Amy’s Kitchen Spices Up Fall Dinners With 5 Easy Eats

It’s no surprise fall is America’s favorite season. Over 40% of Americans cited this time of year as their happiest, with Halloween and Thanksgiving to look forward to. There’s nothing like the aroma of sweet potatoes baking in an oven on a cool October day. The fall months call for plenty of belly-warming comfort foods, nourishing autumn nibbles, and a mercifully quick prep time since this time of year seems to get hectic and never slow down.

While delicious simply heated, Amy’s Kitchen’s frozen meals can easily be enhanced with additional ingredients for a little variety. Fans of the brand enthusiastically share recipes online, and Amy’s Kitchen has curated a roster of recipes on amys.com to inspire others to get cookin’.

Amy’s Kitchen’s CEO Paul Schiefer says keeping a creative approach to recipes is a key ingredient of the brand. He added that an Amy’s Kitchen recipe typically starts with a meal the Amy’s team really loves.

“Andy and Rachel, they are master taste testers,” Schiefer says of Andy and Rachel Berliner, who co-founded Amy’s Kitchen in 1987. “When we’re coming up with something new, we’ll just invite everyone in the office to come try a couple versions and let us know which one they like best.”

An Amy’s Kitchen survey discovered that 52% of adults are vegan-curious, so they anticipate more consumers will explore their frozen food options. “We’re thrilled to feed that curiosity with delicious, organic vegetarian meals,” Fred Scarpulla, chief culinary officer said. “Whether or not consumers choose to go vegetarian or simply want to incorporate more plants into their diets, when they choose Amy’s Kitchen they can count on the best ingredients.”

The Amy’s Kitchen crew now has an even bigger opportunity to experiment with new recipes now, thanks to its new downtown Petaluma, California headquarters, located in a historic space. “In the middle of the building, we have an incredible tasting kitchen where we  really celebrate food, where we can cook together as teams, where we invite the community in to try our new products, where we  celebrate special anniversaries for people or as a company, and really commit, again, to kind of bring us all into that world of being around the kitchen table of Amy’s,” Schiefer shares.

Want to get on the tasty veggie train? Here are five autumnal meals that would make ideal fall feasts.

Not sure what to make for dinner tonight? Why not treat yourself to Vegan Butternut Squash Sage Risotto With Candied Pepitas?

Butternut squash is synonymous with autumn vibes. This seasonal delight incorporates 2 cans of Amy’s Organic Light in Sodium Butternut Squash Soup and 2 cups each of diced butternut squash and yellow onion, along with 1½ cups Arborio rice, vegetable broth, and other seasonings to taste. Since stirring risotto is a labor of love, if you have children in the house, help them hone their future chef skills by having them literally stir the pot.

And if you don’t know what to do with all those seeds from your jack-o’-lantern, pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas) can be stirred into a mixture of olive oil, maple syrup, cumin, chile powder, paprika, garlic powder, and salt, roasted in a 325 F oven for about 10 minutes, then sprinkled on top of the soup.

After raking leaves, cozy up to a Black Bean & Kale Chili Cornbread Bowl.

Tap into comfort on a chilly night with Amy’s Kitchen’s Black Bean Chili with some added kale. Chili is perhaps the quintessential football season meal, and this recipe calls for 2 cans of Amy’s Organic Black Bean Chili, to which you add 1 cup chopped kale, and ½ cup whole kernel corn. You can make a cornbread bowl from scratch or simply buy corn muffins, hollow out the middle, then pour the chili into the cornbread bowl. Top with vegan shredded cheese and some sour cream for extra pizazz. 

Put leftovers to appetizing good use with Mini Vegan Burger & Veggie Skewers.

This quick and easy nosh takes just five minutes to prepare if you’re using leftover roasted vegetables and 45 minutes to create if you have to cook the veggies. Serving four to six, it would also make a great appetizer. This requires 1 package (4 patties) of Amy’s Sonoma Veggie Burger, leftover roasted winter veggies of your choice, 1 small red onion, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and bamboo skewers. Cook and cut the veggie burgers into bite-size mouthfuls, then assemble on a skewer and serve with your favorite dipping sauces to add to the flavorful fun. It’s an unexpected way to deconstruct a veggie burger and get out of a boring meal rut.

Stewing over what to eat? Try Lentil Stew With Potatoes and Kale.

Rich in fiber, lentils are a source of folic acid and potassium to power you through the challenges of the sweater weather season. Settle in with this stew for two that takes just a half-hour to whip up. It requires 1 can of Amy’s Organic Lentil Soup, 1 small precooked, peeled, and cubed potato, 1 cup butternut squash prepared the same way, ½ cup canned tomatoes, a little onion, garlic, olive oil, and spices of your choice like paprika and thyme. While Amy’s Kitchen soups can be enjoyed on their own, this recipe is a way to kick it up a notch after a long, hectic day.

Souper-duper! Try Chunky Vegetable Soup With Sweet Potato, Spinach and Cheddar Scones.

This savory recipe has a 45-minute prep time to serve four with two scones each. To make the scrumptious scones, check out directions on amys.com. While the scones are baking, the soup can be warmed in a saucepan on the stove. In the rare instance in which there are leftover scones, Amy’s Kitchen recommends freezing them and then reheating them on a night when you don’t feel like cooking or perhaps are pressed for time.

Amy’s Kitchen is constantly updating its recipe enhancement list and encourages fans to check out the website and get creative with their cuisine. If you’ve come up with a clever twist on an Amy’s Kitchen meal, be sure to send a “love letter” to the brand’s website. Co-founder Rachel Berliner makes a point to read every missive that comes Amy’s way.