Tomato confit is one of my favorite ways to use an abundance of summer tomatoes. It’s incredibly simple, requires no real measuring, and leaves you with sweet, jammy tomatoes, buttery garlic, and the most delicious herb infused olive oil.

This is very much a measure with your heart recipe. Use as many tomatoes as you have, as much garlic as you’d like, and whichever woody herbs are growing in your garden or sitting in your fridge.

Ingredients

Cherry or grape tomatoes
Whole garlic cloves
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh rosemary, oregano, thyme, or a combination
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

2. Arrange your tomatoes in a single layer in a baking dish. A single layer is important here because it allows you to properly surround the tomatoes with olive oil without needing an entire bottle.

3. Add as many whole garlic cloves as your heart desires, then tuck in a few sprigs of rosemary, oregano, thyme, or your favorite combination of woody herbs.

4. Season generously with kosher salt and more lightly with freshly cracked black pepper. Tomatoes can handle a good amount of salt. It works beautifully with their acidity and really helps enhance their natural flavor.

5. Pour in a substantial amount of extra virgin olive oil. You want it to reach at least halfway up the tomatoes, and ideally closer to three quarters of the way up. There is really no such thing as too much olive oil or too much garlic here!

6. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and roast for 1 hour.

7. Remove the foil and broil for about 5 minutes, keeping a close eye on it, until the tomatoes are blistered and beginning to caramelize.

8. Remove the woody herb stems and serve warm, or allow everything to cool before storing.

How to Store Tomato Confit

Allow the confit to cool, then transfer the tomatoes, garlic, and infused olive oil to an airtight container.

Keep it refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days. Because we’re storing fresh garlic and herbs in oil, this is not something you want to leave sitting at room temperature.

Want to keep it longer? Freeze it in a freezer safe container and thaw it in the refrigerator when you’re ready to use it.

And don’t worry if the olive oil thickens or becomes cloudy in the refrigerator. That’s completely normal and it will loosen again as it warms.

Don’t Waste That Olive Oil!

The olive oil is part of the recipe. As everything slowly roasts, it becomes infused with tomato, garlic, and herbs, so make sure you use it along with the tomatoes.

Spoon your confit over toasted sourdough or crostini, toss it into pasta, use it on sandwiches, serve it alongside chicken or fish, or turn the whole thing into an easy creamy tomato sauce.

Which brings me to…

Bonus Recipe: Creamy Tomato Confit Pasta

One of my favorite ways to turn tomato confit into dinner is this incredibly easy creamy pasta. And just like the confit itself, you really don’t need to measure anything.

You’ll Need

Tomato confit
Heavy cream
Your favorite pasta
Italian sausage, optional
Fresh spinach, optional
Parmesan, optional

Directions

1. Add a generous amount of tomato confit to a skillet, making sure to spoon in some of that flavorful olive oil and garlic too.

2. Let it simmer for a minute or two until everything is warmed through.

3. Add heavy cream and stir, gently breaking up some of the softened tomatoes and garlic as you go.

4. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes until everything comes together into a creamy tomato sauce.

5. Add your cooked pasta and anything else you’d like.

For mine, I first sautéed Italian sausage, then added it to the creamy tomato confit sauce along with protein pasta. I also love adding a few handfuls of fresh spinach and letting it wilt right into the sauce.

Finish with Parmesan if you’d like, and dinner is done!

This is exactly why I love keeping tomato confit around. One simple batch can become an appetizer one night and an incredibly easy pasta dinner the next.

There are no precise measurements and really no wrong way to make it. Tomatoes, lots of garlic, lots of good olive oil, herbs, and salt. Let the oven do the rest. 🍅

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Some Sunday Soup recipes are meant to simmer on the stove all afternoon. This is not one of them. 😂

This week I wanted something cozy and comforting, but also ridiculously easy, and this Red Curry Dumpling Soup absolutely delivered. It has a creamy coconut curry broth loaded with fresh ginger, garlic and bok choy, then gets poured over tender dumplings and finished with fresh lime, cilantro and green onion.

And the best part? It comes together in about 15 minutes.

I used the homemade chicken stock we made for last week’s Sunday Soup, which made this feel like the perfect follow up recipe. But store bought stock works beautifully too, making this one of those dinners you can pull together even when you have absolutely nothing planned.

The frozen dumplings are the shortcut that makes the whole thing possible, and I already know I’ll be keeping a bag in my freezer specifically for this soup.

New here? Welcome to The Sunday Soup! I share a new cozy soup recipe every Sunday. Subscribe to Spilling the Tea and I’ll send each new recipe straight to your inbox so you never miss one. 🤍

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

♡ It’s ready in 15 minutes. Truly. This is weeknight dinner territory.

♡ Frozen dumplings do the work for you. I used Trader Joe’s Thai Vegetable Gyoza, but you can use your favorite.

♡ The broth is SO flavorful. Red curry paste, fresh ginger, garlic, coconut milk and lime make a simple broth taste like it has been simmering for hours.

♡ It’s easy to customize. Swap the dumplings, add extra vegetables or adjust the amount of curry paste depending on how much heat you like.

♡ It’s a great way to use homemade stock. If you made last week’s Sunday Soup with me, pull one of those frozen blocks out of the freezer!

Ingredients

For the Soup

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 yellow onion, finely diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 inch fresh ginger, finely minced or grated

• 2 tablespoons red curry paste

• 4 cups chicken stock

• 1 can full fat coconut milk

• 1 cup baby bok choy, chopped

• 1 package frozen dumplings or gyoza

For Serving

• Fresh cilantro, chopped

• Green onions, thinly sliced

• Fresh red chili, thinly sliced, optional

• Lime wedges

• Toasted sesame seeds, optional

Instructions

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for about 2 minutes, until it begins to soften.

Step 2

Add the garlic and fresh ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Step 3

Add the red curry paste and stir it into the aromatics. Let it cook for about 1 minute to really bring out all of that flavor.

Step 4

Pour in the chicken stock and coconut milk and stir until everything is well combined. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer.

Step 5

Add the chopped bok choy and simmer until just tender.

Step 6

While the soup simmers, cook your frozen dumplings according to the package directions.

Step 7

Divide the cooked dumplings between your bowls and ladle the hot red curry soup over the top.

Finish each bowl with fresh cilantro, sliced green onion, red chili if you like a little extra heat and a generous squeeze of fresh lime.

Courtney’s Tips

♡ Don’t skip cooking the curry paste for a minute before adding your liquids. That quick step helps deepen the flavor.

♡ Adjust the curry paste to your taste. Different brands vary in heat, so you can always start with less and add more.

♡ Cook the dumplings separately. This keeps them from becoming too soft or falling apart in the soup, especially if you have leftovers.

♡ Use whatever dumplings you love. Vegetable, chicken, pork or shrimp would all be delicious.

♡ Add whatever vegetables you have. Mushrooms, spinach, carrots, bell peppers or edamame would all work beautifully.

♡ The lime matters! That squeeze of fresh lime at the end cuts through the creamy coconut broth and brightens up the entire soup.

♡ Homemade stock is absolutely not required. I used mine from Episode Five, but store bought chicken stock makes this every bit as doable on a busy weeknight.

My Kitchen Favorites

For this recipe, I used my enameled Dutch oven, a large wooden cutting board and my favorite chef’s knife. And if you’ve been following along with The Sunday Soup, you already know how much I love freezing homemade chicken stock into large cubes so I can grab exactly what I need for recipes like this.

I also used Trader Joe’s Thai Vegetable Gyoza for the dumplings. They were perfect here, but there’s no need to make a special trip. Use whichever frozen dumplings you already love.

Save This Recipe

Save this one for the next night you want something warm and cozy but absolutely do not want to spend an hour making dinner.

And if you make my Red Curry Dumpling Soup, tag me so I can see your bowl! Nothing makes me happier than seeing these Sunday Soup recipes making their way into your kitchens. 🤍

Don’t Miss Next Sunday’s Soup

If you’re enjoying The Sunday Soup, make sure you subscribe to Spilling the Tea so every new recipe is delivered straight to your inbox. No searching for it later, just a new cozy recipe waiting for you every Sunday. 🤍

See you next Sunday for Episode Seven of The Sunday Soup. 🍲

This week, we are going back to the very beginning because the secret to an incredible soup starts with the base. And for almost every soup I make, that means a really good homemade chicken stock.

