Weeknight
3433 recipes found
Egg-in-a-Nest Sandwich
An egg cooked in an egg-size hole cut out of butter-sizzled bread feels like a treat. But it’s not quite enough to make a meal. Here, the classic egg-in-a-nest merges with a grilled cheese and a breakfast sandwich into a meal for one that’s meant to be savored leisurely. It’s as delightful with coffee at the beginning of the day as it is in the middle for lunch, or ending it, whether at supper or at midnight. The bread slices — one cradling the egg, the other holding cheese — cook at the same time over relatively low heat so that they end up perfectly golden brown while the egg sets and the cheese melts. If you’d like a little heat, add hot sauce or any chile powder or flakes.
Garlic Butter Steak Bites
Inspired by bite-size steak tips — the highly snackable bar food that’s beloved in Boston and the greater New England area — these garlic butter steak bites follow a classic bistro flavor profile accented with a punch of soy sauce. They’re quick and clever: Cutting steak into small pieces creates more surface area to quickly soak up a marinade, and the morsels cook off in just minutes. Here, they are marinated in a mixture of soy sauce and olive oil, then finished in the pan with a swirl of butter, garlic and parsley. They are perfect for summer spreads alongside a hearty, lemony farro salad or a summery corn salad, plus some bread to swipe up the rich sauce. Serve with toothpicks for easy snacking, or small plates.
Tzatziki Tuna Salad
Tuna salad often includes mayonnaise, but this version delivers a similar creaminess with Greek yogurt, which imparts a freshness to the mix. Here, the yogurt is seasoned with the classic garlic-dill combination of tzatziki, which goes surprisingly well with sharp yellow mustard. Cucumber is traditionally used in tzatziki, but for this tuna salad, celery is also a fun, crunchy variation. (You also can add celery to the salad if starting with store-bought tzatziki.) If you have only tuna packed in water on hand, simply drain the tuna well and stir olive oil into the salad for richness. Sandwich the tuna between bread, mix it into a salad or enjoy it as a dip with chips or crackers.
Lemon-Garlic Linguine
This bright and creamy pasta is a weeknight go-to that can be embellished with seared scallops, shrimp or mushrooms to make it something special. Grated garlic, lemon zest and black pepper sizzle and bloom in melted butter to which starchy pasta water is added to create a thick sauce. A hit of lemon juice at the very end keeps it punchy. Linguine, which is not as thin as spaghetti or as thick as fettuccine, works well here, but if you have another pasta shape on-hand, feel free to swap it in.
Garlic Shrimp With Crisped Chickpeas
A snappy skillet dish well-suited to warm weather eating and snacking, this garlic shrimp recipe is a sunny mashup of shrimp scampi and gambas al ajillo, leaning on the lighter side. A hefty dose of smoked paprika adds a spirited color and dynamic smoky flavor to both the garlicky shrimp and chickpeas. The canned chickpeas gain extra depth and texture from sizzling in the pan until crunchy, then simmering in white wine until tender. Use a wine that you’d like to sip alongside this dish, and serve with some crusty bread to wipe your bowl (and even the pan). If you’d like some greens to round out your spread, simple sautéed spinach with garlic would be a delightful addition.
Charred Bok Choy and Cannellini Bean Salad
This recipe breaks bok choy out of its steamed and stir-fried box, demonstrating how well it responds to charring. Don’t be afraid to cook bok choy aggressively; the stalks are robust and remain crisp, while becoming smoky and sweet. Baby bok choy can be used too, but the leaves are much smaller and more tender, so simply slice them through the middle lengthwise. Other sturdy greens like gai lan (sometimes called Chinese broccoli) or cabbages will also work. The punchy dressing is sweet and acidic, given heat and spice from the grated ginger, while tart rice vinegar cuts through the richness of the maple syrup. Keep this dressing in mind for similar salads; it is equally lovely with cold soba noodles.
Zucchini Salad With Bread Crumbs
A study in contrasts, this textured salad tops mild, gentle zucchini with a bold, invigorating mix of fried capers and toasted bread crumbs. First, you’ll soak diced zucchini in a tangy lemon-mustard dressing. While the zucchini soaks up flavor, you prepare the toppings, sautéeing capers, garlic and bread crumbs until crispy and crunchy. A dusting of Parmesan completes the dish. Serve this zucchini salad one of two ways: You can mix it all together after layering, so that the bread crumbs soak up the dressing, or divide among plates, drizzling any remaining dressing in the bottom of the bowl over everything.
One-Pot Chicken Meatballs With Greens
An upside down take on typical skillet meatballs, these juicy garlic-and-herb filled ones are smothered in greens rather than being cooked on top or alongside them, an ingenious trick to streamline efforts for weeknight cooks. The meatballs first brown in the pot for both color and flavor, then are covered with a mound of greens, which achieves two feats: It gently finishes cooking the meatballs while the chard and lemon slices steam and collapse on top, draping themselves over these hidden delights. Scoop them up with a soup ladle, spooning the lemony pan sauce over everything.
