Brunch

This savory cake is packed with Parmesan and basil. Serve it in slices for brunch alongside a salad of fresh fruit or bitter greens.

Meat-free but not too virtuous, it's healthy and satisfying.

Shishito peppers give a mildly spicy kick to this old-school breakfast classic. If you can't find them at your farmer's market, use any chile pepper with a similar heat level, like poblanos or pimentos de Padron.

It's easier than you think to make homemade sausage for this Vietnamese take on the egg sandwich. No need to mess with casings; just mix ground pork with seasonings, form into patties, and pan-fry.

Our ultimate version of this breakfast classic combines a rich, buttery dough with the warming flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg and the crunch of pecans.

Drummed up by our intrepid recipe tester Lauren Godfrey, this nontraditional taco, sweet with squash, earthy and nutty with kale, and crunchy with fried pumpkin seeds (pepitas), is—shhhhh—vegan. Don't tell anyone, but because it is so tasty, no one will care. The cashew crema can be replaced by store-bought crema or our Cumin-lime crema, but after polling both vegetarian and carnivorous friends, everyone preferred the nutty and rich nondairy cashew version (which must be made with raw cashews to work). To prepare the butternut squash, use a sharp peeler to remove the tough skin before slicing it in half and scooping out the seeds and fibers. Lazy cook's tip: Some markets sell butternut squash already peeled and seeded and ready to go.

Jaew is a tart, smoky dipping sauce from Thailand, usually served with grilled meats and sausages. Watson takes it to a Tex-Mex place in this eggy, cheesy rice dish that might remind you of nachos (it works).

"Acid and texture are the most important things," says chef Eli Kulp. His hearty vegetarian breakfast sandwich—with its mix of marinated mushrooms, soft eggs, melted cheese, and a buttery toasted roll—proves his point.

Says Headley of these crisp, buttery-sweet biscuits, "Serving them hot is all that matters."

Used in place of mayonnaise, yogurt brings tang and brightness to these crostini.

Nilou Motamed, Epicurious Editor-in-Chief, swears by this herb-infused lobster roll recipe inspired by her father-in-law Michael DePorte. When available, Nilou prefers soft-shell lobsters, or “shedders”, for their easy-to-crack shells (no tools required!) and sweet, tender meat. If you choose soft-shell lobsters, reduce the cooking time by 2 to 3 minutes. She also prefers filtered seawater as a cooking liquid, so if your fishmonger has it available, give it a try! Boiling lobsters in well-salted water is the next best thing.

If you don't happen to have eight ramekins, you can assemble the sauce and eggs in a single baking dish and increase the baking time if needed.

Zucchini may not be the most loved vegetable, but when shallow-fried into patties, even kids will go crazy for them.

Borani is a Persian dip made with yogurt. The chioggia beets in this recipe give the dip a gorgeous hue.

The best blue cheese for this is salty but creamy, not too sharp or funky.

Use very ripe—even overripe—tomatoes; they'll give up even more juice.

Making the eggplant spread ahead of time has a double upside: The flavors of the mixture will deepen as it sits, and you get to cross something off the list.