If there’s one meal that will always be timeless (and necessary), it’s the weeknight dinner. You throw together what you have, tired from a long day of work, school, or chores at home. Pasta, chicken, and stew are often the weeknight heroes, but you can still have quality, delicious meals even when you’re running on low battery on a dreary Wednesday night, dreading getting up the next day and doing it all again. A good weeknight dinner can be a moment of needed pause in a slog of a weekly schedule. So, without further ado, here are our best weeknight dinners of 2024.
TABLE Magazine’s Best Weeknight Dinners of 2024
Chicken with Blackberry Sauce
This was our top weeknight dinner of 2024, from James Beard cookbook winner Cheryl Alters Jamison. It’s easy to see why it was so popular, with a mouthwatering homemade blackberry sauce combined with crispy chicken breast. Chicken is so protein-rich and healthy, it’s one of the best weeknight dinners of all time, not just 2024.
Dill Pickle Potato Salad
Need kids to eat their veggies? Hiding them in a creamy potato salad is one strategy to sneak some of those pesky health foods into a family meal. The dill pickle in this recipe adds a little satisfying crunch that both kid and adults will enjoy. We serve it up with some leftover protein, but just as often we have it all by itself.
Twice-Baked Butternut Squash with Brie
Who doesn’t love a recipe where all you do is stick it in the oven? Well, in this case, twice. The combination of tender butternut squash with the creaminess of Brie makes this an easy home-bake project that will make you feel like you’re eating at a restaurant. (You can also have fun with the presentation!)
Roasted Sheet Pan Veggies with Spicy Glaze
On the theme of just sticking things in the oven, this is one of the easiest of easy weeknight dinners. You literally just layer a sheet pan with veggies, toss together a spicy glaze, drizzle it on top, shut the oven door, and voila. There you have it, a healthy, delicious dinner with a kick from the spicy sauce.
Baked Mac and Cheese by Aunt Cheryl
It’s impossible to say no to mac and cheese, particularly Cheryl Johnson’s comfort food classic baked into a shareable pan size. She says “This baked mac and cheese recipe brings back memories of, family, special dinners, Christmas, Thanksgiving, celebrations, holidays and the joy of eating together, and enjoying time with loved ones. This dish is for celebrations!” Sometimes that celebration can be as simple as enjoying time with family or a self-care night on a weeknight.
Kapustnica (Slovakian Christmas Stew)
Though in Slovakia this recipe is typically for Christmastime, that just means it has an extra spirit of appreciation and togetherness infused into it. Try Nina Katz’s traditional recipe with a mixture of the umami of mushrooms and the slight tang of sauerkraut.
Chicken in Mustard and Appelstroop
Appelstroop has come all the way from the Netherlands right to your kitchen. This is another case where chicken and fruit make a winning combination (and our readers agreed!). It’s easy and you will impress your family and friends with your knowledge of an obscure European culinary element.
Mediterranean Stew
This is a stew that embraces the slower pace of life in the Mediterranean, with the comforting and cozy elements of the stew. Throw the cannellini beans, carrots, and tomatoes into a pot with some vegetable broth, and enjoy.
Wintertime Rice and Beans
Some say rice and beans are basic, but they couldn’t be more wrong. This meal gets protein, starch, and flavor all in one. Our rice and beans recipe is especially enjoyable in the wintertime, when the body often needs extra nutrients. Serve it with leftover holiday ham or turkey this winter and you will be delighted with the combination.
Kimchi Fried Rice
Fried rice is another weeknight dinner hero, and we wanted to shout it out as one of the best of 2024, particularly since this recipe comes from beloved Pittsburgh restaurant Nak Won Garden. Bring a taste of a favorite restaurant home with you.
Story by Emma Riva
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