Laura Tarlo, Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Laura Tarlo has tested.

Two white plates of Italian salad made with iceberg, tomatoes, red onion, and Parmesan.

Italian Salad

The perfect excuse to justify the return of iceberg lettuce to your life.

A metal skillet filled with easy skillet lasagna and garnished with basil leaves.

Easy Skillet Lasagna

Those days when meal planning goes south and weeknight weariness looms, simple salvation can be found in this easy skillet lasagna made with store-bought ravioli.

2 hot turkey sandwiches, sliced in half on a tray with pieces of cranberry, avocado, and stuffing lying beside them.

Hot Turkey Sandwich

So crazily satisfying you may just find yourself making Thanksgiving dinner more than once a year.

A bowl of white beans and Tuscan kale, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.

White Beans and Tuscan Kale

A satiating, simple meal that is Italian food at its best–full of robust flavors and easy prep. Serve as a side or on its own with a slice of homemade bread.

A slice of classic carrot cake--two carrot cake layers filled and frosted with cream cheese frosting; on top are crushed walnuts.

Carrot Cake

“This was beyond the best carrot cake I have ever had.” That’s what we’re hearing about this cake, which ingeniously relies on puréed, rather than grated, carrots.

Super moist apple cake on a jadeite cake stand.

Super Moist Apple Cake

What makes this apple cake so incredibly moist that it stands out from the rest? Lots of things, including a lovely swirl of cream poured on top of the batter and baked right in.

A partially sliced loaf of multigrain bread on a wooden board.

Multigrain Bread

A nutty, oh-so-slightly-sweet, artisan-style loaf of homemade bread that’s a lovely Norwegian-inspired amalgam of whole-wheat, barley, oat, and rye. Amazing.

A cut loaf of cinnamon raisin swirl bread and a slice of it on a yellow plate with butter in the background

Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread

And you thought those perfect swirls of cinnamon raisin awesomeness were something you could only get in store-bought loaf. This recipe dispels that myth.

A glass bowl partially filled with creamy Italian salad dressing with a spoon resting inside.

Creamy Italian Salad Dressing

Iceberg lettuce gets a serious upgrade with this creamy vinaigrette, a handful of herbs and red wine vinegar. Not only iceberg lettuce, you’ll slather it on everything.

Several slices of maple sriracha bacon in a glass.

Maple Sriracha Bacon

Maple Sriracha bacon isn’t just the title of this simple recipe, it’s the ingredient list as well. Which means you probably already have everything you need on hand.

A partially sliced loaf of whole-wheat sandwich bread on a wooden cutting board.

Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread

Homemade bread that’s healthy but doesn’t taste it. Light, airy, and appealing even to kids, this is the recipe you’ve been seeking.

Three bowls of minestrone soup with a small bowl of pesto on the side.

Old-Fashioned Minestrone Soup

An updated Italian classic made with all the usual suspects along with an unexpected drizzle of pesto that turns a frugal veggie-bin catch-all into something truly astounding.

Three white bowls filled with hoppin John on a wooden table.

Hoppin John

A harbinger of good fortune traditionally consumed on New Year’s Day in the South, this classic has us wanting to indulge in it each and every day before New Year’s, and not just for luck.

Braised pork with red wine sauce in a Staub Dutch oven.

Wine-Braised Pork Shoulder

An easy toss-it-in-the-oven-and-forget-about-it sorta dish that’s still gonna make everyone ooh and aah at the dinner table for its tender, wine-imbued spectacularness.

A white plate with a tarragon chicken leg and thigh on it, sliced onion and tarragon on top

Tarragon Chicken

Tarragon chicken. A French classic for a reason. And no one but you needs to know just how easily it comes together.

Four portions of roasted beet and quinoa salad served in a radicchio leaves on a white marble board.

Roasted Beet and Quinoa Salad

The epitome of what healthful food ought to be, this salad not only looks stunning but, more importantly, is just as stunning to the palate.

Four cooked bratwurst and sauerkraut, along with mashed potatoes and grainy mustard in separate dishes beside the skillet containing the bratwurst.

Bratwurst and Sauerkraut

A German classic, perfected–and embellished with the addition of bacon. Simple enough for weeknight cravings as well as lazy weekend entertaining. Beer optional.

Halved slow roasted tomatoes on a piece of parchment with drops of oil and flakes of salt.

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

With their intensified flavor, these candy-like tomatoes make an astonishing addition to all sorts of dishes.