We’re not sure how it’s already mid-September, which speaks to just how busy this time of year can get. The days are getting shorter, the evenings have been handed over to homework and — if the displays at Michaels are any indication — the holidays are just around the corner. It’s the perfect time to get acquainted with what we’re calling our Weeknight 100, a list of 100 go-to dinner ideas curated by Emily Weinstein, New York Times Cooking’s editor in chief. These easy, flexible dishes can be on the table in less than an hour and — most important — are absolutely delicious. And many make smart use of pantry staples, like Genevieve Ko’s chile crisp fettuccine Alfredo with spinach (above). Genevieve swirls chile crisp (either from your favorite jar or homemade) into a buttery mix of pasta and spinach for a quick meal that doesn’t require any chopping — just lots of slurping and happy, eyes-closed chewing.
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Another 25-minute wonder is Kay Chun’s coconut-miso salmon curry, a five-star recipe that’s already a New York Times Cooking reader favorite (check out those nearly 10,000 reviews). “One of the few recipes I crave enough to make over and over again,” wrote Barrett, a reader. Another, Lilia, says she added broccoli and green beans for more greens. “Is it shameful to lick the bowl?”
Because so much of weeknight cooking is built on using what you’ve got, you’ll find sheet-pan bibimbap in our Weeknight 100. Eric Kim’s recipe is a brilliant fridge cleaner-outer, turning a stray sweet potato, a couple of leaves of kale, two lonely carrots and that onion rolling around in the crisper into a satisfying, flavorful one-pan dinner. It’s a hit with kids, too.
On the topic of kid-friendly recipes, here are Ali Slagle’s recipes for crisp gnocchi with sausage and peas and chicken fajitas. The first, with its creamy melted Parmesan and plump gnocchi chew, has some cacio e pepe vibes (and if you have leftover heavy cream from the aforementioned chile crisp Alfredo, go ahead and add some here in step 4). And chicken fajitas because, well, who doesn’t love chicken fajitas — especially when everything is coated in a lime-chipotle marinade and roasted on a sheet pan.
For additional easy dinner solutions, be sure to check out our full collection of weeknight dinner recipes, with even more editor and reader favorites. You’ll also want to sign up for Emily’s Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter, where each week she shares five recipes to answer that most pressing of questions: What’s for dinner?
And! For a limited time, you can now view all these recipes for free. Just download the New York Times Cooking app to start your free trial. Apple iOS users can download the app here, while Android users can use this link. Enjoy!