Fresh and dried herbs add unparalleled flavor, color and texture to our cooking – and they are easy to find in most supermarkets. You can also grow them at home, both indoors and out. Let us celebrate these herb forward dishes, showcasing their vibrant flavors.
Growing Herbs
We have an entire article for you on growing herbs, which we encourage you to read. Whether you have outdoor garden space, or want to cultivate them indoors, you can have success growing your own herbs.
Buying Dried Herbs
Dried herbs are part of so many recipes, and we highly suggest having many on hand, for inspiration as it strikes. Store dried herbs in a cool, dark place in airtight containers, and replace about every 6 months. They lose brightness and potency.
Basil
Basil works so well in a variety of dishes, and works across global cuisines.
Chicken Salad with Gruyere, Green Beans, Tomatoes & Basil
This Chicken Salad with Gruyere, Green Beans, Tomatoes & Basil is like an homage to the end of summer. Tomatoes and basil are all about and I wanted to make a chicken salad for dinner on a particularly hot night. It had to be hearty enough to be a meal. Get the recipe.
Thai Basil Steak Salad
We love a good steak salad with tomatoes and blue cheese, but how about an Asian vibe? Here you get to indulge in the flavors of fish sauce, lime juice, sambal oelek, toasted sesame oil, ginger and Thai basil (you can use European basil, too). All with slippery, slurpy rice noodles and tender steak, too. Get the Thai Basil Steak Salad recipe.
Salmon with Basil-Caper Pesto
Salmon is such a great weeknight dinner and this one combines the heart-healthy fish with a tangy fresh basil and caper dressing. Did you know that capers are actually berries? Who knew! Keep a jar in the fridge and you will find uses for them! Get the recipe for Salmon with Basil-Caper Pesto.
Panzanella
This is a bread salad, featuring sourdough, with juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh mozzarella, capers, fresh basil, and parsley in a Dijon mustard enhanced red wine dressing. Make this when tomatoes and basil are at their peak. Get the recipe.
Parsley
Parsley is so much more than a garnish! These recipes showcase its fresh, herbaceous flavor.
Fennel, Kale & Parsley Salad with Clementines & Olives
When we are making a rich main dish, such as a Standing Rib Roast, we definitely like to complement it with a light, green salad. But that doesn’t have to mean boring. Just take a look at the images for our Fennel, Kale & Parsley Salad with Clementines & Olives.
Pasta with Clams & White Wine Sauce
Pasta with clams in a white wine sauce…and ours is gluten-free, too! And it is very quick to prepare. Make this in a large Dutch oven. Get the Pasta With Clams & White Wine Sauce recipe.
Farfalle with Roasted Red Peppers & Parsley
We call this a 15-minute recipe because you can prep all the ingredients in the time it takes the water to boil. That’s my kind of weeknight meal! I have tweaked the recipe a tad as I find the addition of the briny bursts of flavor from the capers really enlivens the dish. The variations add loads of flavor but do take this out of the vegan realm. Get the recipe.
Mint
When it comes to mint, we pretty much stick exclusively to fresh. The mint in the mange above came from our Test Kitchen garden! These recipes will convince you to expand your mint horizons.
Asian Steak & Noodle Salad With Mint & Peanuts
Another main dish salad that we love, especially in warmer weather, when the mint is plentiful in our garden or the farers market. Noodles, tender steak, fresh mint and crunchy peanuts combine beautifully with extra-wide rice noodles. Get the Asian Steak & Noodle Salad with Mint and Peanuts recipe.
Mint Chocolate Chunk Cookies
These Fresh Mint Chocolate Chunk Cookies began life when Robin presented me with an armful of chocolate mint that she had just picked from our Garden. I am not exaggerating when I say that this bunch of mint was huge!
You will see below in the instructions that the fresh mint is combined with the sugar; the sugar granules are rough and the mechanical action of them rubbing against the mint leaves extracts the pure mint flavor. Please do not try to make these with mint extract! This is all about the fresh herb.
