Eight quick and easy weeknight dinners

Making dinner in 30 to 45 minutes gives me enough time in the kitchen to feel like I’ve cooked something and gets me out of the (cleaned-up) kitchen with plenty of time left for an evening activity. Key to making quick, easy dinners are recipes that employ simple techniques to create fresh, bright flavors and also use very few pots and pans. These recipes can all be made in 45 minutes or less, and most use only one pan.

Vegetarian and full of flavor, Lentil and Rice Bowls with Grated Cauliflower, Spinach and Yogurt is a one-pan wonder. The cauliflower steams in the pan on top of the rice and lentils as they cook, and the spinach is then piled on top and left to wilt in the residual heat before mixing in fresh lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavors. Make it vegan by swapping out the Greek yogurt for one made from an alternative-milk base.

Steamed Halibut with Ginger Sauce is another good one-pan option. Shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy cook together with the fish after which lemon and cilantro enhance its delicate flavor. For a more boldly seasoned dish, try “Blackened” Snapper with Crunchy Pickle Salad. A dollop of spicy butter seasons the fish while green onion and garlic add a pop of flavor. For the salad, tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes are quick-pickled and then tossed with sesame oil, which softens the tang of the vegetables and adds a rich nuttiness to the crunchy salad.

While technically this dish is a two-pan affair, I tend to consider pasta a one-pan meal—the pasta pot is such a breeze to wash that it hardly qualifies as a second pan. Caramelized Lemon Pasta with Mushrooms and Broccoli is tangy, earthy and full of contrasting textures. To make the dish vegan, swap out the grated parmesan for nutritional yeast.

Melty, fresh Mozzarella cheese smothers the cauliflower and/or butternut squash (your choice) served with the garlicky, spicy pasta in this Vegetable Mozz with Spicy Spaghetti. The cheese also takes the edge off of the heat. Pasta with Italian Sausage and Broccoli uses a great trick for keeping pans at a minimum: cook the broccoli in the pasta water along with the noodles. Other vegetables, such as broccoli rabe, Chinese broccoli or even kale can be substituted for the broccoli. And feel free to use salt pork, guanciale or prosciutto in place of the Italian sausage.

Grated zucchini is mixed in with the ground meat to make these juicy Lamb and Zucchini Burgers with Yogurt and Arugula. (And if you don’t tell, nobody will know about the added vegetables.) Caramelized Lemon and Feta Turkey Meatballs are served with a salad of fresh parsley and mint and a lemony yogurt, giving the dish the flavor of the Mediterranean.

Go ahead, up your weeknight dinner game with any of these quick and easy options.