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    • 55+ Easy Dinner Recipes for Busy Weeknights

      55+ Easy Dinner Recipes for Busy Weeknights

      Everybody understands the stuggle of getting dinner on the table after a long day. If you're looking for a simple recipe to simplify your weeknight, you've come to the right place--easy dinners are our specialty. For an easy supper that you can depend on, we picked out some of our tried-and-true favorites that have gotten us through even the busiest of days. Whether you're cooking for yourself or for a family, these easy dinners are sure to leave everyone satisfied and stress-free. Read More
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      The Brilliant Secret to Making Better Mashed Potatoes

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      65 Super Easy Finger Foods to Make for Any Party

      From chips and dip to one-bite apps, finger foods are the perfect way to kick off a party. No forks or spoons required, just easy-to-pick-up party foods, so you can clean up in no time.  Read More
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  3. 15+ Super Customizable and Adaptable Recipes

15+ Super Customizable and Adaptable Recipes

Updated August 15, 2022
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mr - Chicken Asparagus Pasta Image
Credit: Jen Causey; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Lots of factors get in the way of preparing a recipe by the book: ingredients that are difficult to locate, picky eaters, limited supply at grocery stores, and pantries that aren't as well-stocked as you thought. That's why one of the most important skills you can learn in the kitchen is adaptability. As long as you know basic cooking skills, you can switch around, substitute, and even omit certain ingredients in these versatile recipes. And who knows? An adaptation on one of these dishes might just become your new go-to meal.  

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Chicken Asparagus Pasta

mr - Chicken Asparagus Pasta Image
Credit: Jen Causey; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Chicken Asparagus Pasta Recipe

Our Chicken Asparagus Pasta celebrates spring flavors, but it still easy and comes together quickly. The creamy sauce is balanced by the lemon juice and zest, which cuts the fat and makes the dish feel a little lighter. Feel free to add other in-season produce, like chopped Brussels sprouts or garlic scapes. Plus, all those herbs and the asparagus add a freshness to the sauce. All ingredients are easy to source, but you can also utilize leftover chicken or veggies to make this even more economical.

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Pantry Beans and Greens

Pantry Beans 'n Greens image
Credit: Caroline Arcangeli; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Karen Rankin

Pantry Beans and Greens Recipe

If it's a cold-weather, feel-good meal you want, Pantry Beans and Greens is everything you need. This hearty yet healthy dish is both easy on your wallet and incredibly easy to pull together. But don't be fooled—just because it's easy doesn't mean it's not one of the most satisfying meals you'll eat this year. 

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Sheet Pan Honey-Mustard Sausages 

mr - Sheet Pan Honey-Mustard Sausages Image
Credit: Karen Rankin

Sheet Pan Honey-Mustard Sausages  Recipe

These simple Sheet Pan Honey-Mustard Sausages are about to become a staple in your kitchen. There's minimal prep and cleanup, and everything comes together in less than an hour, so so it's perfect for a weeknight. The crisp, creamy potatoes and charred peppers and onions make a perfect pairing for the sweet-yet-savory sausages, and adding parsley at the end provides just the right amount of freshness. 

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Butternut Squash Tacos

mr - Butternut Squash Tacos Image
Credit: Melissa Gray

Butternut Squash Tacos Recipe

All that separates you from these Butternut Squash Tacos is a sheet pan, a blender, and one hour. Thanks to the chickpeas, these vegetarian tacos are packed with protein (i.e. super filling). The tender butternut squash and every-so-slightly crisp chickpeas get earthiness and some spice from turmeric and curry powder, while the creamy avocado-cilantro sauce provides zest and tanginess that complements the spices. 

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Weeknight Hummus Bowl

mr - Weeknight Hummus Bowl Image
Credit: Melissa Gray

Weeknight Hummus Bowl Recipe

Our Weeknight Hummus Bowl makes a perfect healthy, bright, feel-good dinner that's still super satisfying. Plus, the leftovers make a great lunch or savory breakfast. Using pre-made hummus shaves off some time. We like Ithaca's hummus, but you can use your preferred brand or even make your own hummus. 

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Best Basic Granola 

mr-Best Granola image
Credit: Darcy Lenz

Best Basic Granola  Recipe

Fact: Homemade granola beats the pants off of anything you can buy at the store. And luckily, it's also just about the easiest baking project that there is. Stir everything together, bake, and boom—you have the toastiest, most munchable granola your morning yogurt has ever seen. The other big perk to our Best Basic Granola recipe (A.K.A. Any-Way-You-Want-It Granola) is that it's completely customizable. 

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Thai Green Curry Chicken

Thai Green Curry Chicken
Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Thai Green Curry Chicken Recipe

Consider this your go-to recipe for curry in a hurry. Feel free to add whatever veggies you have on hand into the mix--this versatile recipe is great for mixing and matching to make your own custom dish.

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Pasta with Miso Cream Sauce

Pasta with Miso Cream Sauce
Credit: Victor Protasio

Pasta with Miso Cream Sauce Recipe

This super creamy pasta dish gets nice umami depth from the miso. Cooking the grape tomatoes in a skillet and then stirring in the milk mixture gives the sauce the perfect texture, and the little bit of liquid that comes out of the spinach lightens it up. This recipe is quite flexible: Cavatappi, penne, or any whole-wheat version would work well. You could also substitute with mini mozzarella balls to save a step and time.

