It’s time to start thinking about your meal plan for next week. From a Wakandan specialty to a stew that will feed the whole family twice for $15, we’ve got five dinners that will get you through the busy week ahead. So grab a pen, make your shopping list, and stock up before the weekend’s over. And if it’s easier for you to do that from your inbox, be sure to sign up for our weekly meal plan emails.
Top: Wakandan Jeweled Vegetable Pilau with Berbere Braised Lamb | Tasty
Related: The Instant Pot French Onion Soup so easy, you can make it on Monday night.
I’m on a mission to get my children to appreciate mushrooms, which means being willing to serve them even though I know they’ll be rejected at least 12 times before the boys give them a chance. This Mushroom Stroganoff at Evergreen Kitchen is the perfect recipe for my master plan. First, if you ask me, this is as appealing as mushrooms get. And second, if the kids pick around the mushrooms, the delicious noodles serve as a mighty fine dinner on their own with a salad on the side.
One quick note: The recipe calls for almond milk, but if you’re not dairy-free, the same amount of regular milk — or dare I suggest, cream — will work well.
From mushrooms to an easy kid-favorite: chicken on a stick. You can’t beat this delicious Chicken Souvlaki recipe at Chef de Home. Although, as a Greek girl, I’d say that cumin is not usually added to souvlaki marinades, but in a way, that’s why I like this recipe. It’s a nice twist on what’s an old favorite in my house. And even if this dish is new to you, the flavors come together beautifully. Serve these skewers over a bed of rice with a simple Greek salad.
I love Jane’s recipe for Sausage, Kale, and White Bean stew for so many reasons. Not only is it easy and delicious, but it’s simple enough that you can make it once and always have it in your back pocket for when you find yourself at the supermarket without a plan. Even better? For just about $15 — if you don’t already have some of the ingredients in your pantry — you can make a batch big enough to feed a family of three or four on two separate nights. Make this on Wednesday and dinner’s also ready on Saturday. Boom.
Related: 10 things (besides fighting) that you can do when your toddler won’t eat dinner.
If you don’t already keep shrimp on hand, please check out why you must: why frozen shrimp is the ultimate time-saving protein. Then, start collecting super quick, mouthwatering shrimp recipes, starting with New Orleans BBQ Shrimp at Immaculate Bites. In just 15 minutes, you can have shrimp sautéed in a bright, tangy, spicy butter sauce perfect with nothing more than baguette and a side of veggies. Just as it should be on Thursday night.
Okay, there’s much to say about this recipe for Wakandan Jeweled Vegetable Pilau with Berbere Braised Lamb at Tasty. First, it looks amazingly delicious. Second, yes, I am obsessed with Black Panther (like the rest of the country) and make no apologies for including a Wakandan recipe. Which brings me to my third point:
I especially make no apologies when Tasty worked with Kiano Moju to develop the recipe and Nnedi Okorafor to narrate the recipe’s video with really great insight on what Wakandan cuisine would be like and why. She also briefly touches on why exploring cuisine is such an important part of understanding a culture, real or fictional. So I am here for this recipe and cannot wait to make it on Friday night (or maybe we’ll eat those Sausage, Kale, and White Bean stew leftovers and save this for the weekend). I can think of no better way to get my kids to try something new.
If you like the sound of this recipe, too, but it just feels like too much work, you have a few options. You can make just the Vegetable Pilau and serve that plain or with some other simply cooked protein. You can make just the Berbere Braised Lamb and serve it over plain steamed rice. And, if you have an Instant Pot, you can try making the lamb (or even the Pilau!) in there. Also, both can be made ahead of time.
