Here’s What to Cook Every Night This Week (April 17 – 23)

Days are getting longer, nights are warming up and the aroma of spring flowers lingers in the air: It’s officially alfresco dinner party season in our book. That’s why we’ve rounded up seven easy-yet-elegant meals to serve your loved ones this week. The menu includes an Insta-worthy, no-cook salad, unconventional tacos and a simple pasta even picky kids can get behind.

Sharp radicchio, sweet-tart apples and toasty pistachios make this salad feel fancy on its own, but the homemade ranch dressing really seals the deal. Make a double batch to pair with fries, burgers, sandwiches, wings or crudités.  

File this one under “Ingenious Ways to Get Your Kid to Eat Greens.” If your barbecue is still in hibernation, cook the chicken on a grill pan indoors instead. (Char marks are everything, no?)

Just as slurpable as ramen, but ten times as light and refreshing. Better yet, the recipe calls for store-bought peanut sauce, so it’s decidedly low lift. Substitute ground pork, marinated tofu or flaked salmon for chicken if you’d prefer.

Once you try the warm, spicy dry rub, you’ll want it in your pantry 24/7 to use at the drop of a hat. Pro tip: Bring the chops to room temperature and salt them 45 minutes before cooking to achieve a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Grilled pineapple salsa, cashew-lime crema, chipotle-kissed fish—need we say more? Top the tacos with pickled onions, shredded cabbage and buttery avocado for good measure.

Besides caramelizing the onions and toasting the bread, this masterpiece is all assembly. Don’t overthink the arrangement: A random presentation will give the board a chilling-in-the-vineyard vibe.

This ain’t your grandma’s split pea soup. The recipe calls for bacon instead of traditional ham, plus fresh sourdough croutons, a dash of sherry vinegar and an entire can of pale lager. (Use your favorite, but we’re partial to Miller High Life.)

_{Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.}