The top weeknight recipes of 2022

By Emily Weinstein, The New York Times

Weeknight cooking for the win: NYT Cooking has published its collection of the most popular new recipes of 2022, and at least half are dishes you can make at the end of the day without too much stress. There’s a need for that kind of cooking, and I sincerely hope we’ve helped meet that need for you.

I’ve chosen five weeknight recipes from the top 50 to share below, in no specific order. (The No. 1 recipe is a noodle dish from Kenji López-Alt’s exceptional new cookbook, “The Wok.” If you love garlic, this recipe is not to be missed.)

And finally, did you know that you can give a subscription to NYT Cooking as a gift? The perfect present for everyone on your list!

1. Pasta Amatriciana

Pasta amatriciana is a traditional Italian dish that features a sauce of guanciale (salt-cured pork jowl), tomato, pecorino romano and chiles. Some variations include onion and white wine. The final product tastes much more complex than the ingredient list would suggest: This simple pantry meal delivers deep flavors, as the bright, tangy tomato base balances the rich pork, and a mix of dried peppers adds layers of subtle heat. Guanciale can be found in Italian specialty shops or online, but pancetta is a good alternative. Bucatini is a thicker pasta with a hollow center that captures the thick sauce, but spaghetti delivers equally tasty results.

By Kay Chun

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces guanciale or pancetta, chopped into 1/4-inch cubes (3/4 cup)
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed with your hands in a bowl
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
• 1 pound dried bucatini
• 3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for garnish

Preparation

1. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. To the skillet, add tomatoes, black pepper and red-pepper flakes, and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and smashing tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon, until tomatoes have broken down and sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to package directions until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain.

3. Add pasta, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water back to the large pasta pot and stir vigorously over medium-high heat until pasta is evenly coated in the sauce, about 1 minute. (Add more pasta water if sauce is dry.) Remove from heat, stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt.

4. Divide pasta among bowls and garnish with more cheese and black pepper.

2. Greek Chicken With Cucumber-Feta Salad

This meal has the flavors of a Greek combination plate with chicken souvlaki, Greek salad and tzatziki, but it is streamlined for the home cook. Boneless chicken thighs are coated with herby, garlicky yogurt, then seared until tender inside and crusty and browned outside. Extra yogurt dresses cucumbers and tomatoes that have had a chance to drain with salt so they taste their most vivid. Feta and olives add briny bites to the creamy, crunchy salad, but feel free to incorporate other elements of Greek salad or tzatziki, like romaine lettuce, bell peppers, mint or dill, toasted walnuts or thinly sliced red onion. Eat with lemon potatoes or toasted pita.

By Ali Slagle

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
• Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or mint
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry
• 1 1/2 pounds cucumbers (preferably Japanese, Persian or mini, seedless cucumbers)
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
• 4 ounces feta, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt and garlic; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer 1/2 cup of the yogurt to a medium bowl and reserve for Step 5.