Switch Up Your Staples with These Fresh Weeknight Dinners

New year, new crave-worthy eats.

Ree Drummond's dish Quesadillas, as seen on Food Network.

Ree Drummond's dish Quesadillas, as seen on Food Network.

Photo by: Anders Krusberg

Anders Krusberg

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Weeknight meals need to be three things: fast, easy and appealing to everyone. It’s hard to find recipes that fit the criteria, so we tend to repeat the ones that do. Unfortunately, those beloved recipes to get a bit, well, boring after the third or fourth time. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best new weeknight dinner recipes from the Food Network Kitchen app. Make the most of your chicken thighs, pastas and sheet pans with these brand-new recipes from your favorite chefs.

If you ask us, Ree Drummond’s recipe checks all the major boxes: it’s sweet, spicy, cheesy and easy. She says her quesadilla is customizable with whatever vegetables you have on hand — as long as there’s plenty of cheese, everything else is just a bonus!

Marc Murphy’s one-pot wonder comes together in less than an hour. He browns chicken legs and thighs, then simmers the meat in a Dutch oven with crushed tomatoes, potatoes, olives and capers. The end result is a delicious, saucy chicken that pairs wonderfully with crusty bread.

Photo by: Rob Pryce

Rob Pryce

Make a full meal on one sheet pan while cooking along with Valerie Bertinelli. She dresses up potatoes and broccoli with a spicy herb mixture, then roasts it with a tasty curry-rubbed salmon. Bonus? The only tools needed are a bowl and a sheet pan — so there's almost no cleanup!

Cooking for a crowd? Bobby Flay’s cheesy pasta dish is guaranteed to be a weeknight win. He uses kitchen staples, like canned tomatoes and garlic, to make this fast and easy dinner.

Host Rachael Ray's teriyaki stir fry, as seen on Food Network.

Host Rachael Ray's teriyaki stir fry, as seen on Food Network.

Photo by: Scott Gries

Scott Gries

There’s a lot to love about Rachael Ray’s stir-fry. It’s quick, easy and cost-effective. Even better? By making her takeout-inspired recipe at home, you can control the salt, fat and quality of ingredients in the dish. As Rachel says, it’s “quicker than you could’ve ordered it, healthier because you made it.”

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