Getting back into a routine often means finding ways to make a balanced weeknight dinner easier to serve. And it often means getting back to the question we all face: What are we having for dinner?
A balanced weeknight dinner doesn’t have to be complicated—or completely reinvented—to be nourishing. Sometimes the foods we already know and enjoy can make the best foundation for a meal. A little planning and a few make-ahead steps can make getting dinner on the table much easier.
For this meal, I’m going back to a classic: meatloaf and mashed potatoes, paired with green beans. It’s comforting and familiar, and it gives us a simple mix of protein, vegetables, and a satisfying carbohydrate.
Classic Weeknight Meatloaf with Light Ketchup Topping
Meatloaf is one of those meals that works especially well for a busy week. This version uses lean ground beef. You can assemble it earlier in the day, refrigerate it, and bake it when you’re ready for dinner.
Classic Weeknight Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds lean ground beef 90/10
- .5 cup onion diced fine
- .5 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 c skim milk warmed
- 1 each egg beaten
- 3 T green pepper diced fine
- 3 T ketchup
- 1 tsp salt
- .25 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add milk to a small saucepan and gently warm; do not bring to a boil.
- Lightly grease a 9X9 or a 9X13 baking dish with butter.
- Add ground beef to a large stainless steel bowl
- Add onions, green pepper, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper, and combine well.
- Add warmed milk; mixture should be soft and moist.
- Transfer to the baking dish and form into a loaf.
- Spoon ketchup in an even layer over the top of the meatloaf.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes, the meatloaf should be slightly browned, leave in the oven for another 10 nminutes if it is not.
Notes
Nutrition
Roasted Garlic & Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Roasted garlic brings plenty of savory flavor to these Yukon Gold potatoes, while buttermilk adds creaminess and a subtle tang without lots of butter or cream. For an easier weeknight, roast the garlic ahead of time so it’s ready when you start the potatoes.
Roast Garlic and Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup buttermilk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 quarts water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place unpeeled garlic in a terracotta garlic baker or onto a sheet of aluminum foil.
- Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil and put the lid on the baker, or wrap the garlic tightly in foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Set aside.
- Wash, peel, and cut the potatoes into 1" cubes
- Rinse with cold water, add to a 3-quart saucepan, and add cold water about an inch above the potatoes. Cover with a lid and crack it slightly. Bring to a boil and cook until tender.
- Remove from heat and carefully drain potatoes.
- Remove the garlic from the garlic baker or foil and gently squeeze it out of the peel into the potato mixture.
- Begin mashing the potatoes and garlic together, adding buttermilk in batches by hand.
- Mash until the desired consistency.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
Garlic Sautéed Green Beans with Pecorino
Blanching the green beans first keeps them bright and crisp-tender and makes the final preparation quick. You can blanch them ahead of time and refrigerate, then sauté with garlic and finish with a little Pecorino just before dinner.
Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic and Pecorino
Ingredients
- 1 pound Fresh Green Beans
- 2 cloves garlic Peeled and sliced
- 2 Tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Quarts Water
- 2 cups ice
Instructions
Blanching the Beans
- Bring a 4-quart saucepan of water to a boil.
- Wash beans and remove ends and strings.
- Add ice to a large bowl of water and add 3 cups of water to it.
- Add beans to the boiling water for two minutes, using a strainer remove the beans and add them to the ice bath. Let them sit in the ice bath for 2-3 minutes then add to a colander and allow to drain. Pat to dry.
Sautéeing
- In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, add the olive oil, and swirl to coat.
- Add the garlic to the oil and cook until fragrant, about one to two minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and set aside.
- Add the green beans to the skillet and sauté until slightly browned; add the garlic back to the pan, sauté for another minute, and remove from the heat.
- Remove from the pan, toss with Pecorino Romano cheese, and season with freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.
Nutrition
A balanced weeknight dinner doesn’t have to look dramatically different from the foods you already enjoy. Instead of thinking about individual foods as “good” or “bad,” I like to look at how the entire meal comes together. Here, we have protein from the meatloaf, a satisfying carbohydrate from the potatoes, and a colorful side vegetable.
Just as important, this meal works with a busy schedule. Assemble the meatloaf, roast the garlic, or blanch the green beans when you have a little extra time, and you’ve already made dinner easier for another day.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean giving up comfort food. Sometimes it simply means planning ahead, making thoughtful choices, and building a balanced plate around foods you genuinely enjoy.
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