Easy weeknight dinners for fall, plus how long leftovers last

If you are looking for a Tuesday dinner that takes little thought, three dependable options cover most kitchens. A pot of soup built from whatever vegetables are in the fridge. A sheet pan of chicken pieces and cut potatoes roasted together in a hot oven. Pasta with a jar of sauce and a bagged salad on the side. Each one uses a single pot or pan and scales up easily.

Scaling up is the useful part. Cooking a double batch tonight means tomorrow's lunch or Thursday's dinner is already done. Soup and pasta sauce also freeze well, so a big pot can cover a night next week when nobody wants to cook.

Extra food only helps if it is stored safely. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service says leftovers should go into the refrigerator within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F. Dividing a big pot of soup or a tray of chicken into shallow containers helps it cool to 40°F or below quickly, which keeps bacteria from multiplying.

The agency says refrigerated leftovers are safe for 3 to 4 days, and frozen leftovers keep for 3 to 4 months. When you reheat them, bring them to 165°F on a food thermometer, and heat soups, sauces and gravies to a rolling boil. A strip of masking tape with the date on each container makes the 3 to 4 day rule easy to follow.

Tonight, pick the one meal your household will eat without complaint, double it, and pack the extras into shallow, dated containers before you sit down.