Weeknight
3488 recipes found
Tajín Chicken Wings
These chile-lime baked chicken wings get their spunk from Tajín, a tangy and mild combination of dried chiles, salt and dehydrated lime juice that is often sprinkled on fruit. Bake the wings with the seasoning (as well as baking powder and salt for crackly skin), then gloss them in a buttery sauce that’s bright with Tajín, lime juice and fresh chile. Take a cue from tajín fruit cups (as well as the carrots and celery typically eaten with Buffalo wings) and serve alongside spears of jicama, cucumber and pineapple.
Chipotle Honey Chicken Wings
Spicy and sweet, with a cooling dip to dunk them in, these chicken wings are simple to make. Smoky chipotle chiles in adobo sauce are blended with sour cream, honey, garlic and a couple spices to make a flavorful coating for the wings while the oven heats up. Then with just a quick roast on a wire rack over a parchment-lined sheet pan (so your pan stays relatively clean), the wings are ready. Orange zest adds a fruity brightness, but is optional.
Chorizo Patty Melt
Imagine a patty melt, but made at a diner in Mexico. Instead of plain ground beef, you might find a spicy and tangy chorizo patty smothered in a melted blanket of creamy, slightly aged queso chihuahua and topped with sweet and hot caramelized onions, poblanos and serranos. Imagine no more because here it is: a classic, unctuous patty melt reimagined with a Mexican twist. In this recipe, fresh chorizo links made patties that held their shape better than bulk sausage. If you can’t find chorizo links, see the note below for a quick substitute.
Sweet and Spicy Chicken Meatballs
Combining sweet and spicy flavors in savory, satisfying weeknight meatballs, this recipe calls for a generous amount of crushed red pepper to contrast with the deep caramel honey-like chopped dates. A hefty dose of herbs and citrus zest serves to lighten and brighten. Medjool dates can be easier to find, but if you can obtain a variety called deglet noor, the dates will be a little drier and easier to chop. Serve the meatballs with warm couscous, a couscous salad or a simple green salad.
Buttery Shrimp With Garlic and Paprika
For this flavorful, richly aromatic shrimp dinner, use large shrimp if possible (preferably from the Gulf of Mexico or the Mid-Atlantic). They are hefty at 16 to 20 pieces per pound, enough for a main course for four. Use fresh or frozen shrimp, extra points for peeling and de-veining your own. They are to be sizzled in a generous amount of spicy butter sauce. If you don’t have hot paprika, use 1 tablespoon sweet paprika plus ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne, or more to taste. Or use Spanish pimentón picante. Serve the shrimp with plain polenta, little roasted potatoes, or steamed rice. Or just have a warm baguette for sopping.
Easy Cooked Grains
If you can boil pasta, you can cook most any grain. While grains come in all shapes, sizes, hues and textures, they can all be cooked using the same straightforward method. For evenly cooked grains, just let them tumble in a saucepan of simmering, salted water until tender, then drain them of excess water. For a warm side, rest them in a covered pot. For separated grains to add to salads or bowls or refrigerate for the future, cool and dry them on a sheet pan before using. With such a simple, multipurpose method, the bouncy chew of barley, the springy pouf of quinoa, the bitter edge of buckwheat and the sour tang of rye berries can all easily be incorporated into your cooking routine.
Spicy Turkey Burgers
The turkey burger doesn’t always get the respect (and love) it deserves, because turkey’s leanness can create a dry, crumbly burger. But those worries disappear when you add a dollop of mayonnaise to the burger mix, which ensures a juicy bite and encourages a caramelized coating. Using a mix of ground cayenne and paprika gives the patties a smoky heat that amplifies their meaty flavor. The garlicky iceberg slaw tames the burger’s spiciness and should spill out of the sides like a happy mess.
Honey Garlic Shrimp
This speedy dinner comes together in less than 30 minutes and relies on pantry staples like honey and soy sauce for easy weeknight flavor. The honey-garlic sauce works double-time, serving as a sweet-and-savory marinade and as a pan sauce for the crustaceans. While large shrimp work best for this recipe (and are the most forgiving when it comes to cooking time), smaller shrimp will work, too. If your shrimp cook through before it’s time to add the sauce to the skillet, transfer them to a serving dish and reduce the sauce on its own before pouring it over the shrimp. Serve with steamed rice, and a simply cooked green vegetable or cucumber salad.
Honey Mustard Dressing
This tangy and sweet vinaigrette is a must-have for all of your dressing, drizzling and dipping needs. It’s easy to make with pantry staples and lasts for up to one week refrigerated in an airtight container. Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar make this version creamy and extra punchy. If you prefer a sweeter dressing, add more honey to your liking. For further riffing, you can use lemon juice instead of vinegar and swap in different types of mustard.
