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  2. What To Cook the Other 29 Days of November

What To Cook the Other 29 Days of November

October 26, 2016
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Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
Turkey day will be here before we know it—but until then, we've cooked up a collection of recipes to get you through the holidays with ease. From one-pot soups and stews to easy sheet pan dinners, and yes, nachos, here are 29 non-holiday meals to make in November.  Want more healthy meal inspiration? The Cooking Light Diet is a flexible meal plan that helps you plan and cook family-friendly food that's tailored to your personal health goals. 
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20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: 20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas

We hacked this Mexican favorite to get it to the table with lightning speed. One richly spiced sauce doubles as the filling and the topper to save time. And since every element is already cooked, the dish needs just three minutes under the broiler to melt the cheese.

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Asian-Style Short Ribs

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Asian-Style Short Ribs

These short ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender with extra umami flavor from the mushrooms, garlic, and soy sauce. If you can’t find short ribs, pick up a boneless chuck roast at the market and cut it into 2-inch chunks instead. Serve with brown rice and a refreshing cucumber and bok choy salad. 

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All-American Beef Stew

Credit: Cooking Light
View Recipe: All-American Beef Stew

You only need a few minutes of effortless prep to get a flavorful classic. Use a blender to dissolve the tapioca completely.  

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Whole Wheat Spaghetti & Sunday Sauce

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Whole Wheat Spaghetti & Sunday Sauce

Known as “Sunday Gravy” to many, this meaty tomato sauce is like marinara but with a major upgrade. Short ribs and turkey sausage add flavor; whole-wheat pasta brings heart-healthy fiber to the table.

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French Onion Roast Chicken

Credit: Greg DuPree
View Recipe: French Onion Roast Chicken

Make a big batch of this juicy roast chicken and caramelized onions and you've got enough for three meals. Serve alongside roasted veggies, steamed green beans, or winter green salad.

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Sheet Pan Beef and Black Bean Nachos

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Sheet Pan Beef and Black Bean Nachos

If you need a fast and fresh dinner, look no further than our Sheet Pan Beef and Black Bean Nachos. While we love melted shredded cheese, we found that it makes the nachos a bit unwieldy. Instead, a creamy cheese sauce coats each chip and makes it easier to separate from the pack. You can use pinto beans instead of black beans and shredded rotisserie chicken instead of ground beef. Topping potential is endless, but we like sliced avocado and jalapeño. Serve with Zucchini, Carrot, and Radish Salad for a simple dinner you can cook, serve, and clean in record time.

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Chicken, Apple, and Butternut Squash Stew

Credit: Cooking Light
View Recipe: Chicken, Apple, and Butternut Squash Stew

Unfiltered apple cider has pectins that help thicken this fall harvest stew. If you use filtered, clear cider, add another tablespoon of flour.  

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Crispy Salmon Fillets with Sesame-Soy Drizzle

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Crispy Salmon with Sesame-Soy Drizzle

Making sure to dry the skin as thoroughly as possible ensures it will crisp up instead of steaming and becoming soggy in the pan. To get the absolute last bit of moisture out, try this trick: After patting the whole fillet dry with towels, run the dull back edge of a knife along the skin like a squeegee—wipe off any liquid this pulls out onto the knife, and pat the skin dry again.

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Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas

This easy dinner comes together in less time than it takes to wait for a table at your favorite Mexican restaurant. Mild poblano chiles and bell peppers get a nice char under the broiler and deliver more than double a day’s worth of immunity-boosting vitamin C.

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Greek Spaghetti Squash Toss

Credit: Photo: Colin Price
View Recipe: Greek Spaghetti Squash Toss

Spaghetti squash is a great lower-calorie, lower-carb alternative to pasta. It’s a neutral tasting veggie that absorbs all the flavors of this simple skillet, so be sure to toss well to coat every strand. The end result is a veggie-based meal in a bowl that you can quickly throw together—a nice alternative to salads when you want to fill up on vegetables.

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Curried Grilled Chicken Thighs

Credit: Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Curried Grilled Chicken Thighs

Curry paste is a flavor powerhouse, full of roasted aromatics, earthy spices, fiery chiles, and more. Yellow curry powder is commonly used in green curry paste recipes, serving as the flavor backbone; it's convenient, too, providing lots of spices in a single handy ingredient. You can substitute 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste for the fresh stalks; simply add right to the food processor instead of roasting. 

