Back-to-School Dinners Made Easy with Melissa Clark

As summer winds down and the school year begins, busy evenings are back, and so is the question: What’s for dinner?

Dinner in One by Melissa Clark is made for this time of year. With 100 simple, flavorful recipes prepared in a single pot, pan, skillet, or sheet pan, and nearly all ready in under an hour, it makes getting a great meal on the table feel easy.

In her book, Clark beautifully demonstrates the art of elevating the everyday through simplicity. With thoughtful ingredients, refined flavors, and the ease of cooking everything in a single pan, Dinner In One is an invitation to make even the busiest evenings feel a little more put together.

It’s a fresh-start kind of cookbook: practical enough for a busy weeknight, delicious enough to look forward to, and with minimal cleanup at the end.

To give you a taste, we’re sharing her recipe for Crispy Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms below. Find Dinner in One on our website or stop by the shop to pick up your copy.

An Excerpt: Crispy Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound spicy or sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed

• ¾ cup panko bread crumbs

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more as needed

• ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves and tender stems, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, oregano, or marjoram leaves (or a mix), finely chopped

• ¼ cup dry white wine

• 2 fat garlic cloves, finely grated or minced

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 large portobello mushroom caps, at least 5 inches in diameter

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more as needed

• 1 bunch broccolini (6 ounces), ends trimmed

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

• Lemon wedges, for garnish

Recipe

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine the sausage, bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, thyme, wine, garlic, a pinch of salt, and a grind or two of pepper. Mix until everything is well incorporated—your hands are the best tool here.

2. Place the portobello caps on a rimmed sheet pan, cavities facing up. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the oil over the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Using a spoon, stuff the oiled mushroom caps with the sausage mixture, mounding it in the center. Sprinkle the caps with a little more Parmesan and lightly drizzle with additional oil.

3. In a medium bowl, toss the broccolini and tomatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, a pinch of salt, and a grind of pepper. Spread the vegetables around the stuffed portobellos on the sheet pan.

4. Bake until the sausage is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer should register 160°F) and the vegetables are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot or warm, garnished with additional parsley and lemon wedges.

There is something inherently luxurious about a meal that asks so little of you. One pan, a handful of beautiful ingredients, and a little time are all it takes to turn an ordinary evening into something worth savoring.

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