This is one of those things I almost always have tucked away in my freezer. The best part? I make it almost entirely from things I would otherwise throw away.

Throughout the week, I save vegetable scraps, herbs, chicken bones and chicken skin in gallon freezer bags. Once I have enough, everything goes into a big stock pot with water, herbs, bay leaves and peppercorns and simmers low and slow into the richest, most flavorful homemade chicken stock.

Buying a truly high quality organic chicken stock at the grocery store can get expensive very quickly, especially when one recipe can call for several cups. Making it at home gives you an incredible quality product ready to go in your refrigerator or freezer for practically nothing.

And once you start cooking with really good stock, you realize just how much it can transform a meal.

Chicken Stock vs. Chicken Broth

Although chicken stock and chicken broth are often used interchangeably, they are not quite the same thing.

Chicken stock is traditionally made by slowly simmering chicken bones along with vegetables and aromatics. The bones, skin and connective tissue give stock a richer flavor, more body and that wonderful silky texture.

Chicken broth is generally made more from chicken meat and tends to be lighter in both flavor and body.

When the liquid is an important part of the finished dish, I almost always reach for stock. It creates such a flavorful foundation before you have even added the rest of your ingredients.

And you can easily use this exact same method to make vegetable stock. Simply leave out the chicken bones and skin and use all of those beautiful vegetable scraps, herbs and aromatics you have been saving.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

♡ It makes everything taste better. A flavorful stock adds incredible depth and richness to even the simplest recipes.

♡ It uses things you would normally throw away. Vegetable trimmings, herb stems, chicken bones and chicken skin all get a second life.

♡ It saves so much money. High quality organic chicken stock can be expensive, especially when you need several cups for a single recipe.

♡ It is incredibly versatile. Use it for soups, sauces, gravies, deglazing pans, orzo, rice, pasta dishes and so much more.

♡ It is perfect for meal prep. Make a huge batch and keep portions ready to go in your refrigerator and freezer.

♡ There is no measuring required. This is truly a method rather than a precise recipe.

Ingredients

There are no exact measurements here, and that is intentional!

I wait until I have at least a couple of full gallon freezer bags of scraps before making a big batch. A great place to start is one gallon bag of vegetable scraps and one gallon bag of chicken bones and skin.

For the Chicken Stock

• Vegetable scraps

• Leftover chicken bones and carcasses

• Chicken skin

• Fresh or dried herbs

• Bay leaves

• Whole black peppercorns

• Water

No salt! I intentionally do not salt my stock. I season whatever final dish I am making to taste instead.

What to Save for Your Stock

My general rule is to focus on vegetables that bring sweetness, aromatics and flavor. You want ingredients that will taste even better after hours of simmering.

The Holy Trio

These three are the foundation of almost every batch I make.

🥕 Carrots: Peels, ends, tops and scraps

🌿 Celery: Ends, leaves, stalk scraps and tops

🧅 Onions: Ends and scraps from yellow onions, sweet onions, red onions, shallots, green onions and chives

More Scraps I Love to Save

🧄 Garlic: Skins, ends and leftover cloves

🫑 Sweet peppers: Tops, stems, seeds, ribs and scraps

🌽 Corn cobs: After cutting off the kernels, save the entire cob. There is still so much sweetness and flavor left behind.

🌱 Leeks: Green tops, ends and outer layers

🌿 Fennel: Stalks, fronds and trimmings. I use these more sparingly because fennel has a distinctive flavor.

🥕 Parsnips: Peels, ends and scraps

🌱 Turnips: Peels and ends in smaller amounts

🍅 Tomatoes: Cores, ends and scraps can add umami and acidity. I use these more sparingly because they can change the flavor and color of the finished stock.

🌿 Parsley: Especially the stems

🌿 Thyme: Stems, leftover sprigs and leaves

🌿 Rosemary: Stems and sprigs. I use this more sparingly because rosemary can become strong.

🌿 Sage: Leaves and stems

🍃 Bay leaves: I add these to every batch.

🍗 Chicken bones: I save bones from chicken thighs and the entire carcass from rotisserie chickens. My family usually has a rotisserie chicken about once a week, so those bones always go straight into the freezer.

🍗 Chicken skin: This goes into my stock too and adds richness and flavor.

🍗 Wing tips, backs and necks: All wonderful additions because the bones, cartilage and connective tissue help give stock its body.

What NOT to Save

Just because something is a vegetable scrap does not mean it belongs in your stock. Some vegetables become bitter after a long simmer while others are simply too bland or watery to contribute much flavor.

🥦 Broccoli: Can become bitter and sulfurous when simmered for hours

🥬 Cabbage: Too strong for the neutral, versatile stock I am trying to make

🥦 Cauliflower: Can develop a strong sulfurous flavor

🌱 Brussels sprouts: Can become overpowering or bitter

🥒 Zucchini: Too bland and watery to contribute much flavor

🍆 Eggplant: Too bland for the sweeter, aromatic flavor profile I want

🥔 Potatoes and potato peels: Can add excess starch and make the stock cloudy

🌶️ Spicy peppers: I want my stock to work in almost any recipe, so I save sweet peppers but skip anything spicy.

🍄 Mushrooms: Mushrooms are actually wonderful in stock, but I personally leave them out. They create a deeper, earthier flavor. I prefer to keep my stock more neutral and add mushrooms to the final dish when I actually want that flavor.

🧅 Too many papery onion skins: A few are fine and can contribute beautiful color, but too many can add bitterness.

And most importantly, never save anything moldy, rotten or spoiled.

The goal is to give perfectly good food scraps a second life. If something has actually gone bad, throw it away. It does not belong in your stock.

Instructions

Step 1

Start saving!

As I cook, my vegetable scraps go into gallon freezer bags instead of the trash. I do the same with chicken bones and skin from chicken thighs and rotisserie chickens.

Keep adding to your bags until you have enough for a big batch. You can start with one gallon bag of vegetables and one gallon bag of chicken scraps, or wait until you have even more.

Step 2

Fill your stock pot at least three quarters full with your vegetable scraps, chicken bones and chicken skin.

Do not be shy here. Everything will cook down considerably, and a pot densely packed with scraps will give you a much richer stock than a small amount of scraps swimming in a huge pot of water.

Step 3

Add plenty of herbs, bay leaves and whole peppercorns.

I do not measure these either. I season heavily with herbs because it is very difficult to overdo them in a huge pot of stock.

I add peppercorns according to taste and leave out the salt completely.

Step 4

Cover everything with water.

I fill my pot with water almost all the way to the top, leaving enough room that it can safely simmer without spilling over.

Step 5

Let it cook low and slow.

I usually start my stock in the morning and leave it gently cooking throughout the day. The longer you give those bones, vegetables and herbs to simmer together, the more depth of flavor your finished stock will have.

You are looking for a beautiful, rich stock rather than a watered down broth, which is another reason I start with a pot packed full of scraps.

Step 6

Once your stock is deeply golden and flavorful, strain everything out.

I usually strain mine twice to make sure I catch all of the smaller herbs, peppercorns and vegetable pieces. This gives me a beautiful, clean finished stock.

Step 7

Allow your stock to cool before portioning it for storage.

Keep what you plan to use soon in the refrigerator and freeze the rest.

Courtney’s Tips

♡ Do not measure. This is one of those recipes where your eyes are more useful than measuring cups. Fill your pot with plenty of scraps, cover with water and let time do the rest.

♡ More scraps means more flavor. I aim to fill my pots at least three quarters full before adding the water. You want a rich, concentrated stock, not flavored water.

♡ Think sweet when choosing vegetables. Carrots, celery and onions are my holy trio. From there, I add other naturally sweet and aromatic vegetable scraps.

♡ Keep the flavor versatile. I intentionally avoid spicy, overly earthy and strongly flavored vegetables because I want this stock to work in as many recipes as possible.

♡ Do not add salt. Your stock may eventually become soup, pasta, gravy or sauce, all of which have different seasoning needs. Season the final recipe instead.

