Creamy Pasta with Tomato, Bacon, and Ricotta

This year we ran our Quick Weeknight Meals contest for the very first time, and it was a hit! We've made many recipes from your submissions, and we were so inspired by your quick and creative meal ideas. Here's a look back at some fast weeknight meals from the contest and from our writers' own kitchens. You'll find polenta with eggs and mushrooms, flat iron steak with salsa verde, bean burritos, and one-bowl mac and cheese — plus much, much more.

Posts pictured above have captions linking them to the recipe.

Did you discover any good, quick meals in 2009 — here or elsewhere? What's your go-to weeknight meal these days?

Eggs
• Kasia's Parmesan Polenta with Eggs & Roasted Mushrooms
• Jenny's Skillet-Baked Feta and Ricotta "Pie"
• Dara's Baked Eggs with Summer Vegetables and Capers
• Paul's Uova In Purgatorio
• Lemon Frittata with Leeks and Goat Cheese

Beans & Pasta
• Beth's Lenticchie con Ditalini (Lentils with Ditalini)
• Olga's Orzo with Summer Vegetables and Bacon
• Creamy Pasta with Tomato, Bacon, and Ricotta
• Bean Burritos
• One-Bowl Microwave Macaroni and Cheese

Vegetables
• Cooking By Instinct Pizza Formula (with Morels & Ramps)
• Sarah's Fresh Corn Pancakes with Salsa Cruda and Yogurt
• Cara's Spinach-Pie Quesadillas
• Katherine's Quick Curry Tomatoes
• Breanne's Polenta with Black Beans and Coconut Tomato

Meat & Fish
• Helen's Pork Chops with Savory Blueberry Sauce
• Simple Rosemary-Rubbed Pork Chops
• Kitty's Bocconcino and Sausage Pasta
• Phoebe's Scallops with Tomatillo Guacamole & Corn Salsa
• Elissa's Salmon in Parchment with Curried Yogurt Sauce
• Kevin's Spicy Orange Teriyaki Chicken and Shrimp
• Susan's Dry Rubbed Steak & Shrimp with Watermelon Salad
• Flat Iron Steak with Salsa Verde
• Joyce's Drunken Noodle Salad
• Jessie's Prosciutto and Basil Wrapped Chicken Fingers

(Images: See linked posts for full image credits.)