Meat + Poultry 25 Fast, Satisfying Weekday Recipes By Food & Wine Editors Updated on November 30, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: © Christina Holmes Weeknight dinners can sometimes be a challenge, but not with these ultrafast recipes: Filling and nourishing, they all hit the table in 45 minutes or less. Try a baked pasta casserole like Greek pastitsio, a tossed pasta such as bucatini with pancetta and cheese, a big bowl of chickpea vegetable stew, or creamy broccoli-potato soup. Whatever you're craving, keep this collection of quick meal ideas in your back pocket for whenever time is of the essence. 01 of 25 Chicken Smothered in Gravy © Quentin Bacon This satisfying riff on smothered pork chops calls for flavorful skinless chicken drumsticks rather than breasts. Serve it over rice with a quick veggie side for a hearty meal. Get the Recipe 02 of 25 Creamy Buckwheat Pasta with Wild Mushrooms TINA RUPP Chefs love showcasing the intensely earthy flavor of buckwheat in rich, luxurious dishes. Here, chef Matthew Accarrino tosses buckwheat pasta with creamy mascarpone, silky mushrooms, and runny eggs. Get the Recipe 03 of 25 Spicy Tofu and Zucchini Stew Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Sommelier Annie Shi, co-owner of King in New York City, grew up going to Korean restaurants with her family. Memories of dishes like soondubu jjigae, a spicy Korean tofu stew, became inspiration for a quick and easy stew of tofu and vegetables that she makes for cozy weeknight dinners. Get the Recipe 04 of 25 Italian Sausage Burgers with Garlicky Spinach © Stephanie Foley These pre-seasoned Italian sausage burgers are just the thing to make when you're short on time. Don't forget to spread pesto on the ciabatta rolls. Get the Recipe 05 of 25 Pork Souvlaki with Tzatziki © Yunhee Kim Greeks make souvlaki by marinating chunks of meat in oil, lemon juice, and oregano, then skewering and grilling them. We opt for pork shoulder here because it's so tender and succulent. Instead of threading the meat onto skewers, simply cook it with onions in a grill pan until it's nicely charred, then serve it with store-bought pita and garlicky cucumber-yogurt sauce. Get the Recipe 06 of 25 Lamb Chops with Rosemary and Grapes © Ashley Rodriguez You’d expect to find lamb chops grilled with rosemary, but the sauce, a fruity mixture of grapes, white wine, and just a touch of honey, is a delightful surprise. You’ll want to choose seedless grapes for this recipe. Get the Recipe 07 of 25 Chipotle Shrimp Tostadas © James Baigrie To create this Southwestern-inspired dish, shrimp is tossed with chipotle chile powder (made from dried, smoked jalapeños), grilled, then layered on top of crunchy fried corn tortillas and crisp, citrusy slaw. Get the Recipe 08 of 25 Macaroni and Many Cheeses © James Baigrie This adaptation of mac and cheese works beautifully with any semi-hard cheese but is particularly good with an international blend of French Mimolette, aged Dutch Gouda, and American Vella Dry Jack. A fine layer of Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano forms a crisp topping. Get the Recipe 09 of 25 Chicken Scarpariello © Quentin Bacon Traditional scarpariello — chicken sautéed in a tangy lemon glaze with bell pepper — is typically made with a whole chicken cut into pieces, then cooked on the stove for hours. To speed things up, we opt for faster-cooking boneless thighs and skip the bell pepper in favor of jarred Peppadews, a sweet-spicy pickled pepper. Get the Recipe 10 of 25 Pastitsio (Greek Baked Pasta) © Yunhee Kim The moist and fragrant casserole pastitsio traditionally combines béchamel with pasta, ground lamb, tomato sauce, cheese, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Here, instead of béchamel, we stir a ricotta mixture into the pasta before baking it. Get the Recipe 11 of 25 Spaghetti with Clams and Garlic © SIMON WATSON This exquisite, super simple version of linguine con vongole is packed with garlic and a judicious amount of crushed red pepper. If you prefer, shell the clams before tossing them with their juices in the pasta. Get the Recipe 12 of 25 Bucatini with Pancetta, Pecorino, and Pepper © John Kernick This rich, pancetta-studded bucatini that's tossed with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and pecorino is a perfect make-ahead dish — reheat a big bowl of it when you come home from work late at night. Otherwise, make it fresh in only 30 minutes. Get the Recipe 