From the Test Kitchen

Learn how to make a cast-iron skillet pizza with fennel and sausage. Pizza dough is usually sold as a 1-lb. ball. You only need 12 oz. for this cast-iron pizza recipe. We used a 10" pan, so if yours is bigger, use a bit more dough. Cooking sausage in the pan before adding the dough infuses the crust with porky flavor.

Before you convince yourself there's no way that a little onion, tomato paste, and half-and-half can come together in mere minutes to make one of the best homemade pasta sauces you've ever had, hear us out. Better yet, make this vodka sauce recipe for yourself. Just try and use double-concentrated tomato paste, which packs more flavor than the standard stuff.

We like the combo of spicy and sweet Italian sausage, but use any uncooked sausage you like-merguez or chorizo would work.

This classic lemon sauce recipe has a lot of fat and a lot of acidity, so don't be shy with adding salt and taste as you go. It will likely require more than you think to strike that perfect balance.

To make these cheesy Sicilian deep fried rice balls, you first have to make risotto, then use the risotto to make cheese-stuffed balls, then coat them with breadcrumbs and deep-fry them. It's a labor of love that will make other people love you, which is reason enough to give this recipe a try.

Loving meatballs has never been this rewarding. They're gilded with lots of strong spices and set in a cooling swoosh of yogurt and anointed with the sweet brightness of a mint pesto. Sound fancy? Not really. We use ground lamb, which is naturally fatty and can be baked without sacrificing juiciness or a charred crust.

Simple, quick, but not boring. With this combo of briny clams and a garlic breadcrumb mixture, look for an artisanal dried pasta-the rougher surface texture will catch the slippery sauce better.

A great Caesar salad recipe gets its swagger from a great Caesar dressing recipe. Squeamish about raw egg yolks and anchovies? Sorry. Yolks are what give richness to the emulsion, while anchovies provide a briny blast (and that whole umami thing).

Getting the consistency of the creamy mushroom sauce right is key for this pasta recipe. You want to reduce it just until it clings to the pasta to create a light coating; be careful not to reduce it too much.

The key to a soup with fully developed savory flavor starts with the soffritto-a mix of aromatic vegetables that are slowly cooked in the first stage of cooking. Take your time sweating down the vegetables until they are completely softened before letting them take on any color.

We're throwing this pantry pasta all-star a party with peas and mint. This dish was inspired by Rolf and Daughters in Nashville, where chef Philip Krajeck makes a fermented pasta cloaked in a tangy whey and butter sauce. We use store-bought buttermilk to mimic whey's acidic flavor. It's a perfect foil for the rich butter and cheese in this glossy sauce.