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Chicken Potpie Skillet Pizza

Credit: Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Chicken Potpie Skillet Pizza

Try this quick, playful spin to turn pizza night on its head—in a good way. You get all the creamy goodness of chicken potpie, in a fun, eat-with-your-hands way that kids will love. Cooking the pizza in a preheated cast-iron skillet makes the crust wonderfully crispy so that it doesn’t sog out when the creamy sauce goes on. Be sure to use only 10 ounces of dough—though you’ll likely have to purchase in a 1-pound or larger ball. Save the remaining dough to make breadsticks the next night.

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Lamb Tagine With Lemon and Olives

Credit: Cooking Light
View Recipe: Lamb Tagine With Lemon and Olives

A tagine is a Moroccan-style stew featuring succulent chunks of meat, often lamb, cooked in a mixture of vegetables and fruit. Traditional tagines are usually flavored with aromatic spices such as ginger, cumin, and saffron and served over couscous.  

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Air Fryer Southern Style Catfish & Green Beans

Credit: Aaron Kirk
View Recipe: Air Fryer Southern Style Catfish & Green Beans

Nothing beats Southern-style catfish for a hearty meal, but the traditional method of frying unfortunately adds back in a bunch of fat that the lean protein could do without. Enter the air fryer: You can get a crispy, delicious fillet as well as a side of blistered green beans without all the oil, and have it on the table in less than half an hour. Hard to beat!

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Slow Cooker Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Slow Cooker Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

This may be our easiest slow cooker recipe yet. There’s no browning in the skillet, no last-minute stovetop sauce—all the magic happens right in the slow cooker. Craving crunch? Serve it as a wrap in the cabbage of your choice.

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Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna

Silky roasted butternut squash stands in for noodles in this more nutritious take on the starchy pasta casserole.

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Slow Cooker Santa Fe Meatloaf

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Slow Cooker Santa Fe Meatloaf

Not only is this slow cooker meatloaf seriously convenient, it’s also seriously delicious. Oven-baked meatloaf can turn dry, but the moisture-sealing magic of the slow cooker makes this one melt in your mouth. The jalapeño is optional here, but make sure to add it if you want a kick. Serve this meatloaf with a simple wedge salad topped with a homemade avocado ranch dressing.

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Sausage and Spinach Spaghetti Pie

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Sausage and Spinach Spaghetti Pie

Meet your new favorite casserole recipe. This budget-friendly dish (costing under $10) allows you to stretch a small amount of meat over several servings. It's family friendly, filling, and loaded with flavor—the perfect weeknight meal. Serve with a side of crispy garlic and mushroom green beans.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

The slow cooker acts as a braiser for this Italian classic. While the chicken becomes succulent and fall-apart tender, briny capers, crushed red pepper, and garlic infuse the crushed tomatoes for a robust sauce you won’t find in a jar. True to our one-pan plan, the spaghetti cooks right in the sauce when the chicken comes out, absorbing just enough liquid so it doesn’t need to reduce on the stove. We like the look of the whole, de-boned chicken thighs atop the pasta, but you could shred the meat into large pieces and stir into the sauce if you like.

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Chimichurri Chicken Thighs With Potatoes

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Chimichurri Chicken Thighs With Potatoes

An herb-packed chimichurri sacue makes this meat-and-potatoes main vibrant and exciting. Double the mixture and spoon it over grilled steak or fish on another night. For less heat in both the chimichurri and the potatoes, remove the seeds from the Fresno chile.

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Turkey and Swiss Sloppy Joes

Credit: Photo: Christopher Testani
View Recipe: Turkey and Swiss Sloppy Joes

This twist on a classic sandwich swaps the sweet, barbecue-style sauce for a white sauce enriched with nutty Swiss cheese.

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One Pot Chicken & Farro

Credit: tifs
View Recipe: One Pot Chicken & Farro

This easy dish is perfect for a casual get-together with friends. Inspired by arroz con pollo, it is hearty with satisfying complexity. Cumin, saffron, and oregano season rich chicken thighs and nutty farro as the dish simmers.

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Chicken Stroganoff

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Chicken Stroganoff

If stroganoff could restore its Russian creators 200 years ago, this chicken version will restore you on any weeknight. We’ve swapped traditional beef for chicken and added earthy cremini mushrooms to our one-pan version. Cooking the egg noodles in the same pan allows the pasta to absorb that rich liquid and release starch to thicken the sauce.