♡ Be generous with your herbs. I add plenty of herbs to my stock pot. They bring so much flavor, especially when the stock has hours to simmer.

♡ Low and slow is the secret. Give it time. I start mine in the morning and usually package everything up that evening.

♡ Strain it twice. This catches all of those little herbs, peppercorns and bits and gives you a much cleaner finished stock.

♡ Freeze it in useful portions. I love using Souper Cubes to freeze my stock in different amounts. Then I can pull out exactly what I need instead of thawing an entire container.

How to Store Homemade Stock

If I know I am going to use my stock soon, I keep it in the refrigerator and use it within the next 3 to 5 days.

Everything else goes into the freezer.

I freeze mine in different portions using my Souper Cubes trays. Having different sizes means I can literally grab one portion at a time, thaw exactly what I need and leave the rest frozen.

It makes having homemade, high quality stock on hand almost as convenient as grabbing a carton from the pantry.

So What Can You Use It For?

Soup is only the beginning!

Use homemade stock to:

• Make soups and stews

• Cook orzo

• Cook rice and other grains

• Build pasta sauces

• Make gravy

• Deglaze a pan

• Make pan sauces

• Add moisture and flavor to braised dishes

• Loosen sauces

• Add flavor anywhere you might otherwise reach for water

Sometimes I need several cups for a huge pot of Sunday Soup. Other times I only need a small portion to finish a sauce or cook some orzo.

That is exactly why having it portioned and ready in the freezer is so convenient.

My Kitchen Favorites

🔪 My everyday kitchen knives

🥣 My favorite stock pots

🥄 Olive wood cooking spoon

🫙 My favorite glass jars

❄️ Souper Cubes for freezing homemade stock

Save This Recipe

Once you start keeping homemade chicken stock in your freezer, it is very hard to go back.

Something made almost entirely from ingredients that would have otherwise been thrown away becomes one of the highest quality and most useful ingredients in my kitchen.

It costs practically nothing. It helps reduce food waste. And it gives me an incredible base that can completely transform everything from a big pot of soup to a simple weeknight orzo.

And now that the freezer is stocked, we are officially ready for the rest of soup season. 🤍

See you next Sunday for Episode Six of The Sunday Soup.

There is something about the first few weeks of back-to-school season that makes dinnertime feel approximately 47 times harder.

We’re getting back into routines, everyone is tired by the end of the day, and somehow 5:00 rolls around before I’ve even had a chance to think about what I’m feeding everyone.

And with three boys, “we’ll just figure something out” is generally not a successful dinner strategy around here. 😂

So this week, I went into Food Lion with a plan: one grocery trip, three easy dinners, and as few dishes as humanly possible.

Shop all the ingredients here 🩵

The result was three one-pan meals that were genuinely easy enough for a busy weeknight but still felt like real dinner—not something I threw together simply because everyone needed to eat.

And somehow, one of them ended up being quite possibly the best salmon my husband and I have ever had.

So naturally, I needed all three recipes to live somewhere permanently.

Dinner #1: Garlic Parmesan Gnocchi & Sausage

This is exactly the kind of recipe I love for a weeknight because there is essentially no prep. The gnocchi goes straight onto the sheet pan without boiling first, the sausage gets crumbled right alongside it, and everything roasts together.

The result is crispy little gnocchi, caramelized broccolini, savory Italian sausage and lots of garlic and Parmesan.

Ingredients

• 1 lb potato gnocchi

• 1 bunch broccolini, thick ends trimmed and cut into thirds

• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 tbsp minced garlic

• 2 tbsp butter

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

• 1 lemon

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.

2. Add the gnocchi and broccolini to a large sheet pan and toss with the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

3. Crumble the Italian sausage evenly over the sheet pan.

4. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, tossing everything halfway through so the gnocchi and vegetables can brown evenly.

5. Remove from the oven and toss everything with the butter and Parmesan.

6. Finish with more freshly grated Parmesan and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

The lemon at the end is small but do not skip it. It cuts through all of that buttery, garlicky goodness and makes the entire dish taste so fresh.

Dinner #2: Garlic Herb Pork & Apples

This one might be my favorite transition-into-fall dinner.

You get the savory roasted pork and Brussels sprouts, but then there are little bites of sweet roasted apple mixed throughout. It feels cozy without being overly heavy—which is exactly what I want when it is technically almost fall but North Carolina hasn’t received the memo. 😂

I also took a major shortcut here and bought roasted garlic & herb seasoned pork loins. They’re already packed with flavor, so there’s absolutely no reason to make an additional marinade or rub.

I used two pork loins for our family of five, which gave everyone plenty for dinner with leftovers afterward.

Ingredients

• 2 roasted garlic & herb seasoned pork loins

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved if large

• 2 medium apples, cut into approximately 3/4-inch chunks

• 1 small red onion, sliced

• 1–2 tbsp olive oil

• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

• Fresh rosemary or thyme, optional

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place both pork loins in the center of the baking sheet.

3. Arrange the Brussels sprouts, apples and red onion around the pork.

4. Drizzle the vegetables and apples with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss everything to coat.

5. Roast uncovered for approximately 25–30 minutes, tossing the vegetables halfway through cooking.

6. Because pork loins can vary quite a bit in thickness, use a meat thermometer rather than relying solely on cooking time to determine when yours is finished.

7. Once the pork is done, transfer it from the sheet pan to a cutting board and allow it to rest before slicing.

8. Here’s the trick: while the pork rests, put the sheet pan of Brussels sprouts, apples and onions back into the oven under the broiler. Check them every 2 minutes and pull them once they’ve reached your desired level of crispiness. Watch them closely—the difference between beautifully caramelized and burned happens FAST under a broiler!

9. Slice the rested pork and serve with the crispy vegetables and apples.

That last broil made such a difference. You get to properly rest your pork without sacrificing those crispy, caramelized edges on the vegetables.

Dinner #3: Lemon Parmesan Salmon & Orzo

And now for the surprise winner.

I knew this dinner was going to be good.

I did not expect my husband and me to sit there talking about how it might be the best salmon we’ve ever had.

This is one of those recipes that feels much more impressive than the effort required to make it. The orzo cooks right in the baking dish with asparagus, peas and broth before getting finished with Parmesan and fresh spinach. Then the buttery, lemony salmon gets nestled right on top.

You end up with a creamy Parmesan orzo underneath and perfectly tender salmon on top—and you only dirtied one baking dish.

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillets

• 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

• 3 tbsp butter, melted

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 bunch asparagus, chopped

• 1 cup peas

• 1 lb uncooked orzo

• 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth

• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

• 2 cups fresh spinach

• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.

2. In a large baking dish, combine the olive oil, melted butter, lemon juice, parsley, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

3. Dip each salmon fillet into the mixture, coating it well on both sides, then remove the salmon and set it aside.

4. Add the asparagus, peas, uncooked orzo and vegetable broth directly to the same baking dish and stir everything together.

5. Cover the dish tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

6. Remove it from the oven and stir in the Parmesan and fresh spinach. The heat from the orzo will begin wilting the spinach.

7. Nestle the salmon fillets into the orzo and top each piece with thin slices of fresh lemon.

8. Return the baking dish to the oven uncovered and cook for another 15–20 minutes, depending on how you prefer your salmon.

If you’re only going to try one recipe from this list first, make it this one.

Three dinners, one grocery trip.

This is the kind of meal planning I can actually stick to.

Nothing required hours of prep. Nothing left me standing over four different pots and pans at 6:00 at night. And, most importantly, these were dinners my family actually wanted to eat.

Garlic Parmesan Gnocchi & Sausage when I need something ridiculously easy.

Garlic Herb Pork & Apples when I want cozy fall flavors.

And Lemon Parmesan Salmon & Orzo when I want a weeknight dinner that tastes like I put significantly more effort into it than I actually did. 😂

I hope this makes one of your busy weeks a little easier, too.

Save this post for the next time you find yourself staring into the refrigerator at 5:00 wondering what in the world you’re going to make for dinner.

There are certain foods you crave the second you start feeling even a little under the weather, and for me, this is one of them.

