightness and smoky complexity.

You'll have enough tomato spread for leftovers.

This sandwich gets a toasty power-up from your grill pan. Melted mozzarella bolsters chicken cutlets, and its gooey richness is offset by the fiery spark of cherry peppers. A tomato-basil salad rounds out the meal.

Garlic chives add a mildly garlicky flavor to this simple pasta, which is loaded with little tomatoes and tiny pearls of fresh mozzarella cheese. The pea-size mozzarella can be found at Trader Joe's and well-stocked supermarkets.

The famous Argentine herb sauce is thinned out with a little more olive oil and vinegar to make a bright herbal dressing for the salad. Instead of a big rib eye, this recipe calls for flank steak, a thin cut that's ideal when you're pressed for time.