125 Ways to Make a Meal

With a handful of favorite recipes, any cook can keep their family fed and happy. But this collection of recipes is unique. We've put together 5 versatile proteins, 5 go-with-anything sauces, and 5 hardworking sides. Mix and match each of these recipes (we designed them all to work together), and you have four months of fast, easy dinners. That's 125 recipes you can reference endlessly for a dinner plate that will never be boring. Find your family's favorites, save them, pin them, print them. Then on busy weeknights when you need something you know they'll love and enjoy, you have an almost-bottomless resource at your disposal.

For this traditional French sauce, we cut the fat and calories by using a base of canola mayonnaise, and then we season it with shallots, parsley, mustard, capers, and tarragon.

Don't have a lot of time marinate? Just go with intensely flavorful ingredients (like soy sauce and vinegar); a half hour or less will take you from bland to grand.

This quick 30-minute side gets its flavor from a mixture of shallots butter and fresh chives.

This creamy sauce adds 4g of protein to your meal courtesy of 2% Greek yogurt. While prep only takes 5 minutes, be sure to leave time (30 minutes) for the sauce to chill.

For quick weeknight meals, go for the broiler. It preheats in a flash and acts like an upside-down grill, bringing salmon and veggies to perfect doneness in just 10 minutes.

Broccolini has a milder flavor than broccoli and tastes delicious roasted and simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil.

This red pepper-based Spanish sauce is typically eaten with fish, but the blend of roasted red bell peppers, almonds, garlic, and paprika makes a zesty addition to a variety of dishes.

When there's nothing else in the fridge, you can always count on a carton of eggs. If you don't have a leek for this frittate, go with an onion. Feel free to toss in other sautéed veggies too.

An quick side salad with cannellini beans lends healthy plant-based protein to your meal, and a simple DIY dressing keeps sodium low by using less salt than bottled versions you'll find in the grocery store.

Give your protein some zip with this authentic Mexican salsa blended from parsley, basil, and green onions. The herby flavor adds a bright finish to chicken, fish, beef, or pork.

The pungent flavor of fresh herbs is possibly the easiest way to make your dinner more interesting. Use chopped herbs to make sauces, and add whole leaves to salads.

A quick slaw makes a tangy side that pairs with an assortment of main dishes. Our homemade version keeps the cabbage crisp. We honey to sweeten ours.

This Asian-inspired sauce is a fantastic mix of spicy and sweet with both crushed red pepper and maple syrup. But the best thing about it? It's ready in just six minutes.

A whole pork tenderloin can take anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes to reach doneness, depending on how you cook it. But thinly sliced medallions take only 6 minutes.

Get your daily dose of vitamin A with this nutritious side. In addition to providing you with 400% of your daily vitamin A requirement, you'll receive a boost of vitamin C and fiber. So grab your thyme, butter, milk, salt, and pepper, and start mashing.