Weeknights made easy
With school starting up, here are some simple meals with a big payoff
Where, oh, where did the summer go? Back to school has been looking a little different this year, but it’s still the beginning of the busy season for many of us. The juggling act — work, home, family, school — begins. I chose the recipes today with all of that in mind. They require very little hands-on prep, but the payoff is big and delicious. Take a deep breath. You’ve got this. Here are five dishes for the week:
Cheddar Scallion Dip
Dip for dinner? You betcha. On particularly harried days, I usually make a hearty dip like this and serve it alongside a few different types of crackers or chips, raw vegetables and little piles of salami, pepperoni and prosciutto. (We call it “stuff on a plate.”) Then I throw an oversize chocolate bar on the table and call it dessert.
Yield: 1 cup
Total time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
4 ounces cream cheese (at room
temperature), cubed
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 scallion, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste Black pepper, to taste (optional) ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice,
as needed
½ cup sharp cheddar, finely grated 1 small garlic clove, mashed to a paste
(optional)
Hot sauce to taste (optional)
Directions
Place the cream cheese, mayonnaise, scallion, salt, pepper (if using) and paprika in a bowl and mix and mash well with a fork or spatula until smooth. Mix in orange juice until smooth, and then mix in the cheddar. If the dip seems too thick, add a little more juice. Taste for seasoning. You can also mix in a food processor if you like.
Chicken-Zucchini
Meatballs
This lovely sheet-pan dinner is kind of brilliant. Ground chicken (or turkey) can skew dry, so I add a little shredded zucchini, which keeps the meatballs moist under high heat. They roast alongside slices of zucchini, then everything is served with spoonfuls of lemon-feta sauce. I’m tossing everything with buttered orzo.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
3 large zucchini (about 1½ pounds) Kosher salt and black pepper
1 large shallot, halved
½cuppanko
1½ teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 pound ground chicken or turkey 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, basil, parsley or dill, plus more for serving
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more
for greasing and drizzling 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1
large lemon)
4 ounces feta
Directions
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut 2 of the zucchini into ½ inch-thick slices. Transfer to a plate, season with salt, and set aside.
Working over a large bowl, using the large holes of a box grater, grate the remaining zucchini. Grate 1 shallot half into the bowl as well. Add the panko, cumin, ½ teaspoon redpepper flakes and ½ teaspoon salt, and use your hands to toss until combined. Add the chicken and herbs and toss gently until combined.
Lightly grease a baking sheet. With wet hands, form the chicken mixture into 16 meatballs (around 2 to 3 tablespoons each) and place them on one side of the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, pat the sliced zucchini dry, then lightly coat with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with pepper.
Coarsely chop the remaining shallot half and transfer to a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, season with salt, and stir to combine.
Add the sliced zucchini to the other half of the baking sheet, moving the meatballs over, if necessary. Bake until the meatballs are cooked through and the zucchini is golden on the underside, another 15 to 20 minutes. For more browned meatballs, broil for a few minutes, if desired.
Meanwhile, crumble the feta into the shallot mixture. Add the ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil and the remaining ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes. Stir, breaking up the feta a bit, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Eat the meatballs and zucchini with a drizzle of the feta sauce and more fresh herbs.
Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew
Don’t let the word “stew” scare you. This brothy, buttery shrimp dish is really more of a sauté, and it comes together in about a half-hour.
Because my kids can be weird about shrimp, I’ll probably add another can of beans and serve this over jasmine rice.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest and 2
tablespoons juice
1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika 2 garlic cloves, grated
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound peeled, deveined large
shrimp (tails removed)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (½
stick)
2 large leeks, trimmed, then halved lengthwise, white and light green parts sliced crosswise ½-inch thick (or 1 large onion, minced) 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans or
other white beans, rinsed
2 cups chicken stock or vegetable
stock
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
parsley (optional)
Toasted bread, for serving (optional) Directions
Combine lemon zest, paprika, garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.
In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. When butter is foaming, add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and starting to curl, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a plate; set aside.
Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium until leeks are soft and starting to brown on the edges, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and chicken broth and bring to a boil over high. Lower heat and simmer, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in reserved shrimp and any juices from the plate, parsley and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with toasted bread.
Slow Cooker
Salsa Verde Chicken
A lot of slow cooker recipes get billed as “fix it and forget it,” but they actually aren’t. This Mexicaninfluenced one is. Just combine boneless, skinless chicken thighs with a jar of good store-bought salsa verde, canned green chiles, chopped garlic, cumin and garlic and onion powders in a slow cooker and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. The stewy chicken is great over rice or tucked into enchiladas or burritos.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 5 to 6 hours
Ingredients
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken
thighs
1½ cups jarred salsa verde
1 (4-ounce) can chopped mild green
chiles
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and
diced 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 scallions (green and white parts),
thinly sliced
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems finely chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh lime juice, to taste
Any combination of rice, tortillas, pepitas, queso fresco, diced avocado and crushed tortilla chips, for serving
Directions
Combine the chicken thighs, salsa verde, green chiles, chopped garlic, jalapeño, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin in a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Stir to evenly combine. (Don’t add salt now; jarred salsas are often high in sodium.) Cook on low until the chicken is tender and the flavors are blended, 5 to 6 hours. (If you will be awayfor8hoursormore,setthecook time for 4 hours on low and set the slow cooker auto-switch to warm for the remaining time.)
Use two forks to coarsely shred the chicken. With the heat on low, add the scallions and cilantro, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and lime juice. Serve with rice or in tortillas, if desired, with accompaniments.
Chile-Oil Noodles with Cilantro
Three out of four of my family members love this noodle recipe. For the spice-averse 6-year old, I’ll set aside some undressed noodles that she can season with soy sauce, sesame oil, fried shallots and cilantro herself. We’ll want something cool alongside, probably a refreshing cucumber salad.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
14 ounces dried udon noodles
¼ cup chile oil with crunchy garlic 2 tablespoons pure sesame oil 2 teaspoons Sichuan chile oil, or to
taste
2 teaspoons soy sauce
½ cup finely sliced garlic chives or
scallions, plus more for garnish 2 tablespoons store-bought fried shallots, crumbled by hand (optional)
½ cup finely chopped cilantro (see
note), plus a few sprigs for garnish
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook noodles according to package instructions, stirring from time to time to prevent them from sticking. Drain well in a colander, then run noodles under cold water until cooled.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine all three oils with the soy sauce and ½ cup garlic chives.
Toss cooled noodles into the chile oil mixture. Gently fold in the crumbled fried shallots and chopped cilantro. Divide among four bowls, and top with more garlic chives and cilantro sprigs.
Tip: For crisp cilantro, place leaves and stems in an ice water bath until the leaves are firm. Drain and spin in a salad spinner. Store cilantro in the spinner and refrigerate until ready to use.