Weeknight Cooking – FoodWatcher

Sohla El-Waylly’s Trick for a Cheaper, Easier Risotto

“I was always taught that good risotto starts with high-quality bone broth, but what if I don’t want to spend twenty bucks on dinner?” asks Sohla El-Waylly in her just-published, debut cookbook, Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook.

It’…

“I was always taught that good risotto starts with high-quality bone broth, but what if I don’t want to spend twenty bucks on dinner?” asks Sohla El-Waylly in her just-published, debut cookbook, Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook.

It’s a fair question. Risotto is among the most comforting of foods, the kind of thing you want to eat when you’re sad, broke, and/or have nothing in your kitchen. But that quality feels somewhat incongruous with two of risotto’s most classic ingredients: good broth and wine.

5 Weeknight Dinners That Happen to Be Vegan

Let’s get this out of the way: I’m not vegan. I never have been, and I probably never will be. But as I started sifting through recipes to make this week, I noticed quite a few dairy- and meat-free options in the mix. I’m not entirely sure what’s gotten into me (I rarely eat a meal that doesn’t include seafood, dairy, or eggs), but I decided to lean into it and pick five all-vegan recipes for this round of weeknight dinners. Here’s what I’ll be making.

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Le Creuset Classic Enameled Cast-Iron Skillet, 9″

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Mepal Microwavable Nested Storage Boxes

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Hawkins New York Essential Stoneware Dinnerware

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1. Braised Shiitake Mushrooms

Last week, I wrote about Lucas Sin’s technique for cooking mushrooms by boiling them in water. It goes against every rule I thought I knew about working with mushrooms, and I’m completely intrigued.

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5 Weeknight Recipes for the Ambitious Cook

Bad news: It’s getting dark super early again. There’s something about looking out the window after a long work day and seeing your vitamin-D deficient reflection (instead of the glorious sun) that just makes going home feel like a bummer. That’s when I turn to cooking. My free time—previously consumed by frolicking outdoors— significantly lengthens as we creep towards winter, and a super fun recipe with an incredible payoff is a delicious way to bring some joy to the doldrums of uninspired, late-fall weeknight cooking. Below are some of my favorite recipes that take a bit of time, a touch of planning, and just a few extra ingredients, but are incredibly worth it—trust me.

1. Mushroom chowder with crispy mushroom bacon

DIY mushroom bacon? Sign me up. The bacon is optional here, but I beg to differ. The crispy, crunchy bits, contrasting with the creamy soup (and tender bites of more mushrooms inside) are a perfect, savory match. Heck, make some extra “bacon” for tomorrow’s breakfast.

5 Weeknight Meals Using What’s Already in My Kitchen

Grocery shopping is, by far, my favorite chore. Especially when I technically already have enough food at home, leaving me to browse the aisles purely for fun. However, it’s sadly not a hobby I can always indulge in. At the moment, my kitchen/pantry/fr…

Grocery shopping is, by far, my favorite chore. Especially when I technically already have enough food at home, leaving me to browse the aisles purely for fun. However, it’s sadly not a hobby I can always indulge in. At the moment, my kitchen/pantry/fridge is nearing its capacity, and I’m trying to save some extra cash—all of which means that a big grocery trip is not in the cards this week. So, I decided that my goal for the next five days is to cook using ingredients I already have. The approach? I’ll definitely be leaning on pantry staples—like rice, beans, and potatoes—while also making use of some wildcard items that have been sitting on my shelves and require more creative solutions. With that in mind, here are five dinners that make use of the fresh produce, canned foods, and frozen items I have on hand.

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Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron Round Dutch Oven, 7.25QT $460

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Five Two Walnut Wooden Spoons $22–$99 $18.99–$94.99

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1. Cabbage

I’ve got a giant, untouched green cabbage taking up too much space in my fridge. And while this recipe calls for Savoy or Napa cabbage, recipe developer EmilyC says that as long as you give it some extra time to simmer, green cabbage will work well, too.

5 Weeknight Dinners to Cook From Memory

Recently I read a story about how to improve one of the things I can already feel slipping away: my “working” memory. This is the “get me oat milk when you go to the store” kind of memory that fails me as soon as I walk through the supermarket’s slidin…

But if you want a greater chance of staying sharp as you age, you should try to memorize that grocery list—or even your recipes. Both strengthen your working memory, as does cooking in general, says memory expert and neuroscientist Dr. Richard Restak in a recent New York Times story. This may partly explain why Babs of @brunchwithbabs fame is doing so well, why Jacques Pépin at the age of 87 just released a new cookbook, and why Edna Lewis made it to 90.