This Italian Penicillin Soup is everything I want in a cozy bowl — warm, comforting, packed with vegetables and full of so much flavor. Onion, carrots, celery and plenty of garlic are sautéed until tender and fragrant, then simmered in chicken stock and blended to create the coziest, veggie-packed base.

Then comes the best part: tiny pastina pasta simmered right in the soup with fresh herbs and a Parmesan rind until everything is savory, comforting and exactly the kind of meal that makes you want to curl up on the couch with a big bowl.

And despite the nickname, you definitely don’t need to be sick to make it. 🤍

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

♡ Packed with vegetables — onion, carrots, celery and plenty of garlic make their way into every bowl.

♡ The ultimate comfort food when you’re feeling under the weather or simply craving something warm and cozy.

♡ Made in one pot for an easy dinner with minimal cleanup.

♡ Pastina makes everything better. Those teeny tiny noodles make every spoonful so comforting.

♡ Easy to make heartier with shredded rotisserie chicken if you’d like to add some extra protein.

Ingredients

For the Soup

• Olive oil

• 2 cups sweet onion, roughly chopped

• 1½ cups carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

• 2 celery ribs, roughly chopped

• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 8 cups lower-sodium chicken stock, plus extra as needed

• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 Parmesan rind

• 4 ounces uncooked pastina pasta

Optional

• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

For Serving

• Freshly grated Parmesan

• Fresh flat-leaf parsley

• Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Step 1

Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and kosher salt and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.

Step 2

Pour in 8 cups of chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer.

Continue simmering until the vegetables are completely tender, about 10–15 minutes.

Step 3

Using an immersion blender, blend the vegetables directly in the pot until you reach your preferred consistency.

I like to leave some small pieces of carrot, celery and onion for a little extra texture in every bite, but you can blend the soup completely smooth if you prefer.

Add the fresh thyme, bay leaves and Parmesan rind and return the soup to a gentle simmer.

Step 4

Add the pastina and simmer for approximately 6–8 minutes, or according to the package directions, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente.

Keep an eye on the consistency as it cooks. Tiny pasta absorbs a surprising amount of liquid, so add additional chicken stock as needed until the soup reaches your preferred consistency.

If you’re adding shredded rotisserie chicken, stir it in during the last few minutes of cooking, just until warmed through.

Step 5

Remove and discard the thyme sprigs, bay leaves and Parmesan rind.

Taste and season with additional salt and freshly cracked black pepper as needed.

Ladle into bowls and finish with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan and fresh parsley.

Courtney’s Tips

♡ Use chicken stock instead of chicken broth. Stock has a richer, deeper flavor, which makes such a difference in a simple soup like this. The broth is really the star, so start with a good-quality chicken stock.

♡ Blend it to your preferred texture. I like to leave some small pieces of veggies behind because I love the extra texture — and seeing all those veggies in every bowl! But if you have kids who turn into detectives the second they spot a carrot, blend everything completely smooth. They’ll never know how many veggies are hiding in that cozy broth. 🤍

♡ Keep extra chicken stock on hand. Pastina absorbs a lot of liquid as it cooks, and it will continue absorbing stock as it sits in the refrigerator. Keep extra nearby to adjust the consistency while cooking and add another splash when reheating leftovers.

♡ Make the veggie broth ahead and freeze it. This might be my favorite trick: prepare the soup through the blending step, but don’t add the pastina yet. Freeze the veggie-packed soup base on its own so the next time someone in the house gets sick, you already have homemade Italian Penicillin waiting. Thaw and reheat the base, then add the pastina fresh so it doesn’t get mushy or absorb all of your stock in the freezer.

♡ Save those Parmesan rinds! I keep mine for recipes exactly like this. Simmering one in the soup adds an incredible savory richness.

♡ Chicken is completely optional. I made mine without chicken and love how simple and veggie-packed it is. For a heartier meal, add about 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken during the last few minutes of cooking.

♡ Use whatever tiny pasta you can find. Pastina refers to tiny pasta shapes, so use your favorite or whatever you can find at the grocery store.

♡ Don’t wait until you’re sick to make it. It may be called Italian Penicillin, but this is one of those simple, comforting soups worth keeping in the rotation all soup season long.

My Kitchen Favorites

🍷 My favorite wine glasses

🔪 My everyday kitchen knives

🍲 My favorite cooking pot

🥄 Olive wood cooking spoon

❄️ Souper Cubes (perfect for freezing the soup base!)

Save This Recipe

If you make this Italian Penicillin Soup, I’d love to see it! Tag me @southerntoatea on Instagram so I can share your beautiful creations.

See you next Sunday for Episode Five of The Sunday Soup. 🤍

There are some recipes that just work for nearly every occasion, and quiche is one of them.

Breakfast, brunch, lunch, a baby shower, a holiday morning, or even an easy dinner with a simple salad on the side—it somehow always feels a little special without being overly complicated.

For these two, I made a Classic Quiche Lorraine with bacon, shallots and Gruyère, and a Garden Vegetable Quiche filled with zucchini, tomato, bell pepper and red onion. And because every good quiche needs something fresh alongside it, I served them with mixed baby greens tossed in my favorite simple honey balsamic vinaigrette.

And my biggest tip?

Always make two.

They never last long in our house.

First, Let’s Talk About the Crust

I use store-bought pie dough for both of these recipes. It makes quiche incredibly approachable, but I do take the extra time to blind bake it before adding the filling.

A few extra minutes here gives you a much better crust that holds up underneath that creamy egg filling—and there’s one little trick I always use to keep those pretty edges from shrinking.

How to Blind Bake Your Pie Crust

1. Prepare the crust.
Fit one store-bought pie dough into a 9-inch pie dish and crimp the edges however you’d like.

2. Freeze for 10 minutes.
Place the entire pie dish in the freezer for 10 minutes. Getting the dough nice and cold again helps it hold its shape once it hits the hot oven.

3. Add parchment and pie weights.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400°F. Remove the crust from the freezer and line the inside with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights, spreading them evenly across the bottom.

4. Begin the blind bake.
Bake with the parchment and pie weights for 10–12 minutes.

5. Remove the weights and finish baking.
Carefully remove the parchment and pie weights. Return the uncovered crust to the oven for another 5–7 minutes, until the bottom looks dry and the edges are just beginning to turn lightly golden.

Now you’re ready for the good part.

Classic Quiche Lorraine

This is such a timeless recipe. Smoky bacon, shallots and nutty Gruyère tucked into a flaky crust with a rich, silky egg custard—it’s classic for a reason.

Ingredients

• 1 store-bought 9-inch pie dough

• 8 oz thick-cut bacon, diced

• ½ cup chopped shallots

• 4 large eggs

• 1¼ cups heavy cream

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• Pinch of ground nutmeg

• 4 oz Gruyère cheese, finely shredded

Instructions

1. Prepare the crust.
Prepare and blind bake the pie crust according to the instructions above. Once the crust is finished, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

2. Cook the bacon.
Add the diced bacon to a skillet and cook over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the skillet.

3. Cook the shallots.
Add the chopped shallots to the skillet and cook in the reserved bacon fat over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat.

4. Make the custard.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the heavy cream, salt, cayenne and nutmeg and whisk again until completely combined.

5. Assemble the quiche.
Spread the cooked shallots over the bottom of your blind-baked crust. Sprinkle half of the bacon over the shallots, followed by all of the Gruyère. Finish with the remaining bacon.

Slowly pour the egg mixture over the filling.

6. Bake.
Bake at 325°F for 45–50 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is lightly golden.

Allow the quiche to rest slightly before slicing. It’s wonderful served warm or at room temperature.

Garden Vegetable Quiche

If the Quiche Lorraine is the classic, this is its colorful summer counterpart.

I filled mine with zucchini, tomato, bell pepper and red onion, but this is exactly the kind of recipe you can change throughout the seasons depending on what’s growing in your garden or looking especially beautiful at the farmers market.

Ingredients

• 1 store-bought 9-inch pie dough

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced

• ½ bell pepper, diced

• ¼–½ small red onion, thinly sliced or diced

• ½–¾ cup small tomatoes, sliced

• 4 large eggs

• 1¼ cups heavy cream

• ½ teaspoon salt

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare the crust.
Prepare and blind bake the pie crust according to the instructions above. Once finished, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

2. Prepare the vegetables.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini, bell pepper and red onion and sauté until they’re just beginning to soften.

