This week is mostly grill weather, and a few of these take real time — the chimichurri chicken and the steak panzanella both want most of an afternoon between marinating, grilling, and assembling, and the crispy tofu tacos need patience to get that crackly crust. The pork chops and the corn-and-shrimp linguine are your quick nights, both doable on a regular Tuesday. Take a look at the week ahead and save the longer cooks for evenings when you actually have time.
This Week's Recipes
- Chimichurri Grilled Chicken
- Crispy Tofu Tacos
- Apricot Dijon Pork Chops
- Grilled Steak Panzanella Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette
- Linguine With Zucchini, Corn and Shrimp
1. Chimichurri Grilled Chicken
A yogurt marinade tenderizes the thighs and gives them better color on the grill, so the chicken comes off juicy with a little char before any sauce shows up. The chimichurri is where most of the flavor lives — garlic, red wine vinegar, and crushed red pepper chopped into a bright, sharp raw sauce that goes on at the very end.
Everyone's thighs grill the same way through step 13, so the split is simple: at step 14, plate the kids' chicken before you spoon on the chimichurri, and put a little on the side for dipping if they're curious. A couple of safety things to check first. Debone the thighs, and cut them into roughly one-inch pieces for kids under five. The raw garlic and crushed red pepper are pretty sharp and can bother little mouths, so keep the sauce separate and let the older kids try it on their own terms.
For the adults, finish each thigh with a big spoonful of that garlicky, vinegary sauce right before serving. The charred chicken and the bright herb sauce are a good match — it's the kind of dinner that feels like you're eating outside even when you're not.
The Split: Adults get grilled thigh under a spoon of garlicky chimichurri; kids get the plain thigh with sauce to dunk.
Serves: 4 | Time: 165m | Budget Bytes →
2. Crispy Tofu Tacos
Tofu tacos are a harder sell for kids who've already made up their minds about tofu, so this one tries to meet them somewhere familiar — a taco shape they know, and a texture that's actually crispy rather than soft and blocky. Grating the tofu and roasting it until the edges crackle gets it close to a crispy crumble, which is the version a skeptical kid is most likely to try.
The split happens early at step 2, when the tofu goes onto two foil-lined sheet pans. Season one pan with the full cumin, paprika, and cayenne blend for the adults, and leave the kid pan mild, skipping the cayenne and going easy on the rest, then roast both together. Quick note: tofu is soy, so keep that in mind for any soy allergies. And since the goal is crisp-not-brittle, bite-test a crumble before serving to make sure the inside is still soft for younger kids.
For kids, tuck the mild crumbles into warm tortillas with shredded cheese and plain avocado — soft, familiar, no heat. The adults get the full version: spiced, crackly tofu under a lime-zest avocado crema with radishes, red onion, and cilantro.
The Split: Adults get boldly spiced tofu with avocado crema and radishes; kids get mild crumbled tofu with cheese and avocado.
Serves: 8-10 tacos | Time: 1h 15m | NYT Cooking →
3. Apricot Dijon Pork Chops
This is the quick night — a fast sear and a pan sauce that comes together while the chops rest. The chops cook with just salt and pepper, and the apricot, Dijon, and vinegar sauce is built off to the side, which is what keeps the split so easy.
The sauce doesn't touch the meat until step 5, so just pull the kid's chop out plain before you spoon it over. If they want something on it, a thin smear of just the apricot preserves is sweet and mild. A couple of quick safety steps: slice the chop into thin strips and then into small pieces, around half an inch, and check for any bones, cartilage, or sharp edges. The pork should hit 145°F before serving.
The adults get the full chop glazed in that tangy, sweet pan sauce. It's a weeknight dinner that tastes like you put in more work than you actually did.
The Split: Adults get the chop glazed in tangy apricot-Dijon sauce; kids get it plain or with an apricot smear.
Serves: 4 | Time: 25m | Budget Bytes →
4. Grilled Steak Panzanella Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette
Hanger steak grilled alongside thick slices of bread and zucchini, then everything tossed with kale and a tomato vinaigrette built from the juices of ripe, in-season tomatoes. The grilled bread soaks up the dressing and goes part-crisp, part-tender — that's really the whole point of a panzanella.
The steak, bread, and zucchini all grill the same way through step 4, so the split is just a matter of pulling some pieces aside. At step 5, before anything gets tossed into the dressing, set aside a plate for the kids: sliced grilled steak, some toasted bread cubes, and a few plain tomato wedges. Slice the steak thin and cut it into half- to one-inch pieces, and make sure it's actually tender rather than chewy. Bite-test the bread cubes so they're soft inside and not charred through. Cut the tomatoes into small, soft pieces and skip any that are still firm, and bring the steak to at least 145°F.
The adults get the assembled salad: hanger steak over a juicy panzanella of grilled bread, zucchini, and kale in that mustard-tomato vinaigrette. It's a full dinner that makes the most of tomatoes when they're actually worth buying.
The Split: Adults get steak over dressed panzanella; kids get plain grilled steak, toasted bread cubes, and tomato wedges.
Serves: 4 | Time: 1 hour 45 minutes | Epicurious →
5. Linguine With Zucchini, Corn and Shrimp
A quick summer pasta — thirty minutes, sweet corn and zucchini, shrimp folded in, finished with fresh mint and basil. It's buttery but light, and the corn-and-zucchini base is genuinely kid-friendly before the stronger flavors come in.
The split is at step 3, when a pinch of red pepper goes in with the garlic and shallot. Hold the flakes for the kids and lift out a portion of the buttery corn-and-zucchini pasta before the mint and basil finish it at step 4, with the shrimp kept on the side to add or skip. This one takes the most prep for younger kids — cut the linguine into short two- to three-inch pieces rather than leaving full strands. Cut the corn off the cob and chop the kernels small rather than leaving them whole. Cut the shrimp into small pieces or leave it out entirely for kids under five, and a short pasta like ditalini or orzo is a fine swap if you have it. Make sure the shrimp and vegetables are cooked through.
The adults get the full thing: bright, herby linguine with sweet corn, zucchini, and shrimp, with red pepper, mint, and basil. It's a light summer dinner that comes together fast.
The Split: Adults get herby linguine with red pepper and shrimp; kids get buttery corn-zucchini pasta, shrimp on the side.
Serves: 4-6 | Time: 30m | NYT Cooking →
Start with the apricot Dijon pork chops if you want an easy entry point — twenty-five minutes, one pan, and you pull the kid's portion out before the sauce goes on. It's probably the easiest split on the list.
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