Weeknight
3491 recipes found
Skillet Meatballs With Peaches, Basil and Lime
You can make these gingery meatballs with any kind of ground meat (or vegan meat), but rich, brawny pork goes especially well with juicy peaches and the fresh basil. Make sure to use ripe or even overripe peaches (or nectarines). They should be very soft so they cook quickly, and very sweet so they contrast with the savory meatballs and tangy lime juice. Rice or rice noodles would fill this meal out perfectly and substantially, as would a crisp-leafed salad for a lighter, more summery supper.
Pork Chops With Salted Plums
This weeknight affair pairs savory pork with a sweet-and-sour mixture of sliced plums and red onions. When a recipe has so few ingredients, it’s important that they be of the highest quality possible. The pork chops here will deliver most of the fat, so make sure they’re well marbled (bone-in loin or rib chops both work). As for the plums, this is one of the rare occasions in which underripe is preferred to perfectly ripe, so they maintain texture after they get briefly tossed in the skillet, and also deliver plenty of acidity for the pan sauce.
Grits and Greens
This weeknight dinner is the perfect homey and rustic dish. Quick-cooking grits become extra flavorful because they are simmered in vegetable stock and get a creamy bite from the combination of milk and sharp Cheddar that’s stirred in once the grits are tender. Using both collard greens and Swiss chard lends more interesting and varied tastes and textures. Because the leaves are cooked just until wilted, apple cider vinegar is added at the end to help balance out any bitterness. A little hot sauce splashed on just before serving helps tie the entire dish together, awakening the flavors in both the greens and grits.
Braised Mustard Greens
Mustard greens are a delectable option for the simplest weeknight meal or the grandest holiday table. Though they’re from the same plant family as collard greens, mustard greens are more peppery and the cooked leaves are more tender. (They also cook down a lot more, so it takes a lot of mustard greens to make a decent serving amount!) This recipe is generous with the liquid, because as it cooks it becomes something just as delicious as the greens themselves: pot likker. Smoked meats are often used for their flavor, but a small amount of liquid smoke keeps this recipe meat-free. Be sure to serve your greens in a bowl, so you can slurp up the resulting pot likker afterward.
Café China’s Dan Dan Noodles
Also known as dan dan mian, these noodles have regional variations — you’re likely to find a peanut-laden, vegetarian version in Taiwan — but this recipe comes from Café China, a beloved Sichuan restaurant in New York City. Popularized in Chengdu, this dish takes its name from the Mandarin verb “dan,” which refers to how vendors once carried the ingredients, hanging from bamboo poles balanced on their shoulders. The dish builds on a complex chile sauce that is more rich and robust than fiery. Though the ingredient list is lengthy, the process is clear-cut: Get the water boiling for your noodles while you prepare the sauce. Sauté the pork, seasoned with suimiyacai (preserved mustard greens), boil your noodles, and dinner is served.
Brussels Sprouts Pasta With Bacon and Vinegar
This recipe is endlessly adaptable: You can use pancetta or even sliced salami in place of the bacon, and chopped cabbage or torn escarole work well if you don't have sprouts. No shallots? A small red onion will do. Keep in mind different types of bacon (or other cured pork) will render different amounts of fat. When you add the brussels sprouts, if the skillet starts to look a little dry, add a tablespoon of oil to keep things moving. To achieve a nice mix of crisp leaves and tender cores, tear off some of the loose outer leaves from your brussels sprouts; they will wilt and blister while the more tightly bundled cores will soften and steam. This recipe is designed for a half pound of pasta; though you may be tempted to add extra pasta, the dish will be plenty filling with a whole pound of brussels sprouts.
Lemony Greek Chicken, Spinach and Potato Stew
If your favorite Greek foods are the lively vegetable dishes, this meal-in-a-bowl stew is for you. A simple mix of lemon, garlic and lots of herbs enliven the potatoes and spinach and using ground meat ensures a lot of flavor in very little time. Ground turkey or pork would be just as good, if you prefer. Russets can be substituted for Yukon golds, but their texture will be more grainy and less creamy. Mature spinach or frozen spinach works best here because of its mellow flavor, as opposed to baby spinach, which is more tannic. Add the amount of dill that sounds best to you, or if you don’t like it, swap in a few tablespoons of fresh parsley or mint.
