Mushroom-Hazelnut Tagliatelle

Okay, so it's not the healthiest meal I've ever made, but it's certainly not bad either, and sometimes you really just need a comforting plate of pasta. Besides, I'm a sucker for all things mushroom and this dish highlights the best fungus ever produced by nature. What's not to love?

Doubling down on the carbs, I paired this meal with some garlic bread. Typically I like to make my own, but as regular readers know, balancing a baby with my career and other responsibilities means that as much as I love cooking, shortcuts are now far more welcome than they used to be. While I'll still whip up my own garlic bread at times, this weeknight meal meant I purchased a frozen garlic bread from my neighborhood grocery and popped it in the oven. The best garlic bread I've ever had? No, but it sure did hit the spot as this meal came together in under half an hour.

Time: 20 min

Vegetable Noodle Passata

Passata? Eh? If you aren't familiar with the term, don't worry. I had never heard it before coming across this recipe I adapted from Wegmans, but I was curious to learn more. Turns out, it's a tomato puree used most frequently in Italian cooking. It's pure tomatoes, cooked and strained, and ends up thinner than a paste but thicker than a sauce. Can't find it in your local supermarket, though? Not a problem! Simply substituting tomato sauce (the canned, no sodium version) with a bit of tomato paste (ditto) mixed in will yield a similar-enough result.

This recipe makes the passata into a (what else?) fresh tomato sauce over veggie noodles and potatoes. It's hearty enough to be a stand-alone dinner but healthy enough that you don't have to worry about going back for seconds. I made it with zucchini and yellow squash "noodles" but get creative here - really any vegetable noodle would work well! Let us know in the comments if you find a particular tasty combination.

Time: 40 min

Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Rice and Sauteed Greens

I'm not usually a scallop fan, but my mother convinced me that these large sea scallops, on sale at Wegmans, were sweet, tender, and delicious and worth an extra trip to purchase immediately. She was right! I followed her instructions to the T (thanks, Mom!) and ended up with an absolutely delicious, incredibly healthy meal that came together extremely quickly but was still impressive enough for a fancy dinner party.

I did very little to the scallops, letting them shine on their own, and paired them with some cauliflower rice and sauteed greens. I purchased the cauliflower already riced to speed up the process but you can easily rice it yourself using a food processor if you can't find it already cut or want to save some extra cash!

Time: 25 min

Tahini Cauliflower and Chickpea Quinoa

Yum! This vegan dish manages to hit all of the right notes. Even dedicated meat-eaters won't realize they're enjoying an animal-free meal since this entree is filling, delicious, and flavorful with a mix of textures and colors that leads to a delightful meal.

I served it along with some roasted delicata squash (an easy and delectably sweet favorite of mine) but this could easily stand alone or go with many other sides. Or, mix together a big batch and take it to work for lunch all week. The added bonus of a vegan meal? It keeps extremely well (and this one works at room temperature just fine) making it an easy to-go lunch.

Time: 40 min