You don’t need to cook them completely—we’re really just giving them a head start and helping cook off some of that extra moisture before they go into the quiche.

Remove from the heat.

3. Make the custard.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, salt and freshly ground black pepper until smooth and completely combined.

4. Assemble the quiche.
Arrange the sautéed vegetables evenly throughout the blind-baked pie crust, reserving a few of the prettiest pieces of zucchini for the top.

Pour the egg mixture evenly over the vegetables.

Arrange the reserved zucchini and sliced tomatoes over the top.

5. Bake.
Bake at 350°F for approximately 35–45 minutes, or until the center is just set and the top is lightly golden.

Let the quiche rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

A simple green salad is probably my favorite thing to serve alongside quiche. The freshness and acidity are such a good balance to the buttery crust and creamy filling.

I keep the salad itself incredibly simple: mixed baby greens tossed with this homemade honey balsamic vinaigrette. That’s it.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

• ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Mixed baby greens, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the vinaigrette.
In a small bowl or jar, combine the honey, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, minced garlic and balsamic vinegar.

Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking until the dressing is completely combined and emulsified.

2. Dress the greens.
Just before serving, drizzle the vinaigrette over mixed baby greens and gently toss to coat.

You won’t necessarily need all of the dressing, so start with a little—you can always add more.

Store any leftover vinaigrette in a sealed jar in the refrigerator and shake well before serving again.

A Few Tips Before You Make Your Quiche

Quiche is one of my favorite things to make when entertaining because it doesn’t demand that everything happen at the last possible second.

You can serve it warm or closer to room temperature, which makes it wonderful for brunches, showers, holidays or anytime you want to actually enjoy your guests instead of spending the entire time in the kitchen.

And don’t feel like the garden quiche needs to look exactly like mine. Use what you have. That’s part of what makes it so good. As the seasons change, so can the vegetables inside.

But whatever you put in yours, I stand firmly behind my most important quiche advice:

Make two.

One classic, one seasonal, a simple salad on the side—and lunch is served. 🤍

There’s something about August when I’m still holding onto every bit of summer produce I can, but I’m also more than ready to start cooking all the cozy things.

This Summer Corn Chowder is the perfect in-between-season recipe. Fresh sweet corn, tender potatoes, chicken and crispy bacon come together in a creamy broth that feels comforting without leaving summer completely behind.

I use a rotisserie chicken to keep this one incredibly easy, and blending part of the soup gives it that thick, creamy chowder texture without losing all those delicious bites of fresh corn and potato.

It’s hearty enough to be dinner all on its own, and definitely one I’ll be making again before corn season is over.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

♡ Uses fresh, peak-season summer corn

♡ Rich and creamy while still having plenty of texture

♡ Rotisserie chicken makes it incredibly easy

♡ A complete meal in one pot

♡ The perfect transition from summer into cozy fall cooking

Ingredients

For the Soup

• 6 strips bacon, chopped

• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped

• 1 bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

• 10 cups chicken stock

• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced

• 4 ears fresh sweet corn, kernels removed (reserve 2 of the stripped cobs)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For Serving

• Reserved crispy bacon

• Chopped fresh chives or parsley

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• Crusty bread

Instructions

Step 1

Add the chopped bacon to a large Dutch oven over medium heat and cook until crisp.

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the rendered bacon grease in the Dutch oven.

Step 2

Add the onion, celery and bell pepper directly to the bacon grease. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Step 3

Add the butter and allow it to melt into the vegetables.

Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.

Slowly pour in the chicken stock, stirring well as you pour until everything is incorporated.

Step 4

Add the potatoes and the kernels from 3 ears of corn, reserving the kernels from the remaining ear to add later.

Add the bay leaf along with 2 of the stripped corn cobs. The cobs will simmer right in the broth and add even more sweet corn flavor to the soup.

Bring the soup to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20–25 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Step 5

Remove and discard the bay leaf and corn cobs.

Carefully transfer about half of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the blended soup back into the Dutch oven and stir everything together.

Be careful when blending hot liquids. Work in batches if necessary and make sure your blender can safely handle hot soup.

Step 6

Add the shredded rotisserie chicken, heavy cream, reserved kernels from the final ear of corn and most of the crispy bacon.

Let the chowder gently simmer for another 5–10 minutes, until the chicken is heated through and the fresh corn is tender.

Step 7

Stir in the fresh chives and parsley.

Taste and season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.

Ladle into bowls and finish with the remaining crispy bacon, extra fresh herbs and freshly cracked black pepper.

Courtney’s Tips

♡ Fresh corn is worth it here. This recipe is really meant to celebrate summer corn, so use fresh ears when they’re in season and at their sweetest.

♡ Don’t toss the bacon grease! Cooking the onion, celery and bell pepper directly in the rendered bacon fat builds so much flavor into the chowder before you’ve even added the stock.

♡ Don’t blend the entire soup. Blending about half gives you that thick, velvety chowder consistency while leaving plenty of potatoes and corn intact for texture.

♡ Save one ear of corn for the end. Adding those fresh kernels after blending means you still get whole, sweet kernels of corn in every bowl.

♡ Rotisserie chicken is my favorite shortcut. It makes this soup so easy, but you can absolutely cook your own chicken instead. About 1½ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs would work well.

♡ Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. The chowder will thicken as it sits, so add a splash of chicken stock or cream while reheating if needed.

Shop My Kitchen

These are the pieces I use again and again in my kitchen and for serving The Sunday Soup:

🍷 My favorite wine glasses

🔪 My everyday kitchen knives

🍲 My Dutch oven

🥄 Olive wood cooking spoon

❄️ Souper Cubes (perfect for freezing leftovers)

Save This Recipe

If you make this Summer Corn Chowder, I’d love to see it! Tag me @southerntoatea on Instagram so I can share your beautiful creations.

See you next Sunday for Episode Four of The Sunday Soup. 🤍

There’s a reason this soup has become one of our family’s most requested dinners.

It’s rich and creamy, packed with tender cheese tortellini, savory Italian sausage, fresh vegetables, and just enough spinach to sneak in a little extra goodness. It’s the kind of meal that tastes like it simmered all day, but comes together surprisingly easily.

This is one of those recipes I make on repeat once the weather starts cooling off because everyone happily eats it—including the kids—and the leftovers are just as delicious the next day.

If you’re looking for a cozy soup that’s hearty enough to be dinner all on its own, this is the one.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

♡ Rich, creamy tomato broth with incredible flavor

♡ A complete meal in one pot

♡ Family-friendly and kid approved

♡ Perfect for chilly autumn evenings

♡ Great for leftovers and meal prep

Ingredients

For the Soup

• 1 pound mild Italian sausage

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 2 celery stalks, diced

• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 1 teaspoon fennel seed, lightly crushed

• 6-ounce can tomato paste

• ½ cup dry white wine

• ½ cup all-purpose flour

• 6–7 cups chicken broth

• 14 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini

• 2 cups half-and-half (or heavy cream)

• 1 generous handful fresh spinach, chopped

For Serving

• Freshly grated Parmesan

• Chopped fresh parsley

• Crusty bread or garlic bread

Instructions

Step 1

In a large Dutch oven, brown the Italian sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it into bite-sized pieces as it cooks.

Once mostly browned, add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

Step 2

Stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, fennel seed, and tomato paste.

Cook for another 3–5 minutes, stirring often, until everything becomes fragrant.

Cooking the tomato paste for a few minutes deepens the flavor and gives the broth an incredible richness.

Step 3

Pour in the white wine and allow it to reduce for a few minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir well to coat everything. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until smooth.

Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat and cook for about 15 minutes.

Step 4

Stir in the half-and-half.

Add the tortellini and spinach, cooking just until the tortellini is tender according to the package directions.

Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan, parsley, and plenty of crusty bread.

Be careful not to overcook the tortellini—it only needs a few minutes to stay perfectly tender.

Courtney’s Tips

♡ Fresh refrigerated tortellini gives the best texture, but frozen works beautifully too. Simply add a couple of extra minutes to the cooking time.

