Weeknight
3491 recipes found
Mushroom and Eggplant Yassa
Sauce yassa is a richly flavored Senegalese stew typically cooked with poultry, meat or fish. It’s the result of slowly caramelized onions, chile, garlic and ginger simmered in stock and finished with a splash of lime juice. This vegetable version, a vegan adaptation, uses mushrooms and eggplants, which both add layers of depth to the sauce. A shower of thinly sliced fresh scallions announces itself with its delicate yet crisp bite. Serve a generous helping of the sauce over steamed rice, millet or fonio, along with additional lime wedges for squeezing, if desired.
Sabich Bowls
The traditional Israeli sandwich known as sabich features fried eggplant that’s tucked into pitas and topped with sliced hard-boiled eggs, chopped tomato-cucumber salad, pickles, tahini sauce and sometimes shredded cabbage. This weeknight recipe turns the popular sandwich into a one-bowl meal that is prepared on a sheet pan. Eggplant and chickpeas are roasted side by side; the eggplant becomes tender and creamy while the chickpeas turn golden and crispy. Canned chickpeas do double duty: Some are a part of the roast, while the remaining beans transform into a luscious, garlicky tahini sauce. The eggplant mixture is served on top of rice in this recipe, but all sorts of grains would work, including bulgur, farro and quinoa.
Scrunched Cabbage Salad With Fried Almonds
Crunchy and succulent, this hearty salad takes the humble cabbage and celebrates it as a leafy green. Raw cabbage can be tough and fibrous, which is why it is often thinly sliced for coleslaw. Massaging the leaves with salt — a technique common in kale salads — tenderizes the vegetable. The softened greens absorb the lemony dressing while nuts and seeds fry in olive oil. Store-bought roasted, salted almonds and toasted sesame seeds can be substituted, but adding freshly fried nuts and seeds to the salad while they’re still warm showcases their rich, earthy aromas. Serve alongside a fried chicken cutlet or on a plate with hummus and pita.
Bacon, Egg and Cheese Fried Rice
Bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches and fried rice are each beloved for their simplicity and affordability, but also because they deliver great comfort and satisfaction. They typically offer a combination of salty meat, creamy eggs and a carb in the form of bread or rice, but each dish is infinitely adaptable. In this playful weeknight meal, the two come together. Rendered bacon fat is used to cook the dish’s components, infusing the vegetables and rice with smokiness. Eggs are beaten with nutty grated Parmesan to create rich, fluffy scrambled eggs that add an extra layer of savoriness to the dish. Any type of leftover rice will work, as would other leftover grains like farro or barley.
Miso-Glazed Eggplant With a Bowl of Rice
This is a no-recipe recipe, a recipe without an ingredients list or steps. It invites you to improvise in the kitchen. You know how to make rice. For the rest of this dish, grab some small eggplants — the Japanese variety is a good option — and cut them on the bias into little steaks. Drizzle them with neutral oil and roast in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes or so, turning them once or twice, until they’re soft. Then crank the oven to broil, and paint them with white miso that’s been cut with splashes of sesame oil and rice wine, a smaller splash of soy and a few grinds of black pepper. Let that get going until the skin begins to pop, then serve those little vegetarian flavor steaks over rice, with a spray of sesame seeds over the top. Sam Sifton features a no-recipe recipe every Wednesday in his What to Cook newsletter. Sign up to receive it. You can find more no-recipe recipes here.
Pastrami-Spiced Steak With Charred Cabbage
Pastrami is typically a time-intensive affair, but in this recipe, its seasonings — black pepper, coriander, sugar and paprika — are applied to strip steaks for a fast weeknight dinner. Coat the steaks with the spice mixture, then brush them with mayonnaise to magnify the flavor of the spices better than oil does. (Instead of steak, you could also use tofu, chicken or a firm fish, reducing the cook time as needed.) To brown the steak without burning the spices, follow an unconventional method engineered by Andrew Janjigian, a recipe developer and writer: Start the steaks in a cold skillet, then turn the stove to high, and flip the steak every couple minutes. Eat with charred cabbage seasoned with garlic and the steak’s resting juices, plus a spoonful of mustard. Mashed potatoes, roasted carrots or simmered lentils wouldn’t be out of place, either.
Pasta With Fresh Tomato Sauce and Ricotta
This wonderful pasta is made with nothing more than fresh tomato sauce and good ricotta, plus a little pecorino. It’s most delicious if you keep the pasta quite al dente; use just enough sauce, no more; give it a good pinch of crushed red pepper; and season it with enough salt of course.
Caramelized Corn and Asparagus Pasta With Ricotta
This summery pasta features caramelized corn, crisp-tender asparagus and earthy turmeric, which provides the dish’s sunny hue. It’s not easy to cook corn to the point of browning without losing all its moisture, but a pinch of sugar helps speed up the caramelization process. Vermouth lends acidity to the light, glossy garlicky sauce, but you could use wine, or even a tablespoon of lemon juice or champagne vinegar for lift. Fresh ricotta provides richness.
