"Back to school" can release a floodgate of emotions for parents.

We feel all the positive anticipation that goes with embarking on new adventures — it's thrilling to see a child begin kindergarten or enter the senior year of high school — but starting a new academic year also brings a lot of anxiety.

The lazier routines of summer have to be reset, so the pressure's on.

Bed times change, homework has to be managed and there's a lot more laundry. If you eat as a family (and research shows you definitely should), you also have to figure out what to make for dinner after a long day that starts with packing lunches and probably also includes sports practices and other extracurricular activities.

The best weeknight meals, then, are ones that come together with minimal prep and a fairly short cooking time. Some can be largely prepared ahead or in batches — say in a slow cooker — and simply reheated.

Choosing recipes that don't have you running all around town for an unusual ingredient also helps, as does picking one-pan dishes that guarantee easy cleanup.

Make a big pot of soup, for instance, and you can portion it out over several nights, freeze it for future meals, or portion it into a thermos for lunches.

We can't help with separation anxiety or the stress of suddenly being over-scheduled in a new school year. (We've all been through it and feel your pain.) But we can help home cooks get a decent, economical dinner on the table in short fashion on a busy school night when there's so much more to do than prepare dinner.

These four dinners can be assembled in a half-hour or less (one cooks all day long in a slow cooker) and use everyday ingredients. They include a meaty skillet lasagna that doesn't require boiling noodles in water; homemade fish sticks coated in a crunchy mix of panko and Parmesan; a four-ingredient fettuccine dish that makes the most of frozen baby peas; and a slow cooker chicken tortilla soup that marries boneless chicken breasts with fire-roasted tomatoes and the gentle heat of chipotle peppers in adobo.

Knowing no one likes to cook every night of the week, we saved Friday night for takeout!

Noodles and Peas

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Preparing a big bowl of pasta is always a great way to get dinner on the table in a hurry. This recipe from French chef Jacques Pepin's upcoming book, "The Art of Jacques Pepin: The Cookbook" (Harvest, $35) is an easy, satisfying and comforting dish that everyone in the family will enjoy.

It may be the easiest pasta dish imaginable: The sauce has just four main ingredients — grated Parmesan, olive oil, peas and some of the cooking water from the pasta.

I also tried this recipe using heavy cream instead of olive oil, with an additional tablespoon of grated Parmesan. If you love your pasta creamy, that's the way to go.

12 ounces fettuccine

1 cup frozen petite peas

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, or more to taste

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large saucepan or pot and add pasta.

Mix well, bring the water back to boil and cook, uncovered, 10-12 minutes, depending on your preference.

Meanwhile, place frozen peas in a strainer, then run them under hot tap water until the ice particles have melted and they are thawed.

Place peas in a large serving bowl with the cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper.

When the pasta is cooked, remove 2/3 cup of the cooking liquid and add it to the bowl with the peas. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl.

Toss well and serve immediately, with more cheese if desired.

Serves 4.

— "The Art of Jacques Pepin: The Cookbook"

Meaty Skillet Lasagna

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This quick version of an old-time favorite goes from cupboard to table in less than a half-hour. Yet it doesn't sacrifice on taste.

The ingredient list looks long, but that's only because there are three cheeses. Most everything else is a pantry item.

3 14.5-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

Salt

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

Generous pinch (or two) red pepper flakes

1 pound meatloaf mix (ground beef, pork and veal) or 1/2 pound each of ground pork and ground beef

10 curly edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths (do not substitute no-boil noodles)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Ground black pepper

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Pulse tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until coarsely ground and no large pieces remain.

Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick pan over medium heat. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add meat and cook, breaking apart, until lightly browned and no longer pink, 3-5 minutes.

Scatter pasta over meat, then pour processed tomatoes over pasta. Cover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until pasta is tender, about 29 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Season with salt and pepper. Dot heaping tablespoons of ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and let stand off heat until cheese melts, 2-4 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Serves 4.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

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One of my daughters' favorite dishes is homemade tortilla soup. Usually I make it with a sweet and smoky ancho chili and roasted tomato puree. But in this recipe, all ingredients go into a slow cooker at the same time to simmer all day.

I like to add thinly sliced corn tortillas to the soup to thicken it, and also fry some in hot oil for a crunchy, low-cost topping. But the soup also can be served with bagged tortilla chips.

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder

1 heaping teaspoon cumin

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped, optional

3 14.5-ounce cans fire-roasted tomatoes

1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, such as Rotel

32-ounce chicken broth or stock

4 ounces tomato paste

1 whole chipotle pepper in adobo, smashed

1/4 cup vegetable oil, for frying

10 white or yellow corn tortillas, sliced into 1/4 -inch strips

Juice 1 lime, plus lime wedges for serving

Sliced avocado, cilantro leaves and/or grated cheddar cheese, for serving

Fried corn tortilla strips, for serving

Place chicken in a slow cooker. Sprinkle spices on top and mix to combine.

Add chopped onion and bell pepper, tomatoes, tomatoes and green chilies, chicken broth, tomato paste and chipotle pepper in adobo.

Mix well to combine, place the lid on the slow cooker and set heat on low for 8 hours.

Remove cooked chicken from the cooker and allow to cool. Then, use two forks or your fingers to shred it into bite-sized pieces.

Add chicken back to pot, along with sliced corn tortillas. Cook another 10 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat and fry tortilla strips until lightly browned around the edges, about 45 seconds. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

When soup is ready to serve, stir in lime juice. Season to taste with additional salt or pepper, if needed.

Ladle into bowls, and top with a handful of tortilla strips. Each person can add avocados, a squeeze of lime juice, cheese and cilantro according to taste.

Serves 8.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Homemade Baked Fish Sticks

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Kids might say they hate fish, but slice a fresh fillet into planks, add a crunchy coating and suddenly it's delicious. I used cod for these homemade fish sticks, but any firm and meaty white fish will work. You could use salmon for a stronger "fish" taste.

An added plus: Homemade fish sticks can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months, and reheated in the oven or air fryer, so they're perfect for batch cooking.

Ketchup is the standard dipping sauce for kids, but homemade tartar sauce (I make it with mayonnaise, pickle relish, lemon juice and yellow mustard) works, too.

I used panko bread crumbs for extra crunch. A squeeze of lemon will brighten the fish sticks' flavor.

1 1/2 pounds cod or other firm fish fillet

Salt and black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Zest of 1 lemon

Vegetable or extra virgin olive oil, for pan

Lemon wedges, for serving

Ketchup and/or tartar sauce, for serving

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly coat a baking sheet with oil.

Pat fish fillets dry with a paper towel and generously season both sides with kosher salt. Cut fillets into long, fat sticks (1- to 1 1/2 -inch thick and about 3-inch long).

In a small bowl, combine black pepper, dried oregano and paprika. Season fish sticks on both sides with spice mixture.

Place flour in a shallow bowl. Beat egg wash in a deeper dish or bowl. Combine bread crumbs, grated Parmesan and lemon zest in a third bowl placed next to the dish with egg wash.

Dip a fish stick in flour to coat both sides, then shake off excess flour. Dip it in egg wash, followed by the bread crumb and Parmesan mixture. Gently pat the fish with your fingers to help the coating stick. Repeat until all fish sticks have been coated.

Arrange coated fish sticks on a prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the tops with a little oil.

Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the heated oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until they are golden brown.

To serve, give fish sticks a quick squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with ketchup and/or tartar sauce for dipping and additional lemon wedges.

Serves 6.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

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