One skillet + soba noodles + vegetables + a little protein = a great meal. Not only is this a formula for an easy and healthful back-to-school supper, it is flexible based on your family’s tastes. You can switch up the vegetables, substituting spinach, chard, broccoli, or sugar snaps for the broccoli rabe. You can vary the protein, choosing shrimp (as below), chicken or swordfish chunks, sliced steak or pork, cubes of firm tofu, or a can of chickpeas. Soba noodles, made from buckwheat flour (and sometimes added wheat flour), have a pleasant nutty flavor, but almost any kind of long pasta works in the dish.

Confining the preparation to one large skillet (only one pan to wash!) means that the order of cooking the ingredients, and having them ready when you need them, takes on added importance. First you boil cubed sweet potato, and just before it’s tender, add the soba noodles. While they cook, shell and devein the shrimp and make a simple soy-sesame sauce. After draining the noodles and sweet potato, cook the shrimp and garlic, which takes just a few minutes. Next, saute the onion and carrot, then add the broccoli rabe. When the veggies are done to your liking, return the noodles, sweet potato, sauce, and shrimp to the skillet and heat it all up. A customizable and fast-cooking recipe like this is a boon to your repertoire when the oft-crazy dinner hour strikes. LISA ZWIRN

One-skillet soba noodles with vegetables and shrimp

Serves 4

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½- to ¾-inch chunks

8-9 ounces soba noodles

¼ cup soy sauce

2½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon sugar

Crushed red pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Kosher salt, to taste

1 small onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds

1 bunch (about 1 pound) broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch lengths (stalks and leaves)

⅓ cup water

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a large skillet (a 12-inch-diameter pan that is at least 2½ inches deep is best), add about 1½ inches of water and the sweet potato. Bring to a boil. Boil the potato for 5 to 8 minutes or until just turning tender. Add the noodles, stirring to separate, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until they’re firm-tender. Drain in a colander and rinse briefly under cold water.

2. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of water, sugar, and crushed red pepper.

3. Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 1½ tablespoons of vegetable oil. When it is hot, add the shrimp and garlic, sprinkle with salt, and cook, stirring and flipping the shrimp, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the shrimp just turn white throughout. (Stir often so the garlic doesn’t burn.) Transfer the shrimp and garlic to a plate.

4. Add the remaining 1½ tablespoons of vegetable oil to the skillet. Add the onion and carrots and stir-fry over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened. Add the broccoli rabe and ⅓ cup of water. Partially cover the skillet and cook the broccoli rabe for 5 minutes or until wilted. Uncover and cook, stirring the vegetables, for about 5 minutes more or until the broccoli rabe is tender.

5. Add the noodles, sweet potato, and soy sauce mixture to the skillet; stir well to combine with the vegetables. Heat over medium heat until hot. Stir in the shrimp and garlic.

6. Divide among four bowls. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Lisa Zwirn can be reached at lisa@lisazwirn.com.