9 Ridiculously Easy Weeknight Dinners Your Family Will Love

Bacon gives this shrimp and grits recipe a nice meaty undertone. I cheat and use quick-cooking grits, which I know is sacrilege in the South but I’m not apologizing — they cook in 5 minutes!

Pan-seared until crisp on top and just barely cooked at the center: this is how I cook salmon when I have to hit the kitchen running. Not only is it fast (15 minutes start to finish) but it’s also elegant.

An oven-puffed pancake is like a cross between a crepe and a soufflé. This version is flavored with Dijon mustard, chopped ham, Gruyere, and chives. It makes a great light dinner with mixed greens.

This Americanized version of Kung Pao replaces hard-to-find-ingredients with staples from your neighborhood supermarket, so it’s easy to shop for AND easy to make. Bonus: kids love it!

Sun-dried tomato pesto gives these easy grilled cheese sandwiches a gourmet twist. My son calls them “pizza paninis” since they taste like crispy pizza sandwiches.

Made with rotisserie chicken and pantry staples, this fragrant Thai soup can be on the table in just 25 minutes. One reader wrote: “My husband gobbled and slurped. Truly. It wasn’t pretty, but it is an accurate measure of how outstanding this recipe is.”

This recipe proves it IS possible to make a meal the whole family loves. Not only is it quick to make — 25 minutes tops — the kids eat it up, broccoli and all.

Want a healthy burger but don’t want to sacrifice taste? These turkey burgers are the ticket. I add Italian turkey sausage — a trick often used with meatballs — which amps up the flavor and makes them incredibly juicy.

Linguine with clams is one of the easiest, elegant pasta dishes you can make. You can do all of the prep and make the clam sauce in the time it takes to boil the pasta, so dinner is done in 30 minutes.