By the way, while we have chocolate mint on The Farm, which is an actual type of mint, you can use other kinds of fresh mint as well, such as classic peppermint. Types of mint do vary in strength and also in color, so your results might fluctuate depending. Get the recipe.
Summer Rolls
When we assemble summer rolls, we often switch up the fillings, making some with tofu, maybe some with shrimp, but they always include rice vermicelli and fresh herbs such as mint. We have step-by-step photos to show you how to make them; the technique is easier than you might think! Get the recipe for Summer Rolls.
Cantaloupe, Cucumber and Burrata Salad with Basil & Mint
Salads don’t have to rely on leafy greens and our Cantaloupe, Cucumber and Burrata Salad with Basil & Mint will certainly convince you! Sweet melon, cool crunchy cucumbers, shreds of magenta radicchio, fresh basil and mint and creamy burrata cheese. All drizzled with a light vinaigrette. This is an unexpected and welcomed addition to summer cookouts. Get Cantaloupe, Cucumber and Burrata Salad with Basil & Mint recipe here.
Sage
We always use fresh sage at Thanksgiving, in our turkey and in many of the fixings, but these recipes show you its versatility.
Roasted Pumpkin Baked Pasta With Sage
Roasted winter squash (pumpkin) is smooth, creamy and colorful! It pairs beautifully in this baked pasta dish, featuring rice penne or ziti, mozzarella and crispy fried sage leaves. Get the Roasted Pumpkin Baked Pasta With Sage Recipe.
Ricotta Gnocchi with Browned Butter & Sage
This Ricotta Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Sage is an elegant recipe, special enough for a fancy party. Simple, yet sublime. Get the recipe.
Porchetta Pork Roast
Our Porchetta Pork Roast is an easy-to-make roasted pork shoulder with rosemary, sage, fennel, olive oil, lemon and tons of garlicky flavor. I first tasted this at a potluck and immediately asked who had made it and asked if I could have the recipe. It turns out they had made Melissa Clark’s version from the NY Times; this is our version. Get the recipe.
Dill
We love dried dill in tuna salad and egg salad, but fresh dill adds a special, fresh dimension to potatoe salads, our pasta Primavera, and we show you an unusual dish featuring root vegetables and Dijon mustard.
Pasta Primavera
A lighter pasta dish, this version features spring vegetables and rice pasta. Get the Pasta Primavera recipe.
Poached Salmon with Yogurt Dill Sauce
Okay I might have failed and I might have succeeded – you will have to tell me. My intent was to make a super easy weeknight salmon, and then it ended up looking all fancy. But here’s the thing, this Poached Salmon with Yogurt Dill Sauce ended up being really easy to make and is quite flexible and I am giving you directions to accommodate any amount of salmon you might have. Get the recipe.
Carrots & Parsnips with Dijon Butter & Dill
Carrots & Parsnips with Dijon Butter are a little fancy, but easy enough to make alongside a roast chicken; no need to reserve for guests. We love working with these sweet and earthy root vegetables. Roasting brings out their sweetness even more and the Dijon mustard adds tang. The combination of dill and coriander might seem unusual – but it works! Get the recipe.
Oregano
Oregano, whether dried or fresh, has a potent aroma and flavor. A little goes a long way. Here are recipes that feature its unique taste.
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Tender noodles (we used rice-based casarecce), feta, cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers. A main dish pasta salad – that happens to be gluten-free – will transport you to the Mediterranean. Get the Mediterranean Pasta Salad recipe.
Chicken Thighs with Lemon & Oregano
Let’s get this out right away – this recipe is ALL about technique. You will be putting the chicken in a COLD pan. That’s right; that’s not a mistake. And you will be rewarded with shatteringly crispy skin. Get the recipe.
Instant Pot Cuban-Style Pork
Our Instant Pot Cuban-Style Pork begins with a pork shoulder and incorporates the flavors of orange and lime and takes advantage of orange marmalade. That product gives us sweetness from sugar and the tart flavor and texture from orange peels; perfect in this dish, especially with the accent of tart fresh squeezed lime juice, oregano, cumin and chicken stock. This recipe is geared towards a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot. Get the recipe.
