There is something about the first cool evening of fall that makes an ordinary dinner feel like an occasion. In Bayshore Bluff, porch lights come on a little earlier, sweaters begin appearing along Harbor Street, and Violet Finch insists that almost anything tastes better when something warm is in the oven.
These five cozy fall dinners are made for evenings when you want something comforting, beautiful, and—most importantly—doable. There is a little something for everyone, from an easy sheet-pan supper to a bubbling pot pie and a pasta that tastes like autumn found its way into the kitchen.
Pull up a chair. Dinner is almost ready.
1. Apple Cider Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Tender chicken, sweet apples, roasted sweet potatoes, and a simple cider sauce make this the kind of dinner that smells like fall before it ever reaches the table. Best of all, most of the magic happens in one skillet.
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 crisp apples, cored and sliced
1 small yellow onion, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon butter
Fresh thyme for serving, optional
Heat the oven to 400°F. Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, half the thyme, and a little salt and pepper. Roast for about 15 minutes while you prepare the chicken.
2. Season the chicken with the remaining thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken for about 3 minutes per side.
3. Add the sliced apples and onion around the chicken. Whisk together the apple cider, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup, then pour the mixture into the skillet.
4. Add the partially roasted sweet potatoes and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for approximately 18–22 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165°F in the thickest part.
5. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Stir the butter into the warm cider sauce and spoon the apples, sweet potatoes, and sauce over the chicken. Garnish with fresh thyme if desired.
From Violet’s Kitchen ♡
Violet’s tip: Serve this with warm crusty bread for catching the last of the cider sauce. She would also tell you that lighting a candle before dinner makes a Tuesday feel considerably less like a Tuesday.
2. Creamy Tuscan White Bean & Spinach Skillet
Creamy, garlicky, and filled with tender white beans, tomatoes, and spinach, this easy skillet dinner proves that comfort food does not need meat to feel hearty. Add a loaf of warm bread and dinner is ready before anyone has time to ask what else you were planning to make.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup vegetable broth
¾ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
3 cups fresh baby spinach
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Fresh basil or parsley for serving, optional
Warm crusty bread for serving
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Stir in the cannellini beans, tomatoes, vegetable broth, heavy cream, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, if using.
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce begins to thicken.
Add the spinach a handful at a time and stir until wilted.
Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and simmer for another 2–3 minutes, until creamy and warmed through.
Spoon into shallow bowls and finish with fresh basil or parsley, if desired. Serve with plenty of warm crusty bread.
From Violet’s Kitchen ♡
Violet’s tip: Put the skillet right in the middle of the table with a basket of warm bread beside it. There is absolutely no reason to dirty another serving dish when everyone is going to ask for seconds anyway.
3. Maple-Dijon Sheet-Pan Chicken with Apples & Brussels Sprouts
This is the dinner for the evening when you want the house to smell wonderful but would prefer not to spend the evening washing pans. Sweet apples, savory Brussels sprouts, and maple-Dijon chicken roast together until everything is golden around the edges.
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 crisp apples, cored and cut into wedges
1 small red onion, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Fresh thyme for serving, optional
Directions
Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper or lightly coat it with cooking spray.
Whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Place the chicken, Brussels sprouts, apples, and red onion on the sheet pan. Pour the maple-Dijon mixture over everything and toss the vegetables and apples gently to coat.
Arrange the chicken in the center of the pan with the vegetables and apples surrounding it. Roast for 22–28 minutes, stirring the vegetables once halfway through, until the chicken reaches 165°F in the thickest part.
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon the roasted apples, Brussels sprouts, onion, and any pan juices alongside the chicken. Garnish with fresh thyme if desired.
From Violet’s Kitchen ♡
Violet’s tip: Line the pan before you start. Dinner will taste exactly the same, but when cleanup takes thirty seconds instead of twenty minutes, you may feel unusually pleased with yourself.
Halfway to Dinner… ♡
Three dinners down, two to go. If you have already decided which one you are making first, Violet would consider that excellent progress. If you are still deciding, she recommends coffee. Violet recommends coffee for most things.
4. Harvest Beef & Mushroom Pot Pie
There are dinners that warm you up, and then there are dinners that make you very glad you came home. Tender beef, mushrooms, carrots, and herbs tucked beneath golden puff pastry put this firmly in the second category.
Ingredients
1 pound beef stew meat, cut into small bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup frozen peas
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Directions
Heat the oven to 400°F. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown it in batches, then transfer it to a plate.
Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet. Add the onion, mushrooms, and carrots and cook for 6–8 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the beef broth while stirring. Add the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
Return the beef to the skillet. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes, or until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the peas.
Spoon the filling into a deep pie dish or approximately 2-quart baking dish. Lay the puff pastry over the filling, trim the excess if necessary, and gently press the edges against the dish. Cut several small slits in the top for steam to escape.
Brush the pastry lightly with the egg wash and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and deeply golden. Let the pot pie rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
From Violet’s Kitchen ♡
Violet’s tip: Put the pot pie on the table in the dish you baked it in. A bubbling golden crust does not need fancy presentation. It has already done all the showing off.
5. Butternut Squash, Sage & Brown Butter Pasta
Roasted butternut squash, nutty brown butter, fresh sage, and Parmesan turn an ordinary bowl of pasta into something that feels made for a cool fall evening. It is simple enough for a weeknight but pretty enough to serve when someone happens to stop by around dinnertime
Ingredients
12 ounces pasta, such as rigatoni, penne, or farfalle
3 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into ¾-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 fresh sage leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
½ cup reserved pasta water, as needed
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
⅓ cup chopped toasted walnuts, optional
Directions
Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the butternut squash with the olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Spread it on a baking sheet and roast for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until tender and lightly caramelized.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook until they become crisp, about 1–2 minutes. Transfer the sage to a small plate.
Continue cooking the butter for another 2–3 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally, until it smells nutty and turns golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add the drained pasta and roasted squash to the skillet. Toss gently with the brown butter, Parmesan, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and nutmeg, if using. Add a little reserved pasta water as needed to make the sauce silky enough to coat the pasta.
Divide among bowls and finish with the crisp sage leaves, additional Parmesan, and toasted walnuts if desired.
From Violet’s Kitchen ♡
Violet’s tip: Brown butter sounds fancy right up until you discover that it mostly involves standing beside a skillet and paying attention for three minutes. Do not walk away to answer the phone. Violet has apparently learned this from experience.
Before You Leave the Harbor… ♡
If you found a dinner you want to try, save this page for the next cool evening when the question “What should we make tonight?” suddenly becomes much harder than it ought to be.
And if this is your first visit to Bayshore Bluff, you have only seen Violet’s kitchen.
There is a bookstore waiting on Harbor Street, a pottery studio where something is nearly always drying on a shelf, an inn where Margo Thorne insists everything is perfectly under control, and one small corgi named Asher who has never agreed with her assessment.
Stay awhile and wander around. Around Bayshore Bluff, you never quite know what you’ll find around the next corner. ♡
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