Sometimes you land on a recipe that becomes an instant classic in your home – a real staple in your weeknight arsenal, if you will. These recipes must fit a lot of criteria: they need to be delicious (obviously), require little prep work, use things you probably have hanging out in your fridge or pantry (or at least be easy enough to pick up on your way home from work), not make an enormous mess in the kitchen, work well as leftovers, and preferably be ready to eat within an hour or less. It’s no surprise that not many recipes fulfill all these needs. I’ve only discovered a few so far, like the Roasted Sausage with Broccoli and Fennel from Food52, Pesto and Pea Tortellini Soup from Bev Cooks, Honey Mustard Chicken from Foodiecrush, and the recipe this one is based on from Bon Appetit.
It should also come as no surprise that this recipe originated from Jenny Rosenstrach, Genius of Weeknight Meals and creator of the blog Dinner: A Love Story, as well as the author of two best-selling cookbooks. We’ve made various iterations of this recipe so far – one of its finer points is how adaptable it can be. We use her recipe as a blueprint, using what we have in the kitchen or what we’re in the mood for, and that’s how this version came about. It’s my new favorite.
Actually, I fine-tuned this recipe at the request of my friend Shannon. She asked me to create something along these lines for the blog because she wants to hang a print of it on the wall of her kitchen, along with a handful of my other prints. I threw some ideas around in my head and landed on this combination as my ideal version of the recipe. I lucked out because it turned out perfectly the first time we tested it. Then we made it a few more times and it was still awesome. The thinly-sliced sweet potatoes, along with the kale, act as sponges for the soy-ginger glaze and become total flavor bombs. Be sure to remove the peel from the orange after it’s cooked and mix the orange segments in there as well. It makes for a refreshing contrast and it’s one of my favorite parts of the dish. Seriously guys, this is so delicious. Nailed it.
Honestly, I think if you could only make one recipe from my blog, it should probably be this one. It’s too easy. The hardest part is folding up the packets before they go into the oven. (This task is made easier with four hands instead of two, if you can enlist a helper.) And once you make it a few times you’ll find yourself thinking of ways to play with it and make it your own. I promise. It really is a perfect weeknight meal. The most time-consuming part is the chopping of vegetables, but even that doesn’t take too long because you don’t need a ton of them. Although the packet is delicious on its own, we like to round the meal out a bit with a pot of rice and some sweet onion that we sauté on the stovetop. This allows us to stretch everything into two full meals. You could even throw chopped onion into your packet with everything else, but it can get a little crowded in there so we do it separately.
There’s almost nothing I love more than a meal that allows me to clean the kitchen while it’s cooking, so that when we sit down to eat the kitchen isn’t a hot mess. This is one of those meals!! Pop those packets in the oven, put a pot of rice on to cook and some onions in a skillet, and then go to town on cleaning the kitchen while giving your onions an occasional stir. Within twenty minutes you’ll have a phenomenal dinner and (hopefully) a clean kitchen. Enjoy your dinner and then quickly wash your dinner plates, put away your leftovers, fill up your rice pot with some soapy water to soak overnight, and then go about your business with a lower stress level. At least that’s how it works for me. The older I get the more I appreciate the small things in life, like name-brand toilet paper, perfect weeknight meals and a clean kitchen.
If you make this, please let me know if it completes your life like it does mine. What are your favorite weeknight meals? I want to know all of your secrets.
Illustration at top created with pencil and Photoshop
Prints of my illustrations are available in my Etsy shop
Photos by Robert Cornelius
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 1 small sweet potato, very thinly sliced
- 2-3 cups chopped broccoli (about ½ of a small head)
- 2 6-oz. salmon filets
- 4 slices of fresh orange
- olive oil
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring the soy sauce, fresh ginger and dark brown sugar to a simmer, whisking to combine. When you see some bubbles and the sugar seems to have dissolved, take it off the heat. Whisk in the mustard and honey. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lay out a large piece of parchment paper, about 12 by 18 inches.
- In the center of the parchment paper, put half of your torn kale in a small pile.
- Place half of the sweet potato slices on top of the kale. (We used a mandoline to slice our sweet potatoes. If you don't have one or can't get your sweet potatoes extremely thin - like potato chip thin - they won't cook through in the 20 minutes and you should cook them separately. Just a warning.)
- Lay half of the broccoli on top of the sweet potatoes.
- Put one of the salmon filets on top of your vegetable pile. Drizzle with a little less than half of the sauce.
- Place two orange slices on top of the salmon. Drizzle with a little more sauce, and then a little bit of olive oil.
- Fold up the parchment paper over the salmon and vegetable pile, crimping the edges closed at the top. This is easier with four hands. Just try to get it as closed as possible so the steam will stay in and you won't have any sauce leaking out.
- Repeat with the remaining ingredients for the second salmon packet.
- Place both packets on a sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes.
- Serve immediately. (Goes well with some rice and sautéed onions.)
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I haven’t cooked in packets in so long! I used to do it all the time, but then somehow forgot about it (life of a food blogger I suppose). Now I’m totally inspired. Thanks for reminding me! These flavors sound amazing!
