Family Favorite Weeknight Dinners

Like most families with elementary-age kiddos, dinner time can be a struggle in our house. Eating out hits the weekly budget pretty hard and even though Ames and I both enjoy cooking, trying new or adventurous recipes becomes a game of “will they eat it?” roulette. For those reasons, we try to stick with tried-and-true family favorites, sneaking in something interesting now and then when we’re feelin’ lucky. Yes, we have plenty of non-recipe nights of frozen pizzas, tacos, and tortellini but we usually aim to cook something from a recipe 3-4 times per week.

We often cook while looking at the recipe in Google Calendar on our phones or on the Skylight Calendar.

For over 4 years now, we’ve done our meal planning entirely in Google Calendar. Each week, we look at our shared family calendar adding dinner recipes as calendar events on days that make sense to cook at home. Most of the time, we just search the calendar for past dinners and duplicate whatever sounds good to the upcoming week. Including the full recipe text in the event description has several benefits. First off, it means we can search the calendar by anything in the recipe. If we have an ingredient in the fridge we want to use up or if there’s a specific grocery sale this week, we’ll search for a recipe that uses that ingredient and add it to the weekly plan. Second, it speeds up shopping list creation because we can just skim through the dinners planned for the week, adding exactly what we need. Finally, it’s far easier to cook from a Google Calendar event description on our phones than the pop-up ad hellscape that is most recipe websites these days. We also bought a Skylight Calendar (referral link) a few months ago to help keep up with family events and chores. We moved that device to the kitchen counter when we realized that it worked great for displaying our recipe calendar events as well.

To our kids’ disappointment, we do sometimes have just, like, a salad or something for dinner.

Out of curiosity, I exported our shared calendar data to look at our dinner trends in a spreadsheet. Of the 564 events that started with "Dinner: ", 134 of the event names were unique. Our most repeated meal was Green Chili Enchiladas, which we’ve apparently made 44 times over the last 4 years. 😳 We’ve made 27 of those recipes at least 5 times, and every one of them is a dinner that we’ll probably make again in the future.

I thought it’d be fun to share a top 10, but was having trouble narrowing it down, so I’ve included our top dozen recipes instead. We’ve made each of the following recipes at least 11 times. It’s not surprising at all to see a whole lotta pasta, cheese, and Instant Pot in this list. These are not the healthiest recipes in our rotation but they are all delicious and kid-approved. So, without further ado…

Our Family’s Top Recipes

1. Green Chili Enchiladas
2. Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
3. Bucatini with Spinach, Bacon, Creamy Parmesan Sauce
4. Chicken Pot Pie
5. Instant Pot Stroganoff
6. White Chicken Chili
7. Instant Pot Chili Mac
8. Roasted Tomato Pasta
9. Spanish Chicken Skillet
10. Chicken Enchilada Soup Instant Pot
11. Italian Wedding Soup
12. Instant Pot Beef Ragu

Green Chili Enchiladas

As I mentioned above, we’ve made this enchiladas recipe over 40 times and it’s long been our 9 year old’s favorite meal. It calls for 3C of chicken, but we typically use the meat from a whole rotisserie chicken. It takes longer than our typical weeknight dinners, but it’s worth it.

Prep: 45min / Cook: 35min / Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

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Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta

If creamy, cheesy, chicken enchiladas is our most repeated recipe, it’s no surprise that a creamy, cheesy, chicken pasta would come in at number 2. This is a quick, fast, and easy one in the Instant Pot. The kids pick out some of the larger bits of spinach, but they still love it.

Prep: 5min / Cook: 20min / Source: The Idea Room

Ingredients

• 1 carton (32oz) low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes with herbs, AND drained and dab excess oil off with paper towels, chopped
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
• 16 oz uncooked campanelle or cavatapi pasta
• 5 oz fresh baby spinach
• 1 pkg (8oz) light cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
• 1 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese (use freshly shredded)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Instructions

• In an instant pot, insert stir together broth, water, Italian seasoning, tomatoes, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper
• Stir in chicken and pasta and submerge down into the broth
• Secure the lid in place, and be sure the pressure valve is set to the “sealing” position. Select the “manual” setting or high pressure and set it to 6 minutes
• After the time is up select “cancel” and then use the quick release
• When it stops sputtering open lid and immediately stir noodles to separate and then stir in spinach, light cream cheese, and parmesan
• Toss well, and then let rest for about 10 minutes to thicken (it will seem like soup at first but as it rests and cools it will thicken right up).
• Toss in basil just before serving and serve warm

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Bucatini with Spinach, Bacon, Creamy Parmesan Sauce

We stumbled across this recipe in 2019, and the pandemic Bucatini shortage had us craving it for a little while. Yes, you can make it with spaghetti, but the texture of Bucatini with the parmesan sauce and bacon is just so good. I’ll usually cook the bacon right before I start prepping the pasta ingredients by placing it on a parchment paper lined 11×17″ baking pan and tossing in the oven at 400°F for about 20min. This one is great with some fresh, crusty garlic bread as well.

