My sister came over yesterday and I sighed, walking circles around the kitchen, “I have to make dinner again?” She nodded her head in agreement. What a nuisance. It’s not like a project where you can clap your hands together and marvel at your completed work with satisfaction. It’s never done. It comes around again and again, every 24 hours roughly, and for most mothers about 10 hours after breakfast and 6 after lunch. (Never mind all the snacking in between.)
I told her I’m in a rut right now, and that the same three or so meals pop into my head every time this happens. She said she’s in one too and suggested we swap our “rut meals.” We didn’t get that far, but it’s worth exploring. What are your rut meals? (Mine, right now anyway–I think my rut meals change–are chicken pot pie, chicken divan, or pasta. I’m always fairly happy to make the first two.)
This poorly photographed dinner above is one of our rut meals, and it is a really, really good rut meal. I’ve made it so many times, referenced it so many times, but not shared it even once. How rude. I did share it on snapchat so I think a lot of you have a screenshot of it somewhere buried in your phone archives but let’s make this a little simpler, eh?
Chicken Divan (serves 6-8)
4-6 (depending on size) chicken breasts, cooked; I use 4 large
2 pkg. cooked broccoli (instead of cooking, I take it out of the freezer morning of and let it sit on the counter where it gets up to room temperature)
1 cup rice, 3 cups cooked; I use jasmine
6 oz. grated sharp cheese
1 stick melted butter
bread crumbs
Sauce
1/2 t curry powder
2 cans cream of chicken (I use this kind, and usually just one with maybe a dollop or two of plain whole fat yogurt; you don’t miss the second!)
1 T lemon juice
1/2 c mayo
1 can water
Use a 9×13 dish and layer in this order: rice, broccoli, chicken (broken up in pieces or shredded), sauce, bread crumbs, cheese, drizzled butter. Cook 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
This is so good! I have it tucked away in the recesses of my brain to make once the baby comes and I’m no longer getting meals. Of course, I’ll be in the newborn fog and will probably forget ????
In the fall/winter/spring my go-to is chili… so easy and we usually have all the ingredients or just have to buy a couple things. My husband loves grilling, so anytime I don’t feel like making something he’ll throw some bratwursts on the grill.
Bridget- you should start a monthly recipe share featuring your readers, I can go first! 😉 Your sister is right, if everyone shared their ‘go to’ rut meal, think of all the inspiration we’d have! For years I have been dying to be part of a recipe share club (I’m a nerd), this could be exciting 😉
My new cooking rut go to has been putting four chicken breasts in the crock pot on Mondays with taco seasoning, a jar of salsa, some onion, garlic and then using it all week to make burrito bowls, tacos, and chicken soup. The longer the chicken sits in the fridge and marinates after its cooked the better it tastes!
that is a great idea! (in this house, 4 chicken breasts wouldn’t go very far though!)
Crock pot tacos are the one thing I’ve been making regularly lately. So good!
My go to is Ina Garten’s Chicken Chili. Always a big heat and I buy a rotisserie chicken to make it even easier. It’s delicious, nutritious and easy to make.
why haven’t i made this yet? i LOVE ina.
I think even better is Giada’s white chicken chili! It’s the only recipe I use ground chicken for, but GOSH is it good.
Rut meals: chili, nachos and/or quesadillas, grilled chicken with rice and broccoli. I have been printing off and making 3-4 new EASY recipes a week.
This sounds delicious, and like something my 6 yr old would eat! I am a terrible/inexperienced cook, so forgive what might be a ridiculous question, but is the rice cooked beforehand? Thanks!
yes, yes! rice is cooked before hand!
Thank you so much for the reply!
I tried to make that one pot pasta (where you put all ingredients in at same time, no boiling water beforehand, and it was a disaster, crunchy and gummy pasta, ugh).
I will definitely try this, with cooked rice! 😉
Grilled bread and a big salad is a rut meal for us.
Another one is naan pizzas. I always keep Stonefire naan in the freezer. Just top it with stuff and bake for a few minutes.
I know you’re a Trader Joe’s girl. Have you tried their frozen turkey meatballs? Another freezer staple for me.
And grain salads are big around here. My favorite lately is farro, sweet potato, dried cherries, chickpeas, kale, white cheddar. But any combination of grain, bean, vegetable(s), greens works.
i haven’t tried those! i will check them out, thanks!
We have crock pot chicken so often it’s not even funny. Asian chicken, Mexican chicken. I just throw it all in before work and then voila – chicken! Sometimes it’s crock pot pork or pork chops. A bit of butter, some ranch powder and after work – pork! My poor family is probably so sick of chicken and pork. LOL
My go to meal (just about to put it on the stove!) is Marcella Hazan’s red pasta sauce. It is literally nothing but tinned tomatoes, butter, onion and salt but something magical happens in cooking and it makes the best pasta sauce I’ve ever had. It is so comforting and only requires about 30 seconds of work. My other go to is a red lentil, coconut curry / soup. So delicious, cheap and healthy.
what are tinned tomatoes exactly? (youre not the first to mention the marcella hazan sauce – i really should make it.)
tinned = cute british way to say canned 🙂 I’ve tried that sauce and it’s pretty great.
I’m Australian so maybe I’m using the wrong word? Canned tomatoes? They’re the cans / tins of tomatoes next to the tinned beans, lentils etc in the grocery store. The San Marzano ones are amazing (there’s a photo in Deb’s post: https://smittenkitchen.com/2010/01/tomato-sauce-with-butter-and-onions/).
tinned is a nicer word than canned! thank you!
