Fall is officially in full swing, with leaves changing color and temperatures dropping into brisk sweater weather (at least for some parts of the country). But regardless of where you live, it’s a new season and a perfect excuse to whip up a new cozy, fall-friendly recipe that is chock full o’ seasonal ingredients and warms you from the inside out.
Fall ingredients are some of our favorites – it’s all about apples, pumpkin, butternut squash, warming spices, and hearty stews. Recipes are perfect for a cool day, a family dinner, a fun night with friends, or a football Sunday.
These are some of the fall meals to fall in love with this season.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
The best part about this recipe is that you can use store-bought rotisserie chicken, saving you time and energy. This soup is loaded with flavor, and gets better the more toppings you pile on. You can add more pepper and seasoning to taste depending on how much heat you like, and don’t skip the homemade tortilla crisps; they totally make the dish.
Pumpkin Cheese Stuffed Pasta Bolognese Bake
This pasta bake is the perfect dish to welcome fall. It’s cozy and hearty and filling, and loaded with fall flavors. From the pumpkin to the sage, you’ll never make another stuffed shells recipe again.
Pumpkin Chili
Chili for fall — groundbreaking. But pumpkin chili? Now things are getting interesting. This recipe uses pumpkin puree for the chili base, giving the stew tons of body and creamy goodness. The spices play up the pumpkin flavors but give it a savory spin, and this chili only takes 25-30 minutes to come together!
Brown Butter Butternut Squash Pasta
Another gem of the fall season is butternut squash, a vegetable that intimidates some people but that it’s actually super easy to cook. If you’re concerned about cutting the squash, you can often find it pre-cut in grocery stores. It gives a natural creaminess to this pasta without any cream, so it’s much healthier (but you’ll be too busy devouring it to care). And do NOT skip the step with the fresh breadcrumbs; they add the perfect salty crunch to the dish.
Arroz Chaufa (Peruvian Fried Rice)
Sometimes, there is nothing better than a massive bowl of rice on a cool night. This Peruvian take on fried rice is so full of flavor and is so easy to make. It’s also adaptable based on what you have around the house (lean sub beef for chicken or even hot dogs). And it’s so good you’ll want to have leftovers.
Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
On a chilly night or after a week of binge eating comfort food, this soup is a savior. It’s so easy to make (you literally throw all the ingredients in a slow cooker and leave it for hours), is packed with nutrition, and tastes like a warm hug. And don’t skip the step of pureeing 4 cups at the end; it makes the soup so creamy.
Pumpkin Flan
Flan is intimidating to anyone who has never made it at home, but this recipe is so worth it. It’s like a fall custard pie without the crust. The pumpkin puree mixed with warm spices (cinnamon, clove, and ginger) makes a traditional flan custard taste like fall in each bite.
Apple Crisp
Apple crisp is a fall staple, and this recipe is a simple take on the classic dish. No pre-cooking the apples, no extra steps, or too much prep. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream for the ultimate seasonal treat.
