Here’s What to Cook Every Night This Week (April 8 – 14)

Ground beef, chicken breast, salmon, repeat. No hate to these popular proteins, but your dinner rotation may be feeling a bit stale if you haven’t branched out lately. Mix up your usuals this week with seven dinners that star alternative proteins, meat- and plant-based alike. Our favorites range from a 25-minute, crowd-pleasing pasta to savory Greek turkey burgers with homemade tzatziki.

It doesn’t take much effort (or many ingredients) to prepare this simple orecchiette, since Italian sausage offers a ton of built-in flavor—although a generous flurry of freshly grated Parm wouldn’t hurt. Substitute crispy chicken thighs or andouille sausage if you’d prefer, or even ground chorizo.

Breakfast for dinner is always an easy win, especially when there are kids at the table. Infuse the honey the night before to save time, and feel free to add cheese, sour cream, hot sauce or crumbled bacon to the tacos. (You can also use maple syrup instead of hot honey for spice-averse picky eaters.)

Sweet, sour and impossibly juicy, this pork main feeds six and comes together in less than an hour. The trick to a succulent result is regularly brushing on layers of the glaze as the meat roasts, resulting in a crisp exterior and moist interior. Pair it with roasted sweet potatoes, white rice, tortillas or dressed greens.

’Tis the season for stocking up on all the broccoli rabe at the farmers market. The real star here is the cheater’s romesco, which is made with almond butter instead of blitzed almonds for maximum convenience. Press as much moisture out of the tofu as possible before frying it to get the golden crust you crave.

Believe it or not, this eight-ingredient masterpiece will be on the table in 35 minutes flat. Wait until the oil is smoking to drop the lamb chops, then cook them undisturbed for a full five minutes to get an Insta-worthy sear.

Pro tip: Salting the cod all over and letting it sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients will help the fish keep its shape as it cooks. (Using similar-sized fillets will also ensure even cooking.) If cod isn’t your thing, consider using mahi mahi, grouper or haddock instead.

The tangy, cool, cucumber-packed yogurt sauce is the soulmate for lighter-than-beef turkey burgers, which are packed with herbs, onion and crushed red pepper flakes. They pair just as well with Greek salad and wilted greens as they do potato chips and French fries—just sayin’.