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Cheesy Chicken and Pinto Bean Taco Skillet

mr-Cheesy Chicken and Pinto Bean Taco Skillet Image
Credit: Jen Causey; Prop Styling: Kay Clark; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

Cheesy Chicken and Pinto Bean Taco Skillet Recipe

If you're in need of a simple, tasty dish that works for a weeknight meal, consider that need fulfilled. This skillet dish is effortless to throw together and super customizable—you can use black beans or kidney beans instead of pinto. If you're not in the mood for chicken, try shredded pulled pork from your favorite BBQ place. You can tailor the toppings as you see fit, so keep an open imagination. Serving is simple: just put everything on the table and let everyone make their own tacos. 

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Easy Anytime Meat Sauce

mr - Easy Anytime Meat Sauce Image
Credit: Melissa Grey

Easy Anytime Meat Sauce Recipe

This rich, meaty pasta sauce is full of bright tomato flavor and texture—it's exactly the kind of thing you'll want to stock in your freezer for the nights you absolutely do not want to cook. We used a mixture of ground turkey and turkey Italian sausage to keep things light, but feel free to use whatever ground meat you like best. 

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Taco Dip

mr - Taco Dip Image
Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee

Taco Dip Recipe

Our Taco Dip is cool, creamy and flavored with all the toppings on your favorite taco or taco salad. It's not overly spiced or heavy, thanks to its lack of meat, which allows the vegetables and creamy base to shine. This worked great with Fritos Scoops, but it'd also be great on any tortilla chip or fresh veggie slices. 

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Carrot Cake "Brownies"

mr-Carrot Cake Brownies image
Credit: Darcy Lenz

Carrot Cake "Brownies" Recipe

Inspired by the classic springtime confection, these Carrot Cake "Brownies" are the perfect treat to whip up for Easter. And, unlike a traditional multi-layered carrot cake, this recipe doesn't require multiple bowls and mixing machinery; in fact, the batter comes together fairly effortlessly in a single saucepan. Beyond being approachable for bakers of any skill level, these blondies (i.e. brownies without chocolate) are infinitely adaptable. 

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Loaded Greek Salad Nachos

Loaded Greek Salad Nachos image
Credit: Time Inc. Video Studio

Loaded Greek Salad Nachos Recipe

Everything you love about a Greek salad—but way more fun! Delivering a perfect blend of flavor and texture in every bite, these loaded nachos are the perfect snack to throw together for your next at-home movie night or tailgate party. This recipe is an excellent way to give a new life to leftover rotisserie chicken and veggie scraps kicking around your fridge. Feel free to use store bought pita chips rather than baking your own. 

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Easy Taco Salad

Easy Taco Salad image
Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Marianne Williams

Easy Taco Salad Recipe

Perfect for hectic weeknights, this easy taco salad recipe is something both kids and adults will love. The beauty of taco salad is that it's entirely customizable to your favorite taco components, so feel free to stray from the recipe to accommodate whatever you're craving and/or the ingredients you already have on hand. 

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Sheet Pan Beefy Bean Nachos

wd - Sheet Pan Beefy Bean Nachos Image
Credit: Nicole McLaughlin

Sheet Pan Beefy Bean Nachos Recipe

These Sheet Pan Beefy Bean Nachos are proof that a quick, effortless dinner can still be fun. They're loaded with pantry and freezer staples like taco seasoning and beans, but still customizable enough to garnish with whatever fresh ingredients you have on hand.

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Beef Taquitos

mr-Beef Taquitos Image
Credit: Antonis Achilleos

Beef Taquitos Recipe

These easy Beef Taquitos are super crunchy, salty, and tasty—basically everything you want in an appetizer. They're great to serve the kids and their friends after school, or with a cold beer on the patio on a weekend. If you don't care for beef, feel free to use ground turkey or pork instead. 

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Quick Ramen Pho

Quick Ramen Pho image
Credit: Meredith Food Studios

Quick Ramen Pho Recipe

Using instant ramen as your base, the possibilities are endless. In fact, with a few additional ingredients to jazz the noodles up, you can create an ultra satisfying bowl of shortcut pho. Consider this recipe a template and use whatever you have on hand to make your own custom bowl. 

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    1 of 17 Chicken Asparagus Pasta
    2 of 17 Pantry Beans and Greens
    3 of 17 Sheet Pan Honey-Mustard Sausages 
    4 of 17 Butternut Squash Tacos
    5 of 17 Weeknight Hummus Bowl
    6 of 17 Best Basic Granola 
    7 of 17 Thai Green Curry Chicken
    8 of 17 Pasta with Miso Cream Sauce
    9 of 17 Cheesy Chicken and Pinto Bean Taco Skillet
    10 of 17 Easy Anytime Meat Sauce
    11 of 17 Taco Dip
    12 of 17 Carrot Cake "Brownies"
    13 of 17 Loaded Greek Salad Nachos
    14 of 17 Easy Taco Salad
    15 of 17 Sheet Pan Beefy Bean Nachos
    16 of 17 Beef Taquitos
    17 of 17 Quick Ramen Pho

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