Top-Rated Recipes

We cook, we taste, we refine, we rate, and at the end of each year our Test Kitchen shares the highest-rated recipes from each issue exclusively with Southern Living Annual Recipes readers.

JANUARY

• Three-Bean Cassoulet with Cornmeal Dumplings A medley of beans gives this dish contrasting textures and colors.

• Ginger Shortbread Cookies with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting Fight the winter chill with these sunny, spicy cookies. Make them sparkle by sprinkling the iced cookies with crystallized ginger.

• Soulful Chicken Soup This homey chicken soup is perfect for the busy cook. Simply toss in the ingredients, switch on the slow cooker, and walk away.

FEBRUARY

• Hummingbird Cake Mrs. L.H. Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina, supplied us with this decadent—and frequently requested—recipe. We consider both the lady and her recipe to be Southern treasures.

• Ham-and-Greens Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust Behold the great Southern staples of ham, greens, and cornbread combined in one recipe. You’ll never want to separate this prized trio again.

• The Lane Cake Emma Rylander Lane’s signature cake won the blue ribbon more than 100 years ago, thanks in no small part to the rich, boozy filling. We pick up where she left off, giving her classic cake a peachy, spirited makeover.

• Dolester Miles’ Lemon Meringue Tart With a graham cracker crust and elegant clouds of meringue, this tart blends Southern soul with European technique.

• Ashley Christensen’s Buttermilk Spoonbread with Spaghetti Squash This spoonbread packs an extra dose of vegetables by combining spaghetti squash puree and buttermilk for a creamy base.

• Sis’ Chicken and Dressing Rick Bragg pieces together this classic family recipe from his mother’s memory, not a cookbook.

MARCH

• Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting These Easter treats benefit from generous squeezes of fresh lemon juice and tangy notes from sour cream.

• Asparagus, Spring Onion, and Feta Quiche Think of this quiche as a celebration of spring produce. Sweet spring onions and tender asparagus are complemented by crumbled feta and a dash of nutmeg.

• Breakfast Enchiladas Reimagined for easy weeknight cooking, this Tex-Mex breakfast mash-up has buttery eggs and a homemade cheese sauce to top it off.

• Spring Pea Pasta with Ricotta and Herbs In this one-pot primavera, fresh herbs, crunchy sugar snap peas, and sweet peas combine with ricotta cheese and salty pasta water for a creamy main.

• Deviled Potatoes These two-bite wonders are a combination of Southern classics: deviled eggs and potato salad.

APRIL

• SL’s Stovetop Crawfish Boil Our old-fashioned crawfish boil doesn’t require fancy equipment. All you need is a sink, a stove, and a big pot.

• Crispy Ramen-Crusted Chicken with Asian Salad Trade your panko for a college favorite, ramen noodles, in this crunchy chicken main dish.

• Grilled Chicken and Toasted Couscous Salad with Lemon-Buttermilk Dressing With nutty, toasted couscous and a splash of citrus, this dish tastes expensive—but costs only $3.35.

• Spinach-and-Vidalia Dip The sweet, mellow flavor of Vidalia onions makes this creamy spinach dip an instant crowd-pleaser.

• Salted Chocolate Matzo Toffee Part Passover treat, part Southern candy, this matzo toffee gets a boost from flakes of Maldon sea salt.

MAY

• Green Goddess Soup with Jumbo Lump Crabmeat You’ll be struck by how perfectly the tart, herbaceous soup pairs with the lush crabmeat.

• Kale Salad with Buttermilk Dressing and Pickled Onions With a double hit of acid from the pickled onions and buttermilk, this salad is the tangy side for any barbecue.

• Cured Salmon with Dill-Horseradish Cream For an easy starter that never fails to impress, cure your own salmon. Top with the zesty dill-horseradish cream and serve with toasted sourdough bread.

• Strawberry Dream Cake Our frosting, made with a dreamy blend of mascarpone and whipping cream, tops an elegant, three-tiered white cake along with fresh sliced strawberries.

• Coconut-Banana Pudding For your next big shindig, consider making this tropical take on banana pudding. It serves a crowd, but can be halved and served in individual bowls.

