Do you remember? All of the produce in September? (My apologies both to you, reader, and to Earth, Wind and Fire, but I pretty much sing everything to the tune of “September” this entire month).
September is one of the greatest months for produce IMO. The markets are flooded with tomatoes, apples, corn, radishes, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, grapes, and coming soon, squash and pumpkin. I love to hit the farmer’s markets in September because the weather is just a bit crisper and the veggies hold up so much better after sitting out.
Can’t make it to a farmer’s market near you? Do a quick Google Search for “locally sourced grocery stores near me” — you may be surprised to see which stores source from local farmers.
With that, let’s find some dinner inspiration for the coming weeks that makes good use of all the best fruits and vegetables that September has to offer.
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Above: Slow-roasted tomatoes by Jane Sweeney for Cool Mom Eats,
Top photo by Anne Preble via Unsplash
What to make with Fresh September Produce
What to make for dinner with corn (yes, it’s still good!)
With Labor Day behind us, hopefully you’ve gotten to soak up the last unofficial weekend of summer with a killer backyard grill playing some part. That means trying these corn hacks and serving ideas while it’s still fresh and delicious. (PS If you don’t have access to a grill, no worries! Don’t miss Liz’s brilliantly simple tip for making the best corn on the cob ever with a boiling method.)
If you’ve got leftovers from freshly-picked corn like I do, I recommend making a huge bowl of the Mexican Street Corn Salad with Chiptole Crema recipe from The Modern Proper. This salad is just the perfect blend of spice and crunch and is highly addictive. While I am happy just eating this salad and enjoying an ice cold margarita, my kiddos need a little more protein so I’m grilling up some fun hot dogs recipes for them.
What to make for dinner with bell peppers
Last month, we shared lots of ideas for what to make with peppers in our August produce roundup and those ideas are still perfect in September. From sizzling fajitas to a spicy red bell pepper soup when things get cool, to an easy vegetarian omelettes for a light dinner, we know you’ll find loads of recipe inspiration and here’s one more: Stuffed peppers.
My mom used to make the absolute best stuffed peppers and I have forever been in search of her recipe–which I am pretty sure only existed in her head. The excellent Stuffed Pepper recipe from Lisa at Downshiftology comes pretty close to my memories, with a hearty combo of ground beef, rice, veggies and garlic. And it’s a great use of any leftover ground beef you may have from your recent weekend cookout.
Instant Pot Eggplant Pasta | © Two Sleevers
What to make for dinner with eggplant
Eggplant is just coming into season in September and one of my favorite ways to serve it is in an eggplant parmesan, but that can take a lot of time for weekday meal.
That’s why I highly recommend this recipe for Instant Pot Eggplant Pasta from Two Sleevers. In less than 45 minutes, you have an ooey gooey casserole dish of eggplant, pasta and cheese that everyone will devour. If you are thinking that your kids don’t like eggplant – trust me, they may not even realize there is a vegetable in this dish. The peeled eggplant gets broken down by the acidity of the tomatoes, and the Instant Pot keeps it from getting slimy.
You can also try this outrageous homemade lasagna recipe from Anne Wolf Postic, made more nutritious with eggplant and zucchini.
By the Way, Upgrade That Instant Pot…
Note that if you don’t have an Instant Pot, this 8-Quart Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 Cooker gets top marks from pro cooks and experienced home chefs and it’s now on sale! It functions as an electric pressure cooker that speeds up one-pot cooking by 70%, plus gives you a classic slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté shortcut, bottle warmer and sterilizer, and even a yogurt maker. You will get tons of use out of it in September and beyond.
What to make for dinner with apples
Apples aren’t just for pie! Since they ripen beautifully in September, start with these 12 ideas for savory apple recipes to serve for dinner — from apple and cheese quesadillas for the kids, to a chicken and apple skillet dinner that’s a snap to make on weeknights.
Here’s another thought: we are also in the thick of wild salmon season, and the recipe for Salmon with Apple, Cucumber, Avocado Salsa from Becky at The Vintage Mixer is a simple way to prepare it using crisp apples and cucumbers in a bright salsa. In fact, the entire meal comes together in about 15 minutes. If you can get your hands on some fresh wild Coho Salmon, it’s worth it.
Tip: Our team has fans of the responsibly harvested and sustainably caught salmon shipped from Sitka Seafood Market, which delivers — especially because wild salmon is generally preferably to farmed salmon. If you have it available locally, lucky you.
Be Sure to Read: How to cook salmon perfectly
What to make for dinner with tomatoes
Glorious tomatoes come into season over the summer and straight through to October if you’re lucky. In our home that makes September BLT sandwich season. I have found a new favorite twist on the classic in Carolyn Mazzocco’s exquisite BLT with Pepperoncini Mayo. Her 3-ingredient pepperoncini mayo is just pure genius and so dang good that she warns you may find yourself eating it on all of the things. (And she would be right.)
We also have a terrific list of 6 favorite no-cook recipes using fresh tomatoes and basil in season. And should you have too many tomatoes on hand after a farmer’s market score, check out these ideas for what to do with overripe tomatoes, from a pan con tomate, to slow roasted tomatoes that give you all the fall flavor you’ll be craving soon enough.
