Eating breakfast for dinner is always a comfort, especially when back-to-school season is roiling schedules, routines and nerves. It’s time to sink into the familiar embrace of old favorites, like my shakshuka with feta.
The recipe is straightforward — sauté some onions, peppers and tomatoes with spices until everything is nice and saucy. Then crack in the eggs and let them cook until just set, so the yolks stay molten and gushy. My twist here is to sprinkle in a bit of feta, which turns creamy and salty as it melts into the mix. Add some crusty bread or buttered toast, and you’ve got a one-pot meal that knows how to soothe.
Featured Recipe
Shakshuka With Feta
You know what else is reliably soothing? A steaming pot of chicken noodle soup. As we edge our way into soup season, Ali Slagle’s classic version with carrots, celery and wide egg noodles (or skinny ones, if you prefer) is just the thing to chase away the oncoming chill. Even better, the recipe calls for chicken stock and shredded rotisserie chicken meat — it’s a snap to make on any given weeknight.
Just as easy but even speedier is Yasmin Fahr’s 20-minute citrusy couscous salad with broccoli and feta. (And here’s to always having feta in the fridge.) Both sweet from honey and a little spicy from fresh chiles, it’s an adaptable dish that you can serve as is, or bulk out with chicken, shrimp or salmon. If you don’t have broccoli, you can use any quick cooking vegetable — kale, spinach, peas, diced cherry tomatoes or the last of your summer corn. As Lauren C. wrote in the notes, “made it as written and it completely exceeded expectations.” That’s always our goal here at New York Times Cooking!
Another 20-minute stunner: Hetty Lui McKinnon’s tofu larb, with its tangy, umami dressing of lime juice, soy sauce and a touch of brown sugar. You’ll definitely want the lemongrass and fried shallots (and recommended makrut lime leaves); the complex flavors that Hetty achieves with so little effort are well worth any additional ingredient sourcing.
Finally, for something sweet, Samantha Seneviratne’s brookies — a brilliant mash-up of chocolate chip cookies and brownies — make perfect lunchbox fare, a little treat to lift the spirits of any reluctant back-to-schooler. Then again, don’t we all need a boost?
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That’s all for now, and I’ll see you on Monday.
