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The Dinner Plan

The Dinner Plan

Maggie Hoffman 123 Episodes Sep 17, 2026

A weekly cooking podcast that helps listeners plan dinners with fresh inspiration from top cookbook authors. Host Maggie Hoffman and guests like Molly Baz, Melissa Clark, and J. Kenji López-Alt share practical advice on meal planning, budget shopping, and quick weeknight meals. Each episode answers common dinner dilemmas and offers free recipes via the accompanying newsletter. Ideal for anyone tired of deciding what to cook.

Episodes

Swanky, Low-Stress Entertaining With Cortney LaCorte
Swanky, Low-Stress Entertaining With Cortney LaCorte Sep 17, 2026 48:30 Cortney LaCorte—also known as Cheese Gal—joins The Dinner Plan this week to share her best advice on how to make a cheese plate and all the ways she makes entertaining more relaxed. That includes tips on what to cook for a dinner party, the most important thing you can do for a dinner party guest, and the cleaning detail you really can skip. What to make with Boursin? Cortney's all over that. On t
For Olivia Tiedemann, Rich People Food Comes Down to the Right Moves
For Olivia Tiedemann, Rich People Food Comes Down to the Right Moves Sep 14, 2026 44:01 Olivia Tiedemann will be the first to tell you that working as a private chef isn't easy. You've gotta know what each guest likes and doesn't like, all the dietary restrictions, "who doesn't eat anchovies, who doesn't eat onions, who doesn't eat dairy. And there's 12 of them, and they're all there at one time," Olivia says. "How am I going to contort this same entree seven different ways?" But ult
Pati Jinich Cooks the Bold Flavors of the Mexican Border
Pati Jinich Cooks the Bold Flavors of the Mexican Border Sep 10, 2026 51:21 You may know Pati Jinich from her long-running series, Pati’s Mexican Table, or her previous cookbooks, but this fall you’ll be seeing a lot more of her, including her new docuseries, Panamericana, and her new cookbook, Foods of La Frontera. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Pati chats with host Maggie Hoffman about the surprising dishes she tried while traveling along the Mexican-American borde
Carla Lalli Makes Dinner the Best Part of a Bad Day
Carla Lalli Makes Dinner the Best Part of a Bad Day Sep 7, 2026 1:00:52 When Carla Lalli separated from her ex and moved part-time into a sublet after decades of marriage, the first thing she did was make dinner. “I cooked because it gives me a sense of comfort,” Carla says in this week’s episode of The Dinner Plan. “It makes me feel like I’m in power, and it’s soothing, and it is a way to shut off other noise.” Carla shares the meals she made as she got in touch with
The High-Protein Vegetarian Dinners Grace Elkus Makes on Repeat
The High-Protein Vegetarian Dinners Grace Elkus Makes on Repeat Aug 31, 2026 49:48 The high-protein vegetarian recipes in Grace Elkus's new cookbook, Protein-Packed Vegetarian, are exactly the kind of dinners I crave, packed with flavor and easy to make, even on a busy weeknight. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, I talk to Grace about her must-have kitchen gear, how to cook tofu so it actually gets crispy, and what to do if you just haven't come around to the idea of cottage c
Fresh Thai Cooking With Pim Techamuanvivit
Fresh Thai Cooking With Pim Techamuanvivit Aug 24, 2026 53:24 I've been looking forward to chef Pim Techamuanvivit's Thai cookbook for years. It's an essential guide to cooking Thai food, including fresh curry pastes, grilled dishes, curries, soups, and laab. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, I talk to Pim about how she learned all the Thai recipes she'd missed from home, why it matters that you seek out Thai ingredients to cook these recipes, and everythi
Grocery Prices Are Wild. The 99% Cooking Club Can Help.
Grocery Prices Are Wild. The 99% Cooking Club Can Help. Aug 20, 2026 54:06 Steel Russell started The 99% Cooking Club after walking out of the grocery store with a single bag of food that cost $150. He focuses on tips for making easy, cheap meals taste complex and flavorful, and shares recipes for family dinners that stretch your grocery budget. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, we talk through the best budget-friendly ingredients to buy right now, and how to thin
Alex MacLaren’s 10-Day Grocery Strategy
Alex MacLaren’s 10-Day Grocery Strategy Aug 17, 2026 44:49 When you ask cookbook author Alex MacLaren how to save money on groceries, her answer is simple: don't go to the store for as long as possible. The author of We Use What We Have is known for making family dinners on a budget, thanks to smart substitutions and a lot of flexibility. Sometimes, you just gotta let things run out. In this episode, Alex explains why she doesn't think about meal plans un
Pierce Abernathy’s Peak Summer Dinners
Pierce Abernathy’s Peak Summer Dinners Aug 13, 2026 44:53 Pierce Abernathy is my go-to source for summer vegetable inspiration, and he's exactly the recipe developer I turn to when I want to make the most of summer corn and tomatoes in every dinner I cook before the season ends. But Pierce's new cookbook, Every Leaf, Every Stem, goes beyond the pretty produce that gets all the attention and aims to help you fall in love with celeriac and rutabaga, mushro
Caroline Chambers Needs Even Quicker Dinners Now
Caroline Chambers Needs Even Quicker Dinners Now Aug 10, 2026 59:32 Caroline Chambers knows how to make easy dinners easier, and the mother of four needs quick weeknight recipes now more than ever. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Caroline shares a bit of her behind-the-scenes chaos and her strategy for meal prep that won’t leave you bored. She says everything that’s going on has made her an even better recipe developer, because her mindset is "if you’re puttin
Omi Hopper Cooked Through the Hardest Year of Her Life to Get Here
Omi Hopper Cooked Through the Hardest Year of Her Life to Get Here Aug 3, 2026 45:23 Next Level Chef contestant Omi Hopper has published a new cookbook full of essential Puerto Rican recipes—the ones that feel like a welcome home to the folks who follow her on Instagram and TikTok. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, she shares her story. She was working as a makeup artist when her husband was laid off; she worried about how they'd pay for groceries. Find out how she ended up cook
Serena Wolf’s Easy Summer Dinner Ideas
Serena Wolf’s Easy Summer Dinner Ideas Jul 27, 2026 57:26 Serena Wolf hosts a big pool party every year, and in this episode of The Dinner Plan, she's sharing her go-to bbq menu and the mac and cheese trick that always impresses her guests. Her new book, You Do You, is full of easy dinner recipes, all including advice on simple ingredient swaps. She offers meal planning advice that's really helpful, too. Quick summer dinners shouldn't be stressful, and S

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