Grilled Feta With Nuts
This skillet of warmed feta and nuts can tide guests over before dinner or embellish a meal of grilled lamb kebabs, mixed vegetables, pork or chicken. Inspired by saganaki, a fried-cheese appetizer from Greece, the feta here is surrounded by nuts, olive oil, honey and herbs. Thyme, oregano or za’atar adds earthiness to the salty feta and sweet honey, but you could incorporate orange or lemon peel, fresh or dried chile, or any other aromatics you like on spiced nuts. You could also trade the nuts for tomatoes, dates, salami or olives. Whatever you do, be sure to drizzle the herbed honey and oil over each spoonful of feta.
Plantains With Jammy Tomatoes and Eggs
Plantains are nutrient-rich starches that can sweeten as they cook, and, in many parts of the world, they find their way into the best stews and porridges. This recipe is based on “tomato eggs,” a dish popular in Lagos, Nigeria, and across West Africa. Tomato eggs can be made with yams or plantains, and here, firm yellow plantains work best because they hold their shape and texture while absorbing the flavors of the surrounding stew. It’s a perfect meal for days when you want something hot but not too heavy or filling. Any herbs you have on hand will work well, and the dish can be made vegan by substituting medium-firm or soft tofu for the eggs. To get vegetarian recipes like this one delivered to your inbox, sign up for The Veggie newsletter.
Grilled Fish With Salsa Verde
This parsley sauce, made with capers and garlic, is a perfect complement to mild-tasting cod. You could use other fish, or try the sauce on grilled meat, chicken or vegetables. No grill? Broil the fish instead: Put it on a sheet pan, position the oven rack about 4 inches or so below the broiler and heat it to high. Cook the fish for just a few minutes; there's no need to flip it, and it will cook fast.
Baked Potatoes
Recipes for baked potatoes exist across the archives of The Times. This is the battle-tested best. Adorn the result with toppings: sour cream, minced chives, crumbled bacon, chopped jalapeño, cauliflower florets, crab meat dressed in lemon juice. The potatoes are a blank canvas, though delicious on their own.
Blond Puttanesca (Linguine With Tuna, Arugula and Capers)
Garlic, anchovies, capers and tuna come together in this briny, tomato-less take on the classic pasta puttanesca. The sauce is prepared while the pasta cooks, so you can get dinner on the table in no time. If you want to go the extra mile, roughly chopped green pitted olives would be a nice addition, as would topping the dish with toasted panko bread crumbs tossed with lemon zest. Go ahead, drink that glass of falanghina while you’re cooking.
Spicy Tahini Meatballs With Pita, Cucumber and Avocado
This sheet-pan dinner incorporates elements of koftas, fattoush and shepherd’s salad, but what ties it all together is a tahini sauce made feisty with hot sauce. Some spicy tahini sauce goes into the chicken meatballs, so they stay moist as they roast alongside torn pita, then more sauce gets drizzled over the entire dish, where its fire and creaminess is a welcome contrast to the mixture of cucumbers, avocados, mint, lime and toasted pita. Feel free to adapt the salad based on what you have; other crunchy vegetables, like snap peas or fennel, would be great, as would some chickpeas or briny feta or capers.
Pasta Marinara With 40 Cloves of Garlic
This vegan sauce may use the same ingredients as a light marinara, but it’s hearty like a meat ragù. The richness is created by both the sheer volume of the garlic — 40 cloves — and the way it’s handled. Smash the cloves to peel them easily (or buy peeled cloves), then braise them in oil so their stiff edges give way to a softer, gentler side and their sweet juices infuse the oil. Braised garlic is lovely with roasted chicken, incorporated into mashed potatoes, blended into salad dressing or in a curry. It also goes naturally with canned tomatoes that have been warmed just long enough to wake up their flavor. Think of this recipe as akin to a braised meat ragù, except the browned, slouchy main ingredient isn’t meat, but, thrillingly, garlic.
Creamy Farro With Crispy Mushrooms and Sour Cream
Similar in texture to a risotto (without the constant stirring), this creamy, saucy farro is about half the work, with almost no technique required. While the porridgelike texture is a delight all on its own, the meaty, golden brown mushrooms and frizzled leeks are the real reason you are here. Using plenty of olive oil to make sure the mushrooms crisp and brown without sticking will be the secret to success in that department.
Cheesy Cauliflower Toasts
Trust Ina Garten to take two big food trends — cauliflower and toast — and combine them into something completely fresh. This recipe, adapted from her 2018 cookbook, “Cook Like a Pro,” is a bit like an open-face grilled cheese sandwich with a nutty layer of roasted cauliflower, and spiked with nutmeg and paprika. We made it vegetarian by leaving out the prosciutto, and also lightened up on the cheese. It makes a vegetarian dinner with soup and salad, or a good snack with drinks.
