Weeknight Meals

In this recipe, every single grain of rice gets coated in egg yolk and fries up perfectly distinct and chewy. Think of this method as a canvas for mixing in different ingredients and flavors—just don't skip the furikake.

This super-flexible, all-purpose salad turns cabbage into luscious tangles of crisp leaves generously coated in a rich and bright dressing.

You’ll find Korean rice cakes in all kinds of shapes and sizes—from long cylinders to thin, oblong rounds. While their flavor does not change according to shape, textures do. Thin rice cakes work well for this stir-fry, as they quickly absorb flavors and soften into crispy, chewy coins.

These potatoes are like little starch balloons that pop when you bite into them. Serve them as a side, or add an aioli or creamy dressing to make them a snacky starter.

The secret to these stewy baked eggs is a can of lentil soup. Any basic variety of lentil soup will work—you'll dress it up with the earthy spices and caramelized onions.

This isn’t your average Caesar salad. Here, the chicken gets smothered in Caesar dressing then roasts until the garlic, anchovies, and mustard become deeply caramelized and flavorful.

This one-skillet dinner gets deep oniony flavor from lots of leeks cooked down to jammy tenderness.

Traditionally, enfrijoladas are made by dipping stale tortillas into leftover frijoles from the night before. They are also great topped with a fried egg, or with roasted vegetables instead of chorizo to make this a plant-based breakfast.

These turmeric-spiced pumpkin falafels come together in a food processor, then roast in the oven to golden-brown perfection. A punchy carrot slaw keeps things bright.

Brush butternut squash with maple-chile oil before roasting, then top with a lemon-tahini dressing and herby quinoa.

This turkey-based Sloppy Joe-inspired sauce uses carrots and deeply caramelized onions to add a bit of sweetness. Adding eggs and garlicky spinach turns it into a meal.

In this ramen recipe, I use miso paste in two different ways, slathering it on the squash before it roasts and mixing it into the broth, where it amplifies both the sweet and savory character of the squash. The real game changer is blending some of the roasted squash into the broth, delivering velvety, rich body. You can use other types of squash or pumpkins for this dish, but because of its robust flesh, nutty flavor, and meaty mouthfeel, Japanese kabocha is my preferred choice; butternut squash is a worthy substitute.

This Trinidadian version of curried chicken is an earthy, rich stew of whole chicken pieces in an aromatic, vibrant broth, spiked with hot chile and a traditional herb paste.

Quickly simmer shrimp in a stew of canned tomatoes, bell pepper, chicken broth, and cumin for an excellent and easy dinner.

This scalloped potatoes recipe is a classic from Gourmet, simply made with softened onions, an easy roux, and thinly sliced potatoes.

Cube your salmon and roast it at high heat for a perfectly charred exterior and tender, flaky interior. The creamy marinade in this recipe brings flavor, while also keeping the salmon moist.

When I was growing up, my mother served a lot of canned vegetables, but the one thing she always made from scratch was acorn squash, which she roasted with butter and maple syrup. When I revisited her old method, I found it was just as good as I remembered. The sweet squash filled with a big puddle of melted butter and sweet syrup is so irresistible!

Turmeric, chiles, and chewy-nutty cooked grains balance the sweetness of fresh corn in this loose vegan riff on creamed corn.

This dish of seared paneer channels flavors traditionally found in matar paneer—coriander, cumin, chile, and ginger—by incorporating them into a quick-cooking cherry tomato sauce.

This reimagined chicken salad is lighter and leafier than your standard picnic lunch. Tender poached chicken, crisp greens, cukes, and scallions get tossed with a sesame dressing that takes its cues form gomae, a Japanese spinach salad.