Alex is the chef in our family (he kills at broccoli quesadillas and chicken parm meatballs), but last week, he was out of town, so the boys and I were on our own. Unfortunately, I am — how should I put this — not a great cook. So, I figured we’d just shop the fridge:
But then I started brainstorming:
And came up with a weeknight meal plan:
Monday: Rice and beans with toppings, including avocado, tomato, cheddar cheese and sour cream
Tuesday: Pesto pasta (using excellent store-bought pesto) with sautéed zucchini
Wednesday: Sausages with corn and tomatoes
Thursday: Mushroom and egg toast. (Sauté a bunch of mushrooms with salt and pepper. Poach four eggs. Toast four slices of country bread and top with the mushrooms, eggs, and grated Parmesan.)
Friday: Pizza delivery from our favorite neighborhood spot!
The Thursday night dinner — mushroom and egg toast — reminded me of the power of putting an egg on top. Eggs can jazz up so many things — cheesy noodles, green salads, a piece of toast, don’t you think? Here are nine more ideas…
Angel hair pasta with a fried egg and parmesan.
Eggs and tomato sauce over polenta. “I’ve been making this dish for over 10 years,” says Deanna, a pediatric intensive care nurse practitioner. “I work crazy hours and having a back–pocket dish is great.”
White pizza with cheese, scallions and eggs.
Lentil salad with bell peppers and a seven-minute egg.
Avocado toast, three ways.
Egg tacos, Austin-style.
Egg roll in a bowl.
An egg-in-a-hole, toast-in-a-hole, egg-in-a-basket.
Classic fried eggs.
Thoughts? What would you add? What else do you top eggs with? Here are 9 easy family meals we’ve loved to death.
P.S. How to get kids to talk at dinner, and what are five things in your kitchen you’d never be caught without?
(Top photo by Romulo Yanes for Real Simple.)