♡ Freshly grated Parmesan melts much better than pre-shredded and adds so much flavor.

♡ A loaf of warm crusty bread or garlic bread is absolutely perfect for soaking up every last spoonful.

♡ If you know you’ll have leftovers, cook the tortellini separately and add it to each bowl before serving. It stays much firmer this way and won’t soak up all of the broth.

♡ Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 2–3 days. Add a splash of chicken broth or cream when reheating since the tortellini will continue absorbing liquid.

Shop My Kitchen

These are the exact pieces I used while making today’s recipe:

🍷 My favorite wine glasses

🔪 My everyday kitchen knives

🦁 Traditional French lion head soup bowls

🥘 My Dutch oven

🥄 Olive wood cooking spoon

❄️ Souper Cubes (perfect for freezing leftovers)

Save This Recipe

If you make this Creamy Tortellini Soup, I’d love to see it! Tag me @southerntoatea on Instagram so I can share your beautiful creations.

See you next Sunday for Episode Three of The Sunday Soup. 🤍

There’s something so special about a pot of soup slowly simmering away on a Sunday afternoon.

I could happily eat soup year-round, but autumn always feels like the official start of soup season. So this year, I’m starting a new tradition: The Sunday Soup. Every Sunday, I’ll be sharing one of my favorite cozy soup recipes to carry us through the season.

And there couldn’t be a better recipe to kick things off than a rich, deeply caramelized French onion soup topped with crusty bread and bubbling cheese.

It’s elegant enough for a dinner party but simple enough to make on a cozy Sunday at home.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

♡ Rich, slow-cooked caramelized onions

♡ Restaurant-quality French onion soup at home

♡ Perfect for cozy autumn evenings

♡ Freezer-friendly for easy meals later

♡ Simple ingredients with incredible flavor

Ingredients

For the Soup

• ½ cup unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 8 large yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 5–6 pounds)

• 5 cups high-quality beef broth

• 2 tablespoons dry sherry

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 bay leaf (optional)

• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

For Serving

• 4 thick slices crusty French bread, toasted

• 4 slices provolone cheese

• 2 slices Swiss cheese, diced

• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Step 1: Heat the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat.

Add the sliced onions and cook for 45–60 minutes, stirring every 5–10 minutes, until they’re deeply caramelized and a rich golden brown. If they begin browning too quickly, reduce the heat.

Don’t rush this step—it’s what gives French onion soup its signature rich, sweet flavor.

Step 2: Stir in the dry sherry, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add the beef broth, thyme, and bay leaf (if using). Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Taste and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Step 3: Meanwhile, toast the French bread until lightly crisp.

Ladle the soup into traditional French onion bowls. Top each bowl with a slice of toasted bread, one slice of provolone, half a slice of Swiss, and a generous sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan.

Step 4: Place the bowls on a baking sheet and broil for 2–4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and beautifully golden brown.

Serve immediately while hot.

Courtney’s Tips

♡ The onions will look like way too much when you first add them to the pot—but don’t worry. They cook down dramatically and become the heart of this soup.

♡ Low and slow is the secret to incredible French onion soup. The extra time caramelizing the onions is absolutely worth it.

♡ Toasting the bread first helps it hold up beautifully beneath the melted cheese.

♡ Freshly grated Parmesan melts and browns better than pre-shredded cheese.

♡ The soup base freezes beautifully. I like freezing individual portions in Souper Cubes, then adding fresh bread and cheese when I’m ready to enjoy another bowl.

Shop My Kitchen

These are the exact pieces I used while making today’s recipe:

🍷 My favorite wine glasses

🔪 My everyday kitchen knives

🦁 Traditional French lion head soup bowls

🫕 My Dutch oven

🧊 Souper Cubes (perfect for freezing leftovers)

Save This Recipe

If you make this French onion soup, I’d love to see it! Tag me @southerntoatea on Instagram so I can share your beautiful creations.

See you next Sunday for Episode Two of The Sunday Soup. 🤍

Welcome

Most people think gardening ends when summer does.

But if you ask me, fall is the very best season to grow a garden. Cooler temperatures, fewer pests, and less maintenance make it one of the most rewarding times of year to grow your own food. In fact, many vegetables become sweeter after a light frost!

Whether you’re planting your very first garden or you’re extending your harvest into the cooler months, I hope this guide gives you the confidence to get growing.

Happy gardening!
🤎 Courtney

Why You’ll Love Fall Gardening

✔️ Fewer pests and insects

✔️ Cooler weather makes gardening enjoyable again

✔️ Less watering thanks to cooler temperatures

✔️ Plants experience less heat stress

✔️ Most crops don’t rely on pollination like summer vegetables

✔️ Many vegetables become sweeter after a light frost

✔️ You can harvest fresh food well into fall—and even winter in many southern climates

Before You Begin

Before planting your fall garden, make sure you’ve got the basics covered.

☀️ Choose a location with at least 6–8 hours of sunlight each day.

🌱 Refresh your garden beds with compost or organic matter after removing spent summer crops.

💧 Keep newly planted seeds consistently moist until they germinate.

❄️ Know your average first frost date so you can time your planting correctly.

🌱 = Direct sow | 🪴 = Transplant or nursery start

🥦 Brassicas

• Broccoli — 🪴 Transplant

• Cabbage — 🪴 Transplant

• Cauliflower — 🪴 Transplant

• Kale — 🪴 Preferred, 🌱 also works

• Collard Greens — 🪴 Preferred, 🌱 also works

• Brussels Sprouts — 🪴 Transplant

• Kohlrabi — 🌱 or 🪴

• Romanesco — 🪴 Transplant

• Bok Choy — 🌱 or 🪴

• Tatsoi — 🌱 or 🪴

• Mizuna — 🌱 or 🪴

• Mustard Greens — 🌱 or 🪴

🥬 Leafy Greens

• Lettuce — 🌱 or 🪴

• Spinach — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Arugula — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Swiss Chard — 🌱 or 🪴

• Endive — 🌱 or 🪴

• Escarole — 🌱 or 🪴

🥕 Root Vegetables

• Carrots — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Beets — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Radishes — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Turnips — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Rutabagas — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Parsnips — 🌱 Direct Sow

🧅 Alliums

• Garlic — 🌱 Plant Cloves

• Onions — 🪴 Sets or Transplants

• Shallots — 🌱 Plant Bulbs

• Green Onions (Scallions) — 🌱 or 🪴

• Leeks — 🪴 Transplant

🫛 Legumes

• Sugar Snap Peas — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Snow Peas — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Shelling (English) Peas — 🌱 Direct Sow

🌿 Herbs

• Cilantro — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Parsley — 🌱 or 🪴

• Dill — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Chives — 🪴 Preferred

• Fennel — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Chamomile — 🌱 Direct Sow

🌸 Flowers

• Pansies — 🪴 Transplant

• Violas — 🪴 Transplant

• Snapdragons — 🪴 Transplant

• Sweet Alyssum — 🌱 or 🪴

• Dianthus — 🪴 Transplant

• Calendula — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Stock — 🪴 Transplant

• Sweet Peas — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Larkspur — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Bachelor Buttons — 🌱 Direct Sow

• Nigella — 🌱 Direct Sow

🌷 Bulbs

• Tulips — 🌱 Plant Bulbs

• Daffodils — 🌱 Plant Bulbs

• Hyacinths — 🌱 Plant Bulbs

• Crocus — 🌱 Plant Bulbs

• Ornamental Alliums — 🌱 Plant Bulbs

• Grape Hyacinths — 🌱 Plant Bulbs

• Ranunculus — 🌱 Plant Corms

• Anemones — 🌱 Plant Corms

🌱 My Favorite Varieties

These are the varieties I grow year after year because they’ve consistently performed beautifully in my North Carolina garden.

🥬 Dinosaur Kale (Lacinato)

My absolute favorite kale. The leaves are tender, deeply textured, and perfect for soups and stews. It also freezes beautifully, making it one of my favorite crops to preserve for winter meals.

🥦 Broccolini (Aspabroc)

If you’re only growing one broccoli, make it this one! Unlike traditional heading broccoli, broccolini produces tender stems and florets over an extended period. The more you harvest, the more it keeps producing.

