Dinner is so often broken down into quick weeknight affairs or slow, relaxed weekend productions. Rarely do those genres cross paths, but our slew of fast and fancy recipes find the perfect point of intersection: special meals that are easy to prepare. That means they're ideal for impromptu mid-week dinner parties or simply those Sunday dinners for when you're not in the mood to spend tons of time in the kitchen cooking.

Here are our most popular fast and fancy recipes from this past year.

Cooking a steakhouse-worthy steak at home is pretty darn easy if you have a cast iron skillet within reach and follow this simple three-step approach.

Pasta tossed with cream sauce always feels luxurious, but this one happens to be ridiculous fast and simple, since the cream sauce is made with nothing but crumbled goat cheese that melts into a sauce when tossed with the hot fettuccine.

Chicken Marsala isn't a dish that needs to be saved for nights out at your favorite Italian restaurant. This homemade version is easy to make and rivals any restaurant's.

This Greek-inspired shrimp is bright and fresh, thanks to the loads of lemon and oregano in the recipe. Serve it over pasta, rice, or simply with crusty bread to make it a meal.

If you love spinach-artichoke dip and macaroni and cheese, you'll undoubtably fall for this mash-up. Everything comes together in a single pot on the stove for easy prep and cleanup.

Store-bought pie crust is the secret to this freeform tart that looks difficult to make, but is, in fact, ridiculously easy.

The best fast and fancy dinners are the ones that come straight out of your pantry, like this one. You need nothing but butter, white wine, and Parmesan for the sauce that comes together in a couple of minutes.

This eye-catching savory tart is inspired by classic French apple tarte tatin. Serve it alongside a simple green salad for a fast and fancy lunch or dinner.

Crispy chicken thighs are always a winning meal, but this version gets ungraded with the help of a luscious pan sauce made with Dijon mustard and a splash of heavy cream.

Choose a white wine you'd drink yourself when making this fast and fancy meal — you deserve a crisp glass while you enjoy it.

Tuna noodle casserole might not be the first dish that comes to mind when you think fancy, but this one, inspired by French Nicoise salad, is very much so.

Did you have a new favorite fast and fancy meal for special nights? Tell us all about it!