Curry Chicken Fried Rice
Add this flavorful fried rice to your roster of quick weeknight dishes: Pieces of juicy chicken thighs, richer and more forgiving than breasts, are sautéed with sweet red onion and fragrant curry powder then mixed with leftover, fridge-cold rice for a meal ready in less than half an hour. (It’s also almost worth making for the smell alone.) While so many fried rice dishes involve a significant amount of chopping, this one opts for frozen vegetables, cutting back on prep time. To maximize flavor, mild curry powder is cooked in oil to bloom toward the start of the recipe, but if you’re craving heat, reach for a spicier blend.
Roasted Eggplant Pasta Salad With Dates
Nature’s candy, plump and lush medjool dates add sweetness to this creamy and tangy pasta salad. Eggplant is roasted with cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper, then tossed with the dates on the hot sheet pan, using the residual heat to warm them so the flavors blend together. Mixed with cooked pasta, feta and bright mint, it’s a hearty yet light dish, perfect for summer nights. To streamline this dish for weeknights, use the eggplant-cooking time to prep the finishing touches (the dates, cheese and mint). Bring any leftovers to room temperature, then refresh them with a drizzle of oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Roasted Eggplant Pasta With Dates and Feta
Nature’s candy, plump and lush medjool dates add sweetness to this creamy and tangy weeknight pasta. Eggplant is roasted with cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper on a hot sheet pan, then tossed with the dates, using the residual heat to warm them so the flavors blend together. Mixed with cooked pasta, feta and bright mint, it’s a hearty yet light dish, perfect for summer nights. To streamline this dish, use the eggplant-cooking time to prep the finishing touches (the dates, cheese and mint). Bring any leftovers to room temperature, then refresh them with a drizzle of oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Sopa de Verduras y Chochoyotes (Summer Vegetable Soup With Masa Dumplings)
Chochoyotes, or corn masa dumplings, are commonly added to flavor and thicken soups and guisos (stews) across Mexico. They are also found in mole amarillo, the famous yellow mole from Oaxaca, and added to frijoles de olla because the corn flavor complements the regionally grown beans and herbs. In this soup, a summer vegetable medley, including fresh poblanos, corn and squash, is browned in olive oil to give the broth sweetness from the caramelized sugars in the vegetables. The chochoyotes slightly thicken the soup without any dairy or gluten added and contrast the flavor of the fresh, sweet corn.
Pad Woon Sen
As textural as it is colorful, Thai pad woon sen (stir-fried glass noodles) builds deep, nuanced flavor, one component at a time, but comes together quickly enough for a weeknight. Delicate, springy glass noodles get stir-fried with garlic, eggs and vegetables, and readily absorb the punchy flavors of this simple sauce (oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and a pinch of sugar). Though you’ll often find meat or seafood variations, this recipe omits the meat and focuses on the vegetables. (If you want to add meat, cube whatever you use into small chunks, stir fry them until golden brown and cooked through, then incorporate into the noodles with the vegetables.) The convenience of this dish is that it can be eaten at any temperature: hot, room temperature or cold, straight out of the fridge. For authenticity, be sure to source a glass noodle where the main ingredient is mung bean; check the ingredient list on the package to be sure.
Sheet-Pan Roasted Salmon With Pea Pesto
Peas, one of the highlights of spring produce, make for a delightfully sweet and bright pesto. Lemon juice, garlic, basil and almonds join the peas as they are blitzed with olive oil, creating a creamy pesto paste. Fresh peas can be used, but frozen peas work especially well, so use what's left in that bag in the back of your freezer. Feel free to swap the almonds for a different nut or the basil for different herbs, and add grated Parmesan if you like. Pea pesto is particularly delicious drizzled on this simple, easy meal of roasted salmon and potatoes, which cooks in the oven while you make the pesto. Feel free to use any extra pea pesto on, well, everything.
Rice Pilaf
A fragrant, fluffy buttery rice pilaf is pure comfort. The word pilaf generally refers to a rice dish in which the grains are toasted in a fat like butter, ghee or oil before being cooked in broth or other liquid, and the dish’s many iterations span the globe from Central and South Asia, the Caucasus and Eastern Europe to the Caribbean. (Other grains like barley and bulgur, and noodles such as vermicelli or orzo – see Tip – can also be included.) In this simple version, onion and garlic are cooked in butter, which is then used to toast long-grain basmati rice until nutty and gently seasoned. The process of first rinsing the rice, then toasting in fat, prevents clumping. The amount of added liquid may vary slightly depending on the brand of rice, but do cut down on the salt if using a salted broth. With this base, you can get as creative as you like and add a variety of vegetables, herbs, spices, chopped nuts, dried fruit, ground meat or even shrimp. Or serve as is alongside chicken, fish or vegetables.
