I have an enduring soft spot for supermarket tortellini, the kind you find in the refrigerated aisle right near the string cheese. When I first met my husband, he seemed to subsist on this tortellini. This recipe from Ali Slagle reminds me of that time, though itap slightly more involved than what we ate back then, seeing as it has two steps instead of one (“boil the tortellini”).
Itap worth it, as most adulting upgrades are. That recipe, which you’ll find below, is an excellent option for the week ahead, as are the four alongside it. (In fact, Ali has another dish in the newsletter this week — roasted chicken thighs with black beans and squash, one of those recipes that soars above the sum of its parts.)
1. Sheet-Pan Chicken With Black Beans and Squash
This sheet-pan meal delivers big flavor with little effort. Bone-in chicken thighs, cubed squash (buy precubed if you like), red onion and a can of black beans are all coated with smoky-warm spices before roasting. (To use boneless thighs, see Tip below.) The chicken and black beans crisp, the squash and onion sweeten, and everything is deeply seasoned with chili powder, cumin and chicken drippings. Bring contrast to the meal by adding cooling, creamy, fresh and crispy toppings, such as sour cream, pepitas, cilantro, raw onion and lime. This is sheet-pan cooking at its finest.
By Ali Slagle
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry
- 1 pound cubed butternut squash
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and shaken dry
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced, divided
- 3 tablespoons avocado or other neutral-tasting oil
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt
- Cilantro, toasted pepitas, sour cream, or lime wedges or a combination, for serving
Preparation:
1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, combine the chicken, squash, beans, half the red onion, oil, chili powder, cumin and 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt). Toss to coat, then spread into an even layer. Roast until the chicken skin is deeply golden and the squash is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Top the cooked chicken and vegetables as you like with the remaining red onion, cilantro, pepitas, dollops of sour cream and a squeeze of lime.
Tip:
To use boneless, skinless thighs, toss them in the seasonings, then remove from the sheet pan. Roast the squash, onion and beans for 15 minutes, then add the thighs and continue to roast until cooked through, another 10 to 15 minutes. Broil for more browning if you like.
2. Pepper Steak and Celery Stir-Fry With Lemon
Lemon is the star of this quick weeknight stir-fry. Using both the peel and juice of the lemons gives this dish a wonderful scent and tangy finish. As with any stir-fry, you’ll want to have all your ingredients sliced and measured before you start cooking, since the meal comes together quickly once you start cooking. The celery softens just slightly, so it retains its herbal brightness plus a crisp-tender bite. Though you can opt for a leaner cut of meat like sirloin for the beef, fattier cuts like skirt or hanger will be more tender and boast richer beef flavor.
By Andy Baraghani
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound sirloin, skirt or hanger steak, set in the freezer for 10 minutes until firm
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon light brown or granulated sugar
- 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons vegetable, canola or peanut oil
- 5 celery stalks, trimmed and thinly sliced on a bias
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced, green and white parts separated
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Preparation:
1. Using your chef’s knife, slice the chilled beef against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick strips about 2 inches long; set aside.
2. Place the beef in a medium bowl and season with salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Add cornstarch and sugar and toss until the beef is thoroughly coated.
3. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemon in wide strips; set the peels aside then cut the lemon in half.
4. Set a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high. When the pan is very hot, add 1 tablespoon oil. Using tongs, add half the beef to the pan in a single layer and cook, without stirring or tossing, until deeply brown around the edges, about 2 minutes. The pieces at the edges of the pan will brown faster than the ones in the center, so flip those first. Flip and cook on the other side until no longer pink, about 20 seconds. Transfer the beef to a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces.
5. After transferring the second batch of browned beef to the plate, pour the remaining 1 tablespoon oil into the pan and add the celery, garlic, scallion whites and reserved lemon peels. Season lightly with salt and cook, stirring often, until the scallions have slightly softened, about 1 minute.
6. Return the beef and any juices to the pan and add the soy sauce and butter. Cook, tossing until you have a smooth sauce that coats the steak, about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat, squeeze in the juice from 1 lemon half and toss once more.
7. Transfer stir-fry to a platter and top with scallion greens; serve with remaining lemon half.
3. One-Pot Tortellini With Prosciutto and Peas
Luxurious in the end result but not in process, this quick, one-pot pasta features crisp shards of salty prosciutto, soft pillows of tortellini and bright pops of sweet peas in a silky lemon cream sauce. The dish is inspired by pasta alla papalina, a more delicate carbonara that uses prosciutto instead of guanciale and Parmesan instead of Pecorino. While pasta alla papalina often uses long noodles, this dish uses tortellini and cooks them right in the broth and heavy cream: No waiting for a pot of water to boil, and the starch from the pasta helps the cream thicken into a sauce. Serve alongside an arugula salad or seared asparagus. You can use bacon instead of prosciutto, which will add some smokiness.
