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Easy Weeknight Dinners: 100 Fast, Flavor-Packed Meals for Busy People Who Still Want Something Good to Eat
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � Take the stress out of weeknights with 100 easy, quick, and flavorful recipes from NYT Cooking.
It’s Tuesday, 4 p.m. What’s for dinner? For busy people who want something good to eat, culinary powerhouse New York Times Cooking makes meal planning easy, with thousands of recipes to explore in the app. In Easy Weeknight Dinners, editor in chief Emily Weinstein has curated some of the greatest hits�100 favorite dishes that you can make in as little as 10 minutes, from trusted writers Melissa Clark, Eric Kim, Yewande Komolafe, Ali Slagle, and more, served with mouth-watering photos and notes from the NYT Cooking community.
Organized by main ingredient, length of cooking time, and wow factor, you’ll find:
� Truly fifteen-minute recipes, like Beef Short Rib Rice Bowls
� Sheet-pan miracles for easy clean-up, like Feta with Chickpeas and Tomatoes
� Minimum effort for maximum magic, like San Francisco-Style Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles
� Plate-licking sauces that steal the show, in Shrimp Fried Rice with Yum Yum Sauce
Whether you’re seeking a standout meal for one, crowd-pleasers for picky kids, or something special for company, Easy Weeknight Dinners offers versatile, flavor-packed meals for busy lives.
It’s Tuesday, 4 p.m. What’s for dinner? For busy people who want something good to eat, culinary powerhouse New York Times Cooking makes meal planning easy, with thousands of recipes to explore in the app. In Easy Weeknight Dinners, editor in chief Emily Weinstein has curated some of the greatest hits�100 favorite dishes that you can make in as little as 10 minutes, from trusted writers Melissa Clark, Eric Kim, Yewande Komolafe, Ali Slagle, and more, served with mouth-watering photos and notes from the NYT Cooking community.
Organized by main ingredient, length of cooking time, and wow factor, you’ll find:
� Truly fifteen-minute recipes, like Beef Short Rib Rice Bowls
� Sheet-pan miracles for easy clean-up, like Feta with Chickpeas and Tomatoes
� Minimum effort for maximum magic, like San Francisco-Style Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles
� Plate-licking sauces that steal the show, in Shrimp Fried Rice with Yum Yum Sauce
Whether you’re seeking a standout meal for one, crowd-pleasers for picky kids, or something special for company, Easy Weeknight Dinners offers versatile, flavor-packed meals for busy lives.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published October 8, 2024
181 people are currently reading
15.8k people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 16, 2025
As the title indicates, this is an eclectic collection of flavourful easy weeknight dinners. The all-star cast of contributors, as well as some of the recipes, will be familiar to fans of NYT Cooking and prolific cookbook readers. Recipes are well-crafted and generally easy to follow, and are accompanied by tasty photos of the finished dishes. There is something for everyone in this book, be it chicken, beef, pork, fish, shrimp, eggs, pasta, rice or vegetable main dishes. Cooks of all levels, especially busy ones, will appreciate this offering.
April 1, 2025
Edited by Emily Weinstein, The New York Times� editor of the newspaper’s Cooking and Food section, Easy Weeknight Dinners contains recipes from some of my favorite Times foodies: Melissa Clark, Mark Bittmann, Sam Sifton and J. Kenji López-Alt. Whether a reader is a Brooklyn-worthy foodie or a newbie, they’ll find quite a few recipes to love among the 100 included. Five foodie stars!
December 17, 2024
I’ve been looking for a cookbook to cook through in 2025, and this might be it! I’ve wanted something that would get me out of my comfort zone and add some pizzazz to our meals at home so we wouldn’t be tempted to eat out so often.
The recipes look easy and I like that they come from several different recipe developers, food reporters, food stylists, food editors etc.
I also like the way the recipes are in collections:
Truly 15 Minute Recipes
Tastes Like Pizza
Good for Freezing
Vegan Dinners
Make it Spicy
One Pot Minimal Dishes
Etc.
The recipes look easy and I like that they come from several different recipe developers, food reporters, food stylists, food editors etc.
I also like the way the recipes are in collections:
Truly 15 Minute Recipes
Tastes Like Pizza
Good for Freezing
Vegan Dinners
Make it Spicy
One Pot Minimal Dishes
Etc.
