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Five Weeknight Dishes

Life’s Best Dinners

Hello, Five Weeknight Dishes readers! I’m honored that Emily asked me to show up for her in this space. (She’s on leave for the next few months.) I take the responsibility of choosing weeknight-friendly recipes seriously. Years of food writing, and cooking for my own family after work, have taught me a lot of brilliant shortcuts. I also know how to spot the pitfalls: ingredients that need two stages of cooking, vegetables that take ages to peel, any spice you can’t pick up on the way home. I’ll be back next Friday, but, in the meantime, try these recipes and email me with your cooking hopes and dreams at dearjulia@nytimes.com.

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Here are five dishes for the week:

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Credit...Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Ali Slagle.

1. Pasta Alla Vodka

One of life’s best weeknight dinners: pasta with tomatoes, cream, chile flakes and lots of parsley. You really can leave out the pancetta here; canned tomatoes quickly cook down to an intense, jammy sauce.

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Melissa Clark's vegetarian skillet chili.Credit...Julia Gartland for The New York Times

2. Vegetarian Skillet Chili

This Melissa Clark classic tastes like a slow braise but cooks like a quick bite, made up of pantry staples. It makes a great Thermos lunch and only gets better as the week goes on.

View this recipe.

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Credit...Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

3. Sheet-Pan Salmon and Broccoli With Sesame and Ginger

Both salmon fillets and broccoli florets are familiar — maybe a little too familiar — to the weeknight cook. A quick glaze of honey, ginger and sesame brightens them right up.

View this recipe.

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Credit...Photo: Con Poulos. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

4. Vegetarian ‘Carbonara’ With Spinach

Sometimes pasta comes up more than once a week, especially in the winter. Carbonara always feels like a treat. Here’s our new vegetarian-friendly version, with smoked provolone or Gouda to replace the traditional bacon.

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Alexa Weibel’s quick chicken and dumplings.Credit...Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

5. Quick Chicken and Dumplings

Leave a little extra time to prep the vegetables for this supremely satisfying chicken dinner. Chop the carrots, leeks and celery first, and get them cooking while gathering the other ingredients, to speed up the process.

View this recipe.


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