ThePrep: Speedy Comfort-Food Dinners That Feel Like a Hug

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Right now, I can't seem to get enough of cozy comfort foods. When the time comes to think about dinner, my mind goes directly to steaming pots of soup, creamy pastas and anything spicy! Comfort foods seriously feel like a big hug from someone I love—but in food form. This week’s dinners are just like that, but instead of cooking away for hours, we’re speeding things up with recipes that are ready in about 30 minutes.

Your Meal Plan

Last week’s Classic Chicken Soup was so good that I already want to make another pot. But instead of roasting a whole chicken first (or even a couple of chicken breasts), I’m using a store-bought rotisserie chicken to make Sunday’s Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken. The recipe makes 8 servings, so I’ll certainly be eating it all week for lunch. And maybe my husband—who has a bad habit of buying lunch out—will too!

Some of the other comforting dinners in the lineup also use shortcuts to make the cooking process faster, like pre-sliced mushrooms in Tuesday’s Creamy Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms (if you can find shredded Brussels sprouts, great!), and pre-peeled and cubed butternut squash in Wednesday’s Easy Butternut Squash Soup. The rest of the dinners don’t even need shortcuts—they’re just fast and easy as is. Enjoy!

Sunday: Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken

Monday: Crispy Fish Taco Bowls

Tuesday: Creamy Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms

Wednesday: Easy Butternut Squash Soup with Grilled Cheese

Thursday: Spicy Noodles with Pork, Scallions & Bok Choy

Friday: Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

See all the recipes here.

See the shopping list.

Meal-Prep Snack

These coconut- and pumpkin-flavored energy balls are the best bite-size snack to take on the go, or just have at the ready for something healthy to nibble on. Make a batch at the beginning of the week and enjoy!

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Coconut Energy Balls

Treat Yourself

We’re planning on having a fire in the backyard this weekend and with the temps getting low, into the 30°F range, we’ll need all the heat we can get. There’s nothing like a little bourbon to warm you up, which is why this Maple Whiskey Sour feels like the right choice for cocktail hour.

Get the Recipe: Maple Whiskey Sour

I hope you all have a safe and happy week, and if you have any questions or requests for future newsletters, please let me know by emailing ThePrep@eatingwell.com!