5 Low-Stress Dinners That Are Ideal for Weeknights

They are ideal for the summer-to-fall transition.

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 01, 2025
Micah Siva
A plate of pasta shells topped with ground meat and garnished with parsley with the label Simply Recipes Weeknight visible

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

I can’t believe that August is over and we’re starting to say goodbye to summer. Sure, it’s still hot and humid here in the Chicago area, but the signs of autumn are here. They're in the pumpkin decor in dollar bins at my local Target, and in the pumpkin spice whisperings at Trader Joe’s, but I’m not quite ready to say goodbye.

This week, we’re coming off a long weekend and three full weeks of family visiting (if you need me, I’ll be napping for the next 6 months!). We’re hosting neighbors and friends for casual dinners, and celebrating our eighth anniversary before I head off to California to teach cooking classes. That means easy, breezy dinners that teeter between summer and fall.

  • Lemony Dill Greek Pasta Salad

    Greek pasta salad with bowtie pasta, tomatoes, and herbs in a bowl

    Simply Recipes / Shilpa Iyer

    If there’s one way to get dinner on the table quickly while keeping tomorrow’s lunch in mind, it’s pasta salad. I always seem to have a bunch of dill in the fridge, and this feels like the perfect way to use it up, along with the cherry tomatoes I picked up at the farmer’s market. For a little added protein, I’ll add a can of chickpeas as well as use a bean-based pasta. Bean overload? Not for me!

  • Cajun Shrimp Bowls

    Two bowls of shrimp with rice, black beans, and vegetables

    Simply Recipes / Shilpa Iyer

    I love that these bowls use some store-bought shortcuts to make a super quick but special dinner. Recipe developer Danielle Campbell says, "There are a ton of other veggies and toppings you can add to these bowls to make them your own. Grilled corn, sliced bell peppers, roasted veggies, diced avocado, shredded lettuce, fresh tomatoes, and tortilla chips would all be nice additions."

  • Easy Corn and Butterbean Succotash

    A serving of succotash with beans, corn, and diced vegetables, garnished with a green-colored sauce, in a white dish

    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

    Corn is almost on its way out of the farmer’s market rotation, so this is the perfect time to use up what’s left of summer. The secret to making this succotash irresistibly creamy? Store-bought pesto, a fridge staple I’m never without. I’ll use the rest in my husband’s lunches this week—it makes the perfect sandwich spread! I’m planning on adding any leftover cherry tomatoes from the pasta salad into this dish as well.

  • Turkish Pasta

    Pasta dish with ground meat, yogurt sauce, and parsley

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

    I’m training for the New York Marathon, and with just less than 2 months to go, I’m going heavy on carbohydrates to fuel my runs. That means a lot of pasta. Sure, I love a pasta salad, but I really only want it once a week, so for my second pasta dish, I’ll be whipping up this Turkish pasta, using Impossible Meat in lieu of beef. I love the garlicky yogurt base and creamy, tomato butter in this unexpected dish. I’m hosting our neighbors for dinner, and I know they’ll love this unexpected combination!

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  • Citrus-Marinated Chicken Breasts

    Cooked chicken breasts with a lemon wedge on a white plate

    Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

    It’s our eighth wedding anniversary, so this dinner is for my toddler and his babysitter. I know what you are thinking—I’m going overboard. But as the son of a chef, he’s used to it. This recipe for marinated chicken breasts is super simple, and my son loves it. I’ll serve his with some steamed broccoli and roasted sweet potatoes, all plated up so I can have someone else cook for me tonight!

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