When I open the fridge to start making dinner, I reflexively look for something green to add to the meal: arugula, broccoli, even a smattering of herbs or sliced scallions. Without it, dinner just feels incomplete to me. So it’s very convenient when recipes already include that green element, the cup of frozen peas or several fistfuls of chard, collards or kale.
The five recipes below hit that mark. (I also have my eye on Melissa Clark’s new brussels sprouts Caesar salad, though it’s not explicitly for weeknights.) We’ve also recently published a delicious project devoted to soup, with 24 recipes. If you read The Times in print, you’ll find it in your paper this weekend.
Reach out to me anytime at dearemily@nytimes.com. I love to hear from you.
1. Sheet-Pan Roasted Chicken With Greens
Ali Slagle’s new recipe delivers silky greens without extra work: The leaves braise directly under the chicken as it roasts, soaking in the pan juices. Ali uses a whole spatchcocked chicken (you can ask the butcher at the store to spatchcock — remove its backbone — for you), but you could instead buy a whole chicken already cut into parts; try to arrange the pieces so that the chicken covers most of the greens when the pan goes into the oven.
2. Broiled Salmon and Asparagus With Herbs
Fresh herbs provide instant greenery, and I like to use them by the handful when I’m cooking. This recipe from Yasmin Fahr is a great way to do exactly that. Substitute green beans for asparagus if you like. Double down by serving it with Naz Deravian’s recipe for sheveed polo — Iranian dill rice.
3. Saag Paneer
The transformation of a pound of workaday spinach into lush saag takes only about 40 minutes. This version of the beloved Punjabi dish comes from Kay Chun, and you can use firm tofu if you want to make the dish vegan (you’ll need to make a few other easy ingredient swaps, too), or if you can’t easily find paneer. Regular butter can step in for ghee.
4. Baked Risotto With Greens and Peas
This gloriously green risotto recipe from Kay Chun is so easy and hands-off. A commenter with three toddlers at home (not a typo: three toddlers) said they had made it, and it was delicious. If that person can make it, so can you.
5. Grits and Greens
Creamy, cheesy grits are as good for dinner as they are for breakfast. You can add bacon or sausage to this recipe, from Vallery Lomas, if you’re so inclined, or top the greens with sunny-side-up eggs.
