When it comes to dinner, there’s an inevitable trade-off between convenience, quality, and cost.
A recent article in The Atlantic titled “You’ll Never Get Off the Dinner Treadmill” claims that dinner is a problem that “refuses to be solved”. The tagline boldly stating: “There’s no such thing as an easy weeknight meal” kind of stung, especially as someone who writes recipes for easy weeknight meals.
But as a dietitian, I can’t help but…kind of agree. I see my patients struggle with the dinner dilemma on a daily basis. Will they opt for fast food, prioritizing maximum convenience and minimal cost at the expense of nutrition? Or perhaps they’ll splurge on a healthier takeout option—if they can afford it. My preference, of course, is for them to cook at home, where they can achieve the best quality at the lowest cost. But can they spare the time?
It’s not just my patients who face this dilemma. I consider myself a passionate home cook, but I also have a full-time job, family obligations, and a full slate of other hobbies (like the one you’re currently reading). So sometimes, after a long day of “adulting,” I’m simply not in the mood to cook.
Still, I find the idea that dinner is an “unsolvable problem” to be overly pessimistic.
Sure, a dream dinner would be fast, easy, cheap, delicious, and healthy. But we don’t live in a dream world. Here in the real world, concessions must be made.
That doesn’t mean a satisfying balance is unattainable. Convenience options like fast food and takeout can certainly ease the burden—in moderation—when budgets and calories allow. Meanwhile, with the right mix of ingredients and preparation methods, home cooking doesn’t have to be an unbearable chore.
My creamy smoked salmon pasta with kale recipe is a prime example of striking this supposedly elusive balance. The pasta and creamy garlic sauce cook on the stove while the kale crisps in the oven, and the smoked salmon—ready to eat—requires almost no prep at all.
The dish is relatively quick to prepare, nourishing, and—most importantly—delicious, offering a delectable blend of salty, smoky, and lemony flavors, with creamy and crunchy textures to go with. Yes, it takes some time and leaves a few dishes in its wake. But if I can find time to read The Atlantic and write a blog post about it, I can carve out a nugget in my day for cooking too.
Ultimately, I think part of the problem is the view that dinner as a problem that requires a solution. For me, eating is one of life’s greatest joys. The time spent cooking is rewarded by the pleasure of feeding myself—and others—something both nourishing and enjoyable. That’s worth it. Even when I’m not in the mood to cook, I can still find satisfaction in it. And when the time, effort, and outcome strike an acceptable balance, well that’s just gravy.
More like this Creamy Smoked Salmon with Kale:
For more options to ease the dinner dilemma, check out my collection of weeknight meal recipes. They vary in time and effort required, so you can choose accordingly depending on what kind of mood you’re in. But I always try to make my weeknight meal recipes nutritionally complete, so you don’t have to flip between multiple recipes just to put together dinner.
Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta with Kale
Ingredients
- 2 large lacinato kale leaves washed
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 oz short pasta noodles such as casarecce or penne
- 1 tbsp butter
- 6 cloves garlic minced or finely grated
- 1 tsp all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 small lemon
- 6 oz thick cut smoked salmon broken into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°. Fill a large pot of with about 1-inch of salted water and bring to a boil over high heat.
- While waiting for water to boil, remove stems from kale and roughly chop. Place on a sheet pan and toss with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes until browned and crisp.
- When water boils, cook pasta per package directions for al dente. Drain and return pasta to pot.
- While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.
- Add flour and cook for 1 minute while stirring. Gradually pour in milk while stirring. Reduce heat as needed and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Add parmesan and ¼ tsp pepper to the saucepan, and cook until cheese is incorporated into sauce. Remove from heat.
- Add sauce to the pasta and mix together. Add salmon and zest from half the lemon. Juice lemon and add 1 tbsp lemon juice. Toss to combine. Adjust seasoning as needed with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Divide pasta amongst serving bowls and top with crispy kale.
