diff --git a/backend/app/api/recipes.py b/backend/app/api/recipes.py
index 39abb3a..070c876 100644
--- a/backend/app/api/recipes.py
+++ b/backend/app/api/recipes.py
@@ -1,112 +1,129 @@
-from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, HTTPException
-from sqlalchemy.orm import Session, joinedload
-from app.database import get_db
-from app.models import Recipe, FamilyProfile
-from app.schemas import RecipeResponse, RecipeCreate, IngredientCreate, IngredientResponse
-from app.security import require_session
-from uuid import UUID
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 from typing import List, Optional
+from uuid import UUID
 
-router = APIRouter()
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, HTTPException, Query, Response, status
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
+
+from app.database import get_db
+from app.models import Ingredient, Recipe
+from app.schemas.recipe import RecipeCreate, RecipeRead, RecipeUpdate
+from app.security import require_admin
 
 
-@router.get("", response_model=List[RecipeResponse])
-def get_recipes(
-    skip: int = 0,
-    limit: int = 50,
-    cuisine_tag: Optional[str] = None,
-    dietary_tag: Optional[str] = None,
-    protein_type: Optional[str] = None,
-    db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+public_router = APIRouter(prefix="/api/recipes", tags=["recipes"])
+admin_router = APIRouter(
+    prefix="/api/admin/recipes",
+    tags=["recipes-admin"],
+    dependencies=[Depends(require_admin)],
+)
+
+
+def _validate_ingredient_ids(db: Session, ingredient_refs) -> None:
+    ids = [ref.ingredient_id for ref in ingredient_refs]
+    found = (
+        db.query(Ingredient.id).filter(Ingredient.id.in_(ids)).all()
+    )
+    found_ids = {row[0] for row in found}
+    missing = [str(i) for i in ids if i not in found_ids]
+    if missing:
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=422,
+            detail={"error": "unknown ingredient_ids", "missing": missing},
+        )
+
+
+def _serialize(row: Recipe) -> dict:
+    return {
+        "id": row.id,
+        "name": row.name,
+        "description": row.description,
+        "image_url": row.image_url,
+        "prep_time_minutes": row.prep_time_minutes or 0,
+        "cook_time_minutes": row.cook_time_minutes or 0,
+        "servings": row.servings,
+        "cuisine_tags": list(row.cuisine_tags or []),
+        "dietary_tags": list(row.dietary_tags or []),
+        "protein_type": row.protein_type,
+        "spice_level": row.spice_level,
+        "calories_per_serving": row.calories_per_serving,
+        "ingredients": row.ingredients or [],
+        "instructions": list(row.instructions or []),
+        "source_url": row.source_url,
+    }
+
+
+@public_router.get("", response_model=List[RecipeRead])
+def list_recipes(
+    q: Optional[str] = Query(default=None),
+    limit: int = Query(default=100, le=500),
+    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ):
     query = db.query(Recipe)
-
-    if cuisine_tag:
-        query = query.filter(Recipe.cuisine_tags.contains([cuisine_tag]))
-    if dietary_tag:
-        query = query.filter(Recipe.dietary_tags.contains([dietary_tag]))
-    if protein_type:
-        query = query.filter(Recipe.protein_type == protein_type)
-
-    recipes = query.offset(skip).limit(limit).all()
-    return recipes
+    if q:
+        like = f"%{q.lower()}%"
+        query = query.filter(Recipe.name.ilike(like))
+    rows = query.order_by(Recipe.name).limit(limit).all()
+    return [_serialize(r) for r in rows]
 
 
-@router.get("/ingredients", response_model=List[IngredientResponse])
-def list_ingredients(skip: int = 0, limit: int = 100, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
-    from app.models import Ingredient
-    ingredients = db.query(Ingredient).offset(skip).limit(limit).all()
-    return ingredients
-
-
-@router.post("/ingredients", response_model=IngredientResponse, dependencies=[Depends(require_session)])
-def create_ingredient(ingredient: IngredientCreate, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
-    from app.models import Ingredient
-
-    existing = db.query(Ingredient).filter(Ingredient.name_lower == ingredient.name_lower).first()
-    if existing:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Ingredient with this name already exists")
-
-    db_ingredient = Ingredient(
-        name=ingredient.name,
-        name_lower=ingredient.name_lower,
-        plural_name=ingredient.plural_name,
-        aisle=ingredient.aisle,
-        typical_price=ingredient.typical_price,
-        unit=ingredient.unit,
-        season_months=ingredient.season_months
-    )
-
-    db.add(db_ingredient)
-    db.commit()
-    db.refresh(db_ingredient)
-    return db_ingredient
-
-
-@router.get("/{recipe_id}", response_model=RecipeResponse)
+@public_router.get("/{recipe_id}", response_model=RecipeRead)
 def get_recipe(recipe_id: UUID, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
-    recipe = db.query(Recipe).filter(Recipe.id == recipe_id).first()
-    if not recipe:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Recipe not found")
-    return recipe
+    row = db.query(Recipe).filter(Recipe.id == recipe_id).first()
+    if row is None:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="recipe not found")
+    return _serialize(row)
 
