Fuel Up: Fast, Filling Meals for November
…because dinner is every day, not just on Thanksgiving
We all know that Thanksgiving, the foodie equivalent to The Big Show, is just around the corner. Maybe you already have your menu all picked out, maybe you don’t, but you have plenty of time. I don’t have anything particularly new to say about Thanksgiving after 20 years of writing turkey recipes, but here is a whole collection of recipes I made to inspire you if you’re at the start of your planning journey.
And yet, there is still dinner for every other night of the week. When you’re at your busiest and your planning-est, thinking about a thousand things that may not be what is on the table tonight. It is for that person I write here today: strategic, filling meals that will materialize with the help of a tool maybe, or a stretch of time during a calm moment and stored for one that isn’t so calm.
First, let’s start with the various methods to achieve this. Sheet pan suppers, like: this veggie Roasted Paneer and Greens Sheet Pan Dinner; this one-pan chicken wonder with cauliflower, sweet potato and smoked paprika; a favorite of mine for a long time, my Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Pears and Pistachios; or even these Roasted Clams with Potatoes and Olives. Similarly succinct are these literal one-pot chicken numbers: Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken and Roasted Spatchcock Chicken with Leeks and Apples. Then, of course, you have the Instant Pot to make this Thai Vegetable Soup or this winter porridge. You could swing to the other end of the spectrum to the slow-cooker and give this classic beef stew a go, or this of-the-season pot roast with root veggies. Lastly, stock some Big Batch Sunday Sauce, cooked lentils or other dried beans, or braised Chicken, even from this Instant Pot recipe, and you’ll be more than halfway to a great dinner anytime you need one.
Or you could simply choose to cook meals that are inherently quick to make from start to finish. Maybe tonight will bring one of these favorites: a pork (or whatever meat or beyond meat you like) lettuce wrap like this one; or this watercress, beef and glass noodle soup; this plate of Steak with Herb Sauce and Buttered Radishes, only a flash in the pan and finished in the oven; these simple Curried Chickpeas simmered with a few cans from the pantry; quickly baked tilapia in browned butter and finished with balsamic vinegar; this orzo risotto cooked in pancetta and rosemary with a handful of radicchio stirred in at the end to wilt.
Or, simplest yet, is to shift the idea of what dinner needs to be. Maybe it’s a delicious sandwich or no-recipe omelet (or something in between). Whatever you decide, I hope you give yourself a break, and find time to enjoy your family, your friends, and your day. As my dad always tells me, “you’ll never have another one like it.”
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my words. Other ways to support my work include buying my books: Twenty Dollar, Twenty Minute Meals (whose Linguine with Braised Swiss Chard + Poached Egg with the egg poaching in the pasta water is perfect for this season of multitasking); Cake Magic! (with over 100 cakes galore all built on a homemade mix to store and make quick work of a homemade cake anytime, plus tips for freezing them); Catalan Food (whose Gambas Ajillo are a flash in the pan and delicious to boot); and Soup Club (full of beloved soup recipes that fill a Thermos for on-the-go healthful, vegan meals).
For all of you, I wish you love and luck as we slip quietly into the holiday season. When we meet again at the start of December, the well-worn music will have begun to drown out all reasonable thought and I will be inevitably devoting all my time to executing the innumerable Christmas traditions my family holds dear. For the paid subscribers among you, hang tight – I have one last recipe that changed my world when I came up with it. I’ll give you a hint: it’s vegan, made in the Instant Pot, and lives in my freezer right now…
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