Arroz Mamposteao
Rice and beans are religion in Puerto Rico, though they’re typically prepared separately but served together, several spoonfuls of beans on top of white rice. But mamposteao — easily my favorite name for a Puerto Rican dish — combines the two. It’s a preparation intended to make use of leftovers, as it benefits from day-old rice and prepared beans. Traditionally, pork and tomato sauce are added — but, for a more subtle approach to this recipe, bacon fat replaces ham or tocino (fatback) here, giving the dish a smoky richness without any meat. You can prepare this dish from start to finish with fresh rice and fresh beans, but it’s not recommended. Think of this as a satisfying way to make use of leftover ingredients that also pairs well with a variety of Puerto Rican dishes.
Pasta With Andouille Sausage, Beans and Greens
Highly seasoned andouille sausage makes this pasta extra-zippy, while white beans and collard greens give it a rustic flair. They are not ingredients typically used in pasta, but this dish may become part of your regular rotation once you try it. This one-dish dinner is perfect for cold, cozy nights when you want something hearty to stick to your bones, but it will satisfy any time. Swirling in lemon juice and olive oil just before serving adds freshness and ties all of the flavors together.
Broccoli and Farro Stew With Capers and Parsley
This farro and broccoli stew is as hearty, cozy and full of green vegetables as you might expect, but you may be surprised to taste how effervescent it is. Bowls are piquant with white wine and a mix of garlic, capers and parsley, plus chile that’s used two ways: fried with farro to build the ground floor of the stew, and more to finish for bite. The broccoli is caramelized and sweet — so much more than plain boiled broccoli — and the farro adds bouncy chew. This stew is so lively, you don’t need cheese (but it wouldn’t hurt). Enjoy as a vegan main dish, perhaps with crusty bread for dunking, or as a side dish to roasted sausage or chicken or steamed clams or fish.
Spanish-Style Shrimp With Garlic
Garlic and shrimp take center stage in this classic Spanish dish, which is served as a tapa in Spain but also makes a great main dish. Serve with rice, or if serving in earthenware dishes, with crusty bread for dipping.
Garlic Rasam
While working on her new cookbook, “Usha’s Rasam Digest,” the author Usha Prabakaran gathered over 1,000 recipes for rasam, a thin, tangy broth from southern India with many names and infinite variations. This one comes together in minutes, from a base of gently sautéed garlic and a peppery spice mixture that is ground to make rasam powder. Ms. Prabakara suggests the soup for anyone feeling unwell. Don’t let the garlic color, or it’ll add a note of bitterness to the rasam.
Baked Skillet Pasta With Cheddar and Spiced Onions
In this warming skillet pasta bake, onions — sautéed with cumin, coriander and allspice until golden and aromatic — do double duty. They form the base of the tomato sauce that's used to coat the pasta, and are mixed with grated Cheddar for the topping, where strands of onions mingle with the melted, gooey cheese. It’s satisfying and easy, with the pasta baked in the same skillet as the sauce. Serve it as a meatless main course with a crisp salad alongside, or as a rich side to a lighter chicken or fish dish.
Vegan Coconut-Ginger Black Beans
The velvety combination of beans and coconut milk is found in a number of African and Caribbean dishes, like Nigerian frejon and Haitian sos pwa nwa. In this recipe, black beans are simmered in coconut milk with a healthy dose of fresh ginger, then finished with lime juice. The result is a light vegan main or side dish. Finish with crushed plantain chips seasoned with lime zest for sweetness and crunch, or top with coconut flakes or tortilla chips, which are also excellent
Smoky White Bean and Beef Sloppy Joes
This update on the kid-friendly classic uses half the meat as a traditional sloppy Joe recipe, but retains the qualities that everyone loves: a tart-sweet savoriness and a quick cooking time. You can substitute ground pork, turkey, lamb or plant-based ground meat for the beef; the key is to use a protein that’s not too lean. A little fat helps carry the flavor of the meat through the entire dish. (If you use plant-based meat or you only have lean meat on hand, add another tablespoon of olive oil or your preferred fat.) The addition of adobo sauce from a can of chipotles imparts smoke, with just a hint of heat. (If you’d like a spicier version, by all means, chop up one or two of the chipotles and add them.) The leftover chipotles keep for at least two weeks in the fridge or indefinitely in the freezer, and they are a welcome addition to many dishes, like chicken tacos or chili.