Five weeknight dishes that feel weekend fancy

By Margaux Laskey, The New York Times

I’m writing this from the passenger seat of a minivan that’s barreling down the highway to pick up my kids from summer camp. While I cannot wait to squeeze them and hear all about their adventures (Dramatic thunderstorms! Wildfire smoke! Tween breakouts!) I won’t lie: I’ve enjoyed the break. My husband was gone for part of the time, too, so I’ve been cooking and eating according to my whimsy and absolutely no one else’s.

It was dreamy. The recipes below are just the sort I enjoyed. Low effort — I had “Ted Lasso” episodes to binge-watch — easy enough to scale down for one, big on flavor and fun to eat.

1. Puttanesca Chickpea-Tomato Salad

This recipe turns tomato salad into a meal by marrying creamy beans with some of the briny, salty ingredients found in pasta puttanesca, including tomatoes, capers, olives and garlic. While Parmesan isn’t traditional to puttanesca, coarsely chopped pebbles of it add bursts of umami to this salad. Feel free to omit the cheese for a vegan dish, or embellish the mix with fresh or dried chile, tinned fish or more vegetables. This recipe is not only adaptable but also improves as it sits: The tomato juices mingle with the oil, olives and capers — and the beans drink it all up.

By Ali Slagle

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes of any size, cut into 1- or 2-bite pieces
• 3 cups cooked, rinsed chickpeas, white beans or a mix (homemade or from two 15-ounce cans)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves and stems
• 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan, coarsely chopped or crumbled (about 1/3 cup)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, torn in half and pitted
• 3 tablespoons drained capers
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• Kosher salt

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, stir together the tomatoes, chickpeas, parsley, Parmesan, olive oil, olives, capers, lemon juice and garlic. Season lightly with salt and stir once more. Let sit for 10 minutes or up to 2 hours at room temperature.

2. Before serving, taste and add more salt and lemon juice until it tastes bright. The balance is largely dependent on your tomatoes. (This salad keeps for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

2. Caramelized Corn and Asparagus Pasta With Ricotta

This summery pasta features caramelized corn, crisp-tender asparagus and earthy turmeric, which provides the dish’s sunny hue. It’s not easy to cook corn to the point of browning without losing all its moisture, but a pinch of sugar helps speed up the caramelization process. Vermouth lends acidity to the light, glossy garlicky sauce, but you could use wine, or even a tablespoon of lemon juice or Champagne vinegar for lift. Fresh ricotta provides richness.

By Alexa Weibel