It’s time to start thinking about your meal plan for next week. From an easy flavor bomb chicken dish to the easiest one-pan shrimp dinner (one of my personal favorites!), we’ve got five weeknight dinners that will get you through the week. So grab a pen, make your shopping list, and stock up before the weekend’s over.
Top: One Pot Broccolini Pasta with Sausage and White Beans at Uproot Kitchen | Honey Garlic Baked Chicken at The Cookie Rookie
Related: A week of easy dinner recipes using our favorite shortcut: store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Photo by Erin Alderson for The Kitchn
This Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Blue Cheese Orzo is the type of dish I love for easy #MeatlessMonday meals. Blue cheese doesn’t go over well with my kids, so I typically swap in feta or a sharp Parmesan for them. If you can pre-chop the butternut squash — or buy it from the market pre-chopped — even better!
Get ready to curl up with this comforting One Pot Broccolini Pasta with Sausage and White Beans at Uproot Kitchen. Marisa combines healthy whole wheat pasta and white beans with flavor-packed sausage. Chili flakes and Parmesan give a little something extra — that you can, of course, skip for those picky kids if you must.
Honey Garlic Baked Chicken at The Cookie Rookie just scored a slot in my dinner rotation. I’m a big fan of chicken thighs–they’re less expensive and more tender than breasts, especially when slow cooked or baked in a dish like this. Just a few common pantry ingredients make this dish super flavorful with minimal effort. Love that.
Related: Meal Plan: 5 easy recipes from a tasty Carbonara to your new favorite meatballs.
The easy in this Easy Garlic Butter Shrimp at Once Upon A Chef is not an exaggeration. The shrimp, butter, and garlic all get combined on a baking sheet and cook together in under 10 minutes. I’m a big fan of keeping frozen shrimp in my freezer for recipes exactly like this one. My kids love this with rice or pearled couscous, but when I’m feeling lazy, I simply add frozen peas to the pan and serve the whole thing with warm bread.
When I was pregnant and working long hours at a studio, I crowned my husband the Panini King and made him cook panini dinners at least twice a week. Just like this bacon, pesto, and mozzarella filled Sisters’ Sandwich at Three Many Cooks, there is something so satisfying — and quick! — about a warm pressed sandwich. It’s easy prep and most of the time you can easily switch up the ingredients to keep everyone in the house happy.
