Every week, Executive Food Editor Keith Dresser pairs each main dish with a side to give you a complete, satisfying dinner without the guesswork. Look for the game-plan section to learn tips on how to streamline your kitchen work so that dinner comes together quicker.
Dinner This Week: Spaghetti and Meatballs
This week’s menus include Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs, Pan-Seared Shrimp with Garlic-Lemon Butter, and Spicy Sichuan-Style Noodles for dinner in about an hour
By Published Mar. 1, 2023
Jump to a Section
Dinner 1: Spaghetti and Meatballs with Spicy Salad
Game Plan: Prep and cook the meatballs. As the meatballs simmer in the sauce (step 5), prep the salad. Toss the salad right before serving.
Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs uses a panade to keep the meatballs moist. If you don’t have white bread on hand, other types of bread can be substituted. Alternatively, ½ cup of panko bread crumbs can be used, but you will need ⅔ cup of buttermilk (or plain milk) to moisten them. We like to make our own tomato sauce, but a 24-ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce can be substituted. Spicy Salad with Mustard and Balsamic Vinaigrette calls for a mix of spicy greens, like arugula and watercress, but feel free to use other boldly flavored greens with the pungent mustard-based vinaigrette.
Printable Shopping Lists: Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs and Spicy Salad with Mustard and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Sign up for the Cook's Insider newsletter
The latest recipes, tips, and tricks, plus behind-the-scenes stories from the Cook's Illustrated team.
America's Test Kitchen will not sell, rent, or disclose your email address to third parties unless otherwise notified. Your email address is required to identify you for free access to content on the site. You will also receive free newsletters and notification of America's Test Kitchen specials.
Dinner 2: Pan-Seared Shrimp and Rice and Pasta Pilaf
Game Plan: Start by preparing the pilaf, using any unattended time to prep the shrimp. While the pilaf rests for 10 minutes at the end of step 3, sear the shrimp.
For Pan-Seared Shrimp with Garlic-Lemon Butter, we season the shrimp with salt, pepper, and sugar, which encourages a well-caramelized exterior and brings out the shrimp’s natural sweetness. We sear the shrimp in batches and then pair them with a flavorful compound butter to add richness and acidity. Rice and Pasta Pilaf combines tender rice with toasted, nutty pieces of vermicelli. In order to have both ingredients finish cooking at the same time, we soak the rice in hot water for 10 minutes to soften the outer coating of the grains and help them absorb water quickly. We let the cooked pilaf stand for 10 minutes with a towel under the lid to keep it from becoming soggy.
Printable Shopping Lists: Pan-Seared Shrimp with Garlic-Lemon Butter and Rice and Pasta Pilaf
Equipment Review
Shrimp Peeling Tools
We tested five new tools that promised to make the chore of shelling shrimp and removing their veins easier.Read Our Review
Dinner 3: Spicy Sichuan-Style Noodles and Pai Huang Gua (Sichuan Smashed Cucumbers)
Game Plan: Start by prepping the cucumbers through step 2. While they sit, prep and cook the noodles. Toss the cucumbers with the dressing right before serving.
Spicy Sichuan-Style Noodles is a flavorful dish that comes together quickly. Fresh or dried Chinese noodles work best in this recipe, but linguine can be substituted in a pinch. We pair the noodles with a cooling dish of Pai Huang Gua (Sichuan Smashed Cucumbers). English cucumbers, which are nearly seedless and have thin, crisp skins, are placed in a zipper-lock bag and smashed into large, irregular pieces. Salting the cucumbers helps them expel excess water and breaking them into craggy pieces allows them to hold on to the dressing.
Printable Shopping Lists: Spicy Sichuan-Style Noodles and Pai Huang Gua
View more weeknight dinner ideas below, or check out all of the Dinner This Week menus.
- Dinner This Week: Spaghetti with Sausage
- Dinner This Week: Roasted Shrimp
- Dinner This Week: Greek-Style Pita Sandwiches
- Dinner This Week: Pork Schnitzel
- Dinner This Week: Chorizo Frittata
10,000+ foolproof recipes and why they work Taste Tests of supermarket ingredients Equipment Reviews save you money and time Videos including full episodes and clips Live Q&A with Test Kitchen experts
Start Free TrialAbsolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too. I've done this using a rimmed sheet pan instead of a skillet and put veggies and potatoes around the chicken for a one-pan meal. Broccoli gets nicely browned and yummy!
Absolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too.
Amazed this recipe works out as well as it does. Would not have thought that the amount of time under the broiler would have produced a very juicy and favorable chicken with a very crispy crust. Used my 12" Lodge Cast Iron skillet (which can withstand 1000 degree temps to respond to those who wondered if it would work) and it turned out great. A "make again" as my family rates things. This is a great recipe, and I will definitely make it again. My butcher gladly butterflied the chicken for me, therefore I found it to be a fast and easy prep. I used my cast iron skillet- marvellous!
John, wasn't it just amazing chicken? So much better than your typical oven baked chicken and on par if not better than gas or even charcoal grilled. It gets that smokey charcoal tasted and overnight koshering definitely helps, something I do when time permits. First-time I've pierced a whole chicken minus the times I make jerk chicken on the grill. Yup, the cast iron was not an issue.