🥬 Chinese Cabbage (Napa Cabbage)

One of my favorite fall vegetables. It’s delicious in soups, stews, stir-fries, and fresh salads, with crisp stems and tender leaves that make it incredibly versatile in the kitchen.

🥕 Caravel Carrots

My favorite carrot variety for its exceptional sweetness, beautiful long roots, and reliable performance. They’re perfect for fresh snacking, roasting, soups, and winter storage.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start with these four. They’re some of my favorite fall crops, and I think they’ll make you fall in love with fall gardening too. 🤎

Common Beginner Mistakes

❌ Waiting too long to plant.

❌ Letting seeds dry out during germination.

❌ Forgetting to refresh garden beds with compost after summer crops.

❌ Skipping thinning for carrots, beets, and radishes.

❌ Waiting until September to shop for transplants—garden centers often sell out of the most popular fall vegetables quickly.

Basic Supplies You’ll Need

• Compost

• Organic fertilizer

• Mulch

• Seed trays (if starting transplants)

• Watering can or hose with a gentle spray

• Frost cloth (optional, but helpful)

• Row cover or insect netting (optional)

Final Thoughts

If spring gardening has ever felt overwhelming, I hope you’ll give fall gardening a chance.

The cooler weather, fewer pests, and incredible harvests make it one of the most enjoyable seasons to grow your own food. Whether you’re planting a single container of lettuce or filling an entire kitchen garden, every harvest starts with one seed.

I can’t wait to grow alongside you this season.

Happy planting! 🤎

— Courtney

Every summer, my basil plants seem to reach a point where they’re producing faster than I can use them.

This whipped basil butter has quickly become one of my favorite ways to enjoy that fresh basil flavor. It’s rich, silky, and incredibly versatile. Melt it over a perfectly grilled steak, brush it onto sweet summer corn, toss it with warm pasta, or spread it over fresh sourdough. Somehow, it makes even the simplest meals feel a little more special.

The best part? It all starts with homemade basil oil.

Before You Begin

This recipe starts with my Homemade Basil Oil (Episode 3). If you haven’t made it yet, click here to make that recipe first, then come back to this one. It only takes a few minutes and gives this butter its incredible fresh basil flavor.

WHIPPED BASIL BUTTER

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter

• ¼ cup homemade basil oil

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

1. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly until warm but not hot.

2. Pour the melted butter into a medium mixing bowl set over an ice bath.

3. Slowly whisk in the basil oil.

4. Continue whisking over the ice bath for several minutes until the mixture thickens, lightens in color, and becomes smooth and fluffy.

5. Stir in the kosher salt and transfer to a serving bowl.

6. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to enjoy.

Serve It With

One of my favorite things about this whipped basil butter is how versatile it is. Here are 10 delicious ways to use it:

• Fresh pasta

• Baked potatoes

• Seafood

• Grilled vegetables

• Steak

• Sandwich spread

• Corn on the cob

• Toasted sourdough

• Steamed artichokes

• Grilled cheese

Or, if you’re anything like me… you’ll find yourself putting it on just about everything.

Note

This butter will firm up in the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before serving so it softens back into a creamy, spreadable consistency.

Next Time in the Garden

Another delicious way to use your basil harvest is coming soon…

Until next time, may your garden be full, your table always have room for one more, and your home be filled with the simple moments where the very best memories are made.

Courtney

Every summer, there comes a point when my basil plants seem to double overnight.

One day I’m snipping a few leaves for dinner, and the next I’m walking inside with an overflowing basket wondering how I’ll ever use it all.

This basil oil has become one of my favorite ways to preserve that fresh summer flavor. It comes together in just a few minutes, keeps beautifully in the refrigerator, and turns even the simplest meals into something that feels special. A drizzle over warm pasta, fresh mozzarella, homemade pizza, roasted vegetables, or toasted sourdough instantly tastes like summer from the garden.

It’s one of those recipes you’ll find yourself reaching for again and again.

BASIL OIL

Ingredients

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 clove garlic (optional)

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil.

2. Blanch the basil leaves for 10–15 seconds, then immediately transfer them to an ice bath.

3. Gently squeeze out as much water as possible and pat the basil completely dry.

4. Add the basil, olive oil, garlic (if using), and salt to a blender.

5. Blend until completely smooth and vibrant green.

6. Strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth for a silky smooth oil, or leave it unstrained for a more rustic texture.

7. Transfer to a clean glass bottle or jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

Note: Olive oil naturally solidifies when refrigerated, so don’t be surprised if your basil oil thickens or becomes cloudy. Simply let it sit on the counter for 5–10 minutes before serving, and it will return to a smooth, pourable consistency.

Garden Tip

Harvest basil by cutting entire stems just above a pair of leaves instead of picking individual leaves. Every cut encourages two new branches to grow, giving you an even bushier plant and a bigger harvest all season long.

Serve It With

Fresh pasta, caprese salad, homemade pizza, roasted vegetables, tomato soup, grilled chicken, sandwiches, roasted potatoes, toasted sourdough, bruschetta, green salads, chicken salad, or as a dipping oil with warm bread.

Next Time in the Garden

Episode 4: Homemade Pesto

Until next time, may your garden be full, your table always have room for one more, and your home be filled with the simple moments where the very best memories are made.

Courtney

The first recipe in my Blueberry Season series.

Every summer, I look forward to blueberry season just as much as tomato season.

There’s something so special about walking through the bushes with a bucket in hand, picking handful after handful of sweet blueberries until you have more than you know what to do with.

That’s exactly why I started this series.

If you’ve been picking blueberries, visiting your local farmers market, or simply couldn’t resist grabbing an extra carton at the grocery store, this is one of the easiest (and most delicious) ways to celebrate blueberry season.

This Honey Blueberry Brie is one of those recipes that looks elegant enough for a dinner party but is simple enough to throw together on a weeknight. Sweet blueberries bake down into a warm, jammy sauce around creamy brie before being finished with a drizzle of honey.

It’s the kind of appetizer that disappears within minutes every single time I serve it.

HONEY BLUEBERRY BRIE

Ingredients

• 2 pints fresh blueberries

• 1 wheel of brie

• Honey

• Fresh cracked black pepper (optional)

• Toasted baguette or crostini, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.

2. Pour the blueberries into a small baking dish, leaving room in the center for the brie.

3. Score the top of the brie in a crosshatch pattern and place it in the middle of the blueberries.

4. Drizzle the brie generously with honey.

5. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the blueberries have burst and become bubbly and the brie is soft and melty.

6. Finish with another drizzle of honey and a few cracks of fresh black pepper, if desired.

7. Serve immediately with toasted baguette slices or crostini.

Garden Tip

Fresh blueberries are naturally sweet enough that they don’t need much added sugar. If you’re picking your own during peak season, let the berries shine and keep the recipe simple.

Serve It With

Toasted baguette, crostini, prosciutto, candied pecans, fresh basil, a summer charcuterie board, or a crisp glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Next Time in the Garden

Episode 2: Blueberry Butter

Until next time, may your garden be full, your table always have room for one more, and your home be a place where memories are made.

Courtney

Every summer, there comes a point when my basil plants seem to double overnight.

The more I harvest, the more they grow, and before long I’m searching for new ways to work fresh basil into everything from appetizers to homemade bread.

This Basil & Sun-Dried Tomato Sourdough has quickly become one of my favorite recipes of the season. Fresh basil and rich sun-dried tomato pesto are rolled into an artisan sourdough loaf, creating beautiful swirls in every slice. It’s the kind of bread that looks like it came from a bakery but feels even more special because it started with herbs from the garden.

My boys are absolutely obsessed with this bread and have officially declared that it “tastes like pizza.” Honestly, I can’t think of a better compliment. It’s become one of those recipes I know will disappear almost as quickly as it comes out of the oven.

Serve it warm with a garlic basil olive oil dipping plate, alongside soup, or piled high with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella for the perfect summer sandwich.

BASIL & SUN-DRIED TOMATO SOURDOUGH

Ingredients

Dough

• 125g active sourdough starter

• 360g water (I bake in humid North Carolina. If you’re in a drier climate, start with 390g water instead.)

