The Best Weeknight Dinners Of 2016
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For Bon Appetit, by Bon Appetit.

Weeknight dinner can be a drag, especially when you're staring at an empty fridge and the same pantry ingredients that have been taking up space in there all year. But not when these 20 recipes are around. Our favorite weeknight dinner recipes of 2016 shake everything up, and give us the strength to make it to Friday.

Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott

If you don’t want to invest in a sizzle platter, you can also make this recipe using a rimmed baking sheet.

Alex Lau

Spicy, mouth-tingling, porky: Those are the words you’ll be using to describe this tofu recipe.

Alex Lau

The power trio of butter, kimchi, and gochujang produces an umami ballad so beautiful in this udon recipe, you’ll want to play it over and over again.

Alex Lau

The traditional stuffed pork roast is so delicious but so laborious. This chicken has all the same garlicky, herby flavors — not to mention lots of crispy bacon bits — and it’s optimized for a weeknight meal.

Alex Lau

Oh yes, there will be brown butter.

Alex Lau

As you’re crisping the rice for this chicken salad recipe, the leeks and carrots may look very dark. Don’t be scared or angry at us; the veggies aren’t burnt, they’re just deeply caramelized and will add lots of flavor to the final dish.

Alex Lau

Scallops: so meaty and delicious and yet so easy to overcook. That’s why we sear these on only one side, preserving the meltingly tender, near-raw texture on the other end.

Alex Lau

These are extra saucy and a little sweet like the original SpaghettiOs, but with grown-up flavors all around.

Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott

This pesto pasta recipe is the solution for any leftover hardy green, lettuce, or herb you don’t know what to do with. Cleaning out your fridge has never been so rewarding!

Peden + Munk

Teriyaki gets an image makeover in this classic dish without losing its sweet and salty glaze.

Alex Lau

There's a time for a 20-ingredient, four-hour curry, and it's not 5 p.m. on Tuesday. This shortcut version yields a hearty crowd-pleaser.

Alex Lau

A single pan leads to many wonders: crackly-skinned chicken, hardy escarole, and a touch of smoky bacon.

Alex Lau

"Curry" rhymes with "hurry" for a reason. A few shortcut ingredients yield a gently spiced, deep-flavored sauce that’s ready in under an hour.

Alex Lau

We took the traditional Jamaican jerk spice and…simplified it. Before you call the authenticity police, give it a try on roast chicken legs.

Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott

You don’t need hours to simmer tomato sauce. This recipe shows you how to make an excellent one in 30 minutes, with 5 ingredients, in 1 pan, with very little effort.

Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott

The genius of this pasta recipe is in the contrast of the textures and flavors.

Alex Lau

These quick-cooking lamb chops make dinner feel instantly fancy.

Alex Lau

Not a big fan of chorizo? This chili recipe can also be made with chicken, turkey, or Italian sweet or spicy sausage.

Alex Lau

This aromatic Vietnamese-inspired dish calls for pounding the chicken breasts to a uniform thinness, which eliminates any dryness.

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