Easy Weeknight Dinners

Though it's still 8,542,000 degrees here in my neck of the woods, Woodland Hills, Ca., of which I affectionately call Death Valley, summer is waning with the hustle of back to school knocking on our door. So, what's a busy family to do when it comes to dinner time menus? Make a weekly meal plan to help you stay out of the weeds of overwhelm, for one. Next: print out these next 5 recipes to keep in your recipe rotation box. They're easy, fast, elevated and won't break the bank.

To keep overwhelm at bay, if you're running short on time, some of the recipes that follow could use a make ahead prep moment. Take advantage of early mornings and Sunday mornings to prep veggies, sauces and stock your pantries for easy sailing (and cooking) all week long.

Eggplant and Zucchini Roll Ups

Level: Easy Total: 55 min

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 40 min

Yield: 6 servings

2 medium firm zucchini

1 medium firm eggplant

All natural olive oil cooking spray

Sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed,

finely chopped 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley tops, chopped

2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 cloves garlic, pasted or grated

1 fresh chile, such as Fresno, seeded and finely chopped

A few grates whole nutmeg

A handful fresh basil leaves, torn or shredded

3 cups scratch or your favorite tomato sauce

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup panko

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2.Slice the zucchini and eggplant into thin planks lengthwise coat eggplant and zucchini evenly on both sides with the cooking spray.

3.Roast until tender and brown, about 20 minutes. Cool Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

4.In a bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of the parmesan, and chopped spinach, parsley, eggs, garlic, and a few grates of nutmeg

5.Spoon the stuffing onto each plank of eggplant or zucchini and roll up. Arrange bundles in a baking dish and top with the tomato sauce and a few pieces of torn basil.

6.Melt the butter in a small skillet, remove from the heat add in remaining Parm and remaining parsley. Scatter the topping over the top of the dish. Bake from room temp at 375 degrees F until golden and bubbly.

Easy Chicken Piccata

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 25 minutes mins

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts

• Salt & pepper to taste

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• Flour (for dredging)

• 4 tablespoons butter divided

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/4 cup chicken broth or dry white wine

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon

• 1 tablespoon brined capers drained

• 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream (optional)

• Garnish (optional) chopped parsley and/or freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise (I butterfly then cut in half) to make 4 thinner cutlets. Trim off any fat. Season the chicken generously with salt & pepper and sprinkle with garlic powder. Coat the chicken in flour.

• Add 2 tablespoons of the butter plus the olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. 

• Once the pan is hot, cook the chicken pieces for about 4-5 minutes per side until golden. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

• Take the pan off the heat and add the chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and capers to the skillet. Scrape up any browned bits.

• Stir in the cream and return the pan to the heat. Once it's bubbling again, add the chicken back into the pan. If you want to make this recipe without cream, increase the chicken broth to 3/4 cup.

• Cook for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced to your liking (you may need to turn down the heat a bit if it's bubbling furiously). If the sauce thickens too much, add more broth.

• Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and/or parmesan cheese if desired.

Hearty Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

Prep Time:20 mins.

Cook Time:6 hours hrs.

Total Time:6 hours hrs. 20 minutes mins.

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrots, sliced

• 1 cup celery, sliced

• 1 1/2 cups yellow onion, diced

• 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juices

• 2 Tbsp tomato paste

• parmesan rind, or 1" chunk of parmesan

• 2-3 Tbsp minced garlic

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 1/4 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning

• pinch of red pepper flakes

• 4 cups vegetable stock or broth

• 2 cups water

• 2 Tbsp vegetable base

• 15 oz can red beans drained and rinsed

• 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

ADD 20-25 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING

• 1 cup diced zucchini

• 1 1/2 cups dried ditalini or other small pasta

ADD 5 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING

• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

Instructions

• Add first 15 ingredients to 6 quart or larger slow cooker.  Stir to combine, cover, and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours.

• 30 minutes before you want to serve the soup, add zucchini and ditalini pasta, stir, cover and cook on HIGH for 20-25 minutes.

• 5 minutes before serving, add in frozen green beans and baby spinach, stir, cover and cook on HIGH for 5 minutes.

• When serving, if desired, grate parmesan cheese over the soup and enjoy!

• Want to add protein to this hearty soup? Make it a sausage stew with Spicy Italian Turkey Sausage! Just add 4-6 links to the pot with the veggies. At the 20 minute before serving time remove, cut into bite size pieces and add back to stew with spinach just before serving.

One Bowl Brownies

You only need ONE bowl to make these fudgy, chewy, gooey, chocolaty brownies with shiny crackly tops! This easy homemade brownie recipe will be your GO TO!

Prep Time 15minutes mins

Cook Time 25minutes mins

Total Time 40minutes mins

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Equipment

• 9 x 13 Baking Pan

• Parchment Paper

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled

• 1 cup granulated white sugar

• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar

• 4 large eggs

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup Dutch-processed or unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 ¼ cups chopped chocolate, divided

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13" baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line with parchment paper with an overhang on the sides and spray again. This will make it easy to lift the brownies out of the pan after baking. Set the pan aside.

• In a large mixing bowl whisk together melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.

• Sift in flour and cocoa. Add the salt and espresso powder, if using, and stir until just combined. Don't over mix. Fold in 1 cup of chopped chocolate. Spread evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of chopped chocolate on top of the brownies. 

• Bake for 25-30 minutes on the middle rack in the oven until the brownies are just set to touch. Don't over bake the brownies. They will set up as they cool. Remove from oven and let cool before cutting into squares. You can sprinkle them with a little flaky sea salt, if desired.