50 Fall Recipes and Dinner Ideas

These healthy fall recipes will satisfy any autumn craving! They include quick fall dinner ideas, cozy desserts, side dishes, salads, and more.

fall recipes

Happy fall! To celebrate the start of the season, I’m sharing 50 of my favorite fall recipes below. They include cozy soups, fresh salads, decadent desserts, and everything in between. Whether you’re looking for a quick dinner, a healthy lunch, or a comforting cooking project this season, you’ll find it here.

I look forward to making these recipes every year when the temperatures start dropping. I hope they become some of your fall favorites too.

Our Top 5 Fall Recipes

fall dinner ideas - butternut squash soup

Butternut Squash Soup

No collection of fall recipes would be complete without butternut squash soup! Sage, rosemary, and fresh ginger fill this easy one-pot soup with cozy autumn flavor.

Baked Potato - Fall Dinner Recipes

Baked Potato

This salt-crusted baked potato comes out with perfect crispy skin and fluffy insides every time. Load yours up with cashew sour cream and smoky vegan bacon, or serve it with a good ol’ pat of butter.

Eggplant parmesan recipe

Eggplant Parmesan

This classic casserole is saucy, cheesy comfort food at its best! Melty mozzarella cheese and homemade marinara sauce coat thick slices of crispy baked eggplant.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

Learn how to cook spaghetti squash perfectly every time! Serve it as a simple side dish, or make my Spaghetti Squash with Chickpeas and Kale for a healthy fall dinner.

Broccoli cheddar soup