Prep: 15min / Cook: 15min / Source: Julia’s Album

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 8 cloves garlic minced
• 1.5 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 oz spinach
• 12 oz bucatini pasta
• 9 strips bacon cooked, chopped
• black pepper coarsely ground

Instructions

• In a large skillet, heat butter on medium heat. Add minced garlic. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
• Add half-and-half and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Add shredded Parmesan cheese. Keep stirring, while simmering, for a couple of minutes, until the cheese melts, and the sauce is creamy.
• Stir in spinach. Remove from heat. Close the skillet with the lid. The spinach will wilt.
• In the meantime, cook bucatini pasta in boiling water according to package instructions. It should be about 10 minutes for regular texture, or 8 minutes al dente. Reserve some pasta water. Drain.
• Add cooked bucatini pasta to the skillet with the cream sauce. Reheat on medium-low heat. The sauce should be pretty thick and should coat the noodles. If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of pasta water (1/4 cup) to thin it out.
• Add chopped cooked bacon.
• Season each individual serving plate with coarsely ground black pepper.

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Chicken Pot Pie

Our family loves a good pot pie and we’ve tried several recipes in the past. This one is solid. To save time on weeknights, I’ll sometimes cook the filling in the morning or while making dinner the night before and store it in the fridge. For a crispier texture, I’ll usually cook the bottom crust in the pie plate for a few minutes before adding the filling. I also use a crust shield to keep the edges from getting too brown.

Prep: 20min / Cook: 30min / Source: The Wholesome Dish

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 box of 2 unbaked, refrigerated pie crusts

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Add the butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the chicken, carrots, celery, onion, salt, garlic powder, thyme leaves, and pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, stirring often.
• Add the flour. Stir well, until no dry flour remains. Slowly stir in the cream, then the chicken broth. Cook until bubbling and thick, stirring often, 3-4 minutes.
• Remove from the heat. Stir in the peas and flat leaf parsley. Let this cool for 15-30 minutes before filling the pie.*
• Fit one pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Spoon the cooled filling into the pie crust. Top with the second pie crust. Seal the edges of the pie crust together. Cut 3-4 slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
• Place the filled pie plate on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven.
• Cool for 15-30 minutes before slicing and serving.**

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Instant Pot Stroganoff

Stroganoff was something my mom cooked pretty often and this recipe is very similar to what I remember enjoying as a child. We’ve modified this one to cook the sliced mushrooms separately because our girls always pick them out, and because the texture of sautéed mushrooms is so much better than when they’re cooked with everything else in the Instant Pot.

Prep: 5min / Cook: 25min / Source: Tastes Better From Scratch

Ingredients

• 1.5 pound ground beef (or turkey)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 8 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 can (10.5 oz) Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 32oz carton low-sodium beef broth
• 12 oz wide egg noodle
• 1/2 cup sour cream (or Greek Yogurt)
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Instructions

• Turn Instant Pot to sauté. Once the pot is hot, spray the bottom with cooking spray and add ground beef and onion. Brown the meat, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks, and season it with salt and pepper. Drain any excess grease.
• Add garlic and and sauté for 1 minute.
• Add the flour, homemade or canned cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, and noodles and stir to combine.
• Secure instant pot lid, and turn valve to sealed position. Cook on Manual Setting or High Pressure Setting for 2 minutes.
• While that’s cooking, add butter to non-stick skillet on medium and sauté mushrooms, stirring frequently until nicely browned
• When pressure cooking is complete, use a quick release.
• Carefully remove the lid and stir mixture. Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes, then stir in sour cream, parsley, additional salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with sautéed mushrooms

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White Chicken Chili

While Stroganoff was a common family dinner in my house, White Chicken Chili was one of Amy’s favorite meals growing up. You would think it was a family secret recipe, but it actually came from the label on a can of beans. According the my calendar export, we’ve made this one 18 times in the last 4 years and it’s definitely kid approved.

Prep: 10min / Cook: 20min / Source: A can of Bush’s Beans

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra light olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 can (4oz) chopped green chiles, drained
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 cans Great Northern Beans
• 1 can (14.5oz) reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken breast (or rotisserie chicken)

Instructions

• In large skillet, cook onion in oil for 4 minutes or until transparent.
• Add chiles, flour and cumin; cook and stir for 2 minutes.
• Add beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened.
• Add chicken; cook until hot.
• Garnish with cheese, sour cream, avocado, and salsa, if desired.

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Instant Pot Chili Mac

Yes, another Instant Pot recipe. This one is a true, one-pot deal though that’s ready in under 20 minutes. Sometimes we toss in a cup of frozen corn to add a little more veg to this cheesy mess of a comfort meal.

