There are a few circumstances you can count on in the twilight of the year. Everyone will want to “circle back in January,” as out-of-office replies quickly outnumber incoming requests. The cookie swaps will reach their zenith. You’ll get a remarkably inopportune cold. And a blizzard of best-of lists will ask you to reflect on yet another whirl around the sun. (Remember the Olympics? “Brat”? Moo Deng?)
This newsletter is no different. Oh, how we cooked! Let’s take a look at the most in-demand vegetarian recipes of 2024.
Beans, beans, all type of beans
The defining characteristic of a top-10 meatless New York Times Cooking recipe this year? Ease. Whether they’re short on time, short on ingredients or that irresistible union of the two, these recipes caught readers’ eyes — and clicks — faster than you can say “pesto beans.”
Hetty Lui McKinnon kicks off our countdown with her miso leeks with white beans (10) and her dumpling and smashed cucumber salad with peanut sauce (9), which drew fans with their weeknight sensibilities. “What a find!” one reader wrote of Hetty’s dumpling salad. “Dead easy, delicious, and easy on the budget. And it tastes much more sophisticated than its simple preparation implies.”
Dumpling and Smashed Cucumber Salad With Peanut Sauce
Ali Slagle’s dill-flecked cucumber salad (8) kept your meals refreshing, while Carolina Gelen’s five-ingredient lentil tomato soup (7) effortlessly warmed you in these cooler months.
Ali’s cheesy green chile bean bake (6) and her lemon garlic linguine (5), both five-star recipes, made magic out of pantry staples. “Although I’ve cooked dozens and dozens of NYT recipes with great success, this is my first time commenting,” wrote a reader of Ali’s bright and simple linguine. “This pasta was epic. This is restaurant quality flavor yet so easy and so delicious.”
The skillet-bean dominance continues. Alexa Weibel’s creamy, spicy tomato beans and greens (4) and Christian Reynoso’s pesto beans (3) each proved that luxury is achievable with two cans of cannellini beans and a dream (or just a good recipe).
Readers loved that Lidey Heuck’s taverna salad (2) makes a meal out of Greek salad and fattoush with the help of another legume — chickpeas! — and a bit of seared halloumi. And topping our list is none other than Eric Kim’s peanut butter noodles (1), perhaps the pantry pasta to end all pantry pastas.
Veggie readers’ favorites
While those recipes topped all of NYT Cooking, Veggie readers had their own darlings. No dish featured in this newsletter was as popular as Alexa’s quick white bean and celery ragout, which I just so happen to be eating for lunch as I write this (synergy!), followed closely by Eric’s Parmesan braised beans with olives.
You might be thinking, “Tanya, I did not eat this many beans this year, I can assure you.” I know! You gravitated toward cauliflower, too. Namely, Anita Lo’s cauliflower chaat for one and Ali’s roasted cauliflower and garlic soup.
That all tracks, based on the most-read Veggie newsletters of the year. In case you missed them: “I Can Cook Myself Cauliflowers” from February, “Chickpea Anxiety” from May and “Dinner Party Plans for Every Effort Level” from April topped the list. (We even made “cauliflowers” and “chickpea anxiety” merch!)
Cooking for one! Pantry panic! Parties! Sounds about right for 2024.
Quick White Bean and Celery Ragout
Lemon-Garlic Linguine
Cauliflower Chaat for One
Email us at theveggie@nytimes.com. Newsletters will be archived here. Reach out to my colleagues at cookingcare@nytimes.com if you have questions about your account.
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