5 Weeknight Dinners That Keep Cooking Fun

I’m looking for one thing when making a weeknight dinner: joy. For breakfast and lunch, I’m content with consuming an amalgamation of soulless fodder—premade salads, frozen food, anything piled into a cardboard bowl—so long as I regain some humanity in…

When searching for that joy, I primarily lean on nostalgia. Typically, I want a part of the meal—whether it be the process or final flavor—to transport me somewhere I love. Sometimes it’s recreating a dish from childhood (I’ve been on a Sloppy Joe kick), and other times it’s as simple as using a technique I learned from a friend, like breaking down a chicken.

5 Weeknight Dinners I’m Making Instead of Ordering Takeout (Again)

I moved into a new apartment a little over two weeks ago, and as anyone who’s ever moved knows, the process involves eating a lot of takeout—all your knives are in boxes, you don’t have any groceries, and you’re working in an unfamiliar, not-yet-home k…

I moved into a new apartment a little over two weeks ago, and as anyone who’s ever moved knows, the process involves eating a lot of takeout—all your knives are in boxes, you don’t have any groceries, and you’re working in an unfamiliar, not-yet-home kitchen. It’s a solid excuse for the first week or so post-move, but by now, I’m more or less settled into my new place. However, I’m still finding it hard to break the ol’ Doordash habit.

So, this week, I wanted to pick recipes that would get me cooking again. The main objective? Keep the stakes as low as possible: The recipes will be easy. The ingredients will be (relatively) few. Almost everything will be cheap, vegetarian, and rely on lots of pantry staples. I know these descriptors don’t sound exciting—that’s because they’re not—but they’re the kind of recipes that are ultimately the most reliable and comforting. Here’s what I'm making.

5 Weeknight Dinners to Make This Week, Family Edition

The Wall Street Journal just published a riff on the quiet quitting trend titled “Try Hard, but Not That Hard. 85% is the Magic Number for Productivity.” This is valuable advice (that I will probably never follow). But it leads me to wonder: If you giv…

The Wall Street Journal just published a riff on the quiet quitting trend titled “Try Hard, but Not That Hard. 85% is the Magic Number for Productivity.” This is valuable advice (that I will probably never follow). But it leads me to wonder: If you give even 85 percent of yourself at work, what does that leave for your weeknight meal game? In my home, it doesn’t add up to much.

On school nights, if my family of four can sit together at the table and actually eat the same thing two out of five weekdays, I consider that a win. The other nights, when practices and games and after-work drinks send us in different directions, I play short order cook or Doordash concierge. That means that the magic weeknight dinner effort in my household is at a measly 40 percent (though I often make up for lost time on the weekends).

8 Easy Weeknight Recipes Our Community Makes on Repeat

When we asked our community on the Hotline for their best, easiest weeknight meals, there was one dish that many gravitated toward. Let me give you some hints: It’s found in nearly every pantry, and you just add water.

You’ll see lots of variations on…

You'll see lots of variations on this go-to, quick dinner below (pasta, of course!), plus other simple recipes for when you reach 6 o’clock and realize you haven’t given a thought to what you’re going to cook. (This happens to you, too, right?)

21 One-Pot Dinners to Pull Out for Weeknight Magic

This article was originally published in September 2018. It has been updated to include even more of our favorite one-pot dinner recipes.

Some people (like my roommate) wake up as the day goes on. By the time they get home from work, they’re ready …

This article was originally published in September 2018. It has been updated to include even more of our favorite one-pot dinner recipes.

Some people (like my roommate) wake up as the day goes on. By the time they get home from work, they’re ready to tackle a workout, dinner, and a couple of episodes on Netflix.

Le Creuset Classic Enameled Cast-Iron Skillet, 9″ $175 $99.99

Mepal Microwavable Nested Storage Boxes $65–$75 $52–$75

Hawkins New York Essential Stoneware Dinnerware $12–$184

1. Braised Shiitake Mushrooms

Le Creuset Classic Enameled Cast-Iron Skillet, 9" $175 $99.99

Mepal Microwavable Nested Storage Boxes $65–$75 $52–$75

Hawkins New York Essential Stoneware Dinnerware $12–$184

1. Braised Shiitake Mushrooms

1. Mushroom chowder with crispy mushroom bacon

Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron Round Dutch Oven, 7.25QT $460

Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Baking Sheets $24–$34

Five Two Walnut Wooden Spoons $22–$99 $18.99–$94.99

1. Cabbage

Le Creuset Classic Enameled Cast-Iron Skillet, 9″

$175

$99.99

Mepal Microwavable Nested Storage Boxes

$65–$75

$52–$75

Hawkins New York Essential Stoneware Dinnerware

$12–$184