Creole Broiled Shrimp and Baby Corn
Here’s a weeknight take on the classic shrimp boil: a shrimp broil. Broiling is a quick, simple way to cook the crustaceans with excellent results. The shrimp bathe in a pool of olive oil and butter, which helps them to cook all the way through in a few minutes without having to turn them and keeps them tender, not tough. Corn and potatoes are typically boiled with the seafood in traditional seafood boils. Here, quick-cooking baby corn is a crunchy, flavorful alternative. Potatoes or bread would be great side dishes, and are perfect for sopping up the seasoned oil the shrimp are cooked in.
Chile Crisp Fried Rice With Tofu and Edamame
Chile crisp delivers spice, yes, but also carries impressive capabilities as a flavor base in weeknight cooking. The seasoned, textured oil can also be used strategically to fry foods. Most chile crisps on the market come loaded with aromatics such as garlic, ginger, fermented black soybeans, star anise, cinnamon and a host of other spices. Just a spoonful can deliver intense flavor with minimal effort. This hearty fried rice is vegan and comes with plenty of plant-based protein: The crumbled tofu offers the bouncy texture and hearty bite of egg, and the protein-rich edamame offer a hint of sweetness and nuttiness. If you don’t have edamame in the freezer, you could use frozen peas, corn or mixed vegetables.
Arrabbiata Sauce
Like marinara’s fiery cousin, this classic tomato sauce comes together in about 30 minutes with just canned tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and crushed red pepper. Arrabbiata, which means angry in Italian, nods to the sauce’s spicy nature, but the aggressiveness of your sauce is up to you: Start with 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper for a noticeable tingle in the back of your throat, or double up for additional intensity. (One word of caution: It’s hard to reverse a sauce that is too spicy, so start small, then hit it with additional heat at the end, if desired.) Though dried chiles or crushed red pepper are traditional, feel free to experiment with what you’ve got and what you like: Any combination of fiery elements in the form of dried chile flakes, dried whole chiles, fresh chiles, chopped jarred Calabrian chiles, chile sauce or chile pastes (gochujang, Sriracha) liven up this elemental tomato sauce.
Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad
This colorful, full-flavored salad is finished with a black olive dressing, made with Niçoise olives, capers, anchovy and garlic, and similar to a Provençal tapenade. For the best result, choose the smallest green beans and sweetest cherry tomatoes. Add arugula or other salad greens just before serving, if you wish.
Spanakorizo With Jammy Eggs
Bright and soulful, spanakorizo is a beloved Greek dish, with a name that reflects its combination of two key ingredients: spinach and rice. This version is fairly traditional in its essence, relying upon rice, spinach, lemon and herbs, but includes some flourishes. Though the addition of the jammy egg is not traditional, it injects a sunny burst of color, as well as added protein. For ease, this recipe calls for baby spinach (or chopped mature spinach), but frozen spinach can also be used (simply thaw it and squeeze out the water), or try a hardy green like chard or kale. A whole bunch of scallions delivers a richly aromatic base for the rice. Basmati is used here for its quick cooking time and light finish, but if you would like to use more traditional medium-grain rice, simply add an extra ½ cup of stock (2 cups total). As with any recipe, the timing is a guideline, but you should use your senses: Check your rice at the 15-minute mark, as some brands of rice will cook quicker than others.
Chicken and Noodles
This easy, one-pot dish is comfort in a bowl. Made with leftover chicken and vegetables you probably have on hand, it’s ready in just half an hour. Boiling the chicken and vegetables makes a delicious stock, and the chicken tenderizes even more as the egg noodles cook in the broth. The noodles’ starchiness adds a smooth consistency that’s made even more velvety with a pat of butter. (Add more butter to make it even creamier.) Whatever you choose, this inexpensive, cozy dinner is easy to love.
Glazed Lamb Meatballs With Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts
Inspired by Sicilian meatballs, this dinner party-worthy dish is made with ground lamb rather than beef or pork and studded with nutty pine nuts and plump golden raisins. The pine nuts and raisins add texture, richness and pops of sweetness that pair nicely with the earthy lamb. A ricotta and bread crumb panade keeps the meatballs extra-tender. They’re browned until golden, then pan-roasted in broth to keep them moist. The broth picks up all of the lovely lamb juices for a rich pan sauce swirled with butter, bright tangy capers and basil.
Horseradish-Cheddar Tuna Melts
These no-frills, open-faced tuna melts pack a punch because horseradish and Cheddar make a rowdy pair. Jarred horseradish is a nose-tingling combination of grated horseradish, vinegar and salt, so the tuna only needs a couple tablespoons and a little mayo, garlic and black pepper to make it zesty and creamy. If you’re only serving two, the recipe halves easily, and you can broil it in a toaster oven. Eat for lunch or dinner alongside an iceberg salad, pickle spears or potato chips.
Sweet Tea-Brined Roast Chicken
Sweet tea has a long history in the South and happens to be the perfect brine for chicken. It tenderizes the meat, helps crisp the skin and lends a deep golden-brown hue when baked. This dish – a simple and stunning party centerpiece or a dinner for a hungry crowd – is sure to become your next go-to recipe.