Weeknight Roast Dinner

If you think roast dinners are for special occasions with lots of prep, long roasting times, and a big cleanup, try Weeknight Roast Dinner. You can have a small roast seasoned and the vegetables prepped by the time the oven preheats. After that, it’s just 25 minutes of roasting. Nothing more for you to do, so relax!

Weeknight Roast Dinner Formula

Simply coat thick-cut fish, chicken thighs, sausage, or a small pork, beef, or lamb roast with a spice rub that flavors it completely and browns it quickly, pair it with a pan full of seasonal vegetables, and pop it in a hot oven. In 25 to 30 minutes, you can be serving what might be confused with a holiday dinner—all on a Tuesday night.

PROTEIN: 1 to 2 Pounds (Depending on Cut)

When selecting fish, poultry, or meat for Weeknight Roast Dinner, choose one of three kinds of cuts: 1) cuts that stay moist and tender even when overcooked, such as chicken thighs, ham, and all kinds of sausages, 2) cuts that naturally fully cook in 25 to 30 minutes, such as pork tenderloin; and finally 3) cuts that naturally cook to medium in 20 to 30 minutes, such as thick-cut fish and beef steaks, or a rack and leg of lamb. Here are the most obvious choices:

Center-cut salmon, left whole: 1½ pounds
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs: 1½ to 2 pounds
2 small or 1 large pork tenderloin: 1¼ to 1½ pounds
Fresh sausage links, such as Italian sausage, bratwurst, or chorizo: 1¼ to 1½ pounds
A hunk of ham: 1 to 1½ pounds
Cooked smoked sausages, such as kielbasa and andouille: 1 to 1½ pounds
Large New York strip or rib-eye steaks (2 inches thick): 1¾ to 2 pounds
Filet mignons (2½ inches thick) or 1 small beef tenderloin roast: 1¾ to 2 pounds
1 to 2 racks of lamb, depending on appetites: 1¼ to 2 pounds

VEGETABLES: 2½ to 3 Pounds Total (Pick 3 or 4)

The following vegetables are all ideal for the Weeknight Roast Dinner. Corn on the cob and sauerkraut aren’t based on weight. With corn, figure the number of ears, and with sauerkraut, it’s a cup measurement.

Asparagus (see Note, this page): Snap off tough ends.
Carrots or parsnips: Peel, cut into short lengths, and halve or quarter if large.
Corn: Shuck (no need to weigh—4 ears counts as 1 vegetable).
Beets, golden: Peel and quarter if small; if large, cut into big chunks.
Bell peppers, all colors: Quarter if small; cut into sixths if large. Seed and stem.
Broccoli crowns: Halve or quarter, depending on size.
Brussels sprouts: Leave whole.
Cabbage, small: Halve, don’t core, and cut into small wedges.
Cauliflower: Trim and cut into large florets.
Fennel: Trim, halve, core, and cut into quarters or sixths, depending on size.
Leeks: Clip dark green leaves. Leaving root end intact, quarter lengthwise, wash thoroughly, and then cut crosswise into 3- to 4-inch lengths.
Mushrooms, domestic white or cremini: Leave whole.
Onions, red, white, or yellow: Leaving root end intact, peel and halve pole to pole. If small, leave as is; if medium to large, cut into thick wedges.
Potatoes: No need to peel. Halve if small; if large, cut into large chunks.
Sauerkraut (with sausages or ham): Drain. (No need to weigh—2 to 3 cups is one vegetable.)
Shallots: Peel and leave whole.
Sweet potatoes: No need to peel. Cut into 3- to 4-inch-long wedges.
Rutabagas: Peel and cut into large chunks.
Tomatoes, cherry: Leave whole.
Turnips: Peel and quarter if small; if large, cut into big chunks.
Winter squash, such as butternut: No need to peel. Seed and cut into 3- to 4-inch-long wedges.
Zucchini and yellow squash: Cut crosswise into 3- to 4-inch lengths and halve (or quarter if large) into sticks.

Note: Asparagus is the only vegetable that shouldn’t roast the full time. Just toss with oil, salt, and pepper and add to the roasting vegetables at the end of cooking (adding thick asparagus the last 10 to 12 minutes, medium asparagus the last 6 to 8 minutes, and thin asparagus the last 4 to 5 minutes).

MUSTARD AND THE RUB

The mustard and each ingredient in the spice rub are key to the roast’s color and flavor. Ordinary salt and pepper, which enliven any cut of meat, headline the spice rub’s ingredient list. Garlic powder, as well as mustard, reinforce the roast’s savoriness—plus, the mustard helps the spice rub adhere.

Since these cuts roast only for 20 to 30 minutes, the brown sugar and paprika helps develop rich color. Measuring the spice rub ingredients takes only a couple of minutes. Once you measure out 2 tablespoons for today’s roast dinner, there’s enough for 8 more dinners to come.

