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1 small onion, sliced into thick half-moons

2 cups sliced white or cremini mushrooms

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoons dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup white wine

¼ cup vegetable broth or water

6 cups spinach, washed well

Lemon slices (optional)

PREHEAT A large, lidded skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the seitan for about 2 minutes. Add the onions and sauté for another 5 minutes, until softened, covering the pan but lifting it to stir occasionally, to make the onions and seitan cook faster.

Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper, and sauté for another 8 minutes, again, covering but occasionally stirring. Once the mushrooms are cooked and soft, add the wine and broth. Add the spinach in batches and use tongs to incorporate them with everything else. Cook for about 5 more minutes.

Serve immediately, with slices of lemon, if desired.

PASTA, NOODLES, AND RISOTTO

SOMETIMES PASTA JUST seems too good to be true. What did we ever do to deserve to be on the same planet with a food so easy to make, so (usually) inexpensive, and always fun to eat? The world needs more pastalike miracles.

Not only that, but pasta and noodles are a vegan godsend when it comes to making a quick, substantial weeknight dinner. A bag of whole wheat spirals is transformed by the addition of vegetables, a little olive oil, and garlic. We’re especially in love with how a can of crushed tomatoes and a little time on the stove can make a homemade sauce that rivals anything you’ll pour out of a jar. And although pasta is sometimes thought of as void of nutrition, we’ve been digging the fiber-ific whole wheat, brown rice, and quinoa varieties, as well as gluten-free brown rice pasta.

Even if you’re an old hand at whipping up spaghetti, you’ll find something to love in this collection of old-time favorites and exciting new combinations. You want lasagne? We got your lasagne layered with creamy basil-tofu ricotta and homemade sauce right here! Too lazy to make eggplant parm? We have roasted eggplant, garlicky bread crumbs and fettuccine to sooth your soul. Go east with a lively, rich Japanese-style curry stir-fry of udon with seitan. Or head to the coast and savor California-inspired spinach linguine, spiked with fresh lime juice and wrapped around delicately sautéed chunks of avocado.

Last but never the least, a duo of risottos will get you exited about standing over a hot stove in ways you never dreamed possible. Take your pick from lively lemon and fresh peas or tender asparagus scented with exotic lemongrass. Impress your guests or just even yourself with how a bag of rice and a little elbow grease can become the creamiest, comforting food in existence.

SPAGHETTI AND BEANBALLS

SERVES 4

TIME: 40 MINUTES

We usually don’t eat spaghetti, opting instead for more interestingly shaped pastas, but we absolutely have to have spaghetti with meatball-type comfort meals or the world just feels off kilter.These “meatballs” can be baked or panfried, depending on your mood. Begin your sauce right before preparing the beanballs because you will need some of it for this recipe.

➣Vital wheat gluten makes the beanballs chewier but, if you don’t have any, go ahead and use whole wheat or all-purpose flour.

Spaghetti: 1 recipe (4 cups) Marinara Sauce, any variation (page 205)

½ pound whole wheat or regular spaghetti

Beanballs: 1 (20-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (about 3 cups)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons steak sauce or tomato paste

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for frying or baking

2 cloves garlic, grated or minced finely

¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest

½ cup plain bread crumbs

¼ cup vital wheat gluten

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

IF BAKING, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Put a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil, for the spaghetti.

Prepare the beanball mixture:

Mash the kidney beans in a mixing bowl until