Blackened Salmon
Coating fish fillets in a flavorful spice mixture and cooking them in a searing-hot pan until blackened is a technique popularized by legendary Louisiana chef Paul Prudhomme. In this version, center-cut salmon fillets gain a crisp, deeply seasoned crust while remaining tender and flaky on the inside. For the telltale blackened crust, you’ll need to start with a hot pan (cast-iron works best). Be sure to crack a window and turn on the exhaust fan, if possible, as there will be some smoke. Serve blackened salmon with any combination of side salad, rice and grilled or roasted vegetables; or use as a filling for tacos or fish sandwiches.
Roasted Broccoli and Whipped Tofu With Chile Crisp Crunch
The concept here is simple, but the results are truly spectacular: Broccoli florets are tossed with olive oil and soy sauce, steamed in the oven until softened, then crowned with crunchy chile crisp bread crumbs. The broccoli is bundled up in aluminum foil, then cooked, so that it tenderizes swiftly and retains moisture. Meanwhile, chile crisp, panko, cashews and olive oil are toasted in a skillet until seasoned and crunchy. (This mix would also be stellar over peanut noodles, roasted vegetables or salad greens.) The optional base of two-ingredient cashew cream (tofu and cashew butter) adds lusciousness and protein. This dish has got heat, but it’s more about texture.
Baked Chicken Meatballs
These weeknight-friendly chicken meatballs come together in a snap, with minimal chopping and minimal mess. They’re made with a panade — a simple combination of bread crumbs and milk — which makes for light and tender meatballs. Baked meatballs aren’t quite as charred and caramelized as the pan-fried variety, but they do brown nicely underneath, thanks to contact with the hot sheet pan. A hit with adults and kids, chicken meatballs can be served as a snack with your favorite sauce for dipping, or tossed with a simple tomato sauce and served over pasta.
Egg Muffins
Baked egg muffins are an ideal weekday breakfast: They’re portable, easy to make in advance and endlessly adaptable to what’s in the fridge. This recipe calls for a colorful mix of spinach, tomatoes, bacon, Cheddar and feta, but feel free to experiment with your own combinations. Aim to keep roughly the same ratio of ingredients that contain more water, such as tomatoes and spinach, to less wet ones like cheese and bacon. For a vegetarian version, replace the bacon with chopped steamed broccoli or sautéed mushrooms.
Spicy, Creamy Weeknight Bolognese
This pasta sauce captures the soul-soothing essence of a long-simmering Bolognese even though it cooks quickly. Searing ground beef gives it a caramelized taste that mimics the depth of slow-cooked meat. Adding a few spoonfuls of red curry paste doesn’t make it taste like curry, but gives it instant nuance and depth. Some rich cream at the end rounds the sharp heat to an enveloping warmth. To save even more time, you can chop the vegetables while the meat is cooking. The sauce tastes great on any type of pasta, but it’s especially nice with varieties that can capture it in their curves.
Baked Cod
This is a very simple method for baking cod, with an ingredient list both short and mighty. Minced herbs, garlic and scallions give the mild, flaky fish lots of flavor -— but you can feel free to substitute whatever fresh or dried herbs you happen to have on hand, since cod takes well to a range of herbs and flavors. As the fish bakes, the lemon juice mixes with the olive oil and seasonings, resulting in a bright and savory sauce. Spoon it over the hot fish and serve directly from the baking dish, with roasted potatoes and a green salad on the side.
Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)
A member of the brassica family, gai lan (also known as Chinese broccoli) tastes like a cross between broccoli and broccoli rabe, with a nice balance of slightly sweet and bitter. Gai lan is typically boiled or steamed with aromatics, then enjoyed plain or drizzled with oyster sauce. Here, it’s simply pan-steamed with garlic, ginger and toasted sesame oil. White pepper, common in Chinese cookery, offers milder heat that pairs well with the gai lan, but black pepper is also fine. This quick side is wonderful with roasted chicken and fish; leftovers can be chopped and added to fried rice or pasta the next day.
Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Chicken breasts and thighs are perennial favorites when it comes to weeknight dinner recipes, but for another quick-cooking and flavorful chicken dinner, consider these baked drumsticks. Coated with a mix of everyday pantry spices and roasted until browned and tender, they are reliably delicious with very little effort. Like chicken thighs, drumsticks are forgiving to cook: While technically cooked through at 165 degrees, they remain juicy and moist at even 175 degrees and higher. Serve them with your favorite weeknight side dishes, such as rice pilaf and lemony steamed broccoli, or a big plate of crudités and ranch dressing for dipping. Finally, if you like things on the spicier side, add a pinch of ground cayenne to the spice mixture, or sprinkle with a few shakes of your favorite hot sauce when the chicken comes out of the oven.
