Moms' Cooking Club

Beef and Sweet Pepper Pasta

• Beef and Sweet Pepper Pasta
• Meatball Sandwich with Spicy Mayo
• Herbed Beef and Barley Soup

When you're cooking with a group, building a meal around meatballs makes sense. They're easy to prepare, adapt readily to meals from soup to pasta, and tempt even fussy eaters. They're particularly suited for big batches because once the ground beef base is mixed and the oven is heated, it's almost as easy to make five or six batches as one or two.

This trio of recipes shares meatballs patted together with onion, garlic, oregano, and a touch of red pepper.

Here's how the process works for a group of three or four mothers preparing all three meals in one morning: While one mom shapes and bakes the meatballs, a second cooks the noodles that go into the Beef and Sweet Pepper Pasta -- a dish that combines the flavors of fennel, carrots, and spicy red pepper pasta sauce. The third mom chops the vegetables and assembles the Herbed Beef and Barley Soup. All that's left is making the chili-spiked mayo sauce for the Meatball Sandwiches.

Asian Chicken Salad

• Chicken Mac and Cheese
• Asian Chicken Salad
• Chicken Chowder

Adding boneless, skinless chicken breasts to family favorites is a strategy that we've used to create a hearty casserole, a healthful chowder, and a light chicken salad on a bed of spinach and noodles.

To keep it simple, one mom cooks the pasta for Chicken Mac and Cheese, while another bakes whole chicken breasts for the Asian Chicken Salad. The Mac and Cheese is emboldened with smoky cheddar, chopped onion, garlic, and herbs. A topper of sourdough bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese adds crunch. Asian Chicken Salad is a dish that goes home as a salad kit, complete with already-cooked noodles, fresh spinach, and a gingery Asian-inspired dressing.

While the browning and boiling are going on at the stove, another mom chops onions and vegetables for the Chicken Mac and Cheese as well as for a savory Chicken Chowder that features peppers, squash, lima beans, and Southwestern spices.

Vegetable Soup with Corn Bread
Croutons

• Vegetable Soup with Corn Bread Croutons
• Pesto Lasagna Pie
• Enchiladas with Fresh Mango Salsa

Chopping and assembly-line work are a big part of this trio of vegetarian dishes. For instance, one mom boils the pasta while another makes the lemony filling for the lasagna pie. A third mom pitches in to chop vegetables for the enchilada filling and the soup.

The first person to finish can begin baking the corn bread croutons for the vegetable soup. Shredding cheese, sauteing vegetables, and preparing a Mango Salsa and a sauce for the enchiladas follow.

Then form a production line to assemble the lasagnas, with moms taking turns. One layers noodles, another heaps on spinach, ricotta, pesto, and mushrooms. Use the same technique for the enchiladas: Fill the tortillas with a mixture of tofu, onions, cheese, and spices. Roll, and arrange in the baking pans.

Finally, assemble the soup in the storage containers and you're ready to head home.