Thanks, Liz! I totally know what you mean about “forgetting” about certain things. It can be easy to do when you’re always trying something new. I hope you make some amazing packet meals soon. :-)
This has to be one of the first techniques I ever learned. As a person who has and can over cook fish, this way is perfect for creating a great flavorsome sauce and tender fish.
I am weekend planner; my week night meals are most often a bowl full of weekend stock with vegetables and home made dumplings (weekly made). Love your take on the sauce too! Orange goes so well with soy.
Oh my goodness I want to come to your house for dinner! We just did some major meal prep yesterday for the first time ever …at least to this extent. It feels great knowing that the week is planned out before you even start. But I love your technique of making stock and dumplings for the week! We’ll have to try that out.
I almost couldn’t get past the “Pesto & PEA Tortellini Soup”….Robert actually likes something with PEAS in it? Ha! That said, I recall you telling us about this recipe and I can’t wait to try it. I am thinking that the Dijon mustard WILL be Chef William Creations new “Cabernet Wild Mushroom Dijon”! ;)
Haha!! I’ll need a jar of the mustard soon so I can try it with this as well! :-*
Ummmm where have you been? I’ve been eating peas for YEARS. I just don’t like them solo. Big spoonful of peas…not for me, but you can put them in anything and I’ll eat them and enjoy them.
Parents – will they ever understand us? Mine will never learn that I don’t twirl my pasta. (JK love you Norrie! :-*)
Your illustrations are always incredible – I can’t even comprehend how you achieve such perfection. This meal looks incredible – salmon is one of my go to weeknight meals because it cooks so quickly. I must try your version!
Thank you so much, Jessica! If you try this out, please let me know and I hope you LOVE it. :-)
Nice job Honey! It’s been years since I’ve cooked in parchment packets but it’s now in our future! It was one of my favorite presentations for many seafood recipes I would feature (put on special) in restaurants I’ve worked. It was so cool, I would set up the parchment pillow with dinner for two and your Server would open the meal table-side. That aroma would hit the air and every head in that dinning room would turn. As your server elegantly plates your Dinner, refills your wine glasses, all of those turned heads would wonder, “Why didn’t we order that?”
Thanks Chef William! I would love it if our server brought us a parchment paper dinner like that. :-)
This looks AMAZING! I’ve never cooked in parchment paper but totally want to try.
Ahhhh yes Brita you have to try it!!
This looks fantastic, Sara. I think the holidays got me into a “I don’t really feel like cooking dinner rut” – I need to get back to these simpler, satisfying meals again. Looking forward to trying this!
Thanks Tessa! This is definitely a recipe to get you out of a cooking rut. There’s really not a whole lot of cooking involved, haha. I hope you love it!
Girl, this post is FIRE. You had me at orange-ginger! Now if only I could get Luke to get into the ginger train!
Haha, thanks Laura! Bummer about Luke … you could swap out the ginger for minced garlic and it would be ALMOST as good ;-)
Sara, your skills both culinary and art are beyond. I LOVE that illustration you did of this dish. Killing it. Also, please tell me you’re going to enter the Samsung contest on insta because this is totally one of their tips and I hear they’re giving away a new fridge!!! I need to make these packets asap. The minute I do, I’ll be writing you to say OMG so amazing (I already know). Hugs!! xo
Thank you Alana – you are TOO KIND. And ummmm TOTALLY didn’t know about this contest!! Just entered (I think?) – thanks for that heads up! I need a fridge like whoa. And yes please let me know if you make this!! :-*
This looks phenomenal, Sara! In love with the flavors and how easy and simple it is to put together. I bet this would also be delicious served with soba noodles!
And your image? Omg, such a harmony of colors.
Thank you, Sini! And I LOVE your soba noodle idea. Why haven’t we done something like that yet?
DUDE. That is one of the most gorgeous illustrations I think you’ve done and this recipe sounds INSANELY DELICIOUS!!! I’ll be sure to let you know when I try it, because I really want to make it ASAP. Lately, my weeknight dinners haven’t been all that exciting, but I do love a quick side salad of wilted kale tossed with a mash of avocado, miso and lemon juice! Bravo again on an amazing post!
Thank you Erika!!! I hope you love this recipe if you do try it out. And your wilted kale/avocado business sounds awesome as well! Thanks for the support, lady. xoxo
Oh man oh man, this looks SO SO good!! I loooooove steaming fish in packets — I can’t wait to try this version. And oh my gosh, as always, your illustrations blow me away. Amazing, Sara!!
Thank you Cynthia!!!! Please let me know if you try it out and I hope you love it!!! :-D
For some reason, I have never made anything with salmon. Is this crazy or what?? I seriously need to get on that!
Giiirrrrlll you should DEFINITELY get on that! Salmon is ridiculously easy to prepare and so delicious. :-)
Aside from such a delicious recipe, these photos are absolutely gorgeous!!
Thanks so much! I have my husband to thank for that ;-)
Absolutely delicious, a huge hit with the entire family! Thanks so much!
Aaahhh that makes me so happy!!! Thank you for trying it out :-D