Pan-Fried Tofu With Red Curry Paste
Raghavan Iyer says Thailand is the only country outside of India that worships curries with as much devotion. In the way Indian cooks use a blend of herbs and spices, Thai cooks use an array of curry pastes to create regional curries. He created three for his 2023 book “On the Curry Trail: Chasing the Flavor That Seduced The World” (Workman Publishing). His red curry paste is a version of the most common curry. When frying the tofu, add a little more oil if the pan seems dry and be aware that when the chile paste is added to the pan, the capsaicin can produce a head-clearing whiff of heat.
Pan-Seared Asparagus Salad With Frisée and Fried Egg
Here is a fine variation on the old combination of egg and asparagus. It is a twist on the bistro staple, frisée aux lardons, with pan-fried asparagus standing in for the bacon lardons. It’s mixed with the frisée and a pungent garlic vinaigrette laced with a little anchovy. Then, in place of the usual poached egg nestled in curling frisée leaves, fry an egg until the edges are crisp and brown. This adds a vaguely baconlike nuance to the salad, without the meat.
Easy Spaghetti With Meat Sauce
The secret ingredient in this ultrafast sauce based on long-cooking Bolognese is Worcestershire sauce. The vinegar, molasses and anchovies in the condiment season the ground beef mixture with salt, acid, sweetness and funk in one shot. Once the sauce has simmered, use tongs to transfer the pasta directly from the pot to the skillet, then toss in some of the starchy pasta cooking liquid for a glossy, saucy finish.
Grape Tomato ‘Quick Kimchi’
This is not a traditional kimchi, but it approximates the flavor profile, bypassing a lengthier fermentation and instead relying on vinegar. In Korea, this dish would be considered a muchim, which can refer to any number of “seasoned” or “dressed” salads or other preparations. Here, thick-skinned grape tomatoes maintain their snappy crunch, even draped in a fire-bright tangle of gochugaru, sesame oil and fish sauce. Though tomato’s natural umami flavor multiplies the longer it sits, this dish is best eaten within 24 hours. When you’re done, don’t throw out the leftover dressing at the bottom of the bowl: Tossed in that tomatoey brine, bouncy rice noodles are a dream. For a vegetarian option, swap out the fish sauce for soy sauce.
Tofu Makhani (Indian Butter Tofu)
This recipe is a vegetarian riff on butter chicken, or murgh makhani, a classic Indian dish in which chicken simmers in a rich, dairy-laden tomato sauce that’s seasoned with heady spices like turmeric, cumin, garam masala and cardamom. This weeknight-friendly version has a toned-down ingredient list, and the tofu doesn’t require hours of marinating, which means you can get everything on the table in under an hour if you start the rice as the tomatoes are cooking down. Heavy cream gives this dish a rich finish, but full-fat coconut milk makes a fine substitute. Whatever you do, don’t substitute anything for the butter or ghee (sorry, vegans) — it’s the signature ingredient.
Crispy Tofu With Balsamic Tomatoes
You don’t need to fry tofu to get it crisp-edged and golden brown. Drizzling it with a mix of cornstarch and oil, then roasting it will deliver a closely crunchy approximation that won’t splatter oil across your countertop. Here, the tofu is roasted alongside balsamic-glazed cherry tomatoes, sliced garlic and red onions, all of which caramelize as they cook. Top everything with a handful of fresh herbs, then serve it over rice, quinoa or another grain for an easy, plant-based meal. Note that the recipe serves only two to three. To double it, use two sheet pans and add a few extra minutes to the cook time.
Herb-Marinated Seared Tofu
Pan-seared tofu, torn into chunks then soaked in a bright, herby sauce, makes a great addition to many meals: Pile it on top of grains, salad greens, noodles or yogurt; tuck it into a pita; or toss it with chunks of roasted squash. The herbs and seasonings used in this sauce can shift, depending on what you have on hand and what sounds good. Add capers, anchovies or olives for brininess; or harissa, fresh chile or ginger for spice. You can even use wilted herbs and hearty greens. For additional texture, add nuts and seeds, or tomatoes, thinly sliced celery or avocado. Eat it right away or refrigerate for another day. It’s a practical yet vibrant dish that you’ll make on repeat.
Charred Asparagus With Green Garlic Chimichurri
Chimichurri is the South American green herb sauce that goes with just about everything. Easy to put together, it tastes best freshly prepared. When green garlic is in season in spring and early summer, use that; or substitute 2 or 3 regular garlic cloves at other times of the year. To keep it green and fresh tasting, add the vinegar just before serving. Char the asparagus in a hot cast-iron skillet or griddle, over hot coals, or under the broiler. Pencil-thin asparagus cooks quite quickly this way, but medium-size spears may be substituted.