 
-@router.post("", response_model=RecipeResponse, dependencies=[Depends(require_session)])
-def create_recipe(recipe: RecipeCreate, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
-    profile = db.query(FamilyProfile).first()
-
-    db_recipe = Recipe(
-        family_profile_id=profile.id if profile else None,
-        name=recipe.name,
-        description=recipe.description,
-        image_url=recipe.image_url,
-        image_source=recipe.image_source,
-        prep_time_minutes=recipe.prep_time_minutes,
-        cook_time_minutes=recipe.cook_time_minutes,
-        servings=recipe.servings,
-        servings_scaled=recipe.servings_scaled,
-        cuisine_tags=recipe.cuisine_tags,
-        dietary_tags=recipe.dietary_tags,
-        protein_type=recipe.protein_type,
-        spice_level=recipe.spice_level,
-        ingredients=[ing.model_dump() for ing in recipe.ingredients],
-        instructions=recipe.instructions,
-        source_url=recipe.source_url,
-        is_manually_added=recipe.is_manually_added
+@admin_router.post("", response_model=RecipeRead, status_code=status.HTTP_201_CREATED)
+def create_recipe(payload: RecipeCreate, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
+    _validate_ingredient_ids(db, payload.ingredients)
+    row = Recipe(
+        name=payload.name,
+        description=payload.description,
+        image_url=payload.image_url,
+        prep_time_minutes=payload.prep_time_minutes,
+        cook_time_minutes=payload.cook_time_minutes,
+        servings=payload.servings,
+        cuisine_tags=payload.cuisine_tags,
+        dietary_tags=payload.dietary_tags,
+        protein_type=payload.protein_type,
+        spice_level=payload.spice_level,
+        calories_per_serving=payload.calories_per_serving,
+        ingredients=[ref.model_dump(mode="json") for ref in payload.ingredients],
+        instructions=payload.instructions,
+        source_url=payload.source_url,
+        is_manually_added=True,
     )
-
-    db.add(db_recipe)
+    db.add(row)
     db.commit()
-    db.refresh(db_recipe)
-    return db_recipe
+    db.refresh(row)
+    return _serialize(row)
 
 
-@router.delete("/{recipe_id}", dependencies=[Depends(require_session)])
+@admin_router.patch("/{recipe_id}", response_model=RecipeRead)
+def update_recipe(recipe_id: UUID, payload: RecipeUpdate, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
+    row = db.query(Recipe).filter(Recipe.id == recipe_id).first()
+    if row is None:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="recipe not found")
+    data = payload.model_dump(exclude_unset=True)
+    if "ingredients" in data and data["ingredients"] is not None:
+        _validate_ingredient_ids(db, payload.ingredients)
+        row.ingredients = [ref.model_dump(mode="json") for ref in payload.ingredients]
+        data.pop("ingredients")
+    for field, value in data.items():
+        setattr(row, field, value)
+    db.commit()
+    db.refresh(row)
+    return _serialize(row)
+
+
+@admin_router.delete("/{recipe_id}", status_code=status.HTTP_204_NO_CONTENT, response_class=Response)
 def delete_recipe(recipe_id: UUID, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
-    recipe = db.query(Recipe).filter(Recipe.id == recipe_id).first()
-    if not recipe:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Recipe not found")
-
-    db.delete(recipe)
+    row = db.query(Recipe).filter(Recipe.id == recipe_id).first()
+    if row is None:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="recipe not found")
+    db.delete(row)
     db.commit()
-    return {"message": "Recipe deleted"}
+    return Response(status_code=status.HTTP_204_NO_CONTENT)
diff --git a/backend/app/main.py b/backend/app/main.py
index 1565a65..cac08ca 100644
--- a/backend/app/main.py
+++ b/backend/app/main.py
@@ -29,15 +29,17 @@ def health_check_db(db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
         return {"status": "error", "database": "disconnected", "error": str(e)}
 
