Easy dinners that make use of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise

Hello all! Mia here, the ever-hungry New York Times cooking newsletter editor. I’m happy to step into Emily Weinstein’s shoes today to talk about weekend dinners, because by 5pm (or more like 3pm, if I’m being honest), the only thing I can think about is what I’m going to eat when work is done.

I always have mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup in my refrigerator. Multiples of each, more like this: I have regular mayonnaise, Kewpie, Dijon, whole grain, and yellow mustard, plus a bottle of ketchup so large it counts as two. So this week’s collection of quick and easy recipes includes meals that rely on this classic spice for flavor and depth. (I’m also including a delicious pickle soup recipe because I always have a huge jar of half-lime on hand.)

2. Tomatoes and fried eggs Chinese style

If you’re the type who drowns scrambled eggs in ketchup (raise my hand), then this is the dish for you. A couple tablespoons of ketchup makes a delicious tomato taste even more tomato-y, which is a blessing as we move out of tomato season. I’ve made Francis Lamm’s recipe for dinner and lunch more times than I can count.

View this recipe.

3. Paneer dry chili

More ketchup, this time in a sticky-sweet-spicy glaze covering crispy paneer cubes. (The “dry” in the name just means that the sauce is less brothy than other dishes.) As Zainab Shah mentioned in her recipe notes, you can add firm tofu to the paneer and skip the frying, which is something I do when making this amazing matar pancake recipe.

4. Grilled chicken thighs with apricots and carrots

There’s a little planning involved with this, as you’ll need to place the boneless, skinless chicken thighs and dried apricots in a mayonnaise-based marinade for at least half an hour (or overnight). So maybe do that now, move on to the next recipe for tonight’s dinner, and tomorrow you’ll be ready for an Eric Kim dinner of juicy, tangy chicken, plump apricots, and crunchy carrot coins.

View this recipe.