Week 3: Classic Fall Dinners for Every Week before Thanksgiving
The last thing I want to do when I get home from a trip is go grocery shopping. It just feels like such an effort. And solid confirmation that the trip is over and real life has to start again. What helps me is having a plan. I focus in on my three meals for the week and suddenly the list looks less massive.
The great thing about only cooking 3 times a week is your grocery list is just so much shorter! Which means I don’t over-buy and nothing goes bad in the fridge. Continuing our series of pre-Thanksgiving dinners, here are my favorite fall dinner choices for this week!
Apple Sage Sausage Skillet with Farro, Mushrooms and Spinach
Who says healthy food has to be less yummy. Here is a delicious option from The Purple Carrot full of fall flavors like sausage and apples and mushrooms. But you get your greens in too! Chock full of protein and fiber, you won’t feel guilty serving this one at the table.
Easy to dress up with some sprinkled cheese on top or a quick white wine mushroom cream sauce. Don’t be scared off by the cast iron skillet, either. You can make this just as easily in a non stick pan or a stainless steel frying pan. And it reheats the same way it cooks!
Stuffed Acorn Squash
How can you create a list of fall dinners without at least one stuffed squash! I’m a big fan of seasonal squash fillings. So I usually make this fall-themed recipe from Rachel Cooks full of apples, celery, cheese, and cranberries. I change it up a bit by adding in fresh cranberries rather than dried. Sweet dinners just aren’t my thing so the tartness of the cranberries counteracts the sweetness of the apples. And while fall flavors are lovely, sometimes it’s good to change it up. My mother and I make a Mexican-inspired stuffing that is equally warming and delicious!
The best thing about stuffed squash? They are highly customizable and don’t take much extra work to create leftovers. Simply roast more than one squash at a time and voilà! You have a week’s worth of dinners. Feel free to change up your filling even if you are roasting many squash all at once. They reheat easily covered in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes.
Braised Beef Short Ribs
It’s getting chillier. Which is really just an excuse to turn the oven up high and make some yummy roasts and meats!First on my list this year: these braised beef short ribs from The Stay at Home Chef. Fall-off-the-bone tender, these are the perfect winter version of ribs. They also heat up extra well for leftovers since a few extra days in the fridge makes the flavor even more impressive. I usually add some Cabernet Sauvignon on particularly cold days just to make the sauce a little richer. Feel free to add some mushrooms or potatoes to the sauce as well for extra veggies!
Missed last week? Take a look here!
Curious what’s in store for next week? Check out new recipes here!
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