Dinner

Broccoli rice is the base for bright toppings like fresh peas, avocados, and pickled ginger. Round out the bowl with a creamy, herby dressing and a soft-boiled egg.

We’re all for a good store-bought marinara, but there is no substitute for homemade béchamel—of this we can be sure.

The secret to this version of potato salad is sweet pickle relish—not diced cucumbers, dill pickles, or cornichons.

Here’s a riff on the traditional patty melt, with perfectly cooked chicken breast and a big pile of caramelized onions. This recipe calls for a mixture of yellow onions, red onions, scallions, and fried shallots, but you can use any onions you have on hand.

Meet the chicken spiedie: chicken that tastes like it has been marinated in Italian dressing, skewered and grilled over charcoal, and put onto a soft, white bun with absolutely nothing else on it.

We highly recommend finishing the pasta with finely grated Parmesan and some extra cracked black pepper—they’re great flavors with the creamy lemon sauce.

You can use ground turkey or chicken here, or swap in a vegetarian protein of your choice. 

The Instant Pot’s sauté function is key here: the chicken thighs get crispy and browned before they finish cooking in a briny, lemony, garlicky stock.

Based on a Middle Eastern mujaddara, a homey mix of spiced simmered lentils and rice, this easy, meatless dish is rich with allspice, cinnamon, and sweet browned leeks. The handful of baby spinach stirred in toward the end turns it into a one-pot meal, and adds a bit of welcome color, too. If you don’t have leeks, use an onion or two instead.

Layering and baking sautéed garlicky greens, beans, and Parmesan on top of make-ahead Parmesan Polenta creates a super fast, pantry-friendly weeknight dinner that’s sort of like a polenta pizza.

This highly riffable dinner salad features cubes of leftover polenta, tossed in Parmesan, and crisped in a skillet for croutons that are naturally gluten-free, delightfully crunchy on the outside, and warm and creamy on the inside.

Start by serving this big pot of polenta as a soft, creamy side dish when it is freshly made, then divide the rest into baking dishes to use later in the week as polenta croutons and polenta crust.

This salad evolved from my father’s favorite road-trip snack—carrot sticks with roasted almonds, lemon juice, and salt. I’ve punched it up with fresh ginger, lots of parsley, and dates.