S1 E1 • Pasta for Supper

Welcome to the companion site to my public television series, Sara’s Weeknight Meals, which started airing in April 2008. This show is based on my last cookbook, Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals, and it’s all about getting quick tasty meals on the table during the work week. The series is made up of 20 shows. I’m flying solo in 14 of them. The other six feature great guests, including Madhur Jaffrey, Jasper White, Andrew Carmelini, Roberto Santibanez, Corinne Trang, and Michael Psilakis. The show was produced by my dream team – the folks I most enjoyed working with during my years at the Food Network.

S1 E2 • The Substantial Sandwich

This week’s show is about sandwiches. Everyone likes sandwiches, so why should they just be for lunch? A well-made sandwich is a thing of beauty, but many of us don’t think of it as dinner.

S1 E3 • Soup for Supper

Hearty soups have always struck me as meals in themselves. They’re not only substantial, they’re easy to make. After all, you can toss nearly anything and everything into a broth and call it soup.

S1 E4 • Breakfast for Dinner

Now lots of folks prefer breakfast to any other meal. These range from the relative few who pour themselves a bowl of cereal in the evening and call it dinner to the zillions of restaurant-goers who order breakfast no matter what time of day it is.

S1 E5 • Indian Style with Guest Madhur Jaffrey

I just love Indian food; I find the layering of flavors and textures very exciting. But most home cooks are reluctant to cook it because of all the ingredients (mostly spices) involved.

S1 E6 • Shop and Serve

If the convenience of a meal’s preparation is your prime consideration, this week’s show is for you. The sheer number of time-saving, pre-prepped ingredients in today’s supermarkets is amazing.

S1 E7 • Vegetable Plates

This show is about vegetable main dishes. These meatless but intensely-flavored entrees should appeal to vegetarians and carnivores alike.

S1 E8 • Burgers

This show is about Burgers. Everybody loves them and they can be dressed up endlessly so why save them for cookouts.

S1 E9 • Just Open the Pantry

This week’s show, “Just Open the Pantry,” is about making hearty and delicious meals from supplies most of us have on hand all the time.

S1 E10 • Greek style with guest Michael Psilakis

My guest for this episode is Michael Psilakis, Chef/Owner of restaurants Kefi, Anthos, and Mia Dona in New York City. Chef Psilakis divides his cuisine into tradition and inspiration.

S1 E11 • Meat Entrees

This week’s show is about meat entrees. Tender cuts of meat are perfect for weeknight meals because they cook up quickly and adapt easily to all kinds of preparations.

S1 E12 • Mexican Made Easy with guest Roberto Santibanez

My guest this week is Roberto Santibanez. A native of Mexico City, Roberto graduated with honors from the Cordon Bleu in Paris and has worked as a restaurateur, chef, culinary consultant, and teacher in both Mexico and the United States.

S1 E13 • Poultry Dinner

This week’s show is about cooking poultry. Poultry is one of America’s favorite weeknight meals – it is versatile, affordable, and almost everyone likes it.

S1 E14 • Italian Style with guest Andrew Carmellini

My guest this week is Andrew Carmellini, Chef at restaurant A Voce in New York City. The restaurant has received 3 stars from the New York Times and Chef Carmellini was the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef New York in 2005.

S1 E15 • From the Sea

This week’s show is about seafood. For most of us growing up, our fish options were square, breaded, and fried. Now, finally, you can find fresh seafood in your neighborhood and it’s the perfect candidate for a quick, healthy, and delicious weeknight meal.

S1 E16 • Cooking Ahead

Why devote a show to slow-cooked recipes in a series whose prime purpose is speed? Because if you cook one of these dishes ahead of time on a weekend, when you have a little extra time, there’s nothing left to do on a weeknight but pull it out of the fridge and heat it up.

S1 E17 • Asian Noodle Dishes with Guest Corrine Trang

My guest for this episode is Corinne Trang. I had her on my show on the food network when she came out with her first cookbook and just loved her recipes, so I challenged her to come up with some noodle entrees that could be made quickly on a weeknight.

S1 E18 • Entree Salads

Like soup, salad can be built up into an eminently respectable stand-alone entree with a minimum of muss and fuss. Indeed, most of my entree salads, like my soups, contain all of the usual dinner food groups.

S1 E19 • Sea Fare with Jasper White

My guest for this show is Jasper White, a long time friend from Boston. Although he and I have never worked together, we have many connections.

S1 E20 • Pizza

This week’s show is about pizza. Most people don’t think about making pizza from scratch on a weeknight but I have come up with a six-minute crust so there is no excuse anymore.