• 500g bread flour

• 12g fine sea salt

Filling

• Fresh basil leaves

• Sun-dried tomato pesto

Instructions

1. Mix the starter, water, bread flour, and salt until a shaggy dough forms.

2. Complete your stretch and folds and bulk fermentation using your favorite sourdough method.

3. When ready to shape, gently stretch the dough into a rectangle.

4. Spread a thin layer of sun-dried tomato pesto over the dough, then scatter fresh basil leaves evenly across the surface.

5. Roll or fold into a tight boule and place into a floured banneton for the final proof.

6. Bake in a preheated Dutch oven at 450°F for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake another 10–15 minutes, until deeply golden brown.

7. Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing.

Garden Tip

Basil loves to be harvested. Rather than picking individual leaves, snip entire stems just above a pair of leaves. Each cut encourages two new branches to grow, giving you an even fuller plant and an even bigger harvest throughout the season.

Serve It With

Garlic basil olive oil for dipping, tomato soup, grilled cheese, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, charcuterie boards, or simply toasted with salted butter while it’s still warm from the oven.

Next Time in the Garden

Episode 3: Basil Oil

Until next time, may your garden be full, your table always have room for one more, and your home be a place where memories are made.

Courtney

Every summer, my tomato plants reach the point where I can’t pick them fast enough.

One day I’m harvesting just enough for dinner, and the next I’m walking back to the house with bowls overflowing, wondering what to make with them all.

That’s exactly why I started this series.

This Burrata Bruschetta is one of the very first recipes I make every tomato season. Sweet summer tomatoes, garlic, shallots, Parmesan, olive oil, and red wine vinegar marinate together before being piled onto toasted baguette and topped with creamy burrata.

It’s simple enough for a weeknight appetizer, beautiful enough for entertaining, and one of those recipes everyone asks me to make again.

TOMATO BRUSCHETTA RECIPE

Ingredients

• 8 oz grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

• 3–4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1–2 medium shallots, finely diced

• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• ½ cup red wine vinegar

• Dried parsley

• Dried oregano

• Salt and pepper

For Serving

• Toasted baguette slices

• Fresh burrata

• Balsamic glaze

• Flaky finishing salt

Instructions

1. Combine the tomatoes, garlic, shallots, Parmesan, olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

2. Stir well until everything is evenly coated.

3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Overnight is even better.

4. Spoon generously over toasted baguette slices.

5. Top with fresh burrata.

6. Finish with balsamic glaze and flaky finishing salt before serving.

Garden Tip

Cherry and grape tomatoes are perfect for this recipe because they’re naturally sweet and hold their shape beautifully after marinating. If your garden is overflowing, this is one of the easiest ways to use a large harvest.

Serve It With

A crisp green salad, grilled chicken, prosciutto, marinated olives, fresh peaches, and a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio turn this into one of my favorite summer entertaining menus.

Next Week in the Series

Episode 2: Sun Dried Tomatoes

Until next time, may your garden be full, your table always have room for one more, and your home be a place where memories are made.

Courtney

Every summer, my basil reaches the point where I can’t harvest it fast enough.

One day I’m clipping a few leaves for dinner, and the next I’m walking back to the house with an overflowing basket wondering what to make with it all.

That’s exactly why I started this series.

This Lemon Basil Burrata is one of the very first recipes I make every basil season. Creamy burrata, fresh basil, bright lemon zest, good olive oil, flaky sea salt, and toasted bread. It’s simple, beautiful, and lets fresh garden basil be the star.

Whether you’re hosting friends, putting together a summer appetizer, or just looking for a delicious way to use today’s harvest, I think you’ll find yourself making this one again and again.

LEMON BASIL BURRATA RECIPE

Ingredients

• 4 balls fresh burrata

• 1 large handful fresh basil, thinly sliced

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Juice of 1 lemon

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Flaky sea salt

• Toasted baguette or crusty bread

Instructions

1. Arrange the burrata on a serving platter.

2. Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil.

3. Thinly slice the basil into ribbons and scatter generously over the burrata.

4. Finish with the lemon zest and juice

5. Season with flaky sea salt

6. Serve immediately with warm toasted baguette slices.

Garden Tip

Harvest basil often to encourage even more growth. Instead of picking individual leaves, snip stems just above a pair of leaves. The plant will quickly branch into two new stems, giving you an even bigger harvest later in the season.

Serve It With

Grilled sourdough or toasted baguette, garden tomatoes, prosciutto, marinated olives, fresh peaches, and a chilled glass of white wine make this one of my favorite summer appetizers.

Next Week in the Garden

Episode 2: Basil & Sun-Dried Tomato Sourdough

Until next time, may your garden be full, your table always have room for one more, and your home be a place where memories are made.

Courtney

Every summer, when our tomato plants begin producing more than we can keep up with, I find myself thinking about a little kitchen in Tuscany nearly ten years ago. That’s where Ryan and I learned to make this pomodoro sauce, and to this day, it’s still the very first recipe I reach for when tomato season arrives.

Here in the U.S., we’re used to pasta sauces with long ingredient lists and lots of seasonings. But in Italy, we learned that incredible food often comes down to just a handful of fresh, high-quality ingredients. The result is a sauce that’s light, fresh, and somehow tastes more like tomatoes than any pasta sauce I’ve ever made before.

What surprised me most was that the secret ingredient wasn’t another herb or spice—it was the tomato vines themselves.

As the tomatoes slowly simmer, the vines infuse the sauce with an incredible fresh tomato flavor that you simply can’t recreate any other way. Once they’ve lost their bright green color, they’ve done their job and can be removed. It’s one of those beautifully simple techniques I’ll never forget.

I won’t pretend this is a quick 20-minute weeknight dinner. It takes a little patience, but that’s part of what makes it so special. The tomatoes slowly break down, the house smells incredible, and by the end, you have a sauce that’s worth every minute.

Whether the tomatoes come from your own garden, your local farmers market, or the grocery store, this recipe is one of my favorite ways to celebrate the best of summer.

TUSCAN TOMATO POMODORO SAUCE RECIPE

Ingredients

• 3–4 pounds ripe plum tomatoes (San Marzano or Roma are my favorites)

• Tomato vines from the tomatoes

• Olive oil

• 3–4 garlic cloves (optional)

• Salt, to taste

• Fresh basil, torn, for garnish

Instructions

Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil into the bottom of a large sauté pan.

Quarter the tomatoes (or cut larger ones into sixths) and arrange them in the pan.

Nestle the tomato vines throughout the tomatoes.

If you’d like, tuck in a few whole garlic cloves. They’re completely optional, but delicious.

Bring the tomatoes to a gentle simmer, then let them cook uncovered for 1 to 1½ hours, stirring occasionally. As they simmer, the tomatoes will soften and release their juices while the tomato vines slowly infuse the sauce with their incredible flavor.

Once the tomato vines have lost their bright green color, remove and discard them.

Taste the sauce and season with salt as needed.

Serve over your favorite pasta and finish with freshly torn basil. It’s also delicious spooned over homemade meatballs or served with warm, crusty bread.

Garden Tip

This recipe is made for tomato season. If you’re growing your own, allow your tomatoes to fully ripen on the vine for the very best flavor. If you’re buying them, choose plum tomatoes that feel heavy for their size and smell sweet at the stem.

Preserve It

This is the perfect recipe to make in a big batch when tomatoes are at their peak. I love canning several jars each summer so we can enjoy the fresh taste of garden tomatoes all winter long.

Serve It With

Fresh pappardelle or tagliatelle, warm crusty bread, a simple green salad, and plenty of freshly grated Parmesan.

Every year, as soon as our first plum tomatoes begin ripening, I know exactly what we’re making for dinner. I usually double or even triple this recipe because I love filling our pantry with jars to enjoy throughout the winter. Every time I open one, I’m reminded of warm summer evenings, baskets overflowing with tomatoes, and that little cooking lesson we stumbled upon in Tuscany all those years ago.

Next Week in the Garden

Garden Basil Pesto

Until next time, may your garden be full, your table always have room for one more, and your home be a place where memories are made.

Courtney