When I talk to friends (and let’s be honest, colleagues, acquaintances, and strangers) about home cooking, the most common complaint I hear is that it is too time consuming. People finish work hungry and tired. On the way home, they swing by the grocery store and, unsure of what’s for dinner, try to come up with a plan in the produce aisle. The checkout line is long. They pay, they get home, and they cook—which inevitably takes longer and creates more dishes than they expected. Ultimately, they spend more time stressing about cooking and eating than they do enjoying it.

I can’t help you with the weeknight grocery store lines. (Though may I suggest picking a recipe and shopping on the weekend? Even if you don’t meal prep on Sunday, you’ll come home Monday night to a stocked fridge, a glass of wine, and a plan— and maybe even a sense of smug satisfaction that you, yes you, have your life Under Control.)

But on the hassle of cooking and the pile of dishes, allow me to suggest this recipe. It is weeknight-friendly in every way. It only requires that you dirty a roasting pan, a pot, and a cutting board. The veg can roast while you prep everything else (or walk your dog, unpack your lunch box, or do other chores). It is far heartier than a lettuce-based salad. The leftovers are just as good for lunch or dinner the next day. There are no off-the-wall ingredients. And with a glass of wine and some cheese or chocolate for dessert, it is truly a whole meal.

More time eating and enjoying than prepping and washing dishes: now who can’t buy into that on a Tuesday night?

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Farro salad with radicchio, root vegetables, and pomegranate

Serves 6 as a main course or more as a side to roasted meat or chicken
Adapted for quantity from David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen

Ingredients

Salad
1 1/2 to 2 cups (250 to 330g) farro or wheat berries (I use the Trader Joe’s 10-minute faro here)
1 bay leaf
3 pounds root vegetables (any combination of carrots, parsnips, beets, rutabagas, turnips, butternut squash, yams, etc)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
One head of radicchio, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Seeds from 1 large or 2 small pomegranates
Gorgonzola or parmesan, to serve (optional)

Dressing
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey, or 4 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions

Place the grains in a saucepan with plenty of water. Add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until cooked (45 minutes for wheat berries, 10 minutes for quick-cook TJ’s farro). Drain and pluck out bay leaf. Transfer to big bowl.

Preheat oven to 400F (204C).

Peel the vegetables and cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm) cubes. Place on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes, turning a few times if you can be bothered (I usually can’t be bothered, but maybe you’re a more diligent cook than I am). Spread the chopped radicchio over the top of the pans and roast for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the radicchio is wilted. Remove from oven. Place in same big bowl as grains.

While the vegetables are roasting, making the dressing. Mix together all of the ingredients except the olive oil. Then whisk in the olive oil. (I do this in a mason jar to make for easy storage of leftovers.)

Add the parsley, pomegranate seeds, and a few grinds of pepper to the bowl of grains and roasted vegetables.

Portion out what you will eat tonight, dress, top with cheese if using, and serve warmish or at room temperature.

Store the leftover salad in the fridge and the dressing in a jar in the fridge or pantry. Leftovers will keep for 4 or so days. Thrown in a Tupperware, this makes a great packed lunch!