Cooking with Thyme

Sold in little bundles of stems with the small leaves attached, fresh thyme is best for cooking. Fragrant and easy to add to a variety of dishes and sauces, thyme is a must have, in multiple varieties, during warm-weather seasons.

First up is our Thyme Corn Bread. Folding in fresh thyme and corn-off-the-cob makes this classic bread a good companion for soups, stews, or poultry entrées. For the most intense flavor in the tiny leaves, harvest the thyme just before it begins to flower.

Banish the tired, plain broccoli routine for one that heightens the flavor with thyme and Dijon mustard. Thyme is a key herb in vinaigrettes, and it works well in this lemony mustard dressing, too.

Butter-tossed breadcrumbs stirred in at the end give this dish a robust stewlike consistency. Meatless Italian sausage stands in for the traditional pork sausage. With this recipe, you can also sauté the sausage slices in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, then stir into the dish. Try subbing fresh thyme in this dish for a more intense flavor.

Start making the phyllo stacks about 30 minutes after you put the cheese mixture in the refrigerator. Or make the cheese mixture a day ahead, and assemble before guests arrive.

Fresh thyme is a welcome addition to this frothy, egg and wine-based sauce called sabayon. Substitute curly kale for lacinato kale, if desired.

In less than 20 minutes, these mushrooms can be your new favorite accompaniment to your favorite main dish. We used presliced cremini mushrooms to give us a headstart to meal prep and added some fresh thyme and a few splashes of white wine to amp up the flavor.

Roasting bottled chestnuts brings back fresh-toasted flavor to this comforting soup recipe.

Thyme, garlic, and Dijon Mustard give these burgers a French twist. Pan-grilled tomatoes enhance the already-juicy texture.

Haricots verts are thin, tender green beans. If you can't find them, use trimmed regular green beans, but add them to the pasta after 8 minutes of cooking since they'll take longer to cook. You can make the salad ahead, but dress it just before serving so the beans don't turn drab.