RUB ADD-INS

To give your cut a distinct flavor, mix about 1 teaspoon of any of these into the 2 tablespoons of spice rub called for:

Dried herbs: thyme, basil, oregano, chopped fennel seeds
Spices: cumin, curry, sumac, chili powder, za’atar
Finely grated citrus zest: lemon, lime, or orange
Fresh rosemary or thyme: figure 2 teaspoons

ALL-PURPOSE RUB

Makes a generous 1 cup

6 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar

6 tablespoons smoked or sweet paprika (or a mixture)

3 tablespoons ground black pepper

3 tablespoons garlic powder

1½ teaspoons table salt

Mix everything together.

WEEKNIGHT ROAST DINNER

Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons All-Purpose Rub (this page)

1 to 2 teaspoons Rub Add-ins (optional; see this page)

1 to 2 pounds Protein (see this page)

Salt and ground black pepper

1 tablespoon or so Dijon mustard

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

2 to 2½ pounds Vegetables (see this page)

Adjust the oven racks to the lowest and highest positions and heat the oven to 450°F. Coat one small (13 × 9-inch) and one large (18 × 12-inch) rimmed baking sheet with vegetable cooking spray.
Mix the All-Purpose Rub with the Rub Add-ins (if using). Lightly sprinkle the Protein with salt, brush all over with the mustard, coat with the spice rub, and place on the small baking sheet.
Working with one kind at a time, place the Vegetables in a medium bowl, drizzle with a tablespoon or so of oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Turn them onto the large baking sheet, keeping each of the Vegetables separate and making sure they fit loosely in a single layer.
Place the vegetables on the lowest oven rack and the protein on the highest oven rack. Roast until the vegetables have cooked through, about 2½ minutes, and the protein is cooked to the desired doneness, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for a couple of minutes. Slice or divide the cuts, if necessary, and serve.

Suggestions

Barbecue Chicken Dinner

Brush the chicken with barbecue sauce as it comes out of the oven and serve extra barbecue sauce mixed with the chicken juices on the side.

Protein: large boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Rub Add-in: None

Vegetables: ears of corn, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli crowns

Roast the chicken and vegetables for 25 minutes.

Pork Tenderloin with Winter Vegetables

If you like, serve the pork and vegetables with a maple-mustard dipping sauce: Just mix together ¼ cup each Dijon mustard and maple syrup.

Protein: pork tenderloin (1½ to 1¾ pounds)

Rub Add-in: 1 teaspoon dried or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme

Vegetables: Brussels spouts, onions, and butternut squash

Roast the pork tenderloin and vegetables for 25 minutes.

Classic Steak Dinner

Serve with a little sour cream mixed with horseradish or your favorite steak sauce: Figure ¼ cup sour cream and 2 tablespoons horseradish or steak sauce.

Protein: 2 rib-eye or New York strip steaks (2 inches thick) or 4 filet mignons (2½ inches thick)

Rub Add-in: none

Vegetables: mushrooms, potatoes, and broccoli crowns

Roast the steak for about 20 minutes for medium and the vegetables for 25 minutes.

Roast Salmon with Spring Vegetables

Serve with big wedges of lemon.

Protein: center-cut salmon fillet

Rub Add-in: 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest and/or minced fennel seeds or fennel pollen

Vegetables: fennel, carrots, new potatoes, and asparagus

Roast the salmon for 15 minutes and the vegetables for 25 minutes, except the asparagus (see Note, this page).

Lamb Roast

Serve with a balsamic drizzle: Simmer ½ cup balsamic vinegar until reduced by about half. For a little extra flair, stir a little chopped fresh mint into the reduced vinegar.

Protein: 1 rack of lamb

Rub Add-in: 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

Vegetables: cherry tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, and carrots

For racks in the 1- to 1¼-pound range, roast the lamb for 20 minutes (or 25 minutes for racks over 1¼ pounds) and the vegetables for 25 minutes.

Sausages and Sauerkraut Dinner

Serve with a variety of mustards.

Protein: fresh or smoked sausages

Rub Add-in: none

Vegetables: sauerkraut, potatoes, onions, and bell peppers

Roast the sausages and vegetables for 25 minutes.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Asparagus is the only vegetable that doesn’t roast the full time (see Note, this page).
Broccoli and Brussels sprouts fully cook with 20 to 25 minutes roasting time. If you prefer them less cooked, toss them in after 10 minutes.
As long as you’re not overcrowding the pans, you can increase either protein or vegetables to serve dinner for 6 and in some cases, up to 8 (or leftovers for 4)!

At a Glance

WEEKNIGHT ROAST DINNER

Adjust oven racks to the lowest and highest positions and heat the oven to 450°F.
Lightly sprinkle the protein with salt, brush with the mustard, coat with the spice rub, and place on a small rimmed baking sheet.
Toss each vegetable with olive oil, salt, and pepper and arrange on a large rimmed baking sheet.
Place the protein on the top oven rack and the vegetables on the lowest rack and roast vegetables 25 minutes and protein 15 to 25 minutes, depending on cut.