Here’s What to Cook Every Night This Week (April 26 – May 2)

Quick: You’re stranded on a desert island and can only bring one item from your kitchen with you. While a sharp knife is an admirable choice, we truly don’t think we could live without our cast-iron skillet. It retains heat like no other, delivers a flawless sear every damn time and can crisp up everything from cake to pizza crust. (Sure, foraging for ingredients and building a fire would present their own challenges, but thankfully, the closest we’re getting to that desert-island scenario is binging Man Vs. Wild after dinner.)

In honor of our go-to kitchen gadget, here are seven dinners to cook in your cast-iron skillet this week.

Don’t worry about having to scrub a giant pot once you’re done. The rice cooks right in the skillet in a mix of chicken broth, lemon, fresh oregano and the chicken’s natural juices.

We love lasagna, but all that layering and baking makes it a bit of a project. Behold, a genius alternative that’s summery, fresh and just as satisfying as the O.G. (Feel free to substitute canned corn if you’d like, BTW.)

Pro tip: Let the pork come to room temperature and salt it 45 minutes before cooking for a melt-in-your-mouth meal. The meat will be juicy and tender, while the fat will stay irresistibly crispy.

This Israeli baked egg dish may be a popular brunch guest, but it contains more than enough protein to double as dinner—especially with a side of crusty bread for dipping. Bonus? It’ll only cost you about $2 a serving.

Before you balk at serving a dip for dinner, hear us out: There’s truly no better way to kick off the weekend than with a bubbling hot dish of taco beef, fire-roasted tomatoes, salsa and Monterey Jack cheese. Just add tortilla chips…and maybe guac and sour cream, too.

Homemade ’za in just 30 minutes? Believe it, friends. Store-bought dough makes it possible, but this gem is still far from the average pie (looking at you, fancy fennel).