Hey, folks! I’m Ross, a food writer here at . It’s been a busy, busy year for my kitchen…and computer, realistically. Between taste-testing and ranking all your fave grocery store staples, recreating dishes from some hit TV shows and movies, and covering amazing (or questionable) celebrity food choices, 2022 has been pretty darn fulfilling. But my favorite food moments of the year are still all the mouthwatering recipes that I got to make and eat along the way.
One fun fact about me is that I have this recipe tracker that either horrifies or deeply excites people when they find out about it. There is no in-between. Basically, I keep a record of every single new recipe I try each calendar year and I rate them accordingly. This year, I tried 122 new recipes.
Of those 122 recipes, there were 18 that I pretty much made on repeat. These were my favorites of 2022 that you should absolutely bookmark for next year and beyond.
1.
Microwave Salmon — ‘Twas the year of microwaved salmon for me here at , and though I’m sure you’re rolling your eyes in disgust and mere moments away from clicking out of this post, please stick around so I can explain why.
If you don’t believe me, here’s what my mom texted me as soon as she tried it for herself — and she’s a damn good cook.
3.
Pickle Dip — Earlier this year, I found myself with nine jars of pickles to use up. This recipe helped me to not waste a single one.
Like, this was my fridge.
4.
No-Knead Focaccia — Even if you’ve never attempted homemade bread before, I promise you’re more than capable of making this simple, delicious, and always impressive focaccia.
7.
Green Goddess Salad — Plenty of TikTok-viral recipes don’t live up to the hype. This one, however, is 100% worth it.
8.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Treats — It’s hard to quantify just how happy these treats made my tastebuds, even if they are just Rice Krispies treats made with Cinnamon Toast Crunch instead.
9.
Mississippi Roast — I am sooooo many years late to this recipe it’s actually embarrassing, but even if I wasn’t an early adopter, I’m thrilled that this iconic slow cooker recipe found its way to me regardless.
To make it, just toss a chuck roast into a slow cooker with a stick of butter, packets of au jus gravy and ranch dressing mix, and some pepperoncini peppers. I like to add a little bit of the brine, too. Eight hours later, you’ve got a succulent roast with a surprisingly zesty flavor profile for dinner.
11.
Old Bay Shrimp Rolls — If you love lobster rolls but can’t really afford lobster (guilty as charged), these shrimp rolls satisfy in a very similar but much cheaper way.
12.
Alison Roman’s Eggplant Parm — There are so many genius things about this recipe, but the most impressive aspect of them all is that it turned me, an eggplant parm hater, into an eggplant parm lover.
13.
Fire Roasted Baba Ganoush — Letting an eggplant burn to a crisp and then blending the soft interior into a velvety dip is my kind of “easy cooking.”
If you don’t have access to a legit fire, no sweat. You can easily replicate this method by charring the eggplants on all sides under your oven’s broiler, or on a gas grill. It may take a little bit longer and it might not have that same smoky flavor profile, but it’ll still be delish.
14.
Big Mama’s Cinnamon Roll Cake — It’s the cake that took over an entire corner of Reddit, and I only understood why after making it for myself.
15.
TikTok’s One-Pan Lemon Pasta — This one-pan pasta dish comes straight from Italy, and the technique you’ll use to make it is next-level smart.
16.
Cheesy Cabbage Gratin — The holidays I celebrated in 2022 were made exponentially tastier by the presence of this glorious side dish.
18.
Cranberry Lemon Bars — Regular lemon bars? Great. Lemon bars with cranberry? Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, etc.
What was the best recipe you tried in 2022? Drop it in the comments below so I can add it to my list for 2023.