Slow-Cooker Boneless Chicken Breasts
These simple, savory chicken breasts are money in the bank on a weeknight: Chop them for a salad, tuck them into quesadillas or tacos with cheese and salsa, add to a ready-made simmer sauce, or toss with pasta. The seasoning is punchy but neutral enough to work in many preparations, and you can easily tweak it to your taste by, for instance, slightly increasing the cumin and red pepper to make tacos, or decreasing the cumin and increasing the thyme to make a classic chicken salad. The real key to this recipe is checking the internal temperature of the chicken. White meat will dry out if overcooked, so pull the chicken out of the slow cooker when the thickest part of the breast reaches 155 degrees for about a minute, which will ensure juicy, tender meat that’s fully cooked.
Kimchi, Egg and Cheese Sandwich
For heat, crunch and a jolt of brightness, add kimchi to your breakfast sandwich. Most classic egg sandwiches, like sausage or bacon, lack the necessary acidity to balance out the richness of the other ingredients, which is why we often slather on ketchup — it’s sweet, but also tart. By replacing the meat with kimchi, the flavors in the sandwich are awakened. If your fridge isn’t always stocked with kimchi, you can also use another pickled vegetable, like sauerkraut or chopped pickled peppers or dill pickles.
Miso-Parmesan Noodle Soup for One
This speedy, veggie-rich, solo bowl of soup uses a combination of water, miso paste and Parmesan to create a creamy, savory broth. Leeks, peas, kale and pasta add sweetness and heft, while ginger and black pepper (or chile oil) bring a little heat. For more protein, add a handful of cubed tofu or white beans, or swirl in a beaten egg like stracciatella. The recipe is also easily doubled.
Skillet Gnocchi Alla Vodka
Penne pasta might be the most common canvas for creamy, dreamy vodka sauce, but consider branching out: Toss plump, pan-fried gnocchi with the Italian-American favorite and the result is possibly even more cozy. To keep this dinner weeknight-friendly, everything comes together in a single pan. While the recipe is quick-moving, don’t skimp on the few minutes it takes to caramelize the tomato paste: Cooking an entire can of tomato paste until it’s rusty red in color and almost burnished in spots is the secret to a deeply savory sauce without hours of simmering on the stovetop.
Broccoli-Quinoa Soup With Turmeric and Ginger
Turmeric and ginger are generous ingredients: You need only a little of each to deliver plenty of complex, comforting flavors. They work together in this recipe to bring warmth, earthiness, smokiness and spice to this hearty soup. Often a salad ingredient, quinoa proves its versatility here, providing a substantial and protein-packed foundation. The quinoa will continue to absorb the broth once the cooking is complete, so serve immediately for the ideal broth-to-quinoa ratio. (However, if you plan to prepare this soup ahead of time, you can simply thin it out with a little water or stock once you’ve reheated it.) There’s a lovely finishing touch: The chile oil cuts through the richness of the coconut milk and adds to the vibrant colors of this dish.
Smoky Tomato Soup
A grown-up version of grilled cheese’s best friend, this tomato soup is subtly complex thanks to the addition of ancho chile and smoked paprika, but it still has all of the nostalgic qualities of a really good tomato soup: It’s silky, robust and wonderfully tomato-y. Taking a cue from this classic tomato soup, this recipe calls for sweating the onion and garlic with a little flour to thicken the soup, which creates a velvety texture that doesn’t hide the pure tomato flavor. Simmering a whole ancho chile in the soup produces an undercurrent of heat; but if you prefer more spice, pluck off the stem and blend the chile into your finished soup rather than discarding it. Adjust the amount of cream and the level of heat as you like and the soup will taste just right to you.
Pollo a la Piña (Pineapple Chicken)
Pineapples are grown all along the Pacific Mexican coast and are used in raw salsas as a condiment and in cooked salsas to give a sweet and tart counterpoint to spicy chiles and roasted meats and veggies. Pollo a la piña is a bright and savory dish with a smoky spicy kick from canned chipotle chiles in adobo and tropical sweetness from chopped pineapple and orange juice. This tender and juicy chicken makes a great taco filling. Or pile it on a bun with pickled jalapeños and shredded cabbage for a sweet, spicy and smoky sandwich reminiscent of the best BBQ but without firing up the grill.