We’re in the dog days of winter, friends. Our favorite way to cope? With comforting, hearty meals that are easy to prepare—and even easier to devour. We’ve loaded this week’s menu with seasonal produce and diverse proteins to keep busy weeknights interesting without stressing out the chef. Read on for seven tasty ideas, from sweet potato chowder to beef suya.
Here’s What to Cook Every Night This Week (January 8 – 14)
It’s your slow cooker’s big moment
Shopping List
Produce
2 small onions
4 garlic cloves
3 medium sweet potatoes
4 large guajillo chiles
1 ancho chile
Two 1-pound delicata squashes
1 tomato
2 pounds sugar pie pumpkin or kabocha squash
Three 1-inch pieces ginger
1 lime
12 ounces Brussels sprouts
12 ounces butternut squash
1 small carrot
1 celery stalk
1 small red onion
1 bunch thyme
1 small bunch lacinato kale
1 bunch microgreens (such as arugula or radish)
Meat
4 ounces bacon
Four 4- to 5-ounce salmon fillets
4 large bone-in chicken thighs (6½ ounces each)
4 skinless chicken drumsticks (3½ ounces each)
1 pound ground beef
1 pound boneless short ribs
Dairy
4 ounces half-and-half
Cotija cheese, for serving
Crema Mexicana, for serving
8 ounces milk
Grains
6 ounces brown basmati rice
4 to 6 telera rolls
Cooked black or forbidden rice
1 pound pappardelle or other long pasta
Canned and Packaged Goods
64 ounces chicken stock
Gochujang
10 to 12 shiitake mushrooms (about 1 ounce)
Yellow curry paste
6 ounces white wine
2 ounces dry roasted, peeled peanuts
Pantry Ingredients: kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, white or yellow miso paste, unseasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, extra-virgin olive oil, mayonnaise, cooking spray, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, tomato paste, ground ginger, cayenne, peanut oil, dried thyme
Monday: Sweet Potato Chowder
Not all spud soups are a liquid baked potato. This nine-ingredient soul-soother leans on sweet potatoes for a decidedly wintry flavor, along with tender kale and dry herbs. It cooks in a single pot on a base of savory bacon fat.
Tuesday: Miso-Glazed Salmon with Gochujang Rice
Miso paste, rice vinegar and sesame oil don’t need much help in the flavor department. They pack every flake of fish with zippy, nutty, umami-rich deliciousness. As for the rice, it can be as spicy (or mild, if you have picky eaters at the table) as you’d like.
Wednesday: Chorizo-Spiced Delicata Squash Tortas
Thursday: Yellow Curry Pumpkin Rice Soup
Saturday: Slow Cooker Bolognese
Let Crockpot season reign with this beefy pasta that requires minimal hands-on work to come to fruition (because we’re *not* an Italian nonna that has all day to babysit a simmering pot of sauce). Finish the set-it-and-forget-it gem with a flurry of freshly grated Parm and wash it down with a nice chianti.