4 Weeknight Dinner Ideas and a Prime Rib Recipe to End All Prime Rib Recipes

This week's meal plan features easy dinners you can double and freeze as well as a menu for show-stopping Christmas dinner luxury: Prime Rib! It's been a year, treat yourself!

By
Marta Rivera
Marta Rivera
Marta Rivera
Marta has 25 years of experience in the food service industry and has been developing recipes for 3 years. She is the author of Taste & See Cooks: Recipes to Inspire, Equip and Enjoy.
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Updated August 24, 2021
Marta Rivera
"What's For Dinner?" with an Instant Pot filled with Pressure Cooker White Chicken Chili, ladle and a bowl of soup behind the caption.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!!

I don’t know if I’m more excited about Christmas, or about the fact that we only have a week left until the end of the year! (It’s the latter, in case you’re wondering.) But, I am excited to make all of the indulgent holiday recipes which I consider to be a few of my favorite things.

This week’s recipes are pretty straightforward, easy to double, and freezer-friendly. Well, all with the exception of the prime rib for Christmas Day, but that’s part of the plan. Let’s go easy on the days leading up to the holiday, then go all out with a meal made for a Dickens’ novel.

  • Chorizo-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

    Baked Sweet Potatoes with Chorizo
    Aaron Hutcherson

    I love that all I have to do is chuck these spuds into a preheated oven and brown some chorizo. “Hello, delicious topping for my baked sweet potato! Lovely to see you here!” The toppings are do-it-yourself, which I need to take full advantage of, because I’m guaranteed to have some gifts that still need wrapping.

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  • Shrimp and Grits

    Easy Shrimp and Grits
    Elise Bauer

    This classic Southern dish is very approachable, which is just what I need for the days leading up to Christmas. I always have a bag of grits in the pantry and a pound or two of shrimp in the freezer so I can make this meal when I’m pressed for time or ideas.

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  • Pressure Cooker White Chicken Chili

    White Chicken Chili in the pressure cooker
    Coco Morante

    Chicken Chili needs more moments. This pressure cooker version means I don’t have to babysit the stove. The fact that it grows tastier as it sits means that if you have it ready by early evening, your family or holiday guests can mill about serving themselves whenever they get peckish.

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  • Asparagus Frittata

    Asparagus Frittata
    Elise Bauer

    You know I’m a fan of “Brinner” (breakfast for dinner). Quiche is most likely to land on my dinner table the night before any major holiday. Not only is it an easy dinner option the night before a major to-do, doubling the recipe means breakfast the next day is already taken care of. As a main course, you’d want to pair it with a lightly dressed salad.

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    Continue to 5 of 6 below.

  • Prime Rib

    Sliced prime rib roast on a platter
    Elise Bauer

    What a year it’s been, am I right? We should definitely take the time to make an indulgent dinner to celebrate Christmas! With a good meat thermometer and a bit of time-management, this will be the best prime rib you’ve ever had. There really is minimal labor involved here, so making Yorkshire Pudding is totally doable. Keep the rest of the holiday meal simple: slow cooker mashed potatoes and a steamed vegetable.

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  • Weekend Baking: Lofthouse-Style Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

    A small stack of red and white frosted cookies set next to a glass of milk.
    Cindy Rahe

    These insanely soft sugar cookies are so easy to make and fun to ice and decorate. I’m not the biggest fan of traditional cut out sugar cookies because of the work they require. These are a great compromise that satisfies the kids' desire to decorate holiday cookies and my need to maintain my sanity.

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