Winning Recipes from The Perfect 3

Meet the winners and get their recipes from season two of The Perfect 3. Meatballs, mac and cheese, pizza and more: Find the perfect recipe for all your favorite dishes.

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Maria Dimakos of North Hills, California

For her mac and cheese, Maria wanted to combine her two favorite passions: Mediterranean-Greek cuisine and American comfort food. The result is a rich dish that wows with unbelievable flavor.

Mac and Cheese

Creamy Dreamy Sundried Tomato & Basil Mac & Cheese

Using grape tomatoes as well as sun-dried tomatoes gives this recipe a nice balance of sweet and tart flavors. Even better: using fresh basil instead of dried spice for an aromatic boost and a creamy béchamel sauce for smooth consistency.

Get the Recipe: Creamy Dreamy Sundried Tomato and Basil Mac and Cheese

Lisa Glickman of Bend, Oregon

Lisa impresses with a hearty and healthy spin on this Italian favorite. Her hearty signature meatballs skew from tradition with turkey, spinach and a flavorful surprise ingredient: fresh grated nutmeg.

Meatballs

Smokey Turkey and Spinach Meatball Sub Sandwiches

Turkey can tend toward the dry side — to add moisture, Lisa uses water-packed spinach and bacon. The bacon is finely ground (along with onions and garlic) in a food processor to create a smooth mixture that blends seamlessly into the meatballs.

Get the Recipe: Smokey Turkey and Spinach Meatball Sub Sandwiches

Emily Kathleen Hobbs of Springfield, Missouri

Emily loves white pizza. So the question was: How could she take it a step further? She opted for unique toppings, combining sautéed fennel bulb and fennel-laced sausage with balsamic-soaked yellow tomatoes.

Pizza

Golden Finocchio Sausage White Pizza

This pizza is bursting with brightness, thanks to small touches that create big impact: a cornmeal-laced crust, lemon-ricotta cheese and yellow tomatoes marinated in zippy golden balsamic vinegar.

Get the Recipe: Golden Finocchio Sausage White Pizza

Nivedita Subramanian of Hillsborough, New Jersey

In search of an alternative to sticky traditional Indian sweets, Nivedita created these lightly spiced bars, which offer a delicious taste of India in a convenient, easy-to-prepare American form.

Indian

Carrot Halwa Blondie Bars

This recipe calls for whole cardamom pods, but you can easily swap them out for powdered cardamom from the grocery store. Combined with the nutmeg, it'll give these bars just the right amount of delicious Indian flavor.

Get the Recipe: Carrot Halwa Blondie Bars

Michael Watz of Chicago, Illinois

A fan of Mediterranean cuisine, Michael wanted to create a fish dish that featured a mélange of flavors. The result: a versatile, showstopping spiced ahi tuna paired with fresh fennel-tarragon salad and a kicky tomatillo verde sauce.

Fish

Ahi Tuna Mazatlan with Fennel Tarragon Salad

A homemade spice rub is the secret ingredient for the tuna in this dish. Budget the 30 minutes to let the fish marinate — it makes all the difference. Leftover rub? Use it on salmon, sole, veal chops, chicken cutlets or turkey breast.

Get the Recipe: Olive Oil Poached Ahi Tuna Mazatlan with Fennel Tarragon Salad

Jacob Piercy of Fishers, Indiana

Spinach lasagna was Jacob's signature dish until a relative accidently ate his slice with bacon on it (the result of an over-stuffed holiday plate). A new recipe was born, complete with plenty of crispy bacon.

Lasagna

Spinach Bacon Lasagna

Don't let the spinach fool you — this lasagna is a meaty masterpiece, with a mouthwatering white filling that's studded with bacon and a crunchy top layer made with bacon-infused panko crumbs.

Get the Recipe: Spinach Bacon Lasagna

Andreann Geise of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

After forgetting to buy the spinach for her usual homemade quiche, Andreann decided to try what she had on hand: beet greens. The leafy stems were a surprising success, adding meaty texture, bright color and a sweeter taste to the recipe.

Brunch

Beet Green, Prosciutto & Feta Quiche

Salty prosciutto and feta perfectly balance out this unique filling made of sweet beet greens and sautéed onion, garlic, dill and lemon zest. Prep them in muffin tins for a rustic look that's also easy to eat with your hands.

Get the Recipe: Beet Green, Prosciutto and Feta Quiche