5 Worry-Free Weeknight Meals

Skip the takeout, grab a helper, and whip up these carefree weeknight recipes. One-pan tilapia with mushrooms and tomatoes, beef lettuce wraps, chicken and rice soup, and creamy polenta with white beans and broccoli. Eating at home never tasted so good.

By
Sara Bir
Sara Bir
Sara Bir
Sara is a chef, culinary educator, and author of three cookbooks, The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook, Tasting Ohio and The Fruit Forager's Companion. The latter won a 2019 IACP Cookbook Award.
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Updated August 31, 2021
Sara Bir
"What's for Dinner" with a plate of Grilled Shrimp with Lemon Pepper Couscous behind it.

Even though I often enjoy making dinner, sometimes I don’t look forward to it. It’s a roadblock between me and the opportunity to knock out a pressing task, or simply the chance to sit down and do nothing. Do you ever feel the same way? I was there last week and I nearly broke down and ordered takeout.

Ordering takeout is certainly no moral failing, but the takeout where my family lives is not good. After browsing a few uninspired online menus, we pushed through and cooked a simple pasta dinner that easily outdid anything we could have ordered. Plus, it was ready in about the same amount of time it would have taken to go pick it up and drive home.

These minimalist recipes are made for just those occasions. If you’ve hit a wall, press on: They’ll reward you with wholesome, hassle-free dinners. Once you’re sitting with your family, you realize the only task at hand is to eat, talk, and be nourished.

  • Easy Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup

    Sally Vargas

    Pre-cooked chicken gets this soup on the table fast. If you don’t have any around, the easiest route is to pick up a rotisserie bird. If you have help, ask someone to pick the meat off the bones while you prep the other ingredients. You can also just cook a few chicken breasts on their own so they’re ready to go into the soup.

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  • Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

    Low carb lettuce wrap with sliced steak, mint, radish, cucumber and peanuts wrapped up on a plate. A dipping sauce is on the plate as well.
    Sally Vargas

    The marinade for these wraps doubles as a dipping sauce. Just set some aside to serve with the wraps, then marinate the beef in what remains for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. Most of the prep work is in advance, giving you that wonderful feeling that dinner’s in the bag.

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  • Creamy Polenta with White Beans and Roasted Broccoli

    Vegan Polenta with Broccoli
    Erin Alderson

    Pureed canned white beans are the secret to making this polenta extra-creamy with a silky body. Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor and keeps this dinner vegan. We’re not vegan in my household, but we love nutritional yeast! We call it “nooch” and sprinkle it on everything from popcorn to pasta.

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  • Tilapia with Olives, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

    Tilapia with Olives Mushrooms Tomatoes
    Elise Bauer

    Here’s a one-pan meal packed with veggies–onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and olives for a quick-cooked sauce that you simmer the fish in. After about 10 minutes, dinner’s ready. Serve with a green salad and hearty bread for dipping.

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    Continue to 5 of 5 below.

  • Grilled Shrimp with Lemon Pepper Couscous

    White plate with quick and easy grilled shrimp over couscous with lemon and pepper. To the left is a platter of additional grilled shrimp on skewers.
    Nick Evans

    Both shrimp and couscous cook in mere minutes. Use your favorite seafood rub (Old Bay works, or use our own recipe), zest a lemon over the couscous, and sauté some Swiss chard on the side, if you like.

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