This week crosses a lot of borders. There's a Brazilian one-pot chicken and rice, a Moroccan-leaning shepherd's pie, Persian-style slow-roasted fish, Korean bibimbap bowls, and herb-marinated pork chops that sit somewhere between Mediterranean and backyard cookout. The pork chops and bibimbap come together fast. The shepherd's pie needs real oven time — budget 90 minutes. Everything else falls in the middle, so pick based on how much energy you've got each night.
This Week's Recipes
- Galinhada Mineira (Brazilian Chicken and Rice From Minas Gerais)
- Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
- Slow-Cooked Fish With Citrus and Herbs
- Herb-Marinated Pork Chops
- Bibimbap
1. Galinhada Mineira (Brazilian Chicken and Rice From Minas Gerais)
One pot, under an hour, feeds eight. This Brazilian chicken and rice from Minas Gerais cooks everything together — chicken, rice, peas, carrots — and the longer it sits, the more it tastes like everything was always meant to be in the same pot. You'll spend 45 minutes on a weeknight and end up with dinner that tastes like you cooked for a crowd.
At step 4, once the rice is done and the scallions are stirred in, scoop out the kids' portions straight from the pot. The peas, carrots, and tender chicken are already everything they need. Make sure the chicken is shredded or cut into small, soft pieces rather than left in whole chunks. The carrots should be fully fork-tender, and let it cool a bit before serving — this pot holds heat longer than you'd expect.
For the adults, pile on hot sauce, extra scallions, a squeeze of lime, and pickled chiles if you have them. The base is mild enough for the whole family, but the toppings take it somewhere sharper and brighter.
The Split: Adults get hot sauce, lime, and pickled chiles; kids get the one-pot chicken and rice as-is.
Serves: 8 | Time: 55m | Serious Eats →
2. Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
This is shepherd's pie with sweet potato mash on top and a lamb filling that goes in a Moroccan direction — dates, chickpeas, cumin. The sweet potato mash is what makes it work for everyone at the table: kids will eat it, adults will want seconds, and it gets a golden crust under the broiler. Budget about 90 minutes, but most of that is hands-off oven time.
At step 3, before the dates, chickpeas, and full spice treatment go into the filling, scoop out some of the browned lamb with a bit of tomato paste for the kids' portions. Top it with the sweet potato mash and bake separately in ramekins or a small dish. Make sure the lamb is finely ground with no chunky pieces, and the mash is smooth — no hard lumps. Let it cool well before serving, because shepherd's pie holds heat in a way that catches everyone off guard, kids included.
The adult version gets the complete filling — chickpeas, dates, parsley, cumin — all layered under that same sweet potato crust. It sits somewhere between a North African tagine and a British pub classic, and the dates add a sweetness against the lamb that you won't see coming.
The Split: Adults get the full Moroccan-spiced lamb with dates and chickpeas; kids get mild lamb under sweet potato mash.
Serves: 4-6 | Time: 1h 30m | NYT Cooking →
3. Slow-Cooked Fish With Citrus and Herbs
This one's a harder sell for kids, so here's the plan. Slow-roasted fish can seem fancy and unfamiliar, but the low-heat technique produces fish that's very tender and falls apart easily with a fork. That texture works in your favor with younger eaters, if you frame it right. The Persian-inspired base of leeks, saffron, and citrus is beautiful, but it's also exactly the kind of thing that makes a five-year-old suspicious.
At step 4, before the fish goes into the skillet over the leek-citrus bed, set aside a portion of plain fish. Season it with just salt and a little butter, then bake it separately on a small sheet pan. Before serving, flake it apart completely and check carefully for any hidden bones — take your time with this, don't rush it. Make sure the fish reaches 145 degrees internally. A squeeze of lemon and some rice on the side gives kids a clean, simple plate. For children under four, check whether the fish species is high-mercury and adjust accordingly.
The adult plates get the full treatment: fish bathed in saffron water, resting on a bed of softened leeks and citrus slices, with olive oil pooling around the edges. It's a Persian-style dish that fits the season — Nowruz falls right around now — and it looks far more impressive than 45 minutes of work deserves.
The Split: Adults get saffron-citrus fish over leeks; kids get plain baked fish with butter and lemon.
Serves: 6 | Time: 45m | NYT Cooking →
4. Herb-Marinated Pork Chops
Pork chops marinated in lemon, herbs, and olive oil. The vinaigrette works as both marinade and sauce, the chops cook fast in a hot skillet, and dinner is on the table in under 30 minutes of actual work. Make this once and you'll start keeping the ingredients on hand.
At step 3, when the chops go into the marinade, split the vinaigrette. For the kids, skip the olives, go easy on the garlic, keep the lemon and herbs. Once cooked, cut their chops into bite-sized boneless pieces and check for any bone fragments before plating. Pork needs to reach 145 degrees, so use a thermometer if you're not sure. Serve with something simple on the side and let the herbs do the work.
The adult chops get the full herb-olive-shallot-garlic vinaigrette, and it's worth going heavy on it. Pile on an arugula salad dressed with the extra marinade and you've got a plate that feels like early spring in the south of France, without the airfare.
The Split: Adults get the full garlicky herb-olive vinaigrette; kids get a milder lemon-herb version.
Serves: 4 | Time: 40m | NYT Cooking →
5. Bibimbap
Bibimbap is a rice bowl topped with vegetables, an egg, and a spicy sauce — and because everything gets prepped separately and assembled at the table, it's a natural fit for families. No one ends up eating something they didn't want. Forty minutes covers the prep and cooking, and most of that is just working through the vegetables one at a time.
At step 4, during assembly, let the kids build their own bowls. Rice first, then they pick from the toppings — carrots, bean sprouts, egg, sesame seeds. Skip the gochujang and offer soy sauce instead, but go easy on it since it's high-sodium; dilute with a little water or just let the other toppings carry the flavor. Make sure the egg is cooked through — firm fried, no runny yolk. Blanch the bean sprouts for two to three minutes rather than serving them raw. For kids under four, grind the sesame seeds coarsely or leave them off entirely.
Adults get the full spread: gochujang sauce, kimchi, all the vegetable toppings, and a crispy egg. Mix everything together so the sauce coats the rice and vegetables, and you end up with something that's surprisingly hard to stop eating.
The Split: Adults get gochujang and kimchi over everything; kids build their own bowl and skip the heat.
Serves: 2 | Time: 40m | Love and Lemons →
Start with the pork chops. The marinade handles most of the work, they cook fast, and the smell of lemon and herbs coming off that hot skillet might be the most convincing sign of spring you'll get all week.
Every Sunday
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