This is one of my favorite kinds of dinner hacks because most of the work is already done for you. Green Giant Broccoli & Cheese becomes the sauce for rigatoni, then I add crispy air fryer meatballs and a little extra garlic, butter, black pepper, and Parmesan to make the whole thing feel more like a pasta dinner than a frozen vegetable shortcut.

I had leftover rice in the fridge and some bacon sausage I needed to use, which turned into this chili crisp sausage fried rice. It has browned sausage, peppers and onion, plenty of chili crisp, and a little lime squeezed over everything at the end.

These deviled eggs pack a little heat, a little tang, and a whole lot of creamy goodness. With sour cream instead of mayo and a splash of sweet-and-spicy jalapeño brine, they’re a cool twist on the classic—and dangerously snackable.

Pad Thai has always been one of those meals I order when we get Thai food, but I never felt like I could get the noodles quite right at home. They always seemed too chewy. After a lot of trial and error, I finally landed on a method that gives me tender noodles every time without turning them mushy. This version has everything I want in a bowl of pad Thai, plus crispy mini egg rolls on the side because I love having something crunchy with it.