10 Actually Easy Dinners
Food Alyssa H Food Alyssa H

10 Actually Easy Dinners

I have a few dishes in regular rotation that I lean on in moments of desperation or when life gets too busy. Meals that feel like a relief: “wow, we’re fed, and that was so easy.” My criteria for inclusion here is simply: would I want to make this and clean it up by myself after I get home from work? If no, I didn’t include it. (Mostly, this means the list has a lot of soups and stews.)

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Perfect Pumpkin Cookies
Food Alyssa H Food Alyssa H

Perfect Pumpkin Cookies

These are my perfect pumpkin cookie: soft but not a muffin top, heavy on the fall spices, and finally (classic me): made in one bowl with no mixer. They’re heavily studded with chocolate chunks and caramel sea salt chips.

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Zucchini, Mushroom + Dill Pasta Bake
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Zucchini, Mushroom + Dill Pasta Bake

I wanted a vegetarian pasta bake that felt indulgent but not heavy, and I wanted to lean into my love of jammy zucchini. One of my personal favorite flavor combinations is balsamic and dill, and I’m leaning fully into that with a probably-sacrilegious version of a bechamel sauce that incorporates either white wine or balsamic, depending on your preference.

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Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice
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Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice

This soup is such a great choice for a night when you want a bowl of something warm, but also healthy and nourishing. Sweet potatoes! Ginger! Curry powder! What’s not to love? I’ll admit that I tend to throw frozen spinach into just about everything (sneaky greens are my favorite greens), but it works so well here.

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Cheddar, Asiago, & Chive Scones
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Cheddar, Asiago, & Chive Scones

This recipe came to me as I considered the best way to use the extra cheese sitting in the fridge after I made my cheesy broccoli casserole. I’m not sure there’s a better way to dispose of spare cheese than these scones, my friends. They are towering and savory, perfect all on their own or with a runny egg and some bacon.

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Chicken Enchilada Soup
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Chicken Enchilada Soup

After a few rounds of tweaking, I’ve arrived at this: my ideal enchilada-ish soup. It’s cozy, deeply flavored, full of pantry staples, and ready well under an hour (yes, even with prep work). Bonus: it’s even better the next day.

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Taco Bake
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Taco Bake

It’s simple: we’re going to make chili, and then we’re going to top it with a layer of cheese and bake the cornbread right on top of it. That’s it. Chili is best topped with cornbread anyway, and this way you get it all in one bite. You’ll love it, I promise.

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Thai Red Curry and Sweet Potatoes
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Thai Red Curry and Sweet Potatoes

Fall is here, which means I’m once again rifling through my recipe book for cozy dinners full of fall squash and sweet potatoes. This one definitely fits the bill and is perfect for weeknights: cubed sweet potatoes or butternut squash, cooked with ginger, onions, and Thai red curry paste for a fragrant, nutritious dinner.

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Miso Ramen
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Miso Ramen

I wanted a miso soup that felt like a whole meal. I also didn’t want to work very hard. We always keep ramen in our pantry in case of extreme laziness - we’ve been known to dump some peas and carrots into the ramen pot and pretend that counts as eating our vegetables. So… miso ramen?

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Curried Chicken and Barley Soup
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Curried Chicken and Barley Soup

I love chicken noodle soup, but it doesn’t really satisfy as a meal. This take swaps the noodles for pearled barley, which is high in fiber and has a slightly chewy texture that makes it a great sub for noodles. The recipe is packed with good-for-you aromatics like garlic, ginger, and turmeric. The carrots and celery turn the recipe into a little bit of a cuisine mashup, but I think it really works.

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Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
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Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

That top layer of cheese gets golden and slightly crispy in the oven. Every bite here is a cheesy, broccoli-filled dream. You’re going to love this.

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Chai Sugar Cookies
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Chai Sugar Cookies

At this point in 2020, we all need a cookie. This cookie, specifically, because you only need one mixing bowl and the handful of spices you’ve already probably gathered for your holiday baking.

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Slow Cooker Carnitas
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Slow Cooker Carnitas

This is a foolproof, flexible recipe that will give you meal after meal of delicious carnitas… The options are endless, which is why this recipe is a meal-prepper’s dream.

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Corn and Shrimp Chowder
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Corn and Shrimp Chowder

The beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity. There is something magical about a pile of chopped vegetables and broth turning into something so delicious with just a few seasonings and some half and half.

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Chicken and Dumplings
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Chicken and Dumplings

I love (and am comforted by) chicken and dumplings so much that this is the dinner I made the night I took the practicum of my NCIDQ exam. After months of studying and hours of testing, all I wanted was to reward myself with a bowl of this deliciousness.

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Lemon Lavender Blueberry Scones
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Lemon Lavender Blueberry Scones

This recipe was the result of summer longing and a whole lot of leftover wedding lavender, though I find I like them just as much in November as I do in June. The floral lavender, the bright lemon, and the juicy berries really sing. I think you’ll love these.

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