Fall is in full swing, and if you haven’t hit your local farmers market (or grocery store) to stock up on the season’s bounty yet…you’re doing it wrong. Here, you’ll find seven dinners to cook this week that put autumn produce front and center. Whether you’re a sucker for sweet potatoes or trying to jumpstart your kale era, these recipe ideas are just the ticket. Read on for my favorites, from one-pan steak to carrot, fennel and miso soup.
Here’s What to Cook Every Night This Week (September 30 – October 6)
Ooh, baked gnocchi
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Published Sep 26, 2024
Katherine Gillen
Thai Liang Lim/Getty Images
Shopping List
Produce
1 small white onion
9 garlic cloves
2 or 3 medium sweet potatoes
3 limes, for serving
1 avocado, for serving
4 large yellow onions
3 fennel bulbs
1½ pounds carrots
1 pound button or cremini mushrooms
2 large heads cauliflower
1 large shallot
1 lemon
1 head broccoli
2 large oranges
One 1-inch piece ginger
1 bunch cilantro, for serving
2 bunches kale
1 bunch beets
1 bunch rosemary
1 bunch basil
Meat
Four 8- to 10-ounce beef tenderloin steaks
Two 6-ounce pieces wild salmon
1 pound Italian sausage
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Dairy
6 ounces Parmesan or pecorino cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
Grains
Corn tortillas, for serving
Canned and Packaged Goods
Pickled onions, for serving
Pumpkin seeds
Pine nuts
10 walnuts
Hemp seeds
6 ounces kimchi
12 ounces tomato sauce
1 pound gnocchi
Pantry Ingredients: extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, sugar, white miso, harissa powder or paprika, ghee or neutral high-heat oil, tomato paste, toasted sesame oil, tamari or soy sauce
Monday: Spicy Sweet Potato Tacos
Don’t worry about peeling the spuds. Simply scrub them under running water and use the extra five minutes to pour yourself a glass of wine. You can also grate them with a food processor instead of by hand to save even more time.
Wednesday: Carrot, Fennel and Miso Soup
Crowned with miso-harissa pepita-pine nut crunch, no less! The key is to cook the vegetables until they caramelize and start to stick to the pan, but to keep them from burning. This will amplify the natural sugars in the carrots, fennel and miso.
Thursday: Mark Bittman’s Cauliflower “Polenta” with Mushrooms
Behold: peak comfort food. The “polenta” is rich and lush, so much so that you won’t believe how healthy it is. It stars puréed cauliflower, which is low carb, gluten free and surprisingly delicious. Oh, and the dish contains 17 grams of protein per serving.
Friday: Hemp and Walnut Crusted Salmon with Broccoli and Kimchi Cauliflower Rice
Salmon only needs minutes to cook through, but have you ever prepared it low and slow? With a little patience, you can make the fish incredibly tender and juicy. Bonus? It’s essentially impossible to overcook at a low temperature.
Saturday: Skillet Gnocchi Bake with Sausage and Kale
It’s cozy, picky kid-proof, baked in a single skillet and devourable in less than an hour—need I say more? Swap in ground beef, chicken or turkey for Italian sausage if you’d rather, and collard greens, Swiss chard or spinach for kale. Talk about versatile.
Sunday: Sticky Orange Chicken with Caramelized Onions and Fennel
Fennel is a great autumn pick, but you could easily swap in bok choy, green beans or whatever other veggies you have languishing in the fridge. The one non-negotiable? A tall stack of napkins (because things are bound to get deliciously messy).
