An unspoken “rule” in my home is weekends are for eating out and weeknights are for eating in. Living by this rule has allowed us to spend valuable time together at the table every evening enjoying delicious, home-cooked meals. However, throwing together a made-from-scratch meal on a busy weeknight can absolutely be a daunting task at times. Here are 5 of my favorite “go-to” weeknight meals to cut out some of the guesswork. Trust me, you’ll want to add these to your dinner rotation!
- Lisa Bryan’s recipe for Best Baked Chicken Breast is a staple on our dinner table. It will literally take you five minutes to prep the chicken to bake and then the rest of the time, it’s totally hands-off in the oven. I like to bulk prep her special seasoning mix so that it’s always on hand and ready to go whenever I want to prepare this recipe. Serve your chicken with some easy sides or slice it up and toss it on your favorite salad. My kids love dipping it in tzatziki sauce or eating it in taco form!
- Another permanent fixture on my dinner rotation lineup is this Healthy Turkey Chili recipe from Well-Plated. I always keep my pantry stocked with cans of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and beans (she doesn’t include them in her recipe but I am Team Bean all the way) so I can whip this recipe up at the drop of a hat. I like mine with a dollop of sour cream and a bag of Fritos. This is also a recipe that does well with substitutions; I have thrown in carrots, beans, corn and hominy to no ill effect.
- When I am super super short on dinner prep time, I want to find the fastest way to pop a complete meal on the table. That usually means whipping up a stir-fry in my wok. This recipe for Easy Stir-Fry Sauce is so, so versatile and keeps well in the fridge. My family does a lot of grocery shopping at Costco, so we almost always have a giant bag of broccoli in our crisper drawer. With this sauce on hand, whipping up your own batch of beef and broccoli will take less time than waiting for takeout. Just get your rice cooker going before you take your wok out and you’ll be calling everyone to the dinner table in under 45 minutes.
- Have some leftover corn tortillas and a can of black beans? Whip up these Black Bean Tostadas for dinner! They are so quick to put together and you can even have the kids help with assembly. If you don’t have tortillas on hand but you have a bag of chips, these Sheet Pan Nachos are an excellent alternative.
- Looking for something that’s easy to make and absolutely delicious? A frittata definitely fits the bill. Though you often see these served for breakfast or brunch, they are actually a great quick weeknight meal. I like to serve mine alongside whatever greens I have on hand tossed with a bit of Classic French Vinaigrette.
Serving a home-cooked meal during the week doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. Tell us, what are your go-to quick and easy weeknight meals? We would love to hear in the comments below!
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