Cilantro
You either love cilantro – or think it tastes like soap! And you are not alone; it is estimated that about 4 -14% of the population agrees with you. There is a certain gene cluster that brings certain flavor compounds forward in a different way than from those who do not have the genetic predisposition. So, these recipes are for cilantro lovers – which is the majority!
Asian Tofu Noodle Papaya Salad
This main dish salad has so much going for it: noodles for carb satisfaction, tofu for protein, papaya for color, texture and sweet flavor and a sauce with sambal oelek, fish sauce, ginger, soy sauce and lime. Flavor packed! Try a long shape rice noodle. Get the Asian Tofu Noodle Papaya Salad recipe.
Cilantro Lime Rice
I was going to call this Green Rice because while this version is for Low FODMAP Cilantro Lime Rice, it is just as delicious – and green! – when made with parsley, which might be more enticing for some of you. Feel free to sub in parsley for the cilantro, if you like. Use flat-leaf parsley, not curly, for best results. We know that some of you just don’t like cilantro. Get the recipe.
Papaya Salsa
Papaya Salsa is a little sweet (the ripe fruit), a little tart (lime juice) and a little bit spicy (jalapeño) – or very spicy depending on the amount of jalapeno that you add. It is as simple as stirring everything together in a bowl. Lots of cilantro rounds out the flavors. Get the recipe.
Rosemary
Ah, rosemary! It is the one plant we bring indoors and keep alive all winter long. Just brushing your fingers along a stalk and the aroma is intoxicating. We think you will love these recipes featuring this herb.
Grape and Rosemary Focaccia
Our Grape and Rosemary Focaccia is simple to make, taking advantage of instant yeast, which is easy to use. This flat, chewy focaccia is topped with olive oil, savory rosemary and sweet juicy grapes with the crunch of large flake salt, such as Maldon. Get the recipe.
Balsamic Chicken with Peaches & Rosemary
Juicy chicken thighs, peaches, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and rosemary come together in our one-pan Balsamic Chicken with Peaches. This recipe is based upon our incredibly popular Maple Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Blueberries. Get the recipe.
Beef Tenderloin Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Beef tenderloin is actually very easy to prepare and the results are always party worthy. This recipe for Beef Tenderloin Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomatoes features a stuffing of Mediterranean flavors that comes together in just a few minutes. Get the recipe.
Thyme
Thyme is featured in many Mediterranean dishes and cuisines. It is easy to work with and lends its unique flavor to these dishes ranging from entrees to appetizers – to breakfast!
Chicken with Grapes, Thyme and Smoked Paprika
Chicken thighs that is. Chicken thighs are in regular rotation around here and this dish for Chicken Thighs with Grapes was a happy sweet and savory surprise.
This Chicken with Grapes, Thyme and Smoked Paprika is a simple one-pan, oven-roasted meal that highlights the sweetness of the grapes, the smokiness of the paprika and the savory-ness of the chicken and thyme. It comes together in less time than it takes for the oven to preheat and is easy enough for a weeknight but fancy enough for non-FODMAP guests. Get the recipe.
Baked Feta with Honey, Walnuts & Thyme
Read the recipe through and look at the pictures and you will see that our Baked Feta with Honey, Walnuts & Thyme is fancy enough for a party but actually easy enough to whip up on a week night – for a “party” of one or two!
You might notice in our images that I have shown fresh thyme as well as fresh oregano. Feel free to try either, or both! Get the recipe.
Breakfast Sausage
They are not always stuffed into casings forming the classic “hot dog” shape. Breakfast Sausage is usually patty-style and this means that they are no more difficult to make than a hamburger. Never thought you could make sausages? You can – and easily!
These Breakfast Sausage Patties combine ground pork with all the expected sausage flavors like sage, thyme and fennel. Get the recipe.
