Orzo

Any combination of vegetables will work in this nutritious soup from chef Hugh Acheson. If including 10 vegetables isn't a priority, you can also cut some and double up on others.

When Ryan Poli and his kitchen staff tried finishing orzo risotto-style (stirring the cooked orzo with stock until creamy) they got fantastic results with impressive speed.

Melissa Rubel Jacobson cleverly uses chicken sausage here: removing the casings, shaping the meat into balls, browning them and simmering them in chicken broth. If you have leftover cooked rice on hand, feel free to substitute it for the orzo.

"Infusing olive oil is a great way to add more herbs to your life," says Jovial King. (Herbs are rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients.) In this main-course salad, Marcia Kiesel rubs the oil on duck breasts and shallots before grilling them and also uses it in a vinaigrette.

Few Americans eat pasta for breakfast, but this Greek-inspired recipe with orzo, leeks and bacon aims to make a few converts.

Grace Parisi's kids love a particular brand of canned soup filled with chicken meatballs and soggy pasta, but she prefers real minestra maritata (Italian wedding soup). She makes tiny pork meatballs and simmers them with orzo, chickpeas, spinach and parmesan. She occasionally substitutes green beans for the spinach, depending on who is at the table.

A recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, from the 2007 Classic in Aspen.

Pairing Suggestion: Earthy, cherry-scented Chianti Classico.

Avgolemono sauce, a Greek contribution to the world's cuisine, is a delicate blend of chicken broth, dill, and lemon, thickened lightly with egg. In the spring, asparagus would substitute beautifully for the carrots.

More than one tradition is at work here. Dill and cucumber, mated in several cuisines, unite in a Greek-inspired salad, while salmon and dill are a typical Scandinavian pairing.

The classic accompaniment to osso buco is saffron risotto. This simple alternative takes only 15 minutes to prepare.

With its rice-shaped orzo and creamy texture, this pasta may remind you of risotto—but it's easier to make, since you don't have to stir and stir and stir.