The Pom Editors Recommend: Weeknight Dinners

A few simple meals for your kids to refuse.

Families somehow need to be fed every single night. (Who came up with this concept?!) The editors of The Pom have collaborated to give you four of our favorite simple weeknight recipes, in the hopes that you will find some inspiration for this week’s menu. (Get a pizza on the fifth night. If you were looking for a sign to do that, here it is.) We would love to hear from you about your favorite quick and easy meals!

Lucy - Sheet Pan Chow Mein

The Sheet Pan chow mein recipe is from Smitten Kitchen. We make a version of this pretty much every other week. I use the Thai wheat noodles from Trader Joe’s, add air fried tofu, and then top it with sriracha mayo and chili oil.

Air fried tofu recipe:

• One block extra firm tofu

• 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil

• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce

• salt to taste

Drain one block of extra firm tofu by wrapping it in paper towels or a dish towel and placing something heavy on top (perhaps a cookbook that you aren’t using because you're reading this recipe on the internet) for about 10 minutes.

Set air fryer to 350 degrees.

Cut tofu into cubes. I usually do about 1.5in cubes, but if you like them crispier, you can do smaller.

Dump tofu cubes into a large bowl, add soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt. Mix the tofu around so all pieces are covered. Marinate for about ten minutes.

Remove tofu from marinade and spread out the blocks so they aren’t touching in the air fryer. Air fry for about 10 minutes.

Make the Smitten Kitchen recipe as instructed and top it with the air fried tofu after cooking.

Lauren - The Working Mom Special

Here is a recipe I make a lot, which you will notice is not so much a recipe but simply things in a Crockpot.

Ingredients:

• Chicken (breasts, thighs, whatever)

• Mexican spices (I usually put like a teaspoon each cumin, garlic powder, oregano, smoked paprika, chili powder but sometimes just a big hit of adobo or, if you’re down especially bad, a tablespoon of taco seasoning)

• Jar of salsa (any salsa you like, but it should be a regular size, not a Costco size)

• Can of black beans, drained and rinsed in a colander

• Frozen corn (2 cups or however much is in the bag)

Put all of this in the Crockpot and give it a stir. Set to low for 6-8 hours or high for 3 hours but honestly if you were going to be back in 3 hours you probably wouldn’t be making this.

When it’s done, shred it with 2 forks and either serve it over rice for rice bowls (buy the frozen microwave rice, who cares) or stuff it into tacos. You can put whatever toppings— I usually get guac, sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced jalapenos, and let my kids crush tortilla chips on top).

I don’t serve it with a side— just eat more of it if you’re still hungry.

What I love about this recipe is that start-to-finish, it takes about 10 minutes, it’s pretty forgiving so if you don’t have one of the things, but you do at least have salsa and chicken, it’ll turn out fine, there’s NO chopping, and also the toppings make it easy to customize so if you have picky eaters it won’t be too tough. If you don’t do spice at all, you can easily just do tomato sauce in a similar volume.

Amy - Potato-Carrot Soup

This is a modified version of the No-Fuss Potato Soup from Fix It and Forget It by Phyllis Pellman Good. It is not something you can throw together if you only have thirty minutes before dinner, BUT it is a nice thing to come home to when you have been out all day. I like to make this when I am working in the evenings, because it tastes better when it has been simmering for a very long time, and it’s so comforting at the end of a frenetic day.

• 6 cups peeled, chopped white or yellow potatoes (roughly 6-7 medium potatoes). You could use red potatoes if that’s all you have but the taste will be a little off.

• 5 cups water

• 1 cup diced onions (OR a tablespoon of onion powder if you are so unfortunate as to have onion haters in your family like I do)

• 1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 large)

• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter

• 5 chicken bouillon cubes (if you prefer Better Than Bouillon, use about three tablespoons and a generous pinch of salt)

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 12-oz can of evaporated milk

Put everything EXCEPT the evaporated milk into the Crockpot and cook on Low for 6-8 hours (or more). About twenty minutes before serving, open the Crockpot and use a potato masher or immersion blender to puree the softened vegetables. Add the evaporated milk at this time. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits, if you like.

Kristen - Pasta with Marinara Sauce

Between my kids' limited palates and a hectic schedule, a lot of our meals are slapped together in a rush, so sometimes on a night when we have nothing else going on I like to make something that feels like a NICE meal. "Feels" being the operative word— this recipe is super quick and simple, but it comes together in a way that feels like we're highkey Having Dinner. Most importantly, this crowd pleaser is a rare meal that my entire family agrees to eat.

I started making this sauce based on the NYT marinara recipe but have made some changes along the way.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup of olive oil

• 4ish cloves of garlic, sliced thin (a little more? A little less? It's garlic, do what you want)

• 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes with basil (I usually use whole peeled tomatoes, but crushed are good too and it saves you the step of squishing them)

• 1 cup of water

• 1 tsp of salt

• ¼ tsp of red pepper flakes, or just a dash

• 1 lb of whichever pasta you prefer- I used to always use linguine or angel hair, but lately we've been doing rotini or big casserole elbows because the kids say it's easier to eat.

And Some Extras:

• Grated parmesan

• Fresh baguette or Italian bread

Start by dumping the canned tomatoes into a large bowl and squishing them with your bare hands until it's a chunky liquid. DON'T rinse the can— pour 1 cup of water into it and swish it around to get the leftover tomato juice off the sides. Put that aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low height. Once it's hot, add the sliced garlic and let it sizzle for a minute or two until it's soft and fragrant. Then add the tomatoes and the tomato water.

Add the salt and the pepper flakes and give it all a good stir. Turn the heat up to medium or medium-high until it's bubbling, then turn it back down to a simmer while you cook the pasta.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box. If you have a baguette/Italian bread, slice it while the pasta is cooking.

This isn't very Italian of me, but I serve the pasta and the sauce in separate bowls on the table so the kids can add as much sauce as they want. Serve the bread alongside a plate of olive oil sprinkled with parmesan and red pepper flakes for dipping, or just dip it in your extra sauce.

Sarah - Play the Long Game

For the record, Sarah is actually an accomplished cook (see photo below) but she does not usually use recipes. She recommends marrying a spouse who enjoys cooking.

What do you make on a school/work/gotta-make-it-happen-fast night? Let us know in the comments!