24 Easy Dinner Recipes Perfect for the Summer-to-Fall Transition

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Published on August 31, 2023

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Chicken Sausage & Kale

These delicious dinner recipes are perfect for September when late summer and early autumn ingredients overlap. Fruit like apples, blueberries and pears and vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and spinach create these bright and zesty dinners that are also warm and cozy. Try our Creamy Garlic Skillet Chicken with Spinach and Butternut Squash Ravioli with Chicken Sausage & Kale, which only take 25 minutes or less to prepare.

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Creamy Garlic Skillet Chicken with Spinach

Creamy Garlic Skillet Chicken with Spinach — Marty Baldwin

Quick-cooking chicken cutlets are coated in a garlic cream sauce, while spinach adds a boost of color and nutrition in this easy, one-skillet recipe.

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Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)

Bowl of Easy Italian Wedding Soup on a gray cloth background

Forget the marble-size meatballs you find in many versions of this Italian Wedding Soup. In this easy recipe, they're full-size, full-flavored and plenty filling.

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Spinach, Lima Bean & Crispy Pancetta Pasta

We opt for fresh spinach pasta here--it cooks quickly and adds a pop of color. Cooking lima beans in pancetta drippings infuses them with flavor.

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Butternut Squash Ravioli with Chicken Sausage & Kale

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Chicken Sausage & Kale

What's the secret to making store-bought butternut squash ravioli even more delicious? Add apple-chicken sausage, tender greens and lots of caramelized onions. We add a bit of sugar to help the onions caramelize faster, but feel free to omit it (just cook the onions a bit longer if you do). Buy prewashed chopped kale to cut down on prep time. It all adds up to an easy dinner that's ready in just 20 minutes.

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Beef Pad Thai

We've bulked up the serving size of beef pad thai by adding in lots of healthy veggies like matchstick carrots, snap peas and scallions. Look for whole-grain brown-rice pad thai noodles to add an additional 3 grams fiber to each serving.

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Garlic-Anchovy Pasta with Broccolini

Garlic-Anchovy Pasta with Broccolini — Jacob Fox

Here, we sprinkle the final pasta dish with crumbled goat cheese for nice tangy bites throughout. But if you prefer a creamy sauce, stir the cheese into the pasta in Step 3 along with the reserved cooking water.

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Creamy Spinach-Artichoke Salmon

Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Salmon — Photographer / Brie Passano Styling / Annie Probst / Holly Raibikis

For this quick and easy dinner for four, the vegetables and sauce come together in one skillet in a matter of minutes while the salmon broils. Plus, salmon is swimming in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and loaded with vitamins and nutrients like B vitamins and potassium.

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Southwest Chopped Salad with Tomatillo Dressing

Southwest Chopped Salad with Tomatillo Dressing — Leigh Beisch

Jicama is the crunchy, sweet tuberous root of a legume native to Central America. If you love it in this salad, try including sticks of it with your next crudités spread.

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25-Minute Chicken & Veggie Enchiladas

25-Minute Chicken & Veggie Enchiladas — Jennifer Causey

These chicken enchiladas are great for using up any veggies you have lingering in your fridge. Our chicken enchilada recipe calls for zucchini, squash and onion, but you could easily swap in spinach or potatoes.

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Vegetarian Chopped Power Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing

Vegetarian Chopped Power Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing — Brie Passano

This healthy vegetarian salad recipe features chickpeas and quinoa for a boost of protein. Cilantro adds color and flavor when blended to make a creamy dressing. Serve this cold salad for lunch or dinner.

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Honey-Mustard Chicken Tenders with Couscous & Carrots

Thanks to the quick-cooking power of chicken tenders, this honey-mustard chicken dinner comes together fast and easily for a family-friendly weeknight meal. The baby carrots are cooked in a simple orange juice and butter sauce which is lovely drizzled over the chicken and couscous.

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Zucchini Noodle Primavera

Zucchini Noodle Primavera

This primavera recipe cuts carbs by swapping out the pasta for zucchini "noodles." This quick vegetarian dinner is chock-full of colorful vegetables smothered in a light, creamy sauce. We like using prepackaged spiralized zucchini noodles to keep this recipe ultra-fast, but if you have a spiralizer and zucchini on hand, you can easily make your own.

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Mixed Greens with Lentils & Sliced Apple

This salad with lentils, feta and apple is a satisfying vegetarian entree to whip together for lunch. To save time, swap in drained canned lentils--just make sure to look for low-sodium and give them a rinse before adding them to the salad.

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Salmon with Lemon-Herb Orzo & Broccoli

Salmon with Lemon-Herb Orzo & Broccoli — Jacob Fox

This healthy salmon dish is as balanced as it is delicious. You add broccoli right into the pot along with the pasta during its last minute of cooking to save time here. One less thing to wash too!

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Grilled Peach & Brie Smothered Chicken

This super-fast and healthy smothered chicken tastes best on the deck with a chilled glass of gewürztraminer. The fruity white pairs nicely with the peaches here.

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Rainbow Veggie Wraps

There's definitely a sushi vibe to these kid-friendly wraps, which are stuffed with vegetables, cheese and hummus and then rolled and sliced. Serve them with store-bought green goddess, a creamy herb-filled dressing, to take it up a notch with ease. They look impressive but they're easy enough for kids to assemble themselves for an easy lunch or dinner.

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Kale & Avocado Salad with Blueberries & Edamame

Bursting with nutrient-rich produce, this California-inspired salad is a delicious and satisfying way to get your vitamins. We love the unique combination of blueberries, edamame, and goat cheese.

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One-Pot Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

One-Pot Chicken & Broccoli Pasta — Jennifer Causey

This creamy chicken and broccoli pasta makes for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. We opt for small shells in this recipe, but any other small pasta, like orecchiette, would work, too.

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Mushroom Ravioli & Chicken Piccata

This weeknight-friendly version of classic chicken piccata calls for mushroom ravioli, but regular cheese ravioli works too. Look for presliced mushrooms to cut down on prep time, and use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken here to cut down on cook time in this fast and easy dinner.

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Pantry Peanut Noodles

Pantry Peanut Noodles — Jacob Fox

Choose your own adventure with these noodles! They're delicious with peanut butter and tahini alike. Plus, you can use whatever frozen vegetables you have on hand and finish the dish off with any herbs still thriving in your garden or hanging out in your crisper.

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Sesame-Ginger Chicken Salad

Keeping cooked chicken and prepared sesame-ginger dressing on hand means this healthy lunch salad comes together in a snap.

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Chopped Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad

This easy salad recipe allows for a wonderful use of leftover cooked chicken. Look for escarole in the produce section near the leafy greens; if you can't find it, you can use romaine instead.

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Fish Tacos with Jalapeño Slaw

A citrus-jalapeño slaw adds a zesty and delicious crunch to these fish tacos. Add some sweetness to each bite by serving with peach or mango fruit salsa.

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Coconut Shrimp Curry with Instant Ramen Noodles

A splash of coconut milk and some curry powder elevate ordinary ramen soup into a memorable bowl of noodles. Add protein with cooked shrimp or cubed tofu and a pop of freshness with cilantro and lime juice. To cut back on sodium, look for ramen varieties with less than 600 mg sodium per serving or use less of the seasoning packet.

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