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What to cook in September: Easy meals with lots of leftovers for back-to-school season

Simplify your busy life with delicious, make-ahead dishes that feature lots of September produce.

Simplify your busy life with delicious, make-ahead dishes that feature lots of September produce

Jamey Ordolis · CBC Life ·
3 side-by-side food images: a blue platter with moussaka; a table with 2 plates of roasted cauliflower, creamy goat cheese mash, roasted chickpeas and broccolini; hands holding a large platter of chopped salad filled with tofu.
(Photo, left to right: Amina Al-Saigh, Dennis The Prescott, Dhivya Subramanian)

Just when you think summer might linger a little longer, September sweeps in with a brisk breeze that turns the page to fall. The kids head back to school, vacation vibes shift, and suddenly, everyone's calendar fills up. To cope during this busy transition — or even, dare I say, thrive — I need a fridge full of ready-to-eat dishes. Think big bowls of salad, hearty soups that get better each day, and versatile beans that can serve as the backbone for multiple meals.

This month, we've rounded up recipes that are perfect for batch cooking, as well as some easy weeknight meals and low-fuss ways to enjoy September produce like tomatoes, cauliflower, and eggplant — yum! We've got root vegetable stews, baked salmon for lighter lunches, easy chia recipes for breakfast and more simple ideas for every time of day and every craving. 

The challenge for me is not devouring too much of my delicious "batch cooks" on the first night. Rebekah Peppler's Chickpea Picnic Salad, for example, is just the kind of fridge staple I adore this time of year — but try to have just one serving!

Chopped Salad with Tofu and Sesame Dressing

Chopped salad filled with tofu. red peppers, grated carrots, diced green onion, raw peanut halves and apple slices, topped with sesame dressing
(Photography by Dhivya Subramanian)

Big Roasted Delicata Squash Dinner Salad

A big dinner plate with salad, sitting on a dark grey surface. The salad is made of slices of delicata squash, red onion, pomegranate arils, greens and herbs. A glass of white wine sits next to it.
(Photography by Betty Binon)

Rebekah Peppler's Chickpea Picnic Salad

Closeup on a blue patterned plate of chickpea salad sitting on a large rock.
(Photography by Joanne Pai)

Mango, Corn and Peanut Salad 

Above shot of a large plate of Mango, corn and peanut salad being tossed.
(Photography by Dhivya Subramanian)

Tomato Tonnato

overhead shot of 2 blue and white plates with slices of tomatoes on them, topped with a creamy sauce, breadcrumbs, fried capers and fresh dill. They're on a grey table and a green wine bottle is pouring white wine into a yellow glass beside the plates.
(Photography by Dominique Lafond)

Cauliflower Steak with Crispy Chickpeas and Broccolini

Overhead shot of a dinner plate on a wooden table. The plate has roasted cauliflower, creamy goat cheese mash, roasted chickpeas and broccolini.
(Photography by Dennis The Prescott)

Arayes Shrak

Closeup on a platter of grilled pitas stuffed with kebabs. Green olives and assorted pickles sit next to them.
(Photography by Ashley Lima)

Roasted Heirloom Carrots

A white serving platter of roasted heirloom carrots on a wooden table set for a dinner.
(CBC Life)

1 roasted cauliflower, 5 easy weekday meals 

Overhead shot of a roasted cauliflower, cauliflower dip, a plate of crackers, noodle salad, and cauliflower fritters.
(Photography by Betty Binon)

Chicken Cacciatore Sheet Pan Dinner

Overhead shot of a sheet pan with roasted chicken thighs, tomatoes, and pieces of mushrooms, red pepper and onion on it. It's sitting on a grey wooden surface with the fresh ingredients scattered around the pan.
(Photo: David Bagosy; Styling: Melissa Direnzo)

Lebanese Moussaka

Overhead shot of Lebanese moussaka on a bright blue plate, on a blue and white tiled surface.
(Photography by Amina Al-Saigh)

Khorak Bademjoon (Eggplant Stew)

Overhead shot of Khorak Bademjoon (Eggplant Stew) on a white serving dish, with small bowls of limu omani (dried Persian lime) and mint leaves next to it.
(Photography by Betty Binon)

Kunde (Black-Eyed Peas and Tomatoes in Peanut Sauce)

Overhead shot of a shallow bowl filled with kunde, black-eyed peas and tomatoes in peanut sauce. It sits on a dark grey surface.
(Photography by Khadija M. Farah & Jennifer May)

Chicken Shawarma Bowls with Crispy Potatoes

Chicken Shawarma Bowl with hummus, potatoes and a salad on top.
(Photography by: Amina Al-Saigh)

Red Lentils with Crispy Garlic and Greens 

Overhead shot of hands adding a spoonful of dal with greens to a plate with rice on it.
(Photography by Dhivya Subramanian)

Root Vegetable Stew with Rosemary Garlic Baguette

Overhead shot of a red dutch oven with a root vegetable stew on a wooden surface. 2 bowls of the stew and a plate with sliced bread sit next to the dutch oven.
(Photo credit: Dennis The Prescott)

Brown Rice, Chicken and Butternut Squash Salad with Roasted Garlic Tahini Dressing

A beige bowl filled with Brown Rice, Chicken and Butternut Squash Salad on a beige surface. A rotisserie chicken sits on the left of the image and a stack on plates on the right.
(Photography by Gabriel Cabrera)

Sweet Potato, Coconut and Ginger Soup 

Overhead shot of bowls of creamy orange soup with a small toast on top of one.
(The Goods)

Miso Soup with Root Vegetables

Closeup on someone ladling miso soup with root vegetables from a silver pot into two white bowls.
(Credit: Meg Tanaka and Zenta Tanaka)

Dal aur Sabzi

Overhead shot of a green plate of Dal aur Sabzi, Lentils with Roasted Carrots and Kale on a white lace tablecloth. A yellow plate of basmati rice sits next to it.
(Photo: Shayma Owaise Saadat)

Master Recipe for Pot Beans

Closeup overhead shot of a red pot of beans next to a stack of bowls.
(Photography by Ed Anderson)

Oxtail Stew with Butter Beans

A bowl of oxtail stew with butter beans with a side of rice and peas, on a countertop with a Dutch oven in the background.
(Photography by Owais Rafique Marketing Inc.; styling by Matthew Chin)

Misir Wot (Lentil Stew)

overhead shot of a bowl of lentil stew with a small bowl of spices sitting next to it. a plate with flatbread (injera) sits next to that.
(Photography by DL Acken)

Tray-Baked Salmon Nicoise 

A large piece of baked salmon surrounded by potatoes, green beans and cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet.
(Photography by Jackson Roy)

Celebration Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Dates

Closeup, overhead shot of roasted sweet potato chunks, dates, chicken thighs and drumsticks on a sheet pan.
(Photography by David Loftus)

Lemon & Berry Chia Yogurt

3 footed glass dishes with chia yogurt pudding in them siting on a blue platter. They're topped with blueberries and blackberries and a sprig of fresh mint.
(CBC Life)

Green Tea Muffins with Sweet Azuki Beans

Closeup on hands holding a muffin tray of green tea muffins.
(Credit: Meg Tanaka and Zenta Tanaka)

Mango Lassi Chia Pots 

A hand grabbing a small glass pot of mango lassi chia pudding from a wooden cutting board.
(Photography by Yakuta Yamani)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamey Ordolis

Jamey Ordolis is the senior producer of CBC Life.

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