Step away from the stove—this week, you're going to let your oven and slow cooker do most the cooking for you. Get ready for a crispy sheet-pan dinner, an easy no-recipe technique for making shredded chicken thighs, and three other dinners that take 45 minutes or less. It's going to be a good week.
To start, here's the grocery list:
PANTRY:
- Kosher salt
- Flaky sea salt
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
- Vegetable oil
- Mayonnaise
- Hot sauce
- Brown sugar
- Ground cumin
- Ancho chile powder
- Instant polenta
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans
- 2 (12-ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts
- Pitted Kalamata olives
- 1 (24-ounce) jar of your favorite tomato sauce
PRODUCE:
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 pound green beans, preferably haricort verts
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- Salad greens of your choice (enough for 2 dinners)
- 4 lemons
- 4 limes
- 3 pounds Brussels sprouts
- 2 large red onions
- 2 delicata squash
- 2 avocados
DAIRY
- A hunk of Parmesan
- Sour cream
- Fresh or smoked mozzarella (about 3 ounces)
- Unsalted butter
BUTCHER COUNTER:
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
SEAFOOD COUNTER:
- 1 1/2 pounds skinless halibut fillets
BAKERY
- 1 (12–14") soft loaf French or Italian bread
- soft corn tortillas
Monday:A Sort-Of-Mexican Roast Pork Tenderloin Dinner
I'm going to make you work the hardest on Monday so you don't have to work as hard the rest of the week. It'll be worth it, I swear. You're going to followthis recipebut double up on the vegetables (which means you'll also need to increase the spice rub mixture by half.) Stir together that spice rub with ancho chile powder, cumin, salt, brown sugar, and lime zest. Toss 2/3 of the spice rub with a double batch of cut-up Brussels sprouts, squash, and onions. Spread the vegetables out on two sheet pans and pop them in the oven. While those trays of veggies roast, use the rest of the spice rub to season two pork tenderloins. Sear them in an oven-proof skillet and then pop it in the oven too—the pork should finish cooking in the same amount of time as it takes the vegetables to finish cooking. Serve it all with sour cream, lime, and cilantro, and don't forget to set aside the extra roasted veggies for Thursday's dinner.
Tuesday:A Niçoise Salad–Inspired Sheet Pan Dinner
It's time to meet your new favorite trick: roasting marinated artichoke hearts. They're the star of tonight'sdinner recipe. Toss them with potatoes and olive oil and throw them in a hot oven, and they'll turn crispy and deliciously addictive. Once they're lightly golden-brown, push them to the side of the sheet pan and fill the rest of it with green beans and halibut, then cook just until the fish is cooked through. Gently flake the fish into pieces and arrange it on a platter with your roasted veg. A spattering of fresh basil livens it all up, and a lemon-mayo sauce on the side makes it feel even more special. If you have Meyer lemons, use them—but standard lemons work just as well.
Wednesday:The Best No-Recipe-Required Saucy Shredded Chicken
This is seriously the easiest thing you're going to cook all week—because your slow cooker is going to cook it for you (and then you're going to use the leftovers again on Friday to make pizza). In the morning, add 3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs to your slow cooker, season them with salt and pepper, pour an entire 24-ounce jar of tomato sauce over them, and let it cook on low for eight hours. When you get home in the evening, stir it up with a spoon and the chicken should shred easily. Make a quick batch of creamy instant polenta and spoon the saucy shredded chicken over it to serve, grating Parm all over the top. Toss together a simple salad with your favorite greens, and dinner is served. (Don't forget to set aside about 2 cups of shredded chicken for Friday.)
Thursday: Roasted Vegetable and Black Bean Tacos
Time to pull those roasted, ancho chile–spiced vegetables out of the fridge. Toss them in a skillet with a bit of oil and a can of drained and rinsed black beans and cook over high until warmed-through. Meanwhile, warm up tortillas and slice up some avocados. Set out sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce, and limes and let everyone assemble their own tacos.
Friday: French Bread Pizza with Pulled Chicken
Friday night is pizza night, right? Well, remember that saucy chicken you made on Wednesday? You're turning it into pizza tonight. Followthis methodbut forget all about the whole BBQ thing and use your tomato-sauced chicken instead. A glass of red wine and another simple green salad and you're good to go.
