Easy dinner ideas, Monday through Friday: Seafood taquitos, rotisserie chicken and black bean soup

From pasta with pesto cream sauce to BBQ chicken stir-fry, we've got you covered this week. Here's your Monday through Friday meal plan:

Monday: Shiny new penne
Chicken Penne with Artichokes, Tomatoes and Pesto Cream (recipe below) melds convenience products into a dinner that eats like a weekend splurge. Canned artichokes and tomatoes plus prepared pesto give you a head start. Serve a green salad on the side.

Tuesday:  Bean me up
A big bowl of black bean soup is our meatless meal this week. Get takeout from a favorite Cuban restaurant or open a few cans, unless of course you’ve got the time to make this delicious recipe from Bon Appetit. Serve it over a scoop of yellow or white rice (if you go with white, make enough so you have leftovers for Wednesday’s meal) and freshen up with chopped green onions, red pepper and sour cream. Accompany the soup with buttery, toasted Cuban bread for dipping and a refreshing salad of sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and onions with an herby vinaigrette.

Wednesday: Rotisserie chicken
A skillet – or wok if you’ve got one — is the place to start your BBQ Chicken Stir-Fry. Shred the cooked chicken and set aside. Put a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in the hot pan and add 2 cups of chopped frozen veggies. We like a blend that has corn and green beans in it. Heat through, then add the chicken and a few tablespoons of your favorite barbecue sauce. Serve over rice.

Thursday: For dipping
Make Seafood Taquitos the centerpiece of a fingerfood meal. In a bowl, combine canned shrimp or crab with sour cream, shredded cheese, and a bit of chili powder and ground cumin. Roll the mixture into corn tortillas, secure with a toothpick, and fry in vegetable oil until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve salsa and guacamole for dunking. Alongside: jicama, melon and watermelon slices.

Friday: Not-so-suffering succotash
Dress up frozen succotash for comforting Ham and Veggie Bowl. In a large skillet, saute diced onion in vegetable oil. Add a half pound of cubed ham and heat through, then dump in a bag of frozen lima beans and corn and a 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh). Season with pepper (it probably doesn’t need salt because of the ham) and a splash of wine vinegar. Pile it in a big bowl and kiss the workweek good-bye. Corn muffins on the side.

Chicken Penne with Artichokes, Tomatoes and Pesto Cream
12 ounces penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cubed
1 (14 ounces) can artichokes hearts, drained and halved
1 (14 ounces) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup heavy cream, or more as necessary
1/2 cup prepared basil pesto
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cook the pasta according tot he package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown on all sides. Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, cream and pesto and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink on the inside.
Fold in the cooked pasta and Parmesan cheese and cook for 1 minute to heat through, adding more cream or a little water if necessary to create a thinner sauce. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 4.
Source: “Robin Rescues Dinner” by Robin Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2009)

Photo from www.bonappetit.com