Hello! And welcome to Five Weeknight Dishes. I’m Margaux Laskey, an editor at NYT Cooking, and I’m filling in for Emily Weinstein this week.
As a mom of two little kids, there is a definite silver lining to this whole sheltering-in-place business: Before quarantine, our day-to-day life was a blur of to-dos and drop-offs, but now that we’re stuck at home, we’ve settled into a different, slower pace. Working while home schooling has its own challenges, but most days, we eat all three meals together (sometimes in tiaras and crowns). I love the bonding that happens at the table, but I am not going to lie to you: I am tired of cooking. Making three meals a day, every day of the week is wearing me out.
With that in mind, I chose some low-lift dishes for you. Most can be made in a half-hour or less (use that store-bought pizza dough) and with just a few ingredients. And they make great leftovers, so it’s like giving your future self a gift.
Here are five dishes for the week:
1. Lemony Farro Pasta Salad With Goat Cheese and Mint
Mayo-laden pasta salad gets a bad rap, but this one from Melissa Clark is a fresh take, calling for chewy farro and tender orzo (that are mercifully cooked in the same pot at the same time). It makes enough for one family meal — I add a can of chickpeas — and a week’s worth of crouched-over-my-computer lunches for me. I combine the pasta and farro with the lemony dressing in a resealable container, then when I’m ready to eat, I take out enough for a meal and add the fresh ingredients. It’s very adaptable, so eaters can be as picky or as adventurous as they like.
3. One-Pot Smoky Fish With Tomato, Olives and Couscous
Getting my kids to eat fish is always a challenge, but bury it in a bowl of pearl couscous dressed with a spiced tomato sauce as Lidey Heuck does here, and they might go for it. (And if they think it’s chicken, no harm done.) Serve it with crusty bread, and crisp-steamed green beans dripping with butter.
4. Eggplant and Zucchini Pasta With Feta and Dill
Summer doesn’t officially begin until June 20, but that hasn’t kept me from dreaming of meals loaded with vibrant produce, like this six-ingredient vegetarian pasta from Kay Chun. It calls for a two full pounds of vegetables, so it’s ideal for when you’ve overbought at the farmers’ market or your quarantine victory garden is overrun with squash.
This recipe, which Tejal Rao adapted from California Pizza Kitchen, reminds me of my pre-kid married days when my partner and I would make a “kitchen sink pizza” every Friday night. I’d make a pizza dough, and we’d top it with red sauce, mozzarella and whatever was left over from the week’s meals. My girls aren’t quite that adventurous yet, so this is a nice compromise. We’ll make two using store-bought dough, and have these salty fudge pops for dessert while watching Disney’s “Descendants” for the 117th time.
Emily will be back next week. But in the meantime, would you consider subscribing to NYT Cooking, where thousands of recipes await. Or follow NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, or follow her on Instagram. Previous newsletters are archived here. And if you have any problems with your account, email cookingcare@nytimes.com.
