Slim on ingredients, strong on flavorI have an enduring soft spot for supermarket tortellini, the kind you find in the refrigerated aisle right near the string cheese. When I first met my husband, he seemed to subsist on this tortellini. This recipe from Ali Slagle reminds me of that time, though it’s slightly more involved than what we ate back then, seeing as it has two steps instead of one (“boil the tortellini”). It’s worth it, as most adulting upgrades are. That recipe, which you’ll find below, is an excellent option for the week ahead, as are the four alongside it. (In fact, Ali has another dish in the newsletter this week — roasted chicken thighs with black beans and squash, one of those recipes that soars above the sum of its parts.) If you’re in the mood to bake, I have a video for you: Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal just came by the New York Times Cooking studio kitchen to make their family recipe for banana bread. I was initially skeptical because it lacked chocolate chips, which my family’s recipe (the one true banana bread) has. But I got to taste their version, and it’s truly delicious. Watch the video of Jake and Maggie here, or right on the recipe page. If you’d like additional baking inspo, we’ve assembled 20 easy recipes right here. (The tagline for that collection: Be ready when the craving strikes.) Thoughts? Feedback? Write to me at dearemily@nytimes.com. I love to hear from you. I’m also making:Simmered kabocha squash with scallions; easy chocolate cake.
1. Sheet-Pan Chicken With Black Beans and SquashThis new recipe from Ali is slim on ingredients but strong on flavor. The early raves include a report from a commenter whose 2-year-old loved this meal so much, she thanked God for it in her bedtime prayers. Now that, my friends, is a testimonial!
2. Pepper Steak and Celery Stir-Fry With LemonI love this recipe from Andy Baraghani, who uses lemon to lift the dish to another plane. The commenters have gone wild for this one, too, including a note from a reader named Derrick who said this recipe “bang bang BANGED.”
3. One-Pot Tortellini With Prosciutto and PeasSwap in bacon for the prosciutto if you like in this recipe from Ali, who cooks the tortellini in a combination of broth and heavy cream. The sweet peas add pops of green.
4. Soy Sauce Noodles With Cabbage and Fried EggsThis take on soy sauce noodles from Hetty Lui McKinnon includes thinly sliced cabbage, which adds vegetable crunch to the dish. I like my fried egg runny, and here the burst yolk becomes a rich topcoat for the savory noodles.
5. TortizzasEric Kim called this dish “a dinner life raft” — an instant way to make miniature pizzas using flour tortillas. His are topped with a cucumber-tomato-avocado salad, feta and a drizzle of honey, to which you could add shredded rotisserie chicken, if you like. For a limited time, you can enjoy free access to the recipes in this newsletter in our app. Download it on your iOS or Android device and create a free account to get started. Thanks for reading and cooking. If you like the work we do at New York Times Cooking, please subscribe! (Or give a subscription as a gift!) You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, or follow me on Instagram. I’m dearemily@nytimes.com, and previous newsletters are archived here. Reach out to my colleagues at cookingcare@nytimes.com if you have any questions about your account. View all recipes in your weekly plan.
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