5 Easy Dinners You're Guaranteed to Love

The whole family will love them.

By
Micah Siva, RD
Micah Siva
Micah Siva, RD
Micah Siva is a trained chef, registered dietitian, recipe writer, and food photographer, specializing in modern Jewish cuisine. She runs Nosh with Micah, her personal blog.
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Published September 29, 2025
Micah Siva
A skillet containing pasta mixed with ground meat and vegetables a labeled graphic for Simply Weeknight Recipes in one corner

Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

September is always a busy time in our household, as the summer heat cools and we get back into the rhythm of work, family, friends, and toddlerhood. Another week of holidays and no daycare, and this time the holidays are ones that require fasting, so our meals look a little different than usual.

Any week that I host, I always “triage” my fridge, determining what needs to be eaten first before I buy new ingredients for a dinner party. This week, I am faced with a lot of random late summer vegetables, which can only mean one thing: roasting!

When in doubt, I always roast my leftover vegetables. It makes even the saddest, most wrinkly zucchini come back to life as the high heat caramelizes them and entices me to put them on salads and sandwiches. Go ahead, save those sad veggies in the back of the fridge and pop them onto your sheet pan!

  • Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

    Sheet pan with roasted gnocchi, cherry tomatoes, and diced vegetables

    Simply Recipes / Alexandra Shytsman

    If there’s one shelf in my pantry that is overflowing, it’s the pasta shelf (okay, and the beans). I always have a few packs of gnocchi at the ready. If you’ve never roasted your gnocchi before, let this be your sign. Putting the little pillows of potato goodness in the oven makes them chewy, springy, and hearty, pairing perfectly with roasted and caramelized vegetables. As always, I’ll add a spoonful of store-bought pesto and a mountain of parmesan cheese to round it out, serving it on top of a bed of arugula. 

  • Pickle Dip

    A bowl of creamy dip garnished with dill, surrounded by ridged potato chips

    Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

    We’re hosting a “break fast,” and typical menu items include bagels, lox, dips, and fruit. We’re having about 10 people over to celebrate after 25 hours of fasting, and they’ll be hungry. Because cooking while fasting is challenging, I take a few shortcuts and delegate. I have someone on blintz duty. I'll pick up my bagels, lay out my smoked salmon and a variety of cream cheese spreads, and take a variety of cookies out of the freezer. While I usually whip up a big batch of hummus, I’m going all pickle this time, serving the dip with vegetables and Trader Joe’s dill pickle potato chips.

  • Marry Me Chicken Salad

    A bowl of chicken salad garnished with basil leaves, served with a spoon

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

    Recipe developer Marianne Williams says, "It makes total sense to apply the “marry me” treatment to chicken salad—it already has a creamy element in the form of mayonnaise, so why not spike it with some salty Parm and fruity sun-dried tomatoes?" Why not, indeed! This recipe is perfect for meal prep, ready to pull out at a moment's notice.

  • Potato Chip Salad

    A bowl of salad with lettuce, grapes, and cheese, accompanied by a fork

    Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

    Remember those potato chips I served with my dip? I bought too many, and I have a little dill pickle dip leftover, so I’m making it into an unexpected salad. Instead of salt and vinegar chips, I’m using dill pickle, and instead of the sour cream dressing, I'm thinning out the dip with a little lemon juice and water. The grapes and apple from the fruit plate are going in, too. Just like that, some random leftovers turn into something extremely delicious.

    Continue to 5 of 5 below

  • Sloppy Joe Skillet

    overhead view of Sloppy Joe Skillet Dinner

    Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

    Recipe developer Coco Morante says, "My family enjoys this skillet dinner topped with the same things we like on our sloppy Joe sandwiches: sliced pickles for the kiddos, plus sliced onions and pickled jalapeños for the grownups." Double pickles and onions for me, please!

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