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Kitchen basics
The small skills and staples that make weekly cooking faster.
Recipes

Greek Chicken Bowls with Cucumber and Feta
The meal-prep classic done properly: marinated chicken thighs, crisp cucumber, olives and feta over rice.
35 min · mostly hands-off

Tuscan White Bean Soup with Rosemary
A fifteen-minute pantry soup that tastes slow-cooked: white beans, tomato, rosemary and olive oil, finished with greens.
20 min

Sheet-Pan Paprika Chicken with Peppers
Everything on one tray: chicken thighs, sweet peppers and red onion under smoked paprika.
40 min · mostly hands-off

Overnight Oats with Berries and Toasted Seeds
Five minutes tonight, breakfast for two mornings.
10 min

Gentle Chicken and Rice Soup
The quiet one: chicken, carrots, rice and ginger in a clear broth.
40 min · mostly hands-off

Roasted Carrot and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Yogurt
Warm roasted carrots over herbed quinoa with a lemon-yogurt dressing.
35 min · mostly hands-off

Baked Feta and Tomato Orzo
The tray does the sauce: feta and cherry tomatoes roasted until they collapse, stirred through orzo with basil.
35 min · mostly hands-off

Yogurt Parfaits with Skillet Granola
A jar of yogurt, quick stovetop granola and whatever fruit is around.
15 min

One-Skillet Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash
Ground turkey, cubed sweet potato and smoked paprika in one pan, finished with a fried egg if it is that kind of evening.
30 min

Slow-Cooker Pulled Paprika Chicken
Set it in the morning: chicken breasts, tomato, paprika and a little vinegar, shredded into a pile that works in bowls, wraps and on baked potatoes all week.
250 min · mostly hands-off

Warm Lentil and Roasted Tomato Bowl
Earthy lentils under roasted tomatoes and a soft egg, with olive oil and herbs.
35 min · mostly hands-off

Slow-Cooker Mojo Pork with Lime Cabbage Slaw
Pork shoulder cooked slow with garlic, cumin and a lot of lime until it shreds itself, piled next to a crunchy cilantro-lime slaw.
250 min · mostly hands-off

Sicilian Tuna and Farro Bowl with Arugula and Walnuts
Chewy farro under peppery arugula, oil-packed tuna, green olives and toasted walnuts, all sharpened with lemon and capers.
35 min · mostly hands-off

Tagine-Style Chicken Stew with Turmeric, Ginger and Green Olives
Chicken thighs simmered with turmeric, ginger and warm spices until the broth turns golden, finished with green olives and lemon.
50 min · mostly hands-off

Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers with Herbed Rice and Pine Nuts
Bell peppers filled with tomato-simmered rice, pine nuts and a serious amount of dill and parsley, roasted until the tops char.
85 min · mostly hands-off

Chipotle-Lime Chicken Burrito Bowls
Chipotle-marinated chicken over cilantro-lime rice with black beans and charred corn — four boxes that actually get eaten.
35 min · mostly hands-off

Baked Turkey Meatballs in Garlicky Marinara
Oven meatballs, no frying, no splatter: turkey, parmesan and garlic baked, then rolled through a quick marinara.
40 min · mostly hands-off

Skillet Beef Picadillo with Olives and Raisins
The Cuban-style skillet of ground beef with green olives, raisins and cumin — savoury, briny, a little sweet.
30 min

Cottage Cheese Egg Bites with Spinach
Blender egg bites that come out custardy instead of rubbery — the cottage cheese is the trick.
35 min · mostly hands-off

Crispy Tofu Bowls with Peanut Sauce
Torn tofu roasted until the edges crackle, then boxed with rice, broccoli and a limey peanut sauce.
45 min · mostly hands-off

Red Lentil Coconut Dal with Spinach
Split red lentils collapse into a golden, gently spiced stew with coconut milk and a last-minute pile of spinach.
30 min

Smoky Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
A deep, smoky chili built on black beans and sweet potato instead of meat, and nobody asks where the meat went.
45 min · mostly hands-off

Maple-Chili Tempeh Bowls with Quick Slaw
Thin slices of tempeh glazed sticky with maple, tamari and chili, over brown rice with a sharp cabbage slaw.
45 min · mostly hands-off

Mushroom-Walnut Ragù over Soft Polenta
Hard-browned mushrooms and chopped walnuts simmered into a rich tomato ragù, ladled over soft golden polenta.
45 min · mostly hands-off

Greek Butter Beans Baked in Tomato and Dill
Big, creamy butter beans baked in a thick tomato sauce with olive oil and plenty of dill — Greek taverna food from three cans and a skillet.
50 min · mostly hands-off

Warm Farro Salad with Roasted Squash and Tahini
Chewy farro and lemon-massaged kale under smoky roasted squash, toasted pecans and a maple-tahini dressing.
40 min · mostly hands-off

Silky Carrot and Ginger Soup with Coconut Milk
Carrots and fresh ginger simmered soft, blended silky, and finished with coconut milk.
35 min · mostly hands-off

Turkey Meatball Soup with Spinach and Pastina
Small parmesan-turkey meatballs poached right in the broth, with tiny pasta and wilted spinach.
40 min · mostly hands-off

Cinnamon-Baked Apples with Yogurt and Walnuts
Apple halves baked spoon-soft in maple and cinnamon, served warm over cold yogurt with toasted walnuts.
40 min · mostly hands-off

Grab-and-Go Spinach and Feta Egg Cups
A dozen baked egg cups from one bowl and one muffin tin — spinach, feta and red pepper in every one.
35 min · mostly hands-off

Mango-Coconut Chia Pudding Jars
Chia soaked in coconut milk until it turns to pudding, topped with golden mango and toasted coconut.
250 min · mostly hands-off

Crunchy Cumin-Roasted Chickpeas
Chickpeas roasted until they rattle on the tray, then tossed hot with cumin, smoked paprika and salt.
50 min · mostly hands-off

Cocoa-Walnut Date Bites
Dates, walnuts and cocoa blitzed into fudgy no-bake bites in one food-processor bowl.
20 min

Turmeric-Ginger Skillet Nuts
Skillet-toasted nuts in a golden turmeric-ginger glaze that sets crackly as it cools.
15 min

Coconut Red Lentil Soup with Spinach and Lime
Red lentils collapse into a thick, golden soup with coconut milk, ginger and turmeric, finished with spinach and lime.
35 min · mostly hands-off

Smoky Beef and Vegetable Soup
Browned ground beef in a smoky tomato broth crowded with vegetables — a soup that eats like a stew.
40 min · mostly hands-off

Sheet-Pan Turkey Meatballs with Broccoli and Lemon
Lemony turkey meatballs roasted on the same tray as crisp-tipped broccoli.
35 min · mostly hands-off

Spiced Beef and Sweet Potato Stew
Chuck simmered with cumin and cinnamon until it gives, then sweet potatoes finish in the same pot.
120 min · mostly hands-off

Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Browned chicken thighs go into the pot with mushrooms, peppers, tomato and olives, and come out falling off the bone.
330 min · mostly hands-off

Slow-Cooker Smoky Turkey Chili
Ground turkey gets a proper brown before the slow cooker takes over with beans, tomato and smoked paprika.
380 min · mostly hands-off

Slow-Cooker Coconut Chickpea and Spinach Curry
Chickpeas, coconut milk and tomato go in whole; four hours later it is a thick golden curry with a full bag of spinach folded through.
260 min · mostly hands-off
The free 5-day dinner plan
Five weeknight dinners, one grocery list, one prep hour — a real plan, free.