JUNE

• Mouthwatering Marinated Tomatoes Treat this recipe for juicy, flavorful tomatoes like a vinaigrette to be added to all kinds of salads or to top a plate of pasta.

• Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Charred Tomato Relish The secret to our smoky relish? We grill our tomatoes, as well as our steak, until they get a nice char on both sides.

• BLT Salad with Buttermilk-Parmesan Dressing and Buttery Croutons For a lighter alternative to a classic sandwich, we remade the BLT as a salad.

• The SL BLT Our formula for the perfect Southern BLT includes a slather of garlicky mayo and thick slices of beefsteak tomato.

• Fried Green Tomatoes with Buttermilk-Feta Dressing To ensure you get perfectly crisp fried green tomatoes, dredge in flour, then an egg wash, and, finally, a mixture of cornmeal and breadcrumbs.

• Southwest Chicken Tortillas, For the best flavor, grill your tortillas before filling with the spicy chicken mixture.

• Grilled Peach Cobbler Who says you can’t make dessert on the grill? The fire gives this Southern stone fruit an extra-smoky, caramelized flavor.

JULY

• Spiced Peach Galette This versatile peach dessert can be made with any combination of spices. Consider cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger for different flavor profiles.

• Cherry-Plum Pie with Cornmeal Crust Fine yellow cornmeal gives this piecrust a slightly crunchy and flaky texture.

• Blackberry Cobbler with Almond-Ginger Biscuits Southern, seasonal, and simple, this cobbler is best served in individual ramekins for the right berry-to-biscuit ratio.

• Street Corn Salad Depending on your needs, this can become an easy side or a fun dip with chips.

• Muffin Pan Tomato Tarts For a fun twist on a tomato pie, start with puff pastry sheets tucked in muffin tins and add sharp Cheddar cheese and slices of summer’s sweet cherry tomatoes.

AUGUST

• Raspberry and Fig Salad with Lemon-Thyme Dressing We pair sweet, mellow figs with bold blue cheese, a match made in salad heaven.

• Buttermilk Dressing This superfast and delicious alternative to store-bought dressing will be a new staple for your at-home salad bar.

• Cherry Pie Bars For a classic cherry dessert baked into crowd-pleasing treats, drizzle these cherry bars with an almond-scented icing and sprinkle the top with pecan crumbles.

SEPTEMBER

• Chocolate-Coconut Layer Cake Layers of coconut cream, dark chocolate frosting, and chocolate cake alternate in this striking dessert.

• Praline Layer Cake Topped with candied pecans and packed with praline-like filling, this nutty, caramelized layer cake is a certified showstopper.

• Apple-Spice Bundt Cake with Caramel Frosting Our updated take on Bundt cake benefits from the warm spices of a favorite Indian tea: chai.

• Savory Sweet Potato Bread Pudding Salty Parmesan custard and smoky bacon balance the sweet richness of sweet potatoes in this company-worthy brunch pudding.

• Cheesy Ham, Corn, and Grits Bake With its puffy and golden appearance and the pockets of fresh corn and savory ham, you’ll think of this casserole as a soufflé without the work.

• Brown Butter Apple Pie To achieve the best flavor, we opted for a combination of sweet Honeycrisp and tart Granny Smith apples.

• Deep-Dish Skillet Cookie We start with a traditional chocolate chip cookie base, but offer five fun, flavorful variations including pecan praline, Mississippi mud, and Hummingbird.

OCTOBER

• Hugh’s Southern Mac and Cheese We revive a Southern staple with slab bacon, leeks, and a gourmet mix of Gruyère and Cheddar cheeses.

• Roasted Pumpkin Soup With oodles of pumpkin, carrots, and onions, this soup is like a serving of fall deliciousness in a bowl.

• Spicy Sausage-and-Chickpea Soup with Garlic Oil We pair hearty chickpeas, tomatoes with spicy Italian pork sausage, and a drizzle of garlic oil to make comfort food with a kick.

• Classic Skillet Cornbread The secret to our crunchy, buttery- crusted cornbread is a screaming-hot cast-iron skillet, yellow cornmeal, butter, and a pinch of sugar.

NOVEMBER

• Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy Simple yet perfect, our traditional roast turkey is basted in butter made with sage, thyme, and fennel seeds.

• Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie Often called “liquid gold” by chefs and bakers alike, brown butter is the secret, nutty ingredient in our update on this Southern pie.

• Sweet Potato-Ginger Scones These tender, apricot-hued scones are filled with chunks of candied ginger and sprinkled with a cardamom and turbinado sugar spice mixture.

• Green Tomato Mincemeat Pie With the tart combination of green tomatoes, Granny Smith apples, and cranberries, this mincemeat pie benefits from a boozy boost of bourbon and bourbon-pecan ice cream.

• Pumpkin-Lemon Cream Cheese Chess Pie We took the traditional concept of chess pie—a simple combination of butter, flour, sugar, and eggs—and added pumpkin, spices, lemon, and cream cheese.

• Ambrosia Pudding Pie The ambrosia of old was often a dubious mixture of whipped cream and fruit topped with a maraschino cherry garnish. Our sophisticated update incorporates orange marmalade, crushed pineapple, lemon curd, and homemade coconut custard into a decadent layered pie.

• Cinnamon-Pecan Rolls Jam-packed with gooey cinnamon-pecan filling, these fragrant rolls are the perfect Sunday morning wake-up call.

• Turkey Tortellini Soup with Greens The base of each of our turkey soups begins with a rich stock made from the carcass of the Thanksgiving turkey. In this soup, cheesy tortellini and spinach accompany leftover shredded turkey.

• Gumbo-Style Turkey Soup The gumbo element to our soup is the dark, caramelized roux we start with, not to mention the addition of cut okra.

• Green Chile-Turkey Soup with Hominy Tomatillos, hominy, green chiles, and fresh cilantro bring Tex-Mex flavor to after-Thanksgiving leftovers.

DECEMBER

• Baked Brie Bites This uncomplicated, five-ingredient appetizer packs sophisticated flavor in a simple phyllo pastry package.

• Peppercorn-Crusted Standing Rib Roast with Roasted Vegetables This prime rib roast is the showstopping centerpiece of any Christmas feast but is deceptively easy. Slather it with our special herbed butter the night before, and then let the oven do all the work.

• Baby Hasselback Potatoes with Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Rosemary The thin slices of our elegant hasselback potatoes offer more surface area to crisp and more nooks and crannies for the cheesy-bacon filling.

• Red Velvet Cheesecake-Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting We sandwich fluffy vanilla cake between two crimson layers of red velvet cheesecake, top with clouds of cream cheese icing, and garnish with thick white chocolate curls for wow factor.

• Coconut Cake with Rum Filling and Coconut Ermine Frosting A tropical holiday cake that’ll have you thinking of Christmas Island, our coconut cake gets crowned with sugar cookie Christmas trees and a lacy collar of shredded coconut.

• Grits and Greens with Brown Butter Hot Sauce Any greens will do in this recipe but the spicy, nutty notes of our Brown Butter Hot Sauce is irreplaceable.

• Stewed Tomato Shirred Eggs with Ham Chips Our crunchy ham chips might become your go-to topper for all breakfast fare.

• Pecan-Chewy Pie Filled with a gooey mix of pecans, brown sugar custard, and white chocolate filling, this pecan pie is finished with a scattering of streusel.

• Sausage-Stuffed Honey Buns Melding sweet and savory into one breakfast item, we roll ground sausage in with the brown sugar-honey filling for a meaty surprise.

• No-Bake Fudgy Toffee Bars No oven is necessary to make these fudgy treats. All these toffee-studded bars need is a chill in the fridge.

• Red Velvet Crackle Sandwich Cookies This bite-sized, chewy sandwich cookie pays homage to one of our favorite Southern cakes.

• Lemony Sandwich Cookies For these bright, tart cookies, we pack fresh lemon buttercream in the middle of two citrusy crinkle cookies.

• Spiced Stars with Cookie Butter Between two ultra-thin, crunchy spice cookies is a generous spread of speculoos, better known as cookie butter.

• Oyster Casserole A Christmas staple throughout the coastal South, this recipe uses plump, briny oysters, buttery breadcrumbs, and a velvety sauce to create a rich, decadent dish for the holiday table.