Home › Weekly Dinner Plans › September 7 - 13, 2026
What to Cook the Week of September 7 - 13: 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 September 7 - 13, 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
- 1Santa Maria Tri-TipTomato Salsa · Pinquito Beans · Santa Maria RubCalifornia barbecue, a tri-tip rubbed with salt, pepper and garlic, grilled hot and sliced thin, with fresh salsa and pinquito beans - cook one big and it feeds you twiceGrill, 45 Minutes · serves 4
- 2Chicken & Andouille Dirty RiceAndouille · Holy Trinity · Long-Grain RiceA Louisiana one-pot, rice cooked right in the pan with browned chicken, smoky andouille and the holy trinity until every grain is savoryOne Pot, 40 Minutes · serves 4
- 3Greek HalibutLemon Orzo · Sweet Peppers · OlivesA whole Greek dinner, halibut roasted with sweet peppers, olives and oregano, served over a lemon orzo that soaks up the pan oilSheet Pan, 30 Minutes · serves 4
- 4Thai Basil Shrimp NoodlesWide Rice Noodles · Thai Basil · Chili-GarlicDrunken noodles the way the Thai spot makes them, wide rice noodles seared in a hot pan with shrimp, garlic, chili and a fistful of sweet basilSkillet, 25 Minutes · serves 4
- 5Butternut Squash SoupOrange · Maple · Cheddar-Gruyere Grilled CheeseA silky butternut squash soup with a little orange and maple, and a sharp cheddar-gruyere grilled cheese with fig jam to dunkOne Pot, 40 Minutes · serves 4
The Plant-Based five
Fully plant-based, every week, built to stand on its own rather than as a substitution.
- 1Fig FlatbreadCashew Ricotta · Arugula · Chili-MaplePeak figs on a crisp flatbread with creamy cashew ricotta, peppery arugula and a chili-maple drizzle - sweet, savory and a little hotOven, 25 Minutes · serves 4
- 2Ratatouille over PolentaEggplant · Zucchini · Creamy PolentaSummer's last vegetables stewed into a glossy Provencal ratatouille, spooned over soft creamy polentaSkillet, 45 Minutes · serves 4
- 3Portobello SteaksChimichurri · Sweet Peppers · Herb MarinadeMeaty portobello caps marinated and grilled like steaks, sliced thick and drowned in a bright green chimichurriGrill, 25 Minutes · serves 4
- 4Banh MiCrispy Tofu · Pickled Carrot · Cilantro-JalapenoA crackly-crust banh mi - crispy tofu, quick-pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeno on a crusty roll with a sriracha mayoSkillet, 20 Minutes · serves 4
- 5Grape & FennelLittle Gem · Toasted Almond · Sherry VinaigretteA no-cook September salad - sweet grapes, shaved fennel and crisp little gem with toasted almonds and a sharp sherry vinaigretteNo-Cook, 15 Minutes · serves 4
Start here · free
Get SEASON Weekly, free every Monday
A short letter from Chef Michael - what's in season, why this week's menu, and the moments from the market that don't fit inside a recipe.
Get it free →Free. One email a week. Unsubscribe anytime.
Want the whole week planned? Become a SEASON member - $25/mo →
What members get
The recipe above is the cooking. SEASON membership is the system around it:
- Ten dinners chosen for you every Sunday - five Classic, five Plant-Based
- One consolidated shopping list for the whole week, sorted the way a chef shops
- A prep plan that tells you what to do ahead so weeknights are assembly, not cooking
- Servings that scale, hands-free Cook Mode, and the full searchable Library of every dish