Would you rather spend your weeknights standing at the stove or curled up on the couch with your HBO queue? That’s what we thought. To help make your dreams a reality, we’ve rounded up seven dinners to cook this week that only take 30 minutes or less to prepare. Think one-pot pastas, Instant Pot soup and an ingenious shortcut for tacos.
Here’s What to Cook Every Night This Week (April 24 – 30)
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Published Apr 20, 2023
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Shopping List
Produce
2 leeks
11 garlic cloves
3 lemons
1 stalk celery
1 yellow onion
One 1-inch piece ginger
1 pound carrots
2 limes
3 tomatillos
2 jalapeños
1 head butter lettuce
2 red onions
3 avocados
1 medium heirloom tomato
2 ounces curly kale
1 sweet onion
1 bunch basil
2 bunches parsley
3 bunches cilantro
1 bunch scallions
1 bunch chives
Meat
One 1-pound skin-on salmon fillet
4 slices bacon
2 extra-large eggs
1 rotisserie chicken
1 pound medium shrimp
Dairy
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Crumbled cotija cheese, for serving
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces heavy cream
Coconut yogurt, for serving
Grains
12 ounces spaghetti, linguine or bucatini
10 six-inch corn tortillas
8 ounces penne
Canned and Packaged Goods
3 ounces raw cashews
2 tablespoons capers
Two 15-ounce cans cannellini or Great Northern beans
34 ounces vegetable or chicken stock
Two 13-ounce cans coconut milk
Canned chipotle peppers in adobo
6 ounces canned crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
3 ounces seafood stock
Pantry Ingredients: kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, fine sea salt, white wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, mayonnaise, sriracha, dried oregano, ground cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, white pepper, dried thyme, onion powder, nutritional yeast
Monday: One-Pot, 15-Minute Pasta Limone
Keep this simple spaghetti dish in your back pocket for the busiest nights of the week. It only requires eight ingredients (most of which are pantry staples) and 15 minutes of your time to come together. It’s also a kid pleaser, if that’s a concern.
Tuesday: Gena Hamshaw’s Caesar Smashed White Beans
Canned beans have helped us pull off dinner in a pinch more times than we can count. If you want to skip soaking the cashews, substitute vegan mayo to save time while keeping the meal plant based.
Wednesday: Instant Pot Carrot Ginger Soup
With a pressure cooker on your side, homemade soup for eight is mere minutes away. Each bowl is topped with canned coconut milk and a swirl of coconut yogurt for a creamy finishing touch. (And if you’re not feeding eight, the leftovers freeze beautifully.)
Friday: Crispy Kale and Egg Skillet for One
Minimal ingredients? Check. Cooked in a single pan? Check. Ready in ten minutes? You bet. Don’t worry if you have others to feed: The recipe is easy to scale up for a crowd. Add leftover ground beef, prosciutto or potatoes to the mix too, if you’d like.
Saturday: Chicken Tinga Tacos
How is it possible to prepare these handhelds in 30 minutes, you ask? The secret is starting with shredded store-bought rotisserie chicken. (The zesty sauce is just as simple to prepare since it comes together in a blender.)
Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.
