Dinnertime has become complete mayhem at our house, now that school and activities are in full swing. We’ve got homework, sports, theater, chores and schoolnight bedtimes to contend with, so coordinating 30 minutes for everyone to sit down together is tough enough, much less an hour ahead of that to actually cook. So I’ve been collecting the best easy, low lift dinner recipes on my Pinterest page and I thought, in the interest of saving us all some time, that I would share them with YOU too and save you the legwork. So here we go!
Sheet Pan Pork Chops — Bowl of Delicious
Sheet Pan Pork Chops with Apples and Potatoes from Bowl of Delicious
Sheet pan meals are very popular. And with good reason. Combine your protein and veggies all in one place leaving only one dish to wash!
Italian Beef & Rice Skillet — I Wash You Dry
Italian Beef and Rice Skillet from I Wash You Dry
Ground beef is always plentiful in our freezer, so I’m constantly looking for new things to do with it that aren’t burgers or meatloaf. Check it out – another one with only one dish! We always use brown rice from Lotus Foods (and you should too!).
Cheesy Ground Beef & Cauliflower Casserole — EatingWell
Cheesy Ground Beef & Cauliflower Casserole from EatingWell
Another ground beef option with cauliflower (budget friendly) all wrapped up in a cozy casserole situation we all crave once the weather cools down (which may not happen for weeks here in NC!). I might also be tempted to throw in peas or peppers for extra fiber and veggies.
Pizza Burgers — Pinch of Yum
Pizza Burgers from Pinch of Yum
Pizza + burgers. Two of the most elite foods combined into one, and exactly the kind of dinner my kids are thrilled to see on the meal plan.
Easy Taco Casserole — Simply Recipes
Easy Taco Casserole from Simply Recipes
Taco night in casserole form, which means it’s easy, customizable and likely to produce leftovers for lunch. All wins. You could really use any kind of meat in this one, I’d think.
Sheet Pan & One-Pan Favorites
One-Pan Chicken Sausage & Brussels Sprouts — Serious Eats
One-Pan Chicken Sausage & Brussels Sprouts from Serious Eats
Brussels sprouts officially reenter the chat in fall, and pairing them with chicken sausage makes this an incredibly easy dinner that everyone loves. The only thing I don’t like about this is that we don’t usually get sausage in our meat orders (we do whole animals for the most part and it doesn’t usually include sausage), so I hate having to buy extra meat, but. Oh well!
Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin Dinner — Serious Eats
Sheet-Pan Pork Tenderloin Dinner from Serious Eats
Sometimes instead of putting the pork on a baking sheet, I’ll throw it in the Instant Pot to pressure cook because it takes THREE MINUTES. No, I am not joking.
French Onion Chicken & Orzo — Half Baked Harvest
French Onion Chicken and Orzo from Half Baked Harvest
Chicken, caramelized onion flavors and (whole wheat) orzo all together? Sign me up.
Braised Chicken Thighs & Apples — Food Network
Braised Chicken Thighs and Apples from Food Network
Apples in a savory dinner just scream FALL to me. Chicken thighs are also forgiving enough that this feels a little fancy without requiring fancy-dinner levels of attention.
Soup Season Has Arrived
Kale & White Bean Soup — Dishing Out Health
Kale and White Bean Soup from Dishing Out Health
We love soups around here. For this one, I usually throw in a protein. Ground pork pairs nicely with the flavors.
Meatball Minestrone — How Sweet Eats
Meatball Minestrone from How Sweet Eats
Minestrone is already great fall food, but adding meatballs makes it substantially more appealing to everyone in my house. When we’re going to the trouble of making meatballs, we get out about 10 pounds of meat and just roll a whole BUNCH. Then we freeze the leftover meatballs to have on hand for future dinners.
Bowls, Veggies & Fall Produce
Butternut Squash Couscous Bowls — How Sweet Eats
Butternut Squash Couscous Bowls from How Sweet Eats
I love a dinner bowl because everyone can customize theirs a little bit. This one brings in butternut squash and plenty of fall flavors. Again, pick a protein and throw it in there.
Chicken Harvest Bowls — Damn Delicious
Chicken Harvest Bowl (Sweetgreen Copycat) from Damn Delicious
I’ve never actually been to Sweetgreen, and honestly, now I don’t think I have to go. This is so easy to make at home and is perfect for these “fall” weeks where it’s still a sweltering 95 degrees outside and we aren’t quite ready for chili.
Chili Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potatoes — Food Network
Chili Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potato from Food Network
Sweet potatoes are always a hit in our house. Stuffing them with chili turns what could be a side dish into an actual dinner — and everyone can add their own toppings. Ella will be having a bowl of sour cream with hers, you can bet on that.
Cozy Dinners Worth a Little Extra Time
Beef Enchiladas — Country Living
Beef Enchiladas from Country Living
This requires a little more assembly than some of the others on this list, but it’s great for prepping ahead and popping into the oven when we’re ready for dinner.
Pot Roast — The Pioneer Woman
Perfect Pot Roast from The Pioneer Woman
No, this isn’t a 30-minute dinner. But “easy” and “fast” are not always the same thing! A pot roast can cook away for hours while I work, which makes it one of my favorite WFH-mom fall dinners. Do the work earlier in the day, let the Dutch oven take over and dinner is waiting when the evening chaos begins. It’s quintessential for fall.
Basically, I feel like I spend at least 2/3 of my life cooking, cleaning the kitchen, doing the dishes or emptying the dishwasher (and this is with the whole family pitching in to help!). While we try to have a little more “fun” with our food on weekends, we are the front part of a mullet on weeknights when dinner cannot take hours to prep, serve and clean up after. I hope you find some new faves in here – let me know in the comments if you end up trying any of them!
Leave a comment