As I try to get ready for the impending school year (no worries, this is not a school post, I am so not there mentally yet as I try to enjoy the last of summer), I was thinking of some “go to” dinners that I go to when the weather gets cool, and the time to actually cook gets shorter.

I decided to come up with a criteria for a “go to” dinner. A “go to” dinner should be able to be prepared in a short amount of time or can be put in a slow cooker, requires not a lot of clean up, has great leftovers, and has an easy vegetarian option. I asked Brian some of his favorites, and he was pretty quick to rattle them off (apparently these are his favorites), and I didn’t have to go digging through my recipes.

Here is my list of TOP 5 GO TO DINNERS

1.) Enchiladas: The recipe I use for chicken enchiladas is easy and the leftovers are amazing, and I think is Brian’s absolute favorite so that is why they made it to the number one spot. For a vegetarian option, you could just do beans and cheese.

2.) Chili: I use a Rachael Ray recipe for chili which I sometimes doctor up with a few additions and serve with corn bread. A double batch can be made and frozen for a night when you have no time to cook. For vegetarians, I’ll use meatless crumbles (I did this once and Brian didn’t know the difference).

3.) Minestrone Soup: Again, this recipe is versatile and can be served with bread or even sandwiches for a quick weeknight dinner. Brian’s favorite thing is to bring the leftovers for lunch. (Someday I will post my recipe for minestrone soup, the key is the broth shown below). *Update: Here is the link for the Minstrone Soup recipe

4.) Spaghetti and Meatballs needs no explanation.

5.) Frittata: Zucchini Frittata is awesome for a quick weeknight dinner, and also can be adapted with any veggies and cheese. 


So there you have it, 5 Go To Dinners. Maybe some of these will make it into your cooking rotation.

*Update: I linked this post up with Mom of 6 and Moments that Define Life. Both feature a listable life series each week.