Prep: 10min / Cook: 7min / Source: The Recipe Rebel

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chili powder (2 if you like it spicy!)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 4 cups low sodium beef or chicken broth
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 1/2 cups tomato pasta sauce
• 16oz whole grain macaroni (or Cavatapi)
• 1/2 cup low fat milk
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Turn the Instant Pot to sauté. Cook ground beef, onion and red pepper until beef is browned. Drain any juices.
• On sauté, add chili powder, salt, garlic and cumin. Cook and stir 1 minute.
• Add broth and scrape the bottom to ensure any stuck on bits are removed.
• Turn Instant Pot off and stir in beans.
• Top with pasta sauce (spread over the top but don’t stir) and macaroni. Press pasta down into the liquid and spread into an even layer, but don’t stir.
• Put the lid on, and cook on manual high pressure for 2 minutes.
• When the cook time is over, do a controlled release of the pressure (slowly release the pressure by holding the valve slightly open but not all of the way).
• Remove the lid and stir — some macaroni may appear dry or stuck together but once you stir it will be perfect.
• Stir in milk and cheese until cheese is melted. Serve.

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Roasted Tomato Pasta

Amy and I have been making this recipe since she was still in grad school. We lovingly refer to is as “Canada Pasta” because it originally came from a clipping from a Canadian Living magazine that we lost long ago. I found a similar recipe from 2007 on their site, but we like our version better.

Prep: 10min / Cook: 30min / Source: ???

Ingredients

• 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 bag of fresh spinach
• 16 oz spaghetti or angel hair
• 1/2 cup asiago cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)
• 1 cup chicken, cooked & diced (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 400º. Toss the tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper and spread onto a non-stick cookie sheet
• Roast the tomatoes for 25 minutes until they are lightly browned and wrinkled
• Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to the package directions
• When the tomatoes are ready, use a spatula to scrape every last bit from the cookie sheet into a large bowl and add the spinach
• Toss in the pasta, cheese, and basil
• Sprinkle with pine nuts and cubed chicken if desired

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Spanish Chicken Skillet

I’m not sure when we started making this Chicken recipe, but it’s great over yellow rice and peas. One kid likes the rice but won’t eat the peas and the other likes the peas but not the rice.  So, we have to serve those separated, but they both really like the chicken.

Prep: 10min / Cook: 25min / Source: McCormick

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Chicken Enchilada Soup Instant Pot

This is an 8h slow cooker recipe that takes just 20 minutes on high in the Instant Pot. We’ve made it both ways, and it’s always delicious, but the pressure cooker makes it great for a weeknight soup. It’s fantastic with some oven baked cheese nachos.

Prep: 10min / Cook: 30min / Source: Real Simple Good

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 can (14.5oz) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 avocado
• cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• tortilla chips

Instructions:

• Prepare all of the ingredients as noted above, and add all of the ingredients, except for the garnish ingredients, into Instant Pot in the order listed above.
• Cook for 20 minutes on the manual setting at high pressure with a quick release. Once done, use two forks to shred chicken in the crockpot. Ladle into bowls and serve with avocado and fresh cilantro.

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Italian Wedding Soup

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 3 tablespoons finely minced onion
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded Parm
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• few glugs olive oil

For Soup:

• olive oil
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 small celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock
• four handfuls leafy greens such as spinach or kale
• 1 cup bite-size cooked pasta such as ditalini or orzo (optional)
• Parm for serving

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients except for olive oil. Form into walnut-size balls — you want them to be manageably bite-size. Add olive oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat and brown meatballs on all sides. They do not have to be cooked through. Remove to a large platter.
• Meanwhile, set a medium-large-ish soup pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Add carrot, celery, onion, and salt and pepper, and cook until vegetables have softened slightly. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and, using a large spoon, add meatballs to the broth. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until they are cooked through. Serve in bowls and stir in greens (uncooked, they’ll wilt in the hot soup), pasta, and more cheese if desired.

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Instant Pot Beef Ragu

This one is quick to prep, but still requires an hour or so to get on the table. Even though it has a 50min cook time (and it takes a while for the Instant Pot to get up to pressure) we still make this on weeknights now and then. With such a long, high pressure cook time, you don’t have to go for an expensive cut of flank steak. Just about any thin steak will be fall apart tender and make for a great meaty sauce that is great over Papperdelle or Rigatoni noodles.

Prep: 10min / Cook: 60min / Source: ChooseFI

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed slightly
• 1.5 pounds flat iron or flank steak, cut against the grain into 3 pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon mustard flour

Directions

• Set your Instant Pot to Sauté and heat the olive oil. Sauté garlic until golden and fragrant, about two minutes.
• Season the beef with salt and pepper and layer in the Instant Pot. It might not all fit in one layer and that’s ok, it’ll still cook evenly. Pour the tomatoes over the beef and add carrots, bay leaves, thyme, turmeric, and mustard flour.
• Set Instant Pot to Manual, High Pressure, 50 minutes. When the timer beeps, do a quick release and let the beef cool slightly. Take the meat out of the sauce and finely shred it with two forks. Return the meat back to the Instant Pot, stir and taste for seasoning.
• You can serve the beef ragu over pasta, egg noodles or, for a healthier version, over brown rice or quinoa. Garnish with finely chopped parsley or fresh chives.

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Bon Appétit!

If you give any of these a try, drop a comment and let me know how it went. I’ve also cleaned up and standardized the HTML formatting for all of the recipes above to basic unordered lists and bold text which works great for calendar event descriptions, so feel free to copy/paste away if you’d like to give our calendar meal planning method a shot.

Have any favorite recipes that we should add to the rotation? I’d love to hear ’em!