I’m in a rut…..always
Last night I shredded a rotisserie chicken and cooked a box of Spanish rice, then combined those in a small tortilla for a soft taco. Add Cholula hot sauce and avocado or whatever if desired. Easy and good!
chicken divan is my favorite food on the planet. its our special birthday or hey mom i’m home from college make me what i want food. my mom’s has red and white wine in the sauce and paprika sprinkled on top. it is goooooooood. dang, i want some now!
Here are my rut meals:
Dinner A Love Story’s pork ragu (on her blog)— THE BEST and easiest thing to make for a dinner party… or just a regular old weeknight dinner.
Real Simple’s Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas (google it)- I have a 1 year old, and I make this during her nap time, stick it in the fridge, and then bake it right before eating. Yummmmmmm. So easy.
Chicken Fried Rice- Throw all your produce leftovers from all week in a hot skillet (think broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, sugar peas, etc), saute it all up with some chopped chicken breasts, soy sauce and ground ginger…. throw in some leftover rice (you know, from last night’s burritos), and then shimmy all of it over to the side of the pan while you scramble a couple eggs in there. mix it all together, boom. delicious way to clean out the fridge.
Butternut squash curry- there are a million recipes out there. sometimes I add chicken, sometimes i just use extra chickpeas.
Breakfast casserole- never underestimate the power of breakfast for dinner! I just discovered a sweet potato sausage casserole from a blog called delicious meets healthy, and it’s a keeper!!
Big quinoa bowls- also good for cleaning out the fridge, and great as a “build your own” meal. Think: carmelized onions, sauted peppers, cooked quinoa, salsa, yogurt or sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro- all mixed together in a bowl with a big hunk of bread on the side
Spinach-stuffed pasta shells from Better Homes and Gardens
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Have you read any of Jenny Rosenthal’s cookbooks? She just had one released today calleed “How to Celebrate Everything” that I think you’d like! …Did you make the zuppa toscana? …sorry for writing a book!
Oops- I forgot to mention for the quinoa bowls- throw some protein in there! Leftover chicken, a can of black beans heated up and seasoned with montreal steak seasoning… whatever you’ve got!
thank you for all of these ideas!!! ive never made a curry ANYTHING. i might try that.
haven’t made the zuppa toscana yet!
Cup of Jo featured an easy recipe post sometime last week and I tried the easy fish tacos. We. are. obsessed. You just buy the breaded tilapia filets from Trader Joes and while they crisp up in the oven, make a quick slaw out of whatever you have. We like green cabbage, shredded carrot, and red onion mixed with a dollop of sour cream, lime juice and salt. Serve with pickled jalepenos and sliced avocados. Delicious!
My rut recipe is to saute about a pound of cleaned and deveined shrimp in a large frying pan, stir in a jar of salsa and leave on the stove just until the salsa is heated. Sprinkle some pine nuts over the top and serve. Can be served over rice, if you like.
I have a few favorite rut meals:
> Pulled beef (cooked in the crock pot) with BBQ sauce and oven-roasted potatoes and a big salad.
> French Dip sandwiches (if I’m feeling super lazy, I just buy italian roast beef from the deli counter), grill some buttered garlic bread and serve with a salad.
> If calories aren’t a concern or we’re cooking for a lot of people (or a meal I want a lot of left overs for), it’s always Chicken Riggies:
1 lb of pasta
~1.5 lbs of chicken
1 stick of butter
garlic, basil, oregano
1 12 oz jar of sliced pepperocinis
1 12 oz jars of marinated peppers (look for “pepper salad” by Cora in the pasta/sauce aisle) (if you want extra spicy riggies, you can use two jars)
1 can of medium pitted olives (optional — you can also add mushrooms or onions)
1 pint heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 cup marinara/spaghetti sauce (any kind will do as long as it does not have meat in it)
boil the pasta, drain, set aside
boil the chicken until thoroughly cooked, drain, and shred or cube
in a large pot, melt the stick of butter.
add chicken. add a few dashes of garlic, basil, & oregano. saute & stir for just a few minutes.
drain ~1/2* of the liquid from the jar of pepperocinis. add remaining contents to pot.
add peppers to pot. do not drain.
drain liquid from olives. add to the pot.
saute & stir for a few minutes
add parm, heavy cream, & spaghetti sauce
stir well, until the sauce is a light pink color.
add pasta, stir, serve & enjoy
I tried this tonight and it was delicious! We will definitely be adding it to our line up of go-to dinners! We always love quesadillas for an easy dinner. We add whatever we have on hand — chicken, pork, black beans, bell peppers, etc.
oh yay! im so glad you tried it and loved it!
We recently had dinner with friends at their home and the meal was simple and really delicious. Have you ever heard of Swedish tacos? Taco-sized flour tortillas warmed in microwave. Filling was sautéed ground turkey nicely seasoned with sautéed onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, s&p, stir in drained/rinsed can of black beans. Toppings were chopped cherry tomatoes, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, plus the Swedish part: cucumbers grated on large hole of grater folded into sour cream. Yum! Easy!
ooh, that swedish addition sounds so good.
late post….reading old posts!
My kids grew up on this:
1 box frozen chopped spinach
grated fresh nutmeg
8 oz ricotta cheese
box of pasta ( cooked in salted water, save some water for sauce)
Saute spinach in large frying pan, grate a little nutmeg on top, add 8 oz ricotta, mix well, add some pasta water to thin. Drain pasta, dump into spinach mixture. toss. ( you can saute spinach in a little butter or evoo) Kids still love this at 34 and 37 !!!!!
ooh, that sounds so good. thank you carol!
chicken divan was one of my favorite meals as a kid, and i was pretty sure that it was some weird and very unhealthy thing that my mom came up with, until just recently. even with a stick of butter, i’m pretty sure this alternative is 10x better than what i know.