 
-from app.api import profile, recipes, meals, shopping_list, pantry, admin, auth
+from app.api import profile, meals, shopping_list, pantry, admin, auth
 from app.api import ingredients as ingredients_api
+from app.api import recipes as recipes_api
 
 app.include_router(auth.router, prefix="/api/auth", tags=["auth"])
 app.include_router(profile.router, prefix="/api/profile", tags=["profile"])
-app.include_router(recipes.router, prefix="/api/recipes", tags=["recipes"])
 app.include_router(meals.router, prefix="/api/meals", tags=["meals"])
 app.include_router(shopping_list.router, prefix="/api/shopping-list", tags=["shopping-list"])
 app.include_router(pantry.router, prefix="/api/pantry", tags=["pantry"])
 app.include_router(admin.router, prefix="/api/admin", tags=["admin"])
 app.include_router(ingredients_api.public_router)
 app.include_router(ingredients_api.admin_router)
+app.include_router(recipes_api.public_router)
+app.include_router(recipes_api.admin_router)
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_recipe_api.py b/backend/tests/test_recipe_api.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e78eb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/tests/test_recipe_api.py
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+import pytest
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.requires_postgres
+
+
+def _admin_headers() -> dict:
+    return {"Authorization": "Bearer test-admin-token"}
+
+
+def _new_ingredient(client, name: str) -> str:
+    r = client.post(
+        "/api/admin/ingredients",
+        json={"name": name, "aliases": [], "aisle": "pantry", "unit": "ea"},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert r.status_code == 201, r.text
+    return r.json()["id"]
+
+
+def test_create_recipe_with_canonical_ingredients(client):
+    chicken = _new_ingredient(client, "Test Chicken Thighs Recipe1")
+    olive_oil = _new_ingredient(client, "Test Olive Oil Recipe1")
+    body = {
+        "name": "Test Sheet-Pan Chicken",
+        "prep_time_minutes": 10,
+        "cook_time_minutes": 30,
+        "servings": 4,
+        "cuisine_tags": ["american"],
+        "dietary_tags": [],
+        "protein_type": "chicken",
+        "calories_per_serving": 520,
+        "ingredients": [
+            {"ingredient_id": chicken, "qty": 2.0, "unit": "lb"},
+            {"ingredient_id": olive_oil, "qty": 2.0, "unit": "tbsp"},
+        ],
+        "instructions": ["Preheat oven to 425", "Roast 30 min"],
+    }
+    r = client.post("/api/admin/recipes", json=body, headers=_admin_headers())
+    assert r.status_code == 201, r.text
+    data = r.json()
+    assert data["id"]
+    assert len(data["ingredients"]) == 2
+
+
+def test_create_recipe_rejects_unknown_ingredient_id(client):
+    body = {
+        "name": "Test Bogus Recipe",
+        "prep_time_minutes": 5,
+        "cook_time_minutes": 5,
+        "servings": 4,
+        "cuisine_tags": [],
+        "dietary_tags": [],
+        "protein_type": "vegetarian",
+        "ingredients": [
+            {"ingredient_id": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "qty": 1, "unit": "ea"}
+        ],
+        "instructions": ["nope"],
+    }
+    r = client.post("/api/admin/recipes", json=body, headers=_admin_headers())
+    assert r.status_code == 422
+
+
+def test_list_recipes_returns_seeded_data(client):
+    chicken = _new_ingredient(client, "Test Chicken Thighs Recipe2")
+    client.post(
+        "/api/admin/recipes",
+        json={
+            "name": "Test Listable Recipe",
+            "prep_time_minutes": 5,
+            "cook_time_minutes": 25,
+            "servings": 4,
+            "cuisine_tags": ["american"],
+            "dietary_tags": [],
+            "protein_type": "chicken",
+            "ingredients": [{"ingredient_id": chicken, "qty": 1, "unit": "lb"}],
+            "instructions": ["cook"],
+        },
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    r = client.get("/api/recipes")
+    assert r.status_code == 200
+    names = {row["name"] for row in r.json()}
+    assert "Test Listable Recipe" in names