By Ali Slagle
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more if needed
- 4 slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces)
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 16 to 20 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 2 cups (10 ounces) frozen peas (no need to thaw)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
- Salt and black pepper
- Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 1/2 teaspoons zest plus 1 1/2 tablespoons juice)
Preparation:
1. In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium. Add the prosciutto in a single layer and cook, flipping halfway through, until golden and crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Press occasionally with a spatula to ensure even crisping and reducing the heat as necessary if the fat begins to smoke. Transfer the prosciutto to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
2. To the skillet, add the shallot and cook over medium until softened, 2 to 4 minutes, adding about 1/2 tablespoon butter if the pan is dry. Add the tortellini, peas, chicken broth, heavy cream and nutmeg (if using) and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and peas are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. (The sauce will thicken as it cools.) Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Crumble the prosciutto on top.
4. Soy Sauce Noodles With Cabbage and Fried Eggs
This version of soy sauce noodles, an iconic Cantonese dish commonly enjoyed for breakfast or lunch at dim sum, is hearty enough for dinner, too. While the traditional dish features bean sprouts and often garlic chives, this recipe uses cabbage, which provides a lovely textural crunch, and plenty of scallions for an aromatic punch. The soy sauce seasoning is a simple mix of regular and dark soy sauce (or lăochōu in Cantonese). It gives the noodles its signature deep color. If you can’t find dark soy sauce, tamari works well, too. This dish is traditionally made with thin egg noodles, but in a pinch, any dried wheat noodles will do the job.
By Hetty Lui McKinnon
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Noodles:
- Kosher salt
- 7 ounces dried (or 16 ounces fresh) thin egg noodles
- Neutral oil, such as vegetable or grapeseed
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 small green cabbage (1 1/2 pounds), core removed then thinly sliced
- 1 bunch scallions (about 8 stems), white and green parts separated and cut into 2-inch segments
- White pepper
- Toasted white sesame seeds, optional
For the Soy Sauce Seasoning:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (or tamari)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Preparation:
1. Prepare the noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and stir to loosen them up. Cook, according to package instructions until just tender, then rinse under running water until cold. Drain and set aside.
2. Make the seasoning: Mix together the soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sesame oil along with 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
3. Finish the noodles: Heat a wok or large well-seasoned cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium high. When hot, add a drizzle of oil and crack in the eggs, adding however many will comfortably fit in your pan; you may need to work in batches. Reduce the heat to medium and fry until the edges are frizzled, the whites are set and the yolk is cooked to your liking. Season with a pinch of salt. Remove and repeat with the remaining eggs. Set aside.
4. To the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the cabbage and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Toss the cabbage until it has softened and reduced significantly in size, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the white part of the scallions and toss for 2 minutes until they have softened. Add the noodles and soy sauce seasoning, and toss for 2 minutes until well coated. Add the green parts of scallions and toss for 1 to 2 minutes until wilted. Turn off the heat and add 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper.
5. To serve, place noodles in serving bowls and top with toasted sesame seeds, if using, and a fried egg.
5. Tortizzas
Inspired by California Pizza Kitchen’s now-discontinued Greek pizza, as well as New York City bar Our/New York’s also-discontinued tortilla pizzas (affectionately called “tortizzas” by the patrons who remember them), this quick lunch or light dinner builds on a sturdy base of crispy, cheesy flour tortillas. A fresh mix of cucumbers, tomatoes and avocado, mounded atop the tortillas, makes you feel like you’re eating a salad with your hands. Feta delivers sharpness and creaminess, as does the simple garlicky yogurt sauce that drapes each tortizza. A drizzle of honey at the end might sound out of place here, but it really brings together all the flavors and is a popular dipping sauce for pizza in South Korea.
By Eric Kim
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 to 4 Persian or mini seedless cucumbers, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)
- 2 ripe medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- 8 (6-inch) soft flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, za’atar or Italian seasoning
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 large garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons honey, plus more for drizzling
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- 1 ripe Hass avocado, halved and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems
Preparation:
1. Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Toss the cucumbers, tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a colander set in the sink and toss to combine. Let sit to drain excess liquid, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, arrange the tortillas on the sheet pans, four per pan, and sprinkle each with the mozzarella and dried oregano. Bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, and the tortillas’ edges are crispy but still pale, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. While the tortillas are baking, make the yogurt sauce: In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, honey and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
5. To serve, evenly divide the drained cucumbers and tomatoes among the tortillas. Top each with feta, avocado and parsley, and spoon the yogurt sauce over everything, leaving some back to serve on the side. As a final flourish, lightly drizzle the tortizzas with honey. You can eat these flat like mini pizzas or folded like tacos.
This article originally appeared in .