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Easy Brunswick Stew in a Slow Cooker

Credit: Cooking Light
View Recipe: Easy Brunswick Stew in a Slow Cooker

Brunswick stew is a Southern dish that features a tomato base with beans, vegetables, and meat. Traditionally, Brunswick stews were made with squirrel or rabbit, but these days pork and chicken are commonly used. This recipe is a good use of leftover meat and vegetables, as well as ingredients you probably have in your pantry.  

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Turkey Sandwiches With Kimchi Slaw and Miso Sauce

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Turkey Sandwiches With Kimchi Slaw and Miso Sauce

Give your day-after-Thanksgiving sandwich a modern update with global ingredients. The robust flavors of nutty sesame oil, tangy-garlicky-pungent kimchi, and salty-sweet white miso give your palate a welcome change of pace. The sandwich also feeds your gut healthy probiotics (kimchi, yogurt, and miso) plus pre-biotics (whole grain bread) to keep the good bacteria well fed.

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Turkey, Broccoli & Phyllo Pie

Credit: Photo: Greg Dupree; Styling: Lindsey Lower
View Recipe: Turkey, Broccoli, and Phyllo Pie

Skip the potpie and try a fragrant, flaky casserole for your turkey leftovers. Don’t fret about getting the phyllo topper to fit snugly in the baking dish; any overhang will become delightfully crisp in the oven. Thawed phyllo can be finicky: Unroll very carefully, and keep remaining sheets under a slightly damp kitchen towel while you work. If you don't have leftover turkey from yesterday, use shredded rotisserie chicken.

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Italian Gnocchi Soup

Credit: Kelsey Hansen
View Recipe: Italian Gnocchi Soup

Perfectly tender and fluffy, potato-based gnocchi (mini Italian dumplings) are the perfect way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. This comforting soup gets a boost from spring vegetables and herbs; it would be extra delicious with asparagus or snow peas. Change it up to match the seasons—you can also use leftover mashed sweet potatoes to make the dumplings.

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Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

Credit: Kelsey Hansen
View Recipe: Thai Coconut Curry Soup

Leftover turkey is completely unrecognizable in this satisfyingly steamy, spicy soup that's perfect for cold weather. Jalapeño, fresh ginger, and Thai curry paste pack potent pungency that completely revamp the traditional Thanksgiving dinner flavor. 

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Buttermilk Potato, Chicken, and Cheddar Casserole

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Buttermilk Potato, Chicken, and Cheddar Casserole

In this cheesy chicken casserole, leftover mashed potatoes form the base, rather than the topping, as they do in shepherd's pie. Poaching bone-in chicken breasts in stock yields tender, juicy meat—use this method for enchiladas and chicken salad. We love the texture and concentrated flavor of dried minced onion as the casserole topper, but you could skip it or substitute toasted, coarsely ground breadcrumbs.

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    1 of 29 20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas
    2 of 29 Asian-Style Short Ribs
    3 of 29 All-American Beef Stew
    4 of 29 Whole Wheat Spaghetti & Sunday Sauce
    5 of 29 French Onion Roast Chicken
    6 of 29 Sheet Pan Beef and Black Bean Nachos
    7 of 29 Chicken, Apple, and Butternut Squash Stew
    8 of 29 Crispy Salmon Fillets with Sesame-Soy Drizzle
    9 of 29 Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
    10 of 29 Greek Spaghetti Squash Toss
    11 of 29 Curried Grilled Chicken Thighs
    12 of 29 Chicken Potpie Skillet Pizza
    13 of 29 Lamb Tagine With Lemon and Olives
    14 of 29 Air Fryer Southern Style Catfish & Green Beans
    15 of 29 Slow Cooker Sweet-and-Sour Chicken
    16 of 29 Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna
    17 of 29 Slow Cooker Santa Fe Meatloaf
    18 of 29 Sausage and Spinach Spaghetti Pie
    19 of 29 Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
    20 of 29 Chimichurri Chicken Thighs With Potatoes
    21 of 29 Turkey and Swiss Sloppy Joes
    22 of 29 One Pot Chicken & Farro
    23 of 29 Chicken Stroganoff
    24 of 29 Easy Brunswick Stew in a Slow Cooker
    25 of 29 Turkey Sandwiches With Kimchi Slaw and Miso Sauce
    26 of 29 Turkey, Broccoli & Phyllo Pie
    27 of 29 Italian Gnocchi Soup
    28 of 29 Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup
    29 of 29 Buttermilk Potato, Chicken, and Cheddar Casserole

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    What To Cook the Other 29 Days of November
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