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SaveRecipes & Dining Easy, Cozy Weeknight Meals

Easy, Cozy Weeknight Meals

Looking for easy weeknight recipes loaded with fall flavors? Here are some of our favorite warm and hearty dishes to try!

Easy, Cozy Weeknight Meals

Weeknights can be a bit of a mad-dash—but that doesn’t mean you can’t make five-star dinners! The trick is to find healthy recipes that you can create without a lot of fuss. With fall coming, you’re going to be craving comfy and cozy. Here are a few easy fall weeknight meals to feed your family!

1. Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash with Cranberries

This recipe is the epitome of fall coziness—and you’ll love how easy it is to make. It’s also perfect for Meatless Mondays, and it only requires a few inexpensive ingredients: acorn squash, onions, garlic, quinoa, cranberries, and Swiss chard. While you roast the squash in the oven, you can toss together the rest of the veggies and the quinoa in a saucepan. Once the squash is done, spoon the veggies inside and top with feta cheese. This is a low-calorie, low-fat meatless meal that gives you a whopping 10 grams of fiber per serving.

2. Pan-Roasted Chicken with Harissa Chickpeas

Harissa is kind of like curry in that it’s one ingredient that will add a lot of flavor to a dish in a hurry. If you like spicy foods, look for it online or in specialty stores. You’ll also need chicken thighs, onions, garlic, tomato paste, and chickpeas plus some herbs and broth to make this inexpensive dish.

Use an oven-proof skillet to brown the chicken, onions, and garlic. Once you’ve finished that, simmer all you’ll need to do is simmer the liquid ingredients, add the chickpeas and flavorings, then transfer the whole thing to the oven to let it finish. It takes about 20 minutes of prep work. When it’s done, you’ll enjoy a warm and savory dish that between the chicken and the chickpeas, packs a punch of protein.

3. Steak Marsala with Cauliflower Mash

Mashed potatoes and gravy are like the ultimate comfort food, right? Too bad it’s full of fat and carbs. Lucky for you, this is an easy, healthy weeknight meal that is packed with nutrition. Lean steaks, mushrooms, broth, and aromatics combine to make a hearty main dish—and you can pick up some cauliflower mash in the freezer aisle or make your own for a healthier version of mashed potatoes. Mushrooms and cauliflower both are high in fiber and the steak gives you plenty of protein—all for about 15 minutes of prep work!

4. Apple Cider Chicken

It doesn’t get any more autumn than apple cider! This is a super simple dish that requires about 15 minutes of prep time. It starts with browning chicken breasts in a skillet, then browning onion, an apple, and spices. You’ll make a pan sauce using apple cider, and finish the chicken by simmering it in the sauce. Low-carb, protein-rich—and perfect served with carrots and autumn root veggies!