What to Cook the Week of October 5 - 11: 10 Dinner Ideas from a Chef

Every Sunday I write one week of dinners: five Classic and five Plant-Based, chosen around what is actually good at the market that week. This is the plan for October 5 - 11, 2026. Take the ideas, cook the ones you want, or let SEASON hand you the whole week with the shopping list already done.

The Classic five

• 1
  Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork

  Charred Lemongrass · Rice Vermicelli · Nuoc Cham

  Thin pork shoulder marinated in lemongrass and fish sauce, charred hard on the grill, over cold vermicelli with herbs, pickled carrot and nuoc cham

  Grill, 25 Minutes · serves 4
• 2
  Chicken Tinga

  Chipotle & Tomato · Shredded · Over Rice

  Chicken thighs pressure-braised with sliced onion and tomato wedges in a smoky chipotle sauce and shredded back into it, spooned over rice

  Instant Pot, 45 Minutes · serves 4
• 3
  Shakshuka

  Blistered Pepper · Feta · Crusty Bread

  Eggs poached in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce, crumbled feta, and good bread to drag through it

  Skillet, 30 Minutes · serves 4
• 4
  Seared Halibut

  Shaved Fennel · Orange · Herb Oil

  Halibut seared to a golden crust, set over shaved raw fennel and orange with a bright green herb oil poured around

  Skillet, 25 Minutes · serves 4
• 5
  Beef Bourguignon

  Red Wine Braise · Pearl Onion · Egg Noodles

  Beef chuck browned hard and braised all day in red wine with bacon, then finished with mushrooms and pearl onions cooked separately

  Slow Cooker, 7 Hours · serves 6

The Plant-Based five

Fully plant-based, every week, built to stand on its own rather than as a substitution.

• 1
  Coconut Red Lentil Dal

  Charred Broccoli · Basmati · Lime

  Red lentils simmered soft in coconut milk and warm spice, finished with a sizzling tempered-spice oil and charred broccoli

  Stovetop, 35 Minutes · serves 4
• 2
  Edamame Peanut Crunch Bowl

  Shredded Cabbage · Quinoa · Peanut-Lime

  Cold quinoa tossed with edamame, shredded cabbage and carrot, a thick peanut-lime dressing and a heavy scatter of crushed peanut

  No-Cook, 20 Minutes · serves 4
• 3
  Sweet Potato Traybake

  Crispy Kale · Lemon-Tahini · One Pan

  Sweet potato wedges roasted hard until the cut faces caramelize, kale crisped in the last minutes, lemon-tahini poured over

  Roast, 40 Minutes · serves 4
• 4
  Lemony Orzo

  Braised Radicchio · White Bean · Pangrattato

  Orzo cooked risotto-style in its own starch with braised radicchio and white beans, finished with lemon and toasted breadcrumb

  Stovetop, 30 Minutes · serves 4
• 5
  Roasted Beet & Arugula

  Walnut · Balsamic · Crisp Shallot

  Beets roasted whole in foil until a knife slides through, sliced over peppery arugula with toasted walnut and an aged balsamic dressing

  Roast, 50 Minutes · serves 4

See every SEASON weekly dinner plan → · More October dinner ideas →