Your Best Back-Pocket Dinner Recipes (2024)

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There are so many great conversations on theHotline-- it's hard to choose a favorite. But we'll be doing it, once a week, to spread the wealth of our community's knowledge -- and to keep the conversation going.

Today: Your favorite go-to meals for when the going gets tough.

It's the most wonderful, and hectic, time of the year. In between prepping for holiday gatherings, you're wisely trying to maintain some sanity in your daily life, but day-to-dayduties still remain-- there are lunches to be packed and dinners to be made.

Fellowfoodieis on the hunt for go-torecipes that she can whip up easilyfor dinner. Whether after a long day at the office or a long day of holiday chaos, she's looking for simple dinner ideas that don't require a whole lot of thought oreffort -- just "something fresh, fast, and tasty." She asked our community on the Hotlineto share some of their favorite back-pocket dinners and they provided a number ofgreat ideas:

Tried and true:

• Susan Wis a fan of Martha Stewart's One-Pan Pasta, which sheadapts with whatever seasonal vegetables she has in the house when tomatoes aren't in season. Klrconand healthierkitchenmake a similar version with farro from Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen.
• Inpatskitchenturns to boulangere's First Night in Florence Spaghetti. The sauce is full of items she usually already has in the kitchen, like canned tuna and spinach.
• Stir-frieswere made for harried weeknights. Klrconoften turns whatever she has in the fridge into an impromtu stir-frythat she serves over pasta or another grain.

No recipe needed:

• Halfpintlikes to make an easy meal of cooked rice, drizzled with soy sauce and served with an over easy egg on top; or hot pasta tossed with grated cheese and crème fraîche.
• Jenny Mariakeeps it simple with tuna salad made with canned tuna fish, avocado, and avinaigrette.
• Baked chicken thighs are a go-to for Susan Wand Leith Devine. Susan Wsimply seasons them with salt and pepper, sometimes tossing in chopped preserved lemonand whole garlic cloves, while Leith Devinerubs the thighs with a mix of herbs, salt, lemon zest, and olive oil, and bakes themover a bed of baby potatoes.

When all else fails:

• Hilarybeeserves up scrambled eggs and buttered toast. "If I'm really ambitious, dressed greens for balance."

What's your favorite back-pocket dinner? Tell us in the comments orjoin in the conversationover on the Hotline!

Tags:

• What to Cook
• Weeknight Cooking
• Quick and Easy
• Community
• Advice
• Everyday Cooking
• Hotline
• Your Burning Questions

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Sheela Prakash is a food and wine writer, recipe developer, and the author of Salad Seasons: Vegetable-Forward Dishes All Year and Mediterranean Every Day: Simple, Inspired Recipes for Feel-Good Food. Her writing and recipes can be found in numerous online and print publications, including Kitchn, Epicurious, Food52, Serious Eats, Tasting Table, The Splendid Table, Simply Recipes, Culture Cheese Magazine, Clean Plates, and Slow Food USA. She received her master's degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy, holds Level 2 and Level 3 Awards in Wines from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), graduated from New York University's Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, and is also a Registered Dietitian.