My go-to weeknight dinners

Grocery-store ice cream makes the list.

View in browser|nytimes.com October 5, 2024 Rick A. Martínez's frijoles de olla. Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Mariana Velásquez. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. My go-to weeknight dinners By Ali Slagle Hello, and thank you to Mia Leimkuhler for taking time off so I can go on and on about my favorite thing: recipes! When you find a trustworthy one, hold on tight. After a long day of developing and testing recipes, what a relief it is to cling to someone else's unwavering recipe for my own dinner. That's why it's exciting that on Tuesday, New York Times Cooking is coming out with a new cookbook, "Easy Weeknight Dinners: 100 Fast, Flavor-Packed Meals for Busy People Who Still Want Something Good to Eat." You can order a copy here, and if you'd like a signed edition, click here. On launch night, Emily Weinstein and I are talking dinner at Talea taproom in Brooklyn. We'd love to meet you! Get your tickets here. When it's already 7:30 p.m., I turn to something like Sue Li's new seared tofu with kimchi. The tofu plumps with kimchi juice and soy sauce and then flops dramatically over steamed rice. After eating it, I did the same on the couch. Melissa Clark's chickpea stew with orzo and mustard greens is a favorite when chopping feels like a salve rather than a slog. It's cozy, with chickpeas and orzo, and colorful, with carrots, tomatoes, fennel and greens. To get ahead on tomorrow's lunch, I grill or broil Lidey Heuck's yogurt-marinated chicken to eat with salad for dinner and to stuff into quesadillas for lunch. Another common dinner-then-lunch is Priya Krishna's soothing and suspiciously fast everyday dal. Instead of the chhonk's sizzled spices, sometimes I drizzle it with a spicy mint cilantro chutney, which also finds its way onto rice, roasted vegetables and that grilled chicken. Featured Recipe Frijoles de Olla (Homestyle Black Beans) View Recipe → While "Easy Weeknight Dinners" is dedicated to dishes that are ready in about half an hour, I also rely on recipes that are strolls instead of sprints. They cook themselves while I'm working or can be made anytime and left to hang out until dinner. For example, a pot of special beans like Rick A. Martínez's frijoles de olla (homestyle black beans) can putter away on its own, only periodically stirred and tasted until the beans' stony bodies turn fudgy. And my partner is always happy about sloppy Joes, including when I use ground turkey, crumbled tempeh or red lentils instead of beef — as long as they're topped with Fritos, as sloppy Joes were in his family. Crunch crunch. For dessert, it takes two entire minutes to caramelize dates in olive oil, scrape them over a scoop of vanilla ice cream and crush flaky salt on top. Just because it's a weeknight doesn't mean it can't be a nice time. Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Seared Tofu With Kimchi  By Sue Li 25 minutes Makes 4 servings David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Chickpea Stew With Orzo and Mustard Greens By Melissa Clark 25 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Jerrie-Joy Redman-Lloyd. Grilled Chicken With Yogurt Marinade By Lidey Heuck 20 minutes, plus at least 3 hours' marinating Makes 4 servings Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Chicken Quesadillas By Ali Slagle 10 minutes Makes 2 quesadillas David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Everyday Dal By Priya Krishna 15 minutes Makes 4 servings Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Spicy Mint-Cilantro Chutney By Von Diaz 15 minutes Makes 1 cup David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. Sloppy Joes By Sam Sifton Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Ice Cream With Olive Oil and Dates  By Ali Slagle 10 minutes Makes 1 serving  Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times. To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to NYT CookingGet the NYT Cooking app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018