What's for Dinner? 23 Recipes to Make for Weeknight Meals in March

You can almost taste spring! While we wait for everything to sprout and turn green, the weeknight dinner recipes we turn to in March are one-part warm and comforting and one-part fresh and bright. The sheet pan dinner shown here, our Broiled Salmon with Vegetables and Scallion Rice, is a perfect example of the latter. Another light and bright entrée is our Gingery Rainbow-Chard and Black-Rice Bowl. Colorful Swiss chard flavor and texture when served atop black rice with poached eggs. But if you're still firmly in the camp that believes March still calls for hearty, warming dinners, we've got plenty of ideas for you, too: Our Baked Rigatoni with Mini Meatballs (who doesn't love a baked pasta?) and our White-Fish Stew with Dumplings (which provides feels as indulgent as chicken and dumplings while still being a little bit lighter) are two stellar options. They're what we'd call the ideal shoulder season meals.

So, what else can you expect from our carefully-curated weeknight meal plan for March? As always, we're sharing a wide selection of family-friendly meals that go from pantry to plate in under one hour; Monday dinners are also meatless. This includes two Tex-Mex-inspired recipes. When you can't decide between serving nachos or tacos, make our Taco Casserole—we promise it will excite everyone in your household. It's essentially inside-out nachos, which we think is pure genius. If you've never made tacos at home, you'll want to try our recipe for Seared Steak Fajitas, which is an easy and fabulous introduction to this technique.

Ready to make the most of late winter produce and welcome spring with open arms while also getting dinner on the table in a flash? These quick, delicious weeknight recipes are how you do just that.

Buffalo Chicken Breasts

Everyone loves Buffalo chicken wings, but they don't need to be reserved just for game day. Make a family-friendly weeknight meal using panko-crusted chicken breasts and a punchy side salad of celery and crumbled blue cheese.

French Onion Mac-and-Cheese

This irresistible hybrid brings together two soul-warming classics: mac-and-cheese and French onion soup. Rather than individual portions, we suggest making it in one baking dish or the skillet you sauté the onions in for weeknight ease.

Broiled Salmon with Vegetables and Scallion Rice

A broiler meal that's on the table in 25 minutes, this colorful and healthy dinner—with bell peppers, asparagus, mushrooms, and scallion—is all cooked on one sheet pan.

Antipasto-Platter Pizza

A mash-up of an antipasto platter and a pizza, this pie is sure to delight. Our quick and easy dough is topped with artichokes, two varieties of Italian meat, and salty green olives.

Warm Lentil-and-Cauliflower Salad

This sheet pan winner dinner requires 20 minutes of prep and a half an hour of hands off time in the oven while the cauliflower steaks roast. The result is a satisfying plant-based meal you'll want to make on repeat.

White-Fish Stew with Dumplings

Use cod or halibut for this one-pan dinner. It's just the meal for shoulder season as it's both hearty and light and bright.

Spaghetti with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

With just a few weeks left of winter to go, we're making the most of seasonal ingredients like Brussels sprouts in this twist on carbonara. Pasta water and Parmesan create a light and creamy sauce—no eggs needed!

Chipotle Chicken and White-Bean Soup

This hearty weeknight soup recipe is sure to hit the spot. We're all about the spicy and meaty flavors in every bowl, but it's the toppings—sliced radishes, tortilla chips, and diced avocado—that take it to the finish line.

Taco Casserole

This family-friendly dish is just the thing to serve on Friday night. Hidden beneath cheesy tortilla chips is a ground beef mixture that includes bell pepper, onions, pinto beans, and plenty of warm spices.

Gingery Rainbow-Chard and Black-Rice Bowl

We're celebrating Meatless Monday with this colorful and nutritious grain bowl. Chard is cooked with fresh ginger and garlic and served with poached eggs and a punchy vinegar sauce.

Sweet-and-Spicy Pork Chops

A combination of apricot jam, chili-garlic sauce, and white vinegar creates a sweet sauce that adds a kick to lean bone-in pork chops, sweet potatoes, and broccoli in this sheet pan supper.

Shrimp Noodle Bowl with Snow Peas

The key to this flavorful weeknight shrimp and egg noodle dish is in the sauce, a blend of sesame oil, chili sauce, ginger, and garlic.

Lamb and Bulgur Stew with White Beans

March days can still be chilly—even snowy in many parts of the country—so a rich stew is just right for dinner. Starting with ground lamb and canned beans means this dish only takes 40 minutes.

Quick Coq au Vin Blanc

As flavorful as the traditional, slow-cooked coq au vin, this version comes together in one hour. We're using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs rather than a whole chicken because they cook much more quickly (and they're one of our favorite cuts of chicken).

Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes

Try something a bit different but also comforting and familiar for Meatless Monday this week. Roast large sweet potatoes and fill with broccoli rabe, cannellini beans, and sliced pepperoncini for a hearty, vegetarian meal.

Seared Steak Fajitas

Made with budget-friendly top-round steak, this an ideal meal for Taco Tuesday—or any night! All the favorite fajita elements are here: bell peppers, sliced onions, corn tortillas, grated white cheddar, tomatoes, and a squeeze of lime juice.

Shrimp-Scampi Pan Bake

This light and bright twist on classic shrimp scampi gets zesty flavor from roasted lemon rounds, plus plenty of nutrients from Yukon gold potatoes and asparagus. It's a one-pan dinner that only requires 15 minutes of prep work.

Baked Rigatoni with Mini Meatballs

What better meal to serve for a chilly weeknight night than a cheesy, meaty casserole? Spicy Italian sausage is transformed into the easiest-ever meatballs for this pasta dish.

Instant Pot Turkey Chili

Turkey-and-chickpea chili gets a deep flavor thanks to chili powder, cumin, and diced poblano. Prep time is 35 minutes, then leave the multicooker to work its magic.

Green-Pea Burgers with Harissa Mayo

Here's a delightful veggie burger to welcome the start of spring, these patties are made with green peas, chickpeas, onion, and breadcrumbs. A spicy mayonnaise spread on brioche rolls adds a kick to your weeknight dinner.

Broiled Yogurt-Marinated Chicken and Chickpeas

In this easy weeknight dinner, chicken thighs get a kick from a quick yogurt-lime marinade before being nestled on a baking sheet with spiced carrots and chickpeas and broiled to perfection.

Miso Salmon with Asparagus and Carrots

Just a couple of tablespoons of miso paste give salmon fillets so much umami flavor. Served with couscous, asparagus, and carrots, it's the perfect, healthy meal for early spring.

Pasta with Peppers, Squash, and Tomatoes

It's golden dinner tonight. When yellow bell peppers and yellow squash get together with yellow cherry tomatoes, the meal takes on a gilded hue. Italian sausage adds porky flavor to this easy pasta dinner.