Sesame Tofu With Coconut-Lime Dressing and Spinach
Coated in panko and sesame seeds, tofu takes on a splendid crunchiness that contrasts with sautéed spinach in this 30-minute dish. It comes together under a fragrant coconut-lime dressing — which you can double, then toss with salad. Swap out the spinach to your taste: Try this with mustard greens or chopped collard greens, adjusting the cooking time accordingly. Be careful when handling the uncooked tofu once it is breaded, as the breading is delicate. Using a pair of kitchen tongs or two forks to grab the tofu from the sides will help prevent its crumbling or falling apart. Serve this satisfying main by itself, or alongside a bowl of rice.
Spring Tofu Soup
This versatile (coincidentally vegan) soup can be customized with most quick-cooking vegetables — thinly sliced asparagus could easily be thinly sliced turnips or radishes — and whatever tofu you have access to. If tofu isn’t your thing, this soup would also be a great place to add any leftover chicken to warm through or shrimp to cook in the broth. The lemon at the end will breathe a lot of much-needed life into this broth built mostly from pantry staples, but a splash of rice wine vinegar would also do the trick.
Vegan Tantanmen With Pan-Fried Tofu
Tantanmen is the Japanese version of dan dan noodles, a Sichuan dish of noodles and pork bathed in a spicy sesame broth. Chinese or Japanese sesame pastes, which are made from roasted sesame seeds and yield a more robust flavor than tahini, are traditionally used in this dish. (But tahini works too; it will produce a mellower, creamier result.) For those who keep doubanjiang, or Chinese fermented bean paste, on hand, add a teaspoon or two to your soup base for even deeper flavor. Slices of pan-fried tofu make this dish feel more substantial, but if you are looking for a shortcut, crumble it up and pan-fry it alongside the mushrooms. For non-vegans, add a jammy egg.
Tomato and White Bean Soup With Lots of Garlic
This recipe makes the most out of just a handful of pantry ingredients, like canned white beans, a can of tomatoes and a full head of garlic. The soup owes its surprisingly rich and complex flavor to how the garlic is cooked: By smashing the cloves, you end up with different sizes and pieces of garlic. These cook irregularly, which means you’ll taste the full range of garlic’s flavors, from sweet and nutty to almost a little spicy. Simmer the lightly browned garlic with white beans and tomatoes, then blend, and you have a creamy, cozy soup that’s endlessly adaptable: Add aromatics to the simmering pot, or make it spicy with harissa, smoked paprika or chipotle. Top with pesto, croutons, cheese, cooked grains, greens or a fried egg.
Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Here’s a summery lentil salad topped with tomatoes, roasted peppers and feta, garnished with hard-cooked eggs, anchovy fillets and good canned tuna. Studded with olives and sprinkled with oregano, it’s a sort-of niçoise salad by way of Greece, an easy main course suitable for a picnic or a no-fuss make-ahead supper.
Tomato-Lentil Soup With Goat Cheese
You could just make this tomato-rich red lentil soup — it’s earthy and sweet, delicious on its own. But skipping the goat cheese topping would be like eating tomato soup without grilled cheese, and what’s the fun in that? In this recipe, the melty cheese accompaniment happens right in the pot: Once the lentils are soft, top them with slices of herb-and-lemon-sprinkled goat cheese to warm. The cheese forms creamy, tangy puddles throughout your bowl. While this dish is lovely as it is, feel free to top bowls with toasted walnuts or sliced almonds, zhug, rice or leftover root vegetables, eggplant or peppers. It’s also good with pita or crusty bread.
Adasi
A Persian dish of simply cooked lentils, adasi is often eaten as a warming breakfast in Iran, but it can make a comforting lunch or dinner, too. There are many variations, but the core ingredients are the same: lentils, salt and water. This recipe also calls for onion, cumin and turmeric, then simmering until the lentils become soft and creamy. (Don’t be deterred by the long cooking time, as the majority of it is hands off. To help reduce the cooking time, soak the lentils before cooking for two hours or up to overnight.) Garnishes are customizable: Add a pinch of dried oregano or fresh cilantro or parsley, then top with a pat of butter and enjoy as-is, or with a side of hard-boiled eggs or roast vegetables. It’s a wonderful dish to have in the fridge for a quick, nourishing meal any time of day.
Beet Salad With Coriander-Yogurt Dressing
Disks of succulent roast beets make this salad especially hearty. If your oven is already on, throw in some beets wrapped in foil, and roast them until tender. But if you are pressed for time, grab some store-bought cooked beets. They’ll work just as well. This salad is all about big forkfuls of vegetables; the plump chickpeas, which are suffused with warm coriander and bright orange zest, lend a delightful crunch. It’s all finished with a creamy yogurt dressing you’ll want to drizzle over everything on your plate.