Editors' Picks
The Top 10 Genius Recipes of All Time
From oven-fried chicken tricks to the most famous tomato sauce on the internet—these are your favorites.
From our new podcast network, The Genius Recipe Tapes is lifelong Genius hunter Kristen Miglore’s 10-year-strong column in audio form, featuring all the uncut gems from the weekly column and video series. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts so you don’t miss out.
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48 Comments
Bill H.
July 19, 2021
Kris Yenbamroong's Pad Thai has become a regular in our house ... super easy and delicious (the best of all worlds).
leonie S.
December 30, 2020
The only recipe here that appealed was Maialino's cake. And it is good, but the best?
WitchyJodi
October 24, 2019
Just found your site via the crazy good 3 ingredient tomato sauce! Looking forward to many more kitchen adventures- thank you!!!!
Virginia
October 3, 2019
I have made 4 of them, Ratatouille, Hummus, One pan pasta and the Tomato sauce with onion. My favorite has been the ratatouille. I'll need to live 1 million years to try all the recipes I want to try. Most days we have something new.
Maggie
October 2, 2019
Judy Rogers' roasted applesauce changed my freaking life! Also a vote for that red cabbage/red wine vinegar/black olive situation that I never remember the name of.
John G.
October 2, 2019
I think 15 second eggs should have made this. They're genius and fast. My girlfriend absolutely loves them.
Pam S.
October 2, 2019
My favorite Genius Recipe (so far) is the Canal House Chicken Thighs with Lemon. 3 ingredients plus S&P. Simple and delicious!
judith M.
October 2, 2019
Your site is SO disappointing. It’s a shop and repeat recipes from YEARS ago.
sarah
September 16, 2016
Ina has a pasta recipe where you take cherry tomatoes and marinate them in olive oil, garlic, fresh basil, red pepper flakes, and s+p for hours. Then toss angel hair pasta in the mix, sprinkle with parmesan, and you're done. And the flavor is SO good that you wonder why in the world you never thought of it yourself. (Summer Garden Pasta, from her At Home cookbook - the pink one).
Lisa W.
September 16, 2016
The blondies. Everyone loves them. It is a go to for me, especially if there's a time crunch. I weigh the brown sugar on top of the butter, set it on low to melt while the oven heats, & I weigh up the other ingredients, as well as chop the pecans. Once the butter/sugar mixture cools, I mix it all right up in the pot. So much to love about this recipe.
Ruth J.
September 16, 2016
Julia Child's rice and zucchini casserole that uses the drained water from the zucchini is awesome and delicious and yes, Genius!
EO
August 25, 2016
World Peace Cookies. Along with Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce, my top and most often made Genius recipe.
Upsidedownstrawberries
August 25, 2016
Richard Olney's Chicken Gratin is my absolute favorite, it's beautiful when done with a plump corn fed chicken. Decadent and delightful!
702551
August 2, 2016
The Paul Bertolli version of ratatouille from the earlier "Chez Panisse Cooking" is better than Waters' later version which is really just has a bunch of shortcuts. Bertolli was Waters' best chef de cuisine and a superb writer.
Bertolli bakes his eggplant rather than sauteing it to avoid excessive oil absorption; this is classic Bertolli attention to detail. In the recipe headnote, Bertolli correctly states that the recipe is simply a sequence of very simple steps.
Personally, I would omit the olives and capers that Bertolli calls for in his version but I would not hesitate to eat his version if served to me.
Bertolli bakes his eggplant rather than sauteing it to avoid excessive oil absorption; this is classic Bertolli attention to detail. In the recipe headnote, Bertolli correctly states that the recipe is simply a sequence of very simple steps.
Personally, I would omit the olives and capers that Bertolli calls for in his version but I would not hesitate to eat his version if served to me.
snobird39
June 1, 2015
My favorite Genius recipe is the English porridge with roasted applesauce. Yum Yum
SophieL
June 1, 2015
My favorite Genius Recipe is Nancy Silverton's Whipped Cream (adding sour cream). It's hardly a recipe but it is truly genius - because it really works! - and I am so glad it made it into the cookbook. I have been printing out all the Genius Recipes through the years and now they're all in one place.
thirdfloorkitchen
April 12, 2015
Nigella Lawson's Dense Chocolate Loaf.
By the way, I love the new book. There is one error I spotted, however. The brisket recipe in my copy calls for a 16-pound piece rather than the 6-pound piece noted on the original recipe.
By the way, I love the new book. There is one error I spotted, however. The brisket recipe in my copy calls for a 16-pound piece rather than the 6-pound piece noted on the original recipe.
Kristen M.
April 12, 2015
Oh no -- thank you for letting us know. We'll make sure to get this corrected in any future printings and try to get the word out about the error.
julie
April 12, 2015
Toro Bravos radicchio salad. Beautiful simple and spectacular flavor. My first genius recipe and still my all time fav.
Rebeccaf
April 12, 2015
The Genius Spaghetti Bolognese is a definite keeper and should be included. Best spaghetti I've ever had. And my 19-year old son loves it, too. Beware, though, this is not your traditional, Italian style sauce. It's like the French/Belgian bistro style spaghetti I ate while living in Europe. It's a staple in our household.
Valerie V.
April 12, 2015
I was so excited when the book arrived. I sat down with my post-it's to mark the recipes I want to make. Soon I was out of post-its. I should have marked the ones I didn't want to make--virtually none. This is going to top of my must have cookbook list. If you learn just a handful of these recipes you will be on your way to genius cooking.
Lindsay F.
April 12, 2015
Without question the recipe for Tomato Water Pasta by Michael Ruhlman and Martha Stewart's One Pan Pasta. Simple, fresh and delicious - the epitome of late summer cooking!
Jill
April 12, 2015
I have had it since Tuesday and have made many things so far. Tonight will be Marcella's sauce and Rao's meatballs.
Cindy
April 12, 2015
I preordered this incredible cookbook, it arrived Friday and I've been mesmerized ever since. Simple and brilliant!
FHeller
April 9, 2015
Michael Ruhlman's Fresh Tomato Pasta. I've always anticipated the arrival of tomato season with something of the impatience and enthusiasm of a six-year-old awaiting the arrival of Christmas morning. This recipe has given me another reason-- perhaps the most important one-- for doing so.
[email protected]
April 8, 2015
Paul Bertolli's cauliflower soup is on my all time favorite list. So simple, so easy to make, and always leaves me feeling nurtured as well as nourished.
lacrema
April 8, 2015
Teddie's Apple Cake is the one I've made over and over (and OVER AND OVER!) again.
Sarah J.
April 8, 2015
I would add the tomato water pasta by Michael Ruhlman because there isn't one day that goes by that I don't think of it and cry softly. I would also add the tofu fudge by Andrea Nguyen because it is quirky and squishy and it tasted good even when I accidentally used cinnamon instead of cardamom.
cookinginvictoria
April 8, 2015
I have made most of these recipes (8!) and agree that they are stellar. I would add Nekisia Davis's Granola to the list. I probably have made that recipe at least a dozen times and I never tire of it. When I give it away as gifts, it is my most requested recipe. :)
Haley S.
April 8, 2015
I'd have to agree with all of these picks but I'd add Barbara Kafka's chicken because, other than that time I almost burned down my apartment making it, it has been a HUGE success.
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