First week of the year and I'm not pretending anyone wants a salad. This lineup is winter cooking without apology — stir-fries that come together in twenty minutes, a one-pot chicken and rice that cooks itself in the oven, and a portobello French dip that might be the most satisfying meatless meal you make all month. A couple are quick, a couple need closer to an hour, and one is a genuine stretch pick. Honest range for an honest week./

Twenty minutes, one pan, flavor that punches way above its cook time. Sliced beef gets tossed in a rub of garlic, brown sugar, and cornstarch, then seared fast in a cast-iron skillet with soy sauce. Cabbage goes in after, picking up all those caramelized bits, and the whole thing comes together with sesame seeds and scallions over rice. The kind of meal that makes a Tuesday feel handled.

The split happens before you even start cooking. At step 1, set aside the kids' portion of beef before adding the full tablespoon of crushed peppercorns to the rub. Their beef gets the same garlic, brown sugar, and cornstarch coating with just a small pinch of pepper — still plenty of flavor from the soy glaze. Use low-sodium soy sauce for their portions to keep the salt in check. Make sure the cabbage is cut into small, soft pieces — by the time it cooks for four to six minutes, it should be tender enough for little forks.

The adult version gets the full peppercorn treatment, and it's not subtle. That tablespoon of coarsely crushed black pepper turns the whole dish into something with real heat and bite, balanced by the sweetness of the brown sugar glaze. A twenty-minute dinner that tastes like you tried harder than you did.

The Split: Adults get bold black pepper heat in every bite; kids get the sweet garlic-soy glaze with just a pinch.

Serves: 2 to 4 servings | Time: 20m | Get the recipe at NYT Cooking →

This is one of those recipes where you do the real work in the first fifteen minutes — sear the chicken, caramelize some lemon slices, soften the aromatics — and then the oven takes over for half an hour. What comes out is bronzed chicken skin over tender rice that absorbed all the broth and drippings. A complete dinner from one pot, and the leftovers are arguably better.

At step 4, when the olives go into the pot with the garlic and shallot, that's your split moment. Scoop rice from a section without olives for kid bowls, or just hold them back from one portion of the pot. Serve kids the chicken and plain rice, then let them add their own toppings at the table. If you have kids under four, remove caramelized lemon slices from their servings entirely or dice them finely with seeds and pith removed — they're soft but can be tricky for small mouths. Olives are a choking hazard for that age group too, so skip them or chop very fine. Use low-sodium broth to keep the salt reasonable for little ones.

For adults, the full dish is the thing — Castelvetrano olives scattered through the rice, caramelized lemon draped over the chicken, a hit of oregano and fresh parsley. Comfort food that looks like you planned a dinner party.

The Split: Adults get olives, caramelized lemon, and herbs over rice; kids get plain chicken and rice with toppings on the side.

Serves: 4 servings | Time: 55m | Get the recipe at NYT Cooking →

This one's a harder sell for kids — mushrooms as the main event on a sandwich is a lot to ask. But the transformative split here does the heavy lifting: same roasted portobellos, same melted Provolone, completely different delivery. The adult version is a proper French dip with caramelized onions piled high and horseradish aioli, served with a rich au jus for dunking. Deeply savory and genuinely satisfying in a way that makes you forget there's no meat involved.

The split happens at step 4, when you're assembling sandwiches. For kids, take those same roasted mushroom strips and melted Provolone and put them in a flour tortilla as a quesadilla, or on a small slider bun — formats they already trust. Skip the horseradish aioli entirely. Serve their dipping broth plain and warm, without the wine-based au jus. Speaking of wine — the au jus simmers it off, but make sure it's fully reduced before offering any to kids. Chop caramelized onions into small, soft pieces for anyone under five.

For adults, this is the full experience: crusty bread loaded with roasted portobellos, a mess of caramelized onions, a generous smear of horseradish aioli, and that au jus waiting in a little bowl. Dip aggressively.

The Split: Adults get the full French dip with horseradish and au jus; kids get cheesy mushroom quesadillas with warm dipping broth.

Serves: 4 mega sandwiches | Time: 45m | Get the recipe at Pinch of Yum →

This is a thirty-minute stew that tastes like it simmered for an hour. White beans cook down in chicken broth until they're creamy and soft, butter-seared shrimp go back in to warm through, and the whole pot smells like garlic and leeks. Simple in the best way — the ingredient list is short but the flavor doesn't know it.

At step 3, once the shrimp is back in the pot with the simmered beans, scoop out kid bowls before you stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Their version is a mild, buttery bean and shrimp stew that most kids will eat without complaint. One thing to flag: if anyone in your house has a shellfish allergy, this obviously isn't the night. Use low-sodium broth for their portions to keep the salt reasonable. Serve with plain toasted bread for dunking.

After the kid bowls are out, squeeze in the lemon juice and toss in the parsley. The acid transforms the stew — it goes from warm and comforting to bright and punchy. Serve with crusty bread and eat the leftovers cold from the pot at midnight.

The Split: Adults get a bright lemon-and-herb finish; kids get creamy buttery beans and shrimp without the citrus hit.

Serves: 4 servings | Time: 30m | Get the recipe at NYT Cooking →

A sheet pan does all the work here. Gnocchi, broccoli, and pinched-off pieces of sausage roast together at 425 until everything is golden and crispy — the gnocchi get those crunchy edges that make them irresistible, and the broccoli chars just enough to taste sweet. One pan, minimal prep, and the kind of dinner kids will eat with their hands if you let them.

At step 2, before you squeeze lemon over the pan, scoop out the kid portions. They get the crispy gnocchi, roasted broccoli, and sausage bites with just a Parmesan coating — no lemon, no crushed red pepper. One important note for younger kids: pinch the sausage pieces small, but also cut them lengthwise first so there are no round coin-shaped pieces that could be a choking hazard. You want them roughly pea-sized for anyone under five. Offer a lemon wedge on the side for adventurous eaters who want to try it.

For the adult plates, that lemon juice over the hot pan is everything — it cuts through the richness of the sausage and Parmesan and makes the whole thing feel lighter. Add crushed red pepper on top if you want heat. The recipe you'll make on repeat.

The Split: Adults get lemon-brightened gnocchi with red pepper flake; kids get crispy Parmesan-coated gnocchi and sausage bites plain.

Serves: 4 servings | Time: 45m | Get the recipe at NYT Cooking →

Five dinners, two slam-dunks, two good bets, and one stretch worth the experiment. If you're easing into the week, start with the beef and cabbage stir-fry — it's twenty minutes and almost impossible to mess up. If you're feeling ambitious, the portobello French dip is the one that'll make you forget you're not eating meat. Reply and tell me which one your kids actually went for. See you next week.