This is my favorite time of year to get in the kitchen, but sometimes I don’t have time to make slow-cooked comfort food. These are my go-to fast fall meals for when my day doesn’t quite go according to plan.
Chicken Pot-Pie
My Mom says I cheat on this recipe. Maybe she’s right because this is a quick, convenient version of a “chicken pot-pie” but my family loves it. I usually make it when I have leftover mashed potatoes from a nicer “Sunday” type meal.
- Shredded rotisserie chicken or left-over cooked chicken
- 1 can of Cream of Chicken with Herbs soup
- 1/2 cup of milk
- Half of an onion diced or 1/4 cup of rehydrated onion
- 1 cup of chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup of frozen peas
- Left-over mashed potatoes
- Parmesan cheese
In a skillet add a little olive oil and cook the onion until it is translucent. Add the carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften. A add the chicken and the cream of soup. Thin to a gravy consistency with the milk. Heat through. Add peas at the end and cook for just a minute.
Pour the mixture into individual ramekins. You can use one large family-sized ramekin, but I think the individual ones are so cute! Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese gets nice and golden!
Fancy Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
I love the simplicity of this meal and all the comfort it brings at the same time. It’s such a cheat meal, but a great little twist on a classic.
- Family-sized can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup
- Milk
- Pesto
- Sourdough bread or any bread that’s a step up from your traditional white or wheat bread.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese. (You can get creative here as well. Any melting cheese you want to try, go for it!)
There are two secrets to making yummy tomato soup out of a can. 1. Always make it with milk, never ever water. (Funny story, my then-husband made me tomato soup when I was pregnant with our son with water and I sat on the kitchen floor and cried because he did it wrong and it was the last can of tomato soup we had in the house. I had been craving it all day!) 2. A dollop of store-bought pesto instantly transforms it into a restaurant-style tomato basil soup instead of plain old tomato. It’s way more luxurious!
I think you know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich right?! If not, ask your Mama or your sister. It’s actually harder than it seems. I’ve been known to burn many a grilled cheese, but good bread and good cheese are the most import pieces to this “recipe.” Don’t forget to dunk your grilled cheese into your tomato basil soup. That’s mandatory!
Meatballs Two-Ways
One of my favorite things to make in the fall and wintertime is meatballs. I make a big cookie sheet full of them and then use them in my minestrone soup one night and then we have spaghetti and meatballs on night 2.
- 1 lb. hamburger
- 1/2 lb. Italian Sausage
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
- parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup rehydrated onion
- Salt and Pepper
mix the ingredients and form cookie-sized balls. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
These are great for a simple spaghetti meal. I’ve even started using jarred marinara, something I swore I would never do, but I think the Classico brand is pretty good.
Meatball Minestrone Soup
- 1/2 onion cooked until translucent in a big stock-pot.
- 3 tsp. garlic
- 1 cup of diced carrots
- 1 can of kidney beans
- 1 can of garbanzo beans
- 1 can of green beans
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 6-8 cups of chicken broth
I put 4 or 5 meatballs at the bottom of the bowl, ladle the soup over the top, and top with parmesan cheese. I often double this recipe and eat it for lunch over the next couple of days.
For other quick meal ideas, here’s my 15-Minute Meal list!
