My Favorite Recipes of 2020

Photo credits (left to right): Gimme Some Oven (Brussels Sprouts Parmesan Pasta), delish.com (Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini), goop (Mustard Chicken Breasts with Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes), Le Petit Gourmand

2020 provided plenty of opportunities to try new recipes at home. Not only were restaurants closed for a good part of the year, but many of us also gained extra time in our days from not having to commute to and from the office. Here’s a roundup of the best recipes that I’ve been making on repeat this year from some of my favorite food bloggers. I’d love to hear what some of your favorite recipes are — let me know down below!

BRUSSELS SPROUTS PARMESAN PASTA

by Gimme Some Oven

This is probably the recipe I’ve made the most in 2020. It’s easy. It’s healthy(ish). It’s inexpensive. And it’s dang delicious. I omitted the pine nuts and added a protein. Grilled chicken, spicy sausage, and shrimp paired excellently! I doubled the recipe every time, and it made enough to feed my husband and I for two nights (with a bit leftover). I highly recommend this fantastic recipe!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFED ZUCCHINI BOATS

by delish.com

My husband and I both made this recipe several times throughout the year. Yes, you read that right. My HUSBAND also made this recipe. No, he’s not normally one to cook. Prior to 2020, his idea of “cooking” was microwaving a frozen burrito. I wish I were joking about that, but it’s completely true. I challenged him to try cooking at least once, and this was the first recipe he chose to try. It came out flawlessly, and it became one of our favorites. These are almost a complete meal in themselves. Serve them with rice, and you’ve got yourself a well-rounded dinner!

MUSTARD CHICKEN BREASTS WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND POTATOES

by goop

If you haven’t heard of goop by now, you probably live under a rock. Goop is the lifestyle blog by Gwenyth Paltrow that provides tips on travel, fashion, beauty, food, and more. This year, I fell in love with goop’s easy roast mustard chicken recipe. I substituted skin-on chicken thighs because I prefer dark meat (it’s juicier and more flavorful, IMO), and it turned out great. I truly cannot recommend this recipe enough!

PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE GLAZE

by Gimme Some Oven

Yes, another recipe by Gimme Some Oven. What can I say? I LOVE Ali’s blog! I made her pumpkin spice cake for Thanksgiving, and it was a massive hit (you can see my version on my personal Instagram account @stephaniemurphy1, and also pictured above). It was perfectly moist, flavorful, and beautiful. What more can you ask for from a cake?! Some folks in the comments section complained that the cake became soggy after a day or two, but this did not happen with me. To make sure the cake was baked to perfection, I borrowed a tip I learned from this year’s season of the Great British Bake Off (or the Great British Baking Show for those of us in the States). The winner, Peter, listens to his bakes when he pulls them out of the oven to see if they’re properly baked. He said, “If it’s still wet, then it’s going to sound like it’s boiling away. But if it’s just a nice, moist cake it’s just got a gentle, gentle sound to it.” The first time I pulled this cake out of the oven, it still sounded too “bubbly,” so I put it back in for a few more minutes. When I checked the second time, it did sound much more “gentle,” and that’s how I knew it was done. Give this trick a try — it definitely works!