October 15, 2024
The editors of New York Times Cooking, including editor-in-chief of NYT Cooking and Food Emily Weinstein, spend their days in kitchens creating recipes for everyone. They create fancy recipes for dinner parties and sweet recipes and recipes from around the world. But at the end of their work day, they all still have to go home and face the same problem as all the rest of us: what to have for dinner.
Just like us, they have to figure out how to feed everyone in the household quickly and easily, because there is homework and soccer practice, back pain and headaches, skipped trips to the grocery store or things that missed getting added to the list. They too have to deal with picky eaters and exhaustion and burnout and the temptation of takeout and the pile of dirty dishes in the sink. So to try to make it all easier, they have put together 100 of their favorite dinner recipes, the ones they use at the end of a tiring day, to make the tasty meals at home that everyone can enjoy.
This book makes promises: no recipes that take longer than an hour (many take less than 30 minutes). No more than 2 pots and pans per recipe. They don’t make you fill your pantry with a bunch of ingredients you only use once, or a bunch of expensive equipment (in fact, the only thing they recommend you buy is a sheet pan, if you don’t already have one). And the best part? Right up front is a chart that helps you decide exactly what you want for dinner.
There are 14 recipes under Truly Fifteen-Minute Recipes (We Promise), so if you’re short on time, you can try the Beef Short Rib Rice Bowls, Ginger-Scallion Chicken, or Crispy-Edged Quesadilla. For One Pot, Minimal Dishes, there are options like Sticky Coconut Chicken and Rice, Dumpling Noodle Soup, or Sheet-Pan Shrimp with Tomatoes, Feta and Oregano. Looking for Dinner Party Vibes, But on a Tuesday? Try the Baked Risotto with Greens and Peas, Coconut Fish and Tomato Bake, or Pork Chops in Lemon-Caper Sauce.
Under Picky Kids Might Actually Eat This, you can try the Pan-Seared Ranch Chicken, Shrimp Fried Rice, or Easy Burritos. Or, if you want something that Tastes Like Pizza, there are 3 options: Crispy Gnocchi with Burst Tomatoes and Mozzarella, Tortizzas, and Skillet Chicken with Tomatoes, Pancetta and Mozzarella. There are options for Vegan (or Easy to Veganize) Dinners, Hand-Held Dinners, Easy Recipes to Adapt for One Person, and if you want to Make It Spicy. There are a dozen recipes if you only cook on a sheet pan, and even 3 for If You’re Really Feeling Lazy.
And because these recipes are from New York Times Cooking, all the recipes have not just been tested by the editors, but they’ve been posted online and distributed in newsletters. Real people have tested these recipes in their kitchens, with their picky eaters and busy schedules, and they have posted their comments online. There are a dozen Five-Star Recipes with 5,000+ Comments, including Lemony White Bean Soup with Turkey and Greens, Coconut Miso Salmon Curry, and Shrimp Scampi with Orzo.
But for these recipes, and all the other recipes too, those comments from real home cooks appear with each of the recipes. It’s like getting an endorsement from another cook that you know has to deal with that ever-present dinner situation too, and often they include tips to save time, make it easier, make it more delicious, or some combination of those.
I really like Easy Weeknight Dinners. I love how the editors of one of the most popular food sites has brought us the easy, down-and-dirty recipes they themselves use on busy weeknights. I love that they include their readers with the comments. I love how it’s organized, with the lists up front to help readers decide on a recipe, but the chapters being organized by ingredient (Chicken, Pasta and Noodles, Eggs and Cheese, and Vegetables, Beans and Tofu, to name a few). I’m not going to say that I’ll try all these recipes, but I will definitely try some of them, and I love that there are several that are Good for Freezing. I think this would be an excellent gift for anyone struggling to make dinner every night or for anyone wanting quick, easy recipes with sophisticated flavors but minimal drama.
A copy of Easy Weeknight Dinners was provided by Ten Speed Press, with many thanks, but the opinions are my own.
Just like us, they have to figure out how to feed everyone in the household quickly and easily, because there is homework and soccer practice, back pain and headaches, skipped trips to the grocery store or things that missed getting added to the list. They too have to deal with picky eaters and exhaustion and burnout and the temptation of takeout and the pile of dirty dishes in the sink. So to try to make it all easier, they have put together 100 of their favorite dinner recipes, the ones they use at the end of a tiring day, to make the tasty meals at home that everyone can enjoy.
This book makes promises: no recipes that take longer than an hour (many take less than 30 minutes). No more than 2 pots and pans per recipe. They don’t make you fill your pantry with a bunch of ingredients you only use once, or a bunch of expensive equipment (in fact, the only thing they recommend you buy is a sheet pan, if you don’t already have one). And the best part? Right up front is a chart that helps you decide exactly what you want for dinner.
There are 14 recipes under Truly Fifteen-Minute Recipes (We Promise), so if you’re short on time, you can try the Beef Short Rib Rice Bowls, Ginger-Scallion Chicken, or Crispy-Edged Quesadilla. For One Pot, Minimal Dishes, there are options like Sticky Coconut Chicken and Rice, Dumpling Noodle Soup, or Sheet-Pan Shrimp with Tomatoes, Feta and Oregano. Looking for Dinner Party Vibes, But on a Tuesday? Try the Baked Risotto with Greens and Peas, Coconut Fish and Tomato Bake, or Pork Chops in Lemon-Caper Sauce.
Under Picky Kids Might Actually Eat This, you can try the Pan-Seared Ranch Chicken, Shrimp Fried Rice, or Easy Burritos. Or, if you want something that Tastes Like Pizza, there are 3 options: Crispy Gnocchi with Burst Tomatoes and Mozzarella, Tortizzas, and Skillet Chicken with Tomatoes, Pancetta and Mozzarella. There are options for Vegan (or Easy to Veganize) Dinners, Hand-Held Dinners, Easy Recipes to Adapt for One Person, and if you want to Make It Spicy. There are a dozen recipes if you only cook on a sheet pan, and even 3 for If You’re Really Feeling Lazy.
And because these recipes are from New York Times Cooking, all the recipes have not just been tested by the editors, but they’ve been posted online and distributed in newsletters. Real people have tested these recipes in their kitchens, with their picky eaters and busy schedules, and they have posted their comments online. There are a dozen Five-Star Recipes with 5,000+ Comments, including Lemony White Bean Soup with Turkey and Greens, Coconut Miso Salmon Curry, and Shrimp Scampi with Orzo.
But for these recipes, and all the other recipes too, those comments from real home cooks appear with each of the recipes. It’s like getting an endorsement from another cook that you know has to deal with that ever-present dinner situation too, and often they include tips to save time, make it easier, make it more delicious, or some combination of those.
I really like Easy Weeknight Dinners. I love how the editors of one of the most popular food sites has brought us the easy, down-and-dirty recipes they themselves use on busy weeknights. I love that they include their readers with the comments. I love how it’s organized, with the lists up front to help readers decide on a recipe, but the chapters being organized by ingredient (Chicken, Pasta and Noodles, Eggs and Cheese, and Vegetables, Beans and Tofu, to name a few). I’m not going to say that I’ll try all these recipes, but I will definitely try some of them, and I love that there are several that are Good for Freezing. I think this would be an excellent gift for anyone struggling to make dinner every night or for anyone wanting quick, easy recipes with sophisticated flavors but minimal drama.
A copy of Easy Weeknight Dinners was provided by Ten Speed Press, with many thanks, but the opinions are my own.
December 30, 2024
Husband got this for me as a gift - was delighted to see lots of options that spanned multiple cultures.
I’m pretty picky when it comes to cookbooks - as I often see beautiful photos next to recipes I have no interest to make and being a picky eater tends to make this doubly difficult.
Out of 100 quick meals (made easier by a couple of pages in the front of the book which help you determine meals based on what you want to cook or how long you have to cook), I would genuinely try at least 80% of them - maybe more if I swap out the protein for the fish/seafood meals or add protein to some of the vegetarian dishes.
Art is professional, recipes read easy from the ingredients you need first and steps are clear to follow from start to finish. I’ve tried out a few meals since Christmas (Mayo-Marinated Chicken with Chimichurri was delicious!) and was pleased with the results.
Looking forward to trying these next:
Taiwanese Meefun
Baked Risotto with Greens and Peas
Crispy Gnocchi with Burst Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Chile Crisp Fettuccine Alfredo with Spinach (definitely gonna add some Parmesan-crusted chicken to this one!)
Somen Noodles with Poached Egg, Bok Choy, and Mushrooms
If I’m excited about a cookbook, it’s typically a good thing - and this one has me looking forward to the next quick dinner recipe I want to make.
Solid 4 out of 5. Would recommend to others.
I’m pretty picky when it comes to cookbooks - as I often see beautiful photos next to recipes I have no interest to make and being a picky eater tends to make this doubly difficult.
Out of 100 quick meals (made easier by a couple of pages in the front of the book which help you determine meals based on what you want to cook or how long you have to cook), I would genuinely try at least 80% of them - maybe more if I swap out the protein for the fish/seafood meals or add protein to some of the vegetarian dishes.
Art is professional, recipes read easy from the ingredients you need first and steps are clear to follow from start to finish. I’ve tried out a few meals since Christmas (Mayo-Marinated Chicken with Chimichurri was delicious!) and was pleased with the results.
Looking forward to trying these next:
Taiwanese Meefun
Baked Risotto with Greens and Peas
Crispy Gnocchi with Burst Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Chile Crisp Fettuccine Alfredo with Spinach (definitely gonna add some Parmesan-crusted chicken to this one!)
Somen Noodles with Poached Egg, Bok Choy, and Mushrooms
If I’m excited about a cookbook, it’s typically a good thing - and this one has me looking forward to the next quick dinner recipe I want to make.
Solid 4 out of 5. Would recommend to others.
October 26, 2024
I enjoyed reading Emily Weinstein's Five Weeknight Dishes column in the New York Times, carefully saving many recipes, I was overjoyed when Ten Speed Press provided me with a free copy of this book; the opinions are my own. I wish I could add extra stars to my review for how useful this book is for everyone, regardless of their skill level. Emily has chosen some of the most cook-friendly and delicious recipes, all "easy-to make meals" from some of my favorite authors: Melissa Clark, Hetty Lui McKinnon, Yewande Komolafe, and more. To have this cookbook at my fingertips is a pleasure and a timesaver - I can open the book and find the perfect recipe for any occasion! The "Need Help Deciding" section is fun and well-constructed. The photographs are beautifuls adding inspiration to include more vegetables into your diet. Buy this book! You will use it every single week.
April 15, 2025
Why is the word EASY in the title of this book?
I’m on page 37 and I’ve already encountered a number of expensive, uncommon, or inaccessible ingredients and tools. “They don’t call for special equipment beyond a blender…� so what would you consider a mortar and pestle? What in the world is za’atar? In what world do most stores carry things like gochujang? Half of what I’ve read so far has hot sauce or hot peppers in it. I don’t know who this book is for but it certainly isn’t me because I need *actual* easy, accessible recipes that don’t burn my face off. What good is a twenty minute prep and cook time if I have to spend hours and insane amounts of money to find specialty ingredients for a single recipe? DNF.
I’m on page 37 and I’ve already encountered a number of expensive, uncommon, or inaccessible ingredients and tools. “They don’t call for special equipment beyond a blender…� so what would you consider a mortar and pestle? What in the world is za’atar? In what world do most stores carry things like gochujang? Half of what I’ve read so far has hot sauce or hot peppers in it. I don’t know who this book is for but it certainly isn’t me because I need *actual* easy, accessible recipes that don’t burn my face off. What good is a twenty minute prep and cook time if I have to spend hours and insane amounts of money to find specialty ingredients for a single recipe? DNF.
December 31, 2024
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll have seen me embrace the NYT Cooking App over the past couple of years. It’s the best $4 a month I spend - so much inspiration there, I sometimes just type in the ingredients I need to use up in the fridge and see what recipes it comes up with. I’ve probably made close to 100 recipes from the app with no misses at all! This book ended up being mostly a collection of my favourites with a few new ones to try. Even my dad has made a couple of recipes (I sent him a copy so we can cook together over Zoom) with great success! HIGHLY recommend this one - and it does what it says - easy, mostly very quick recipes that taste great!
October 21, 2024
I get the NYT, but don't pay extra to access the recipes, so I often read about them, but don't actually read them. And they are worthwhile! These are generally active cooking, but they are all done in under an hour and really elevate weeknight meals. The tray bakes and fish recipes are particularly appealing. The book also includes sauces and sides (now I know what Yum Yum sauce is, and now that I've made it I won't go without!). Definitely worth checking out if getting dinner on the table is part of your daily grind.
There is no reason they didn't include nutritional information.
There is no reason they didn't include nutritional information.
November 26, 2024
This is a pretty good cookbook with recipes that are appealing. Most require ingredients that are readily available
and take anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes. I laughed at the BLT tacos, but damn I want to make them now. I’m definitely making the sticky coconut chicken & rice, the SF style Vietnamese American garlic noodles, the easy spaghetti with meat sauce, shrimp fried rice with yum yum sauce, quick jambalaya, sheet pan bibimbap and about a dozen other recipes. All recipes are accompanied by a tantalizing photo. I only wish they’d tossed in a few simple desserts.
and take anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes. I laughed at the BLT tacos, but damn I want to make them now. I’m definitely making the sticky coconut chicken & rice, the SF style Vietnamese American garlic noodles, the easy spaghetti with meat sauce, shrimp fried rice with yum yum sauce, quick jambalaya, sheet pan bibimbap and about a dozen other recipes. All recipes are accompanied by a tantalizing photo. I only wish they’d tossed in a few simple desserts.
February 16, 2025
It feels a little weird to review a cookbook when you haven’t used all the recipes. That being said, this cookbook is approachable and easy to read. Two things that I think would be helpful. One is nutrition information. I realize one of the things the book stresses is flexibility, but some numbers would be helpful. Another helpful item would be to have a cheat sheet that had measurements halved, fourth, etc. This ways the recipes can be easily reduced for a smaller number of people.
Full disclosure: I won a copy of this book from a ŷ giveaway.
Full disclosure: I won a copy of this book from a ŷ giveaway.
February 24, 2025
"Easy Weeknights" will feel very familiar to long term users of NYT Cooking: from the font, the layout, to the recipes themselves, they fit neatly within NYT's style and content. Many (if not most) of the recipes are already available on the NYT Cooking website, and were ones I had already made over the years. This was a bit disappointing and make me think this book would be best suited for someone whose primary source of recipes is *not* NYTC. It's a beautiful book, but maybe not as original as I thought it would be.
October 14, 2024
I'm a big fan of the New York Times recipes, so it's really nice to have this book that has a lot of their best in one place. It's arranged very nicely, each chapter list them from least time consuming to most. This book is the perfect way to make weeknight dinners special. Ten Speed Press provide me with a complimentary copy of the book, but the comments are all my own.
October 31, 2024
I've already made some fantastic meals from several recipes in this book just from following NYT Cooking, so I feel confident in rating this whole book now. :) Just ordered it from my local indie and can't wait to try the rest!
December 27, 2024
I've been looking for the right cookbook for my parents. They're picky eaters and I want them to cook more and eat out less. I think this is a good start! The recipes have easy-to-find ingredients, and include a lot of meals that would appeal to them.
January 11, 2025
I won this cookbook on ŷ and love it. Very easy recipes that are delicious and also healthy. This cookbook helps with making fresh cooked meals that are not time consuming and some really great recipes. This is a favorite cookbook of mine and will use it often.
February 24, 2025
Absolutely loved this book has my flavor profile to a T! Have already started planning weeknight dinners and lunches centered around these meals! This is a delightful and easy book to follow. This was a ŷ Giveaways Win and I am so thankful I got a copy!!
March 22, 2025
Derek kindly requested I stop making 45-60+ minute dinners on weeknights after going to the gym and this cookbook was a success. Would definitely buy this book and try to cook all the way through it.
April 26, 2025
it's a beautiful book. However, there's a difference between busy weeknight and I've got 30 minutes and want to use less than 5 extra dishes to make this and sadly, it's not the latter which I need.
Also, this is not for someone who lives rural with a less diverse grocery variety
Also, this is not for someone who lives rural with a less diverse grocery variety
October 24, 2024
This book had more recipes that caught my eye than most do...
December 14, 2024
What a great cookbook! The recipes are, magically, both fast and flavorful. I have marked a ridiculous number of these recipes as worth trying.
December 19, 2024
3.5 stars
December 23, 2024
I am always on the lookout for weeknight meals and found several in here I want to try!
January 5, 2025
I preordered this in September. I’ve marked several recipes. As a long-time NYT Cooking reader, I know these will be home runs!
January 27, 2025
Favorite format, recipe on one page, clear font. Great ideas to try!!
January 31, 2025
Full of delicious, varied, and pretty simple meals. Every recipe has a picture of the finished product, which helps me decide what seems appetizing at the time.
February 14, 2025
Just starting to dig in on the recipes--there are so many to choose from. I love NYTimes cooking, so I know I will like these recipes.
February 17, 2025
Great cookbook for beginners like me. This book is a lifesaver when you don't want to spend hours looking at a pot after a long day. The tips are really helpful. 11/10
March 15, 2025
Quick easy meals are found here. Sometimes I'm too tired to plan dinner. The book had been such a gift. Thank you!
April 5, 2025
Looks like a good cookbook. Recipes look straightforward and easy, no hard to track down ingredients.
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