What is a weeknight recipe? It wiggles a bit depending on the dish, but generally I feel a weeknight recipe has as few ingredients as possible, requires minimal active work (and pans to clean), and can be done relatively quickly. You can make it at the end of the day and aren’t too tired to actually enjoy it.
And yet I’m here today to talk about risotto, a dish that doesn’t scream “weeknight.” Risotto doesn’t scream anything, really: It’s quiet luxury, rich and understated. It’s also highly needy. In the classic rendering of the dish, you heat up stock in one pot and gradually ladle it into rice cooking in another pot, stirring insistently as you go.
But I got a email from a reader named Marie telling me that basic risotto is one of her weeknight standards. The more I considered this, the more it made sense. After all, it’s creamy rice with cheese. It doesn’t require more effort or time than a recipe with lots of vegetable chopping. Picky kids even eat it! It’s amenable to mix-ins, whether you add them before you finish cooking or set them all out and let people top their bowls to their liking at the table: browned sausage, broccoli, squash, peas, shrimp, leftover shredded meat. Can this work for you on a weeknight? Yes, it can!
Be like Marie and write to me at dearemily@nytimes.com with your ideas and feedback. And if you enjoy the work we do here at New York Times Cooking, please consider subscribing.
1. Risotto
Kay Chun’s risotto recipe is a laid-back but faithful version of the classic, which takes a handful of simple ingredients and transforms them into something sumptuous. This is much easier than you think it is!
2. Gingery Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Use any kind of ground meat (pork, beef, chicken, turkey) or a plant-based option in this new Melissa Clark recipe, which commenters are loving. Melissa uses diced fresh tomatoes, instead of canned, for a light and bright sauce that cooks quickly.
4. Grilled Pork Chops
You know what’s really delicious? Thick pork chops, rubbed with salt, pepper, paprika and brown sugar, then grilled for mere minutes. This recipe from Steven Raichlen walks you through it.
5. Grilled Tofu Salad
To make Kay Chun’s new salad recipe, you coat tofu and zucchini in lemon-miso sauce, grill them and serve with snap peas and herbs. It’s the kind of simple dish you can make ahead and eat at room temperature — which is to say, it’s relaxed and breezy summer cooking. (If you don’t have a grill, this works well in a grill pan or under the broiler.)
