Pumpkin spice might be the official flavor of fall, but there are other seasonal foods that deserve a spot on your menu. Root veggies, winter squash, leafy greens, apples, pears, and more are in season in fall. As the nights cool off and the days get shorter, comfort food is back on the menu. It’s not too hot to use the oven again and a hot bowl of soup sounds satisfying, not uncomfortably sweaty. And for everyone not yet ready to give up the taste of summer, the last tomatoes, squash, and bell peppers of the season are still at the market. Enjoy the best of both seasons with this fall recipe inspiration.
Soup and Salad
As the weather cools off, leafy greens are back. Fall salads are the perfect combo of late summer tomatoes and peppers with cool weather radishes, beets, and broccoli layered over hearty greens like spinach, chard, or kale. Adding a whole grain, like quinoa or brown rice make these veggie-heavy recipes more filling and tasty. Salads pair perfectly with a hearty soup or stew. Plant-based proteins really shine in soup and salad recipes, so try adding beans, nuts, seeds, or eggs to these meals. Here are some recipe ideas or try building your own soup or salad meals.
- Bean Soup
- Butternut squash and apple soup
- Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup
- Lentil Stew
- Black Bean Orange Salad
- Brown Rice, Broccoli and Carrot Salad
- Carrot Raisin Pineapple Salad
- Layered Spinach Salad
- Santa Fe Quinoa Salad
Roasting and Baking
Roasted veggies are so simple, easy, and tasty that I can’t wait for the temperatures to drop so they can be back on the menu. Roasting brings out veggies’ natural sweetness. Roasting also allows you to mimic the crispy texture of deep fried food with less fat and calories. Casseroles are the original one-pot meal and are the ultimate comfort food. Sheet pan meals are the new casserole and will be your new favorite weeknight dinner idea. While I won’t mention a certain winter holiday that creeps up earlier and earlier each year, you can jump onto holiday baking with muffins, quickbreads, and other fall-friendly baked goods.
- Baked Apple and Sweet Potato Casserole
- Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
- Double Corn Bread
- Italian Potatoes Baked with Tomato and Onion
- Macaroni and cheese
- Oven Baked French Fries
- Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Oven Roasted Vegetables
- Banana oat bran muffins
- Peanut Butter Muffins
- Fruit Chewy Cookies
Slow Cookers
Who doesn’t love to get home from work and have dinner waiting? The smell when you walk into the house after the slow cooker has been simmering away all day is enough to make you a convert to slow cooking. The beauty of slow cookers also lies in their ability to take low-cost foods (tougher cuts of meat, dried beans, etc.) and turn them into delicious meals with minimal effort.
Pumpkin
A list of fall recipes isn’t complete without pumpkin!