13 of 25 Mussels with Saffron and Citrus © Fredrika Stjärne For this dish, chef Mourad Lahlou simmers mussels in a lovely saffron cream sauce. Lahlou prefers to use Mediterranean mussels. "They're plump, juicy, and don't toughen up as much as other varieties when you cook them," he says. Get the Recipe 14 of 25 Chickpea Vegetable Stew © Fredrika Stjärne "The dish is rich in texture and full of healthy goodness," chef Cathal Armstrong says about this hearty vegetable stew. Armstrong adds heft to the coconut milk broth with quick-cooking fingerling potatoes and subtle heat with harissa, a Tunisian chile paste. Get the Recipe 15 of 25 Orecchiette with Sautéed Greens and Scallion Sauce © Tina Rupp For an easy take on this restaurant-style recipe, toss store-bought orecchiette with arugula and chard (both are tastier than spinach) and make the sauce with scallions instead of green garlic, which can be hard to find. Get the Recipe 16 of 25 Shrimp with Roasted Corn, Leeks, Tomatoes, and Basil Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Showcasing late-summer produce, this simple sauté is a perfect shoulder-season weeknight dinner. Marinating sweet cherry tomatoes in vinegar and salt tenderizes them and draws out their juices, creating a light sauce. Get the Recipe 17 of 25 Soba Noodles with Miso-Roasted Tomatoes © Christina Holmes Roasting cherry tomatoes in a mix of miso, ginger, sesame, lime juice, and honey creates a tangy sauce for soba noodles; try adding shrimp for an even more substantial dish. Get the Recipe 18 of 25 Broccoli and Potato Soup Photo by Adam Friedlander / Food Styling by Pearl Jones The bright green broccoli florets floating on top of this hearty soup make it especially eye-catching, but it's the broccoli stems that do the real work. They're cooked with the potatoes and then pureed to form a creamy base. A final sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese gives the soup an extra savory touch. Get the Recipe 19 of 25 Inside-Out Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches © CON POULOS The best way to improve on a great grilled cheese is to sprinkle some cheese on the outside of the bread. It creates a super-crisp, cheesy crust. This version is bolstered with ham, pickles, mustard, and apricot preserves to hit all the flavor notes. Get the Recipe 20 of 25 Pappardelle with Red Wine and Meat Ragù © David Loftus This spectacular pasta dish combines pappardelle with a meaty ragù made from red wine, ground beef and turkey, and dried porcini mushrooms. It's table-ready in just 30 minutes. Get the Recipe 21 of 25 King Trumpet Schnitzel with Mixed Herb Pesto Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Kathleen Varner Here, king trumpet mushrooms get the schnitzel treatment. Double-breading them creates a crispy crust that stays crunchy even as they cook and release moisture. Black pepper and turmeric add a savory, bitter flavor to complement the mushrooms' earthiness, while fragrant Meyer lemon juice and nutty pecorino cheese amp up the herb-packed pesto. Get the Recipe 22 of 25 Gnocchi with Roast Chicken, Bacon, and Kale Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless Roast chicken, crispy bacon, tender kale, and sweet red onion are tossed with gnocchi and topped with lemon zest and Parmesan for this hearty meal. Get the Recipe 23 of 25 Miso Air Fryer Salmon With Baby Bok Choy Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Cooking salmon in the air fryer allows the miso marinade to form a salty-sweet crust on the surface of each fillet. While the salmon rests, you can quickly cook the bok choy in the air fryer; the edges of the leaves will char a bit, creating a savory contrast to the ginger, soy, and sesame oil sauce that goes on top. Get the Recipe 24 of 25 Longevity Noodles with Oyster, Shiitake, and Enoki Mushrooms Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen The longer the noodles the better to symbolize longevity in this spicy, savory dish, a must at Lucky Chow producer Danielle Chang's Lunar New Year feast. A mix of torn and sliced mushrooms (also a symbol of health and longevity) adds a variety of textures and a bite of umami to this quick-cooking dish. Get the Recipe 25 of 25 Grilled Shrimp with Mom's Avocado and Orange Salad © Tina Rupp This grilled shrimp salad uses a surprise of hot sauce in the dressing. Try it with a fruity hot sauce from the Caribbean made with habaneros. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit