Weeknight Meals

Tuna casserole was a classic back in the day when I was a kid. I’m bringing it back—Mediterranean style!

My “favorite” pasta changes each time I whip up a new one. Here I go again.

Try halibut, mahi-mahi, or tilapia in this recipe, too. Leeks and bacon are so delish . . . add some fish and they become good for you, too.

The saffron does all the work for you in this dish—you’ll freak out when you take your first bite and actually taste how easy this was to make. Since you now have saffron on hand, next time you’re making regular old rice, add a pinch of saffron and your rice will taste extraordinary.

Sweet and simply delicious, this dish is a real mild-child, for nights when you feel less than wild.

The ingredients list is the whole sales pitch. Need I say more?

I loved corn so much as a kid that you couldn’t get that cob out of my hand for hours. In the summer months substitute fresh kernels scraped from the cob for the frozen.

Eat this meal in front of the TV. Invite Clint Eastwood and the cast of your favorite spaghetti western (mine’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly).

Nutty toasted garlic and sweet peas? Oh, my! I could eat the whole potful myself, then drift off into sweet dreams!

Love Chicken Piccata? Try this warm and flavorful super-salad-supper!

If you like those spinach and artichoke dips you get on the appetizer menu in restaurants, you’re gonna LOVE this!

I am the self-proclaimed “Queen of Burgers”—this is probably my 140th burger recipe! Ground meat is so versatile and accessible. Who doesn’t love a good burger? This one combines lean ground turkey breast with spicy horseradish, sharp Cheddar, and tangy cranberry sauce. Yum-o!

I dunno who came first, but I’m glad they met up in my sandwich! This simple sammy supper stacks together cutlets, egg, cheese, and greens, all in one bun. It’s so good it’s why the chicken crossed the road.

This is like a steak dinner with onion rings, steak fries, and salad with blue cheese dressing, all chopped up in a bowl together. If you skipped lunch, this is your payoff.

With veggies and pasta in one dish, there’s no need to make any sides—plus, you only have to wash one pot!

Anchovies work magic here. Once they melt they will not taste fishy; they’ll taste more like salted nuts, really. Plus, anchovies in any seafood sauce I serve are the secret ingredient that makes the eaters go “Hmm, what is that?” (Don’t tell anyone my secret, k?)

Ceci are chickpeas. This is a classic, simple Italian dinner. Thousands of tired Romans will be eating it tonight; how about we join them? Greens dressed with vinegar and oil would make a good side dish.

About ten years ago, my friend Donna told me she had made chicken with leeks—just leeks—for dinner the night before and she raved about it! I made my own version of Leek-y Chicken that night and I’ve been making it ever since. I included a version of this recipe in my first 30-Minute cookbook back in 1998, but I could not do a book on “Express” cooking without including Leek-y Chicken in some form. Here it is served on a bed of couscous.