Gorgeous, layered, satisfying bowls have become the next wave of healthy eating. From food blogs to Instagram, farm-to-table bistros to chain restaurants, “the bowl” has become part of our culinary vocabulary. And whole grains are not just for hippies and health nuts anymore! Hearty grains like quinoa, farro, millet, and spelt are replacing flour or corn tortillas, bread, pasta, white rice, and mashed potatoes as the base or vehicle for other, richer, more complex ingredients.
Bowls of Plenty brings grain bowls to the home cook, offering more than 75 recipes for hearty, grain-centric, one-dish meals that layer flavorful veggies and delicious sauces and vinaigrettes, with optional meats and dairy on a foundation of whole-grain staples. A mix sweet and savory breakfast bowls, salad bowls that will put an end to the sad desk lunch, flexible composed main dish bowls that work with all diets, and creative dessert bowls, Bowls of Plenty is a modern handbook for healthy and delicious cooking at home.
When I’m doing my meal planning for an average week, I’m looking for my weeknight dinners to check off two requirements: quick and easy. I want weeknight dinners that not only taste satisfying, but don’t require too much time, energy, or extra ingredients.That’s where these 30-minute dinners come in. If you need some meal inspo for the week, then these 30-minute dinners have you covered—every single day.
While I wanted to include recipes that are easy and straightforward, I also wanted to keep things exciting by spicing up pantry staples (looking at you, sheet-pan crispy ramen). Many of these recipes share common ingredients (saving you another trip to the store), but are different enough that you won’t feel like you’re eating the same thing all week. Chicken dinners are our bread and butter, but I’ve also given variety by including vegetarian, seafood, and ground beef dinners.
Whether you follow this meal guide by the day or only use it for some weekday mealtime inspiration, there’s a quick and easy dinner here for you that will be on the table in 30—minimal dishes required.
With its delectable recipes and charming girl-next-door tone, Homemade With Love is sure to be a welcome addition to the kitchens of longtime readers of the blog, In Jennie’s Kitchen. Jennifer Perillo has long written on the pleasures and importance of cooking from scratch, buying local, and eating at home. Jennie shares her love for her farmers’ markets and local purveyors while dishing out a hearty dose of practical culinary know-how for the working parent-or any busy cook.
Jennie has been writing online since 2006, and developing recipes for more than 15 years, even after the sudden death of her young husband, Mikey, in 2011. Gathering her family together around the table was her recipe for healing; though many things about her life have changed, her commitment to eating for nourishment-physical and spiritual-has not. A seasoned recipe developer and personal chef, Jennie has crafted shortcuts (like two homemade all-purpose baking mixes, used as a base for baked goods such as breads, muffins, and cupcakes) to make good eating just a little easier. Try recipes like Orange-Scented Waffles, Carrot Fennel Soup, Lentil Ricotta Meatballs, Drop Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie, Strawberry Blender Sherbet, and Lemon Buttermilk Doughnuts. Simple, soulful recipes for every meal of the day emphasize farm-fresh produce and whole foods. Jennie’s distinctive voice is an evangelist for eating close to home, lingering around the table.
Too often, home cooks fear that producing nutritionally sound meals means spending a lot of time in the kitchen, time that very few can afford to devote out of their already overcrowded and demanding daily work schedules. Perillo respects these boundaries, so she has invented some relatively speedy but appealing dishes that emphasize sound nutrition. Sherry vinegar and molasses help deepen vegetarian onion soup. Tacos recycle leftover roast chicken. A spaghetti dinner proves much less burdensome when the meatballs are frozen ahead of time. Powdered chipotle lends popcorn a uniquely smoky flavor. For breakfast, she recommends getting dressed while boiling a pot of steel-cut oats for a morning cereal so much more satisfying than instant oatmeal. Even a birthday cake needn’t make the harried homemaker resort to a boxed mix when Perillo can offer a quickly mixed and baked cake frosted in a simple buttercream. Symbols quickly identify recipes as gluten free, egg free, vegetarian, or vegan. –Mark Knoblauch
Review
I love the recipes in this collection: The ingredients are common, the cooking techniques simple and easy to learn. There is nothing complicated here except for the melding of flavors and textures that make cooking and baking an art.” Houston Chronicle
A cookbook of healthy, delicious basics, whose warmhearted author shares the joy she finds in cooking for those she loves.” Shelf Awareness
Perillo laces touching personal stories with thoughtful, achievable techniques and recipes that give conventional home cooking a serious upgrade. Drop Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie, Ginger-Lime Slow Roasted Carrots and Rosemary, and Pecorino Popcorn are among the standouts. A great starter book for intrepid, first-time cooks.” New York Daily News
Elise Bauer, creator of SimplyRecipes.com “The proper way to read Jennifer Perillo’s Homemade with Love is curled up in a crocheted blanket your grandmother made, on a comfy couch with a cup of tea or hot chocolate. It’s that kind of book. With gentle prose, simple and delightful recipes that should be in every home cook’s repertoire, and beautifully photographed, this book is one you will cherish.” Melissa d’Arabian, host of the Food Network’s Ten Dollar Dinners Homemade with Love is more than a cookbook. It’s a love song; an ode to family and life on life’s terms, and the nourishing and healing power of food prepared with joy in the heart.” Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, founders of Food52.com Books about cooking from scratch can sometimes come across as insensitive to the budget and time constraints faced by most home cooks. But in Homemade with Love, Jennifer Perillo shares her best techniques for everything from creamy ricotta to roasted vegetable pizza, filtered through a lens of thrift and common sense. Her thoughtful, beautiful recipes thrum with personal experienceat the same time, they’re perfect for those striving to get dinner on the table every night.”
Isabel Kallman, founder of Alpha Mom”This new how-to bible on cooking from scratch surprises you because it’s so much more. Jennie reinvents the classics of our Brooklyn youths, ensuring these homemade recipes are enjoyed by a more health-conscious generation. To top it off you can create delicious meals without laboring in the kitchen for hours!” Mollie Katzen, author of The Moosewood Cookbook If you are a fan of Jennie’s wonderful blog, you probably have already grabbed up copies of this lovely book for yourself and everyone you love. If you are new to Jennie, you will soon see why she is so popular. Reassuring, unassuming, deeply knowledgeable, open, and as passionate about people as she is about cooking, Jennie will leave her mark on your kitchen and in your heart.”
Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Every Day Homemade with Love encompasses much of what makes Jennie Perillo so special: warmth, generosity, know-how, and enthusiasm. At its core this is a beautiful book celebrating the power (and importance) of the homemade meal as an integral part of the fabric of a home.” Luisa Weiss, author of My Berlin Kitchen and creator of The Wednesday Chef “Jennie Perillo’s accessible collection of comforting, everyday recipes will inspire even the most reluctant cook. I, for one, can’t wait to add things like her Lentil-Ricotta “Meatballs,” Olive Oil and Feta Mashed Turnips, and Apricot Butter to my permanent repertoire.”
Nothing’s better than a chicken dinner, whether it’s a weeknight or a special occasion, and nothing’s worse than a sink full of dirty dishes — any night. One Dutch oven is good, but one sheet pan to cook everything from the chicken to the sides? Now that’s a winner winner (you know the rest). We’ve got 27 sheet-pan chicken dinners here to get you started—once you’ve got the technique down, use them as inspiration to make your nights easier again and again.
When it comes to white meat, there are a few flavor combos that always work, and one of our favorites has got to be chicken and lemon. Our sheet-pan lemon butter chicken thighs capitalize on this excellent flavor combo—we add potatoes too, but it’s easy to customize with your favorite veggies for an easy, straightforward meal everyone will love.
It’s not all about straightforward dinners here either. We’ve also got a couple of sheet-pan chicken apps or snacks here too, like our popcorn chicken, our sheet-pan green chile chicken nachos, or our sheet-pan honey mustard chicken. Eat ’em as an afternoon snack, or serve up the whole tray with a variety of toppings and dipping sauces and call it your evening meal—no judgment from us!
There are many popular Greek recipes we all know and love, like Lamb Souvlaki, pita, and bean salads, but there are plenty more Greek-inspired dishes to to try. Here are 20 Greek recipes that may have not crossed your kitchen table yet. From the seaside village of Kyparissia to the dining room of your favorite Greek restaurant, these recipes hit all the flavors we love about Mediterranean cuisine. While many of these recipes are as traditional as they come, some take inspiration from Greek cuisine and run with the flavors. Either way, these top-rated recipes are bound to delight.
It’s no secret that we love bacon. When we heard about breakfast chain First Watch’s famous million-dollar bacon, we were immediately intrigued. Crispy bacon drizzled with a sweet-and-spicy sauce and caramelized in the oven? Yes, please!
Though the recipe is also known as “millionaire bacon,” it calls for only pantry staples. It’s rich in taste, not expense. The addictively sweet-savory recipe makes a nice change of pace from plain bacon at brunch, or a delicious appetizer at a potluck. Here’s how to make it at home.
Though we’re all for pulling out all the stops for a wildly impressive dinner for a romantic date night or special occasion, most weeknights, we’re looking for something cheap and easy. These recipes hit both criteria, with ease. You don’t have to drop major dough to make something delicious that can be on your table in an hour or less—save money by choosing cheaper proteins (we’re talking chicken, ground beef or turkey, or vegetarian options like tofu) and time by making these dishes all in one pan or via some of our top kitchen shortcuts. Whatever your style, these 100+ cheap and easy meals will please your entire family without breaking the bank.
One of the easiest ways to cut down on dinner costs is to go for cheaper cuts of meat, or utilizing more expensive ones in creative ways. Try adding ground beef, turkey, or chicken to help bulk out old standbys. Try roasting a whole chicken (or buying a rotisserie chicken), then utilizing it for everything from pizza to tacos all week long. Try adding more expensive seafood or steak to pasta or rice to help make smaller, more affordable portions go further, like in our salmon & potato skillet, our marry me shrimp pasta, our creamy steak fettuccine. It’s all about the way you use the protein that matters, not avoiding them altogether.
If you’ve been on the fence about certain kitchen appliances, like slow cookers, air fryers, and Instant Pots, consider this your sign to take the plunge and get one. They help dinners come together SO fast. Check out our more in-depth lists for your air fryer (over 100 recipes!), Instant Pot, and Crockpot.
One of the best ways to save some money is to go meatless (and not just on Mondays). And we don’t mean by replacing proteins with all those high-priced meat substitutes (though we’re all about those sometimes)—instead we’re talking about making vegetarian meals out of cheap beans, tofu, and plants. Try our spinach & artichoke white bean skillet, our sweet & sour tofu, our cream of mushroom pastina, or our baked feta chickpeas to see how versatile and filling these meals can be.
Want more cheap and easy meals? Check out our favorite 5-ingredient meals, our top 30-minute meals, and former food editor June’s entire Budget Eats series. You won’t believe what she came up with for under $25!
This hamburger recipe is flavorful, juicy, and incredibly satisfying.
Hamburger Ingredients
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this top-rated hamburger recipe:
Beef: These basic burgers start with 1 ½ pounds of lean ground beef.
Onion: A finely chopped onion takes the flavor up a notch.
Cheese: You’ll need shredded Colby Jack or Cheddar cheese.
Egg: An egg lends moisture and helps bind the patties together.
Seasonings, herbs, and sauces: These hamburgers are flavored with an envelope of dry onion soup mix, fresh garlic, garlic powder, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, crushed dried rosemary, salt, and pepper.
How to Make the Best Burgers
You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make the best burgers ever:
Combine the ingredients in a bowl.
Make four patties.
Grill the patties until the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink in the center.
How Long to Cook Hamburgers
Cooked on a grill heated to high heat, these hamburger patties should be fully cooked after about 4 to 5 minutes per side. You’ll know they’re done when the juices run clear, they’re no longer pink in the center, and an instant-read thermometer reads at least 165 degrees F.
What to Serve With Hamburgers
Explore our collection of Quick and Easy Side Dishes for Burgers for delicious serving inspiration. Here are a few of the crowd-pleasing ideas you’ll find:
As much as we love a no-cook dinner, there are times when the heat just can’t take away our craving for certain dishes. (We’re looking at you, pulled pork.) Luckily, there’s an easy fix: break out your handy, dandy slow cooker. You can whip up everything from family-friendly chicken dishes to no-fuss desserts with ease—and without heating up your entire kitchen. You can even make ribs in the slow cooker! In this easy recipe, the seasoning paste transforms into a savory dipping sauce. Slather it on the ribs and pop them on the grill just before serving for a final char. They’re the summer weeknight dinner everyone will devour.
A rainbow of finely chopped fruits lightly dressed with lime, honey and mint is what turns an everyday snack into a perfect bite fruit salad.
Some people write off fruit salad as nothing more than a bowl of mixed fruit, but there is an art to blending the right combination of different sizes, shapes, flavors and textures to create the perfect bite of fruit salad. When I was younger, the ideal fruit salad was crafted by balling three different kinds of melon and tossing it with enough sugar to create a thick syrup. While I still think melon balls (and melon recipes) are delightful, I’m grateful for the ever-changing and ever-growing variety of available fruits—and the fact that I’ve gotten more creative with how I chop the fruit.
Bites of typical fruit salads often require skewering one piece of fruit on your fork at a time, but if you cut all the fruits into equally sized, small pieces (just as you would a chopped salad), you can get a bit of everything in every bite. We share a recipe for perfect bite fruit salad here, but you can apply this chopping method to any of your favorite spring or summer fruit salads.
SARAH TRAMONTE FOR TASTE OF HOME
Ingredients for Perfect Bite Fruit Salad
Strawberries: Although the leaves on the top of a strawberry are edible, you probably don’t want them in this salad. Hull a strawberry in a way that removes the leaves with the top of the core. To keep them fresh as long as possible, store strawberries in the original plastic clamshell or in the crisper drawer in the fridge.
Blueberries: Whether you get blueberries from a farm stand or supermarket, pick the best blueberries by looking for ones that are plump with firm skin and an even, deep purple-blue color.
Granny Smith apples: Granny Smith apples are crisp and slightly tart. Combined with other sweet fruits, as in this perfect bite fruit salad recipe, the apples balance the various flavor notes. Granny Smith are also one of the best apples for apple pie.
Seedless watermelon: To ensure the most flavor from your watermelon, make sure you know how to tell if your watermelon is ripe, whether you figure that from the heft of the melon or the tell-tale yellow patch on the skin.
Mangoes: Learning how to cut a mango is a little different from cutting other fruits because of a mango’s large, long oval pit in the middle—but it’s pretty easy once you do it for the first time. A ripe mango will yield to gentle pressure when pressed, similar to a peach or pear, but avoid any mangoes that are squishy, as they will be too soft to dice.
Dressing: A simple mixture of lime juice, honey and minced fresh mint coats the fruit to coax out the natural juices and offer a sweet-tart flavor. This recipe offers a range in the amount of honey to use because even perfectly ripe fruit can vary in sweetness.
SARAH TRAMONTE FOR TASTE OF HOME
Good Food, Good Meat, Good God, Let's Eat! 