Weeknight Meals

The pesto can be made up to 1 hour before serving without losing its freshness; store it at room temperature.

This Italian classic typically showcases four cheeses (“quattro formaggi”) with different characteristics. For our rendition, we topped the crust with fontina (semifirm), mozzarella (soft and fresh), Gorgonzola (blue-veined), and Pecorino Romano (hard and aged).

Peperonata is an Italian mixture of stewed sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. In this dish, the peperonata is combined with classic Provençal ingredients to make a flavorful topping for toast.

This recipe works equally well with other cheeses: Try a mild fontina or Comté in place of the Gruyère.

Tangy homemade pickles and onions bring intense flavor and satisfying heft to these sandwiches. However, you can omit step 1 and use jarred pickles; just do keep in mind that these may increase your sodium intake.

To make slicing easier and more precise, make the beef a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight.

The chicken and the mango dressing can be made a day ahead and refrigerated separately.

We topped these burgers with smoked Cheddar cheese, but you can use another type of cheese, or omit it entirely. To clean the mushroom caps, wipe them with a damp paper towel; do not rinse or soak them because they will remain soggy even after cooking.