Our Favorite Recipes of 2022

These are the meals the Serious Eats staff turned to over and over again this year.

By
The Serious Eats Team
The Serious Eats Team
At Serious Eats, we’re a team of self-proclaimed food nerds who are ever-curious about the “why” behind cooking. The staff has worked in restaurants, test kitchens, bakeries, and other notable publications, bringing extensive culinary and editorial expertise to the table.
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Published December 22, 2022

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

At the start of this year, the Serious Eats team came out swinging―developing a slew of potato recipes for Starch Madness (surprise surprise, French fries won!). Beyond testing recipes for tartiflette and aloo tikki, our team continued to develop and test as the year progressed, bringing to life some of what have become staff favorites. Along the way, our contributors delivered the goods―sharing Nigerian, Filipino, and Mexican recipes, to name a few. The combined efforts of our staff and contributors were recognized by IACP when Serious Eats won the 2022 award for Best Culinary Website. 

We loved each and every recipe we published this year, but, like every year, our staff was presented with a significant challenge: picking just one that was their favorite. Each member shared the recipe that resonated with them the most, whether they made it at home or had their first taste of it in the studio kitchen. Below, you’ll find the recipes that members of our staff raved about, turning to over and over again this year.

  • Msakhan (Palestinian Flatbreads With Onion, Sumac, and Spiced Roast Chicken)

    Plated msakhan.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Picking a single favorite recipe of the year is always an impossible task, but I tend to gravitate to ones I had the pleasure to cook myself—I think that direct connection leaves me with the most lasting impressions of the dish. And through that lens, Reem Kassis's msakhan still resonates over the many months that have passed since I made it. The onions that are spread on top of the tender flatbreads are silky and sweet, tangy from sumac and warm from spices. The chicken brings all the comfort of any roast chicken, but with a more complex flavor, thanks to its rub of spices and olive oil, while toasted nuts add richness and depth. It's a full meal all in one, and such a pleasure to eat. —Daniel Gritzer, senior culinary editor

  • Sole Meunière

    Sole Meuniere on a dark green plate on a marbled countertop

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    One of the best parts of my job is getting to try all the amazing dishes our editors cook in the test kitchens for shoots. The sizzling sound of Daniel's lemon-brown butter sauce for his sole meunière recipe has been stuck in my head all year. This simple, incredibly delicious dish is easily my favorite meal on set in 2022. —Amanda Suarez, senior visual editor

  • Moo Palo (Thai Pork Belly Stew With Eggs)

    Overhead shot of finished moo palo with cut open eggs, dipping sauce, and a plate of rice

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    I had the pleasure of being present at Derek's shoot day for his trio of Thai soups. While I had a blast sipping and slurping on tom yam pla and tom kha gai, his recipe for moo palo was the one I kept going back to. I couldn't stop myself from continually dipping into the pot to fish out tender morsels of fatty pork belly and broth-infused soft boiled eggs. I've since made this soupy stew at home and can attest that this recipe is a keeper. —Kristina Razon, editor

  • Chinese Cold Noodle Salad With Sesame Dressing

    Sesame Noodles with chili paste, cucumbers, and scallions in a blue bow with a wavy patterm

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Growing up in NYC, Chinese takeout played a large role in our eating lives, and my mom’s favorite dish was (and still is) sesame noodles. The problem is that sesame noodles are easy for even a reliable restaurant to screw up—the wheat noodle base is easy to overcook, the sauce is frequently underseasoned, and sometimes it’s made with peanut butter instead of Chinese sesame paste (which, admittedly, I’m still kinda into). So when we published Lucas Sin’s recipe for this classic dish and it not only captured the spirit of my childhood memories, but actually improved upon them, I knew we had a keeper. I’ve made this recipe multiple times this year, in every season, and it never disappoints. -Jake Dean, updates editor

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  • Cheese Foam Tea

    Cheesefoam Bubble Tea in front of a orange backdrop

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    I'm a bubble tea fanatic and was so thrilled when we published Clarissa Wei's cheese foam tea recipe. Once you top your bubble tea with creamy, tangy cheese foam, you'll never go back. I'm excited to make my own cheese foam at home with Clarissa's streamlined recipe. And yes, I will be making tapioca pearls to go in my tea! —Genevieve Yam, culinary editor

  • Vegetable Biryani

    A plated portain of Biryani on a pale purple plate on a bright blue background

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    I spent a large part of my childhood in India (and Sri Lanka), and biryani is one of my favorite things to eat. Vegetable biryani takes less time than meat biryani and is therefore what I usually make, as I always seem to just never have quite enough hours in the day to do everything I need to. This recipe—which takes just 20 minutes of prep—is pretty perfect: the caramelized onions, the bloomed spices, the cashews, the rosewater. If you've never made biryani before, give it a try. —Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, commerce editor

  • Ganach Lupia (Armenian Braised Green Beans)

    Overhead view of Ganach Lupia in a dutch ovenANACHLUPIA

    Serious Eats / Andrew Janjigian

    This is a warming, hearty dish that tucks green beans in a stewy mixture of fragrant, fatty lamb and bright, jammy tomatoes. I made it once in the fading heat of summer (a somewhat regrettable decision on a hot day in a tiny apartment), but now, as winter's chill slouches closer, it's the perfect time to fire up the oven and braise—and this is going to be my inaugural dish to do it. And while I love lamb, Andrew notes that you can swap in beef short ribs if you so choose. —Grace Kelly, associate commerce editor

  • Gâteau Basque

    Overhead view of a sliced gateau basque cake with a hand reaching in for a slice

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    This Thanksgiving, my partner decided we should do a smattering of dishes from all across France instead of the usual turkey fare, and Kristina's gâteau Basque recipe absolutely delivered for our dessert. I ate three pieces after our meal and scrambled downstairs the next morning to have another slice for breakfast. I'm a sucker for a dessert that's sweet, rich, and tart, and it was incredible to see how well it all came together (even with our subbed-in cranberries instead of jam, just to keep our day somewhat on theme). The crust is unlike any other dessert, and even though we polished it off immediately, I keep hoping another might show up on our counter, magically. —Jesse Raub, commerce writer

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  • Pay De Queso (Mexican Cheese Pie)

    Pays de Queso

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Having never heard of pay de queso, it looked unassuming when I first encountered it in the studio kitchen. But from the moment I took my first bite, I immediately wanted more. The Mexican cheese pie has a similar consistency to cheesecake, but with a subtle sweetness and a distinct tanginess—thanks to a bit of queso fresco—that keeps you coming back for more. I didn't think I could fall any more in love with it until I tried it with a drizzle of dulce de leche. I haven't stopped raving about it since! —Yasmine Maggio, associate editor

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