10 Reasons to Love Cooking With Herbs

Most recipe roundups focus on the headliners: beef or chicken if we're talking protein. Pasta, breakfast or laid-back dinners if we're talking format-driven. Herbs tend to be treated as supporting players, not stars. We have a quibble with that.

A handful of herbs can completely change the direction of a recipe. They can add freshness to rich foods, turn a simple salad into something memorable or form the backbone of a sauce, rub or dressing. Stir a confetti of mixed herbs into a salad, fold them into ricotta for dolloping over pasta or blitz them into a marinade for chicken, fish or vegetables.

Mint, chives, parsley, cilantro, basil and even chervil deserve to be thought of as more than optional. Whether you're here to rescue a half-used bunch wilting in the crisper drawer or looking for an excuse to explore a new section of the farmers' market, all herb-curious cooks are welcome.

Ahead are 10 recipes that put herbs front and center.

1. Zucchini Carbonara With Herbed Ricotta

If you’re the type of person who thinks classic carbonara isn’t rich enough, then this zucchini-packed rendition is for you. After stirring equal parts parsley, basil and chives into ricotta, you’ll dollop it on to each bowl of carbonara. It’s the easy kind of upgrade that makes any noodle feel extra-special, so bookmark this one for any favorite creamy pasta recipe.

2. Grilled Garlic & Herb Flatbread

Herbs turn basic flatbread dough into something far more interesting, scattering fragrance and bite through every piece. After grilling the dough on your 12" Hybrid BBQ Grill Pan, you’ll brush the flatbreads with garlic oil and finish with flaky sea salt.

3. Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Chermoula

Nearly two-and-a-half cups of cilantro and parsley leaves adorn these smashed potatoes. Don’t worry; the herbs aren’t just chucked into the bowl. Most are blitzed into chermoula—a spiced North African sauce—with a smaller amount left whole to garnish.

4. Herb-Brined Turkey with Maple Glaze

A 24-hour dry brine not only infuses your Thanksgiving turkey with subtle thyme flavor, it leads to crispier, more golden skin. Take it a step further by brushing the nearly-roasted turkey with maple butter for extra gloss. Sprinkle more fresh thyme leaves over the finished bird before serving to complement the herby undertones.

5. Classic Herb, Olive and Garlic Focaccia

It’s not a classic focaccia without an herb. Here, rosemary joins garlic cloves and pitted Kalamata olives for the ideal pre-dinner snack. This recipe is a reminder that when it comes to herbs, sometimes less is more. Just three sprigs perfume the dough, weaving rosemary through every bite without overwhelming it.

6. Persian Fall Herb Salad

An entire cup of herbs—dill, basil and mint, to be exact—adorn this blood orange and arugula salad, which is topped with planks of feta, pomegranate seeds, pistachios and pita strips. The herbs do far more than garnish, bringing freshness and fragrance to every bite. It’s an ideal side or starter for a meal celebrating the beginning of autumn.

7. Feta & Herb Samosas

Where there is feta, there are often herbs. These samosas are no exception, packing in three handfuls of fresh cilantro, parsley and mint. Dried coriander seeds and oregano provide a savory backdrop for all that herbal brightness. If making samosas sounds intimidating, store-bought egg roll wrappers make this version a surprisingly approachable shortcut.

8. Spatchcock Chicken with Crispy Smashed Potatoes & Herb Sauce

Each bite of homemade BBQ chicken is made better by a cilantro-and parsley-flecked cashew sauce. The nuts blend into something surprisingly creamy, creating a dairy-free alternative that even the most devoted ricotta fans can get behind.

9. Grilled Italian Eggplant with Honey & Mint Vinaigrette

Though cilantro and parsley often take center stage, mint can more than hold its own as a savory garnish. Here, the leaves mingle with honey in a simple dressing to zhuzh up grilled eggplant. So the next time a recipe leaves you with extra mint after making dessert, save a few sprigs for this simple side.

10. Grilled Artichoke with Herby Caesar Aioli

Bye-bye, massive steamed artichokes with butter! You’ve been replaced by baby versions, which are boiled and then halved to grill until charred and caramelized. All that’s left is to dunk the leaves in a Caesar-inspired aioli, which leans heavy on a medley of chives, parsley and mint.

Herbs: They're ready for their close-up.