Pasta & Noodles

This fragrant and fresh Vietnamese classic is made even healthier with the addition of kale and wild mushrooms.

Achieve the deep, comforting flavors of slow-cooked pho in an hour with a few clever shortcuts.

Crisp julienned vegetables add crunchy texture to wheat-free pasta. To prep them fast, try the Oxo Julienne Peeler ($10, Oxo.com).

Tanis insists on making broth for this restorative and iconic soup (pho ga) from scratch and warns against overcooking the noodles: "They should be pretty firm and snappy, not flabby."

The synthesis of fresh and longcooked textures; rich, sweet, and herbal flavors; and juicy and crunchy garnishes. Serve with extra herbs, chiles, and lime so everyone can customize his own bowl.

Gnocchis à la Parisienne This dish is considered humble fare, and one you would never see in a restaurant. Hence it's largely unknown to folks outside of France. Paule Caillat gave me her family recipe, to which I made a few changes (authorized, of course). The dumplings are made of pâte à choux dough, similar to that used for profiteroles. They're partially cooked by poaching them first, then baking, where they'll puff up gloriously before settling down, waiting to be scooped up from under a blanket of browned cheese. This is a pretty rich dish; serve it with a simple green salad.

This spicy, crunchy, and refreshing noodle salad will make any weeknight better, and is a great way to use up leftover roast chicken.

Chef Nemo Bolin at Cook & Brown Public House in Providence, RI, turned us on to the technique for this streamlined, no-knead gnocchi dough.

I'm probably not supposed to play favorites, but this recipe is definitely my favorite. Pad thai is the epitome of simple ingredients creating dazzling flavor. It's fresh, light, exotic, and faster than any takeout (unless, of course, you happen to live above a restaurant that delivers). Fresh lime is key to creating the unique flavor, but one lime should be enough for a single or even double batch of this noodle dish. Fish sauce, which you can find in the Asian section of most major grocery stores or at Asian markets, gives this pasta a more authentic flavor, but if you can't find any, skip it; this dish will still rock your world.

Spoon gingery, slow-cooked beef and vegetables over wide rice noodles for a warming, soul-satisfying dinner.

You can have almost no money and still have enough to live off this stuff for weeks, months, years. Eat enough and you'll start to look for ways to make it different: add a little more sauce, a little less sauce, cook the noodles less, cook them more, add more water, less water, add an egg, scramble the egg, etc. Me, I've become a freak when it comes to my instant ramen. Don't fuck wit it, don't fuck wit me, let me do my thing. This is how I do my own thing.

It might look like a lot when the greens are raw, but add them all anyway. They'll quickly wilt down to a silky texture.

This version of pad thai, developed by cookbook author and teacher Nancie McDermott, is for those who may not have a wok at home. Instead, the recipe calls for a 12-inch heavy skillet. Note that the skillet can hold only enough ingredients for two people (of course, if you have a wok, you should use it). McDermott's pad thai recipe to serve four , which does require a wok, is reason enough to invest in one (look for a 14-inch carbon-steel model with a flat bottom). 

In Thailand, pad thai is hugely popular, but it's not a dish that's cooked at home. Instead, it is commonly purchased from street vendors, who cook it to order in individual portions. For home cooks on this side of the Pacific, cookbook author Nancie McDermott figured out a way to successfully make a big portion of pad thai, enough to serve four people at once, but it does require a wok (they are inexpensive and last forever; look for a 14-inch flat-bottom carbon-steel wok). If you don't have one, consider making her Pad Thai for Two , which works in a 12-inch heavy, deep skillet. For more on Pad Thai, including ingredient information and McDermott's tips, see Takeout at Home: Pad Thai

The buckwheat in soba is nutritious and a good source of fiber (and it's flavorful, too).

Vegan Green beans, cashews, mint, carrot, cucumber, and lime shine through the pearly noodles in this pretty, uplifting dish. The noodles will seem undercooked at first, but they will soften as they absorb the marinade and the moisture from the other ingredients. If you cook them all the way, the finished dish will be mushy. • Rice noodles of various thickness can be purchased inexpensively in most Asian-themed grocery stores, some supermarkets, and online. Use medium-thin ones for this recipe. • You can freeze the unused coconut milk in an ice cube tray, then transfer the cubes to a heavy plastic zip-style bag for making this (or something else) in the future. Don't forget to label the bag. • This tastes best within a few hours of being assembled, so plan accordingly. • Make sure the cucumber is sweet.

Edward Lee, executive chef and owner of 610 Magnolia, in Louisville, Kentucky, shared this recipe exclusively with Epicurious. Known for blending Southern and Asian flavors, Lee uses the leftover turkey carcass to make a stock infused with country ham, ginger, garlic, and daikon radish. The richly aromatic stock forms the broth for Lee's ramen bowl, which he fills with tofu, avocado, watercress, scallions, shiitake mushrooms, soft-boiled eggs, and leftover turkey meat. Freshly grated Parmesan is the final, unexpected garnish. "It adds umami to the dish," says Lee, adding, "it disappears into the broth and adds a depth and nuttiness." For more on Lee, plus four more chefs' recipes for transforming your Thanksgiving extras, see The Five Best Leftover Turkey Recipes.