A few of my favorite quick, wholesome, satisfying dinner recipes that will come to the rescue on busy weeknights as we head back to school! Featuring pasta, pizza, bowls, egg dishes, stuffed potatoes, soup, and good-ole mac n’ cheese.

All revved up for my 18th back-to-school season! Although it is still likely that Day 1 of classes will blow up in my face because I’m not actually ready for this… Luckily I have a good 783 more years to try to get the hang of it. 

But the one thing I AM prepared for is dinner. So as I’m frantically refreshing the registrar’s page trying to rearrange my schedule at the last minute, at least I will be eating well.

I chose these nine recipes because they’re quick, low-stress, customizable, and have naturally become some of my life-saving go-to meals over the years. We’re going for a balance of protein, veggies, complex carbs, and fats achieved with simple ingredients; and that home-cooked comfort-food indulgence factor is essential as well.

(Also, nine fits nicest in an 8×10 collage…)

Introducing the Superheroes

1. Cheesy Pomodoro Shrimp Penne with Mushrooms, Peppers, and Olives

2. Naan Pizza

If you don’t have pizza dough ready-to-go, try a good whole wheat naan for the crust! It completely redefined the way I think about pizza night. 

1. Add all toppings except the cheese. Bake (preferably on a holey pizza pan) at 450º for 8 minutes. 
2. Remove and quickly add the cheese. 
3. Lower heat to 425º. Bake ~4 more minutes, or until crispy and melty.

For topping inspiration:

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Fruity BBQ Bacon Pizza (which I most recently tried with roasted/smashed cherries, and it was EVERYTHING)

BBQ Pork and Peach Pizza

BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza

I have a thing for BBQ sauce on my pizza…

3. Orange Chicken and Rice Bowl

4. Easy Cheesy Grits Bowl with Egg and Veggies

Bouns: Try crab instead of bacon for an indulgent twist.

5. Frittata!

Bacon Veggie Sun-dried Tomato Frittata

Hawaiian Bacon Cheddar Veggie Frittata

and more ideas!

6. BBQ Chicken Baked Sweet Potato

7. Creamy Spinach, Artichoke, and Sun-dried Tomato Penne

Get the secret for creamy cheesy pasta with no cream necessary. 🙂

8. Pasta e Fagioli

Hearty Italian pasta and bean soup. Be sure not to forget the cheeeeeeeese…

9. Healthy Mac n’ Cheese

Again, creamy indulgent goodness without the butter or heavy cream! With a flavorful homemade spice blend, crisp turkey bacon, sharp cheddar and chives. 

Served here with Bourbon BBQ Chicken:

1. Pound chicken breast halves to even thickness, as needed. Sprinkle with dried oregano. Lightly coat a skillet with oil and heat over medium. (Or use the same skillet after cooking the bacon for the mac n’ cheese.) Cook chicken on each side until done (about 5 minutes per side). Set aside.
2. Lower heat. Add a splash of chicken broth and sliced onion (yellow or Vidalia) to the skillet; stir to scrape up browned bits. Cook about 5 minutes, until onions are softened. Then add chopped garlic (there’s no such thing as too much) and cook a couple minutes longer. Add additional broth as needed.
3. Stir in a splash of bourbon (1/2 tsp per serving), BBQ sauce (2 tsp per serving; I recommend Stubb’s), and additional broth to reach desired consistency. Simmer 1-2 minutes. Serve over chicken.
4. Pair with healthy mac n’ cheese, roasted veggies, and/or your other favorite sides!