Hi, guys! I’m Margaux, an editor here at NYT Cooking, and I’m filling in for Emily while she’s making paella on the beach in Martha’s Vineyard (#lifegoals). My littles start school on Tuesday, and while I’m excited for all of the things they’ll learn and the friends they’ll make, I am not looking forward to the weeknight dinner slog (and let’s not mention the thankless task of packing school lunches that go largely uneaten).
We have an unusual dinner situation in our house because my husband works late, but we’ve devised a plan that keeps us eating home-cooked meals most nights: Once my kids are asleep, I cook dinner, and when my husband gets home, we eat by candlelight while discussing foreign policy. (Just kidding, 99 percent of the time, we eat on the couch watching Jim Gaffigan or the Chicago Cubs.) The next day, I tote some to work for lunch, and the girls’ babysitter gives them what’s left for dinner. I am always on the lookout for superhero recipes that make a generous amount and taste good the next day. Bonus points if they freeze well or can be repurposed for other dishes.
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Here are five powerhouse recipes that my family turns to again and again:
Mondays are my night off from dinner and bedtime duty so I prepare by tossing something into the slow cooker on Sunday mornings that we can eat for dinner and use the next day. This dish, from Sam Sifton, is a household favorite. (If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can pop it into the oven, covered, for 3 to 4 hours at 250.) Serve it over generously buttered noodles with steamed and buttered green beans. On Monday, my husband uses leftovers in soft-shell tacos or quesadillas while I get my toes painted Fiji pink.
Pasta in any kind of sauce is always met with glee in our house, and this simple one from Colu Henry is just so, so good. (Don’t worry, parents: The alcohol cooks off.) If you’re not eating meat, you can leave out the prosciutto and add a tablespoon or two of butter instead. For those with little ones who don’t like spice, leave out the red-pepper flakes or use a dash of cayenne powder instead, which provides a more even heat than flakes. Serve it all with a pile of steamed or roasted broccoli tossed in or on the side. I just found out that reheating pasta can be a controversial subject, but if you reheat (like I do), add a drizzle of heavy cream or olive oil and stir to keep it from drying out too much in the microwave.
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3. Sesame Chicken With Cashews and Dates
At first I wasn’t sure about this recipe: What would my family think about wrinkly, brown dates in their stir-fry? I needn’t have worried. They basically dissolve into the sauce, adding a mild, earthy sweetness that’s not cloying like most take-out sesame chicken. For more veg, add broccoli florets, green beans or slivered carrots, and serve it over white rice. (Budget-friendly tip from Emma, a reader: Use unsalted peanuts instead of cashews.)
When my kids were toddlers and had collectively sworn off fish, I used to make this and call it “chicken.” (A mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do.) This recipe takes a bit more time than the others listed here, but you can knock it down to about a half-hour’s work by asking your fishmonger to cut the fish into 1-inch strips, using store-bought tartar sauce and not browning the bread crumbs. Melissa’s baked “fries” technique, for which you preheat the sheet pan on the bottom rack, guarantees extra-crispy fries that beat Ore-Ida by a mile. (Reheat the fish under the broiler for a couple minutes, then tuck it into tortillas for quick fish tacos or plop it onto a salad.)
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5. Olive Oil-Braised Chickpeas and Broccoli Rabe
I don’t know about you, but when the weather begins to turn, I want to braise, well, just about everything. We love broccoli rabe in our house, so this vegetarian dish from Ali Slagle is a one-pot dream. (You can also use broccolini or regular broccoli florets.) Serve it with a hunk of crusty bread to soak up all of the seasoned oil. The next day, pile it on top of plain noodles, rice or farro with a generous grating of Parmesan (also known in our house as “snow”).
Thanks for letting me hang with you today! Emily will be back next week. In the meantime, follow NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, or follow me on Instagram. If you love NYT Cooking then become a subscriber. Previous newsletters are archived here, and if you encounter technical problems, reach out to cookingcare@nytimes.com.
