Dinner

Melanzane Ripieni, or Stuffed Eggplants, are a cherished dish in southern Italy, particularly popular for their flavorful and hearty combination of ingredients. This recipe calls for small eggplants, ideally on the smaller side, to be used as they are easier to handle and cook more evenly. The filling is a savory blend of pork and veal mince combined with fresh parsley, basil, and an optional touch of garlic for those who prefer a hint of its robust flavor.

The eggplants are first boiled to soften the insides before they are hollowed out. The flesh is then cooked with onions and herbs until it reaches a soft, homogeneous consistency. This cooked mixture is combined with breadcrumbs, parmesan or pecorino cheese, and eggs to create a rich, flavorful filling. The mixture is then stuffed back into the eggplant shells and topped with a simple sauce made from passata and herbs, before being baked until tender. This traditional dish is highly versatile, making it suitable for enjoying warm directly out of the oven or cold the following day. It also holds up well to freezing, allowing for convenient preparation in advance for future cravings. Perfect for sharing a taste of nonna’s kitchen, Melanzane Ripieni embodies the heart and soul of home-cooked Italian cuisine.

At Clove, we love to sing the praises of seasonal vegetables. When the peppers are shining red, we start stuffing them. If you’re looking for a standout meal for a family dinner or an impressive dish to take to a friend’s gathering, give these Stuffed Peppers a try. Imagine sweet charred peppers filled with delicious spiced meat and rice, pine nuts, and lots of fresh herbs, then oven-baked to perfection in a rich tomato sauce – it’s a beautiful dish – colourful, comforting, and oh-so nourishing.

Stuffing vegetables might sound fiddly and hard, but it’s surprisingly easy and well worth it. To make things easier, you can prepare the filling a day in advance, which makes the final assembly a breeze.

Serve these hot or at room temperature with some grilled flatbreads and a yummy garlicky yoghurt. As a summer staple in the Clove Kitchen, we can vouch for how satisfying this meal is.

Really, taco bowls can be whatever you want them to be. The basic formula is rice, beans, meat, and veg with optional sour cream or grated cheese.

This one is vibrant, colorful, and packed with flavor. In our opinion, the pickled corn and black bean salsa is the hero of this bowl. It’s tangy, zesty, and really addictive, especially when combined with tender slices of marinated skirt steak, avocado, and a dollop of sour cream.

Make this bowl your own. It would be extra delicious with a tomato rice base or with chili lime grilled fish instead of steak.

Packed with wholesome veggies, hearty barley, and tangy sauerkraut, this soup is a nourishing meal perfect for any weeknight. Easy to make and full of flavour, this soup brings comfort and health to your table every time. We’ve used carrot, cauliflower and potato in this recipe, but it is an adaptable recipe so feel comfortable to use other vegetables like leeks and sweet potato. If you don’t have barley, you can replace with brown rice or even brown lentils.

A lasagna has three parts: the filling, the béchamel, and the pasta sheets. They are a weekend project, not a quick Tuesday night dinner. However, if you prep the elements beforehand, you can assemble a lasagna pretty quickly. This mushroom and spinach lasagna is a vegetarian show-off dinner.

It’s earthy, rich, and full of big flavours. It’s the meal to make when you want to show someone how much you love them. You can cook the ragu and the spinach a few days in advance; however, we suggest making the parmesan béchamel fresh. Serve this to your guests with a simple green salad and wait for a standing ovation.

This salad came to life a few years ago, on a night when I improvised with whatever leftovers I had in my fridge. To my surprise, this simple mix turned into a real hit! Ever since, every time I serve it, my guests ask me for the recipe. So here’s this spontaneous creation that has become a classic in my home!

PS : You can see parmesan cheese in the picture but I highly recommend Feta Cheese instead!

Having a series of quick weeknight sides up your sleeve means that you can get veggies on the table every day. We love simple cooking techniques, like a quick flash in a hot pan, to keep our greens vibrant, crunchy, and bright. These snow peas are cooked with ginger, soy, and a little rice wine vinegar, but would be equally delish with chili paste, salt, and pepper. Try this method with other tender greens, like sugar snap peas or spinach.

Serve weeknight snow peas with grilled fish, noodle dishes, rice bowls, or a delicious perfectly cooked steak.

Mix up your regular tomato ragu. This delicious twist on the classic is a “white ragu”, which uses only a small amount of tomato paste mixed with a rich, deep-flavored stock. This style of ragu highlights the flavour of the lamb and all the woody herbs from the garden.

It’s hearty but elegant and needs a long slow cook, so make this when you’re having a day at home or friends over for dinner.

Cauliflower bakes are yummy easy dinners. In this version, we use the whole cauliflower – leaves, stems, and all, making it the perfect low waste dinner.

The leaves and stems are fibrous, but sauté them low and slow and they give great texture and flavour and a good hit of greens.

Serve with a light green salad or with a roast chook for the ultimate Sunday night dinner.

This coloured rice will turn a staple ingredient into a vibrant, nourishing addition to your meals. Here we use ground turmeric and grated carrots to bring a pop of sunshine to the table. By cooking the rice in chicken stock and turmeric, you instantly amp up the nutritional value of rice.

Kids love it and parents can rest easy knowing this quick and simple side is ticking all the boxes. Try this recipe with grilled chicken, curries or a vegetable stew.

This quick and easy pasta dish will make yellow squash your new favourite vegetable! Full of flavour, light, and easy to throw together. Quick charred cherry tomatoes, loads of garlic and lemon, and sweet sautéed squash make this dish simple but seriously good. Fresh, bright, and just the right amount of cozy—it’s the kind of meal that feels effortless but tastes amazing. Plus it guarantees to use up all the squashes from your veggie box!

This dish is perfect for using up the zucchinis from the fridge that have seen better days! It’s full of flavour and velvety, and is delicious on toast, tossed through pasta, or as a simple side.

If you don’t have fennel seeds, try cumin or mustard seeds. Or leave out the spices and go heavy on the garlic and lemon. It lasts well in the fridge for up to a week, so make a big batch and eat it all week!