Weeknight Meal Planner: 04/30/18

Although these pork and black bean nachos require a bit more attention than your basic platter of loaded nachos, they’re well worth the effort. These are the nachos to make when you really wanna go next-level and impress a group. With the succulent pork, Swiss cheese and mustard sauce, and bread-and-butter pickles, this crowd-pleasing play on a Cuban sandwich packs a powerful load of flavor. Although they may seem out of place at first glance, the briny-sweet pickles are a perfect balance for the savory pork and the funky Swiss cheese sauce. As for the homemade refried black beans, you’ll never look back once you try them. Going for refried beans is one of our favorite pro-tricks when it comes to building a superior plate of nachos; they’re creamy, flavorful, and actually stay on the chip! We’ve linked to a pork recipe in the ingredient list below that would be excellent for these nachos (let’s be real, it would be excellent for just about anything), however, this roasted pork shoulder is time intensive to prepare—so if you’re not up for that, you can definitely use cooked, shredded pork (without sauce) from your favorite local BBQ joint or supermarket instead. 

This saucy vegetarian pasta takes on a subtle peppery bite from the arugula and watercress, so feel free to leave out the red pepper if feeding heat-sensitive palates.

Cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper add warmth to this Peruvian-inspired sweet potato hash.

Simple with significant flavor, this Southern spin on the classic cheese steak is deluxe comfort food.

Kristen Murray, pastry chef and owner of Maurice restaurant in Portland, learned the easy technique of oven-poaching fish in a foil pouch from her grandmother. (You'll need wide, heavy-duty foil.) The salmon works beautifully made a day ahead and served at room temperature. For a bit of green, top with fennel fronds, carrot tops, or chervil.

You don't have to be on a tropical island to enjoy this fruity cocktail.