What's for Dinner This Week: Cozy Baked Ziti, Sausage and Peppers Over Polenta, and Spicy Shrimp Noodle Soup
Wondering what to make for dinner? Need some inspiration? Here's our list of suggestions: dinner recipes that take less than an hour of mostly hands-off time. Yes, there will be pasta (or noodles!) and, yes, it will be delicious. We'll be here every Friday with five weeknight dinners, including recipes, shopping lists, and everything you need to streamline your week ahead.
We're getting cozy this week, but keeping dinner quick. A salad bowl isn't cozy, you say? We'd argue yes, it's a bowl of comforting textures with rice and beans and avocado. But if you really want a cozy, comforting meal, try our streamlined baked ziti, or serve dinner over polenta. For the curried shrimp soup we're making on Wednesday, there's a warming broth and rice noodles that takes only 25 minutes to make. So turn to the stove for some comforting yet quick meals this week—we know these are winner dinners you'll want to make on the regular.
Related: Our Most Popular 30-Minute Meals
What to Buy
The produce and fresh ingredients you need to buy for your meals this week:
What to Make
Rice-and-Bean Salad Bowl with Tahini Sauce
This bowl is colorful and crunchy. And with three kinds of canned beans (chickpeas, kidney, and black) plus sliced avocado, it makes for a protein-packed vegan dinner tonight.
Lemon-Ginger Chicken and Green Beans
A 30-minute chicken dinner that starts with skinless, boneless chicken breasts: first they're seared, then they're finished in a poaching liquid flavored with fresh ginger. (Poaching helps keep them moist.) Serve with a fast side of couscous, and a crunchy cucumber and cherry tomato salad.
Curried Shrimp and Noodle Soup
Here's a recipe to get you through the middle of the week in delicious style. It's a 25-minute soup that features shrimp and rice noodles—and a fast and flavorful broth made with Thai red curry paste, coconut milk, chicken broth, and fish sauce.
Sausage-and-Pepper Ragu Over Polenta
This hearty main course uses quick-cook polenta and Italian sausage, along with a colorful mix of bell peppers (and a touch of tomato paste and chicken broth), for a rapid and tasty take on a favorite Italian-American dish. It comes together in just 20 minutes but tastes like it was simmered long and slow.
Creamy Baked Ziti
Maybe it's always baked pasta season at your house? For us, it's just starting. And before we get into lasagna and its kin, we're savoring this easy baked ziti tonight. We tweaked the classic baked ziti to come up with a more weeknight-friendly version, swapping out the usual ricotta for cream cheese, our secret weapon ingredient for a quick creamy sauce. Pair with a crisp green salad or some steamed vegetables for crunch. Perhaps some garlic bread, too?
