| Baked Chicken (Turkey) Meatballs (Pinch of Yum) 🏆⌛️1️⃣❄️ |
I make it with 85% lean ground turkey. Easily remixed with harissa and whipped feta or peppers and orzo. Double or triple and freeze some for later! |
| Enchilada Lentil Nachos (Pinch of Yum) 1️⃣❄️ |
Even my husband doesn’t miss the meat in this one. Super flavorful, and even better with enchilada sauce from scratch. Cook time is usually about an hour. |
| Creamy Beef Pasta (Recipe Tin Eats) 🏆⌛️1️⃣❄️ |
One pan wonder! Short ingredients list. Everyone likes this one. |
| Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas (Budget Bytes)⌛️💸 |
Air fry, pan fry, or bake in oven. Serve with multigrain tortilla chips and quality jarred salsa, sour cream and guacamole for a flavorful budget dinner. |
| Everyday Salad (Gimme Some Oven)🏆⌛️💸 |
Add air fried frozen tenders to make it an entree. Also a good side dish for most proteins. Don’t skip the pepitas for a satisfying crunch. Makes a nice mason jar salad. |
| Classic Baked Ziti (Budget Bytes) ❄️🌟 |
I cook in two 8x8 pans and freeze one for later. One of my kids’ favorites. Easy, satisfying meal for a large group. |
| Slow Cooker (or Instant Pot) Vegetarian Chili (Budget Bytes) 🏆⌛️1️⃣❄️💸 |
Very homey. We like it sprinkled with cheese, sour cream, and Fritos or chowder crackers. A lot like my mom’s, but with lentils in place of ground beef. |
| Grownup Grilled Cheese (Once Upon a Chef) ⌛️1️⃣💸 |
Next-level grilled cheese with spinach and red pesto (I like Aldi’s). Also good with sautéed mushrooms if you’re into that. We air fry it for basically no supervision. |
| Cheeseburger Sliders (Natasha’s Kitchen) ⌛️ |
A new addition. Comes together quickly on one sheet of King’s Hawaiian rolls, sliced horizontally. Good for a party. |
| Chicken Sausage & Orzo (Eat Yourself Skinny) ⌛️1️⃣ |
One pan, tasty, and pretty light. We all like this one. |
| Sheet Pan Pancakes (Jo Cooks) 🏆⌛️1️⃣❄️ |
The king of breakfast for dinner. Top with chocolate chips, fresh or frozen berries, or sprinkles before baking. Good for brunch because they bake all in one go. No flipping! |
| Butternut Squash Pasta (Food52) 🌟 |
Dicing tough butternut squash is a pain, but this pasta is worth it. Pierce the squash several times with a fork and microwave for easier cutting. Bake on two sheet pans if necessary to avoid crowding the pan to ensure your squash crisps up. |
| Tuscan Chicken (The Recipe Critic) 1️⃣🌟 |
Great flavors and colors on the plate. Just the thing for a small dinner party. (The cook time will increase a lot if you have to do several rounds of browning the chicken. Ask me how I know.) |
| Asparagus, Herb & Pea Pasta |
Something very classy about this one, like something you’d order in a chic restaurant. It calls for ingredients I don’t usually buy, which makes it feel like a special occasion. I leave the sauteed pancetta in the pan and proceed with the sauce. |
| Lemon Ricotta Pasta |
A light, veggie-filled pasta singing off the same sheet of music as better-known pasta primavera. Grating zucchini is the most time consuming part. I find it helpful to cut the zucchini in halves or quarters if they’re big. Prettier with the pop of green in zucchini, but could substitute yellow squash. |
| Sweet Potato & Tahini Salad |
Every bit as good as a restaurant salad. The contrast between spiced sweet potatoes and nutty tahini makes this one special. |
| Cauliflower Burrito Bowls |
Light, fresh and satisfying! Almost one (sheet) pan except for the sauce, which adds time but pays off in flavor and contrast. Good candidate for meal prep. |