Weeknight Meal Planner: 6/5/17

This quick and easy main dish features everything you love about takeout—he sweet and spicy sauce, the super-crispy tofu, and the crisp-tender, perfectly caramelized vegetables—without the wait time. That, and it also happens to be significantly healthier. Serve this tasty stir-fry over rice for a fully satisfying dinner. 

Featuring so much saucy goodness, avocado, fresh cilantro, sour cream and queso fresco, these vibrant and smoky tacos are everything you want on a #TacoTuesday. Not to mention, they’re an excellent way to put any leftover chicken from the weekend to good use. Serve them up with rice + beans and/or a crisp green salad. 

No one ever said pasta night had to be all about basil and Parmesan… Classic Cajun flavors shine in this linguine dish featuring bold spices, sweet shrimp, and the class trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper. Serve this flavor-packed pasta with a quick spinach salad and call it a night. 

This speedy main feels restaurant-worthy, but it honestly couldn’t be easier. Stirring fresh herbs, garlic, or lemon rind into softened butter (this is called compound butter) is a brilliant topper for any simply cooked meats or fish, a pile of steamed vegetables, or even as a spread for crostini—and it really makes this plate sing. Throw some crispy smashed potatoes onto this plate, and you’re ready to party. 

You can use any leftover’s from taco night earlier in the week to pull together an epic sheet pan of loaded nachos. Load up the nachos on a baking sheet, then bring straight to the table for easy serving and a great presentation. While there’s a lot to love about melted shredded cheese, it can make the nachos a bit unwieldy. Instead, a creamy cheese sauce coats each chip and makes it easier to separate from the pack. Top your nachos off as you please and enjoy. This finger-friendly feast makes for the perfect week’s end meal.

Just the perfect treat for a monstrous sweet tooth. Whip up these decadent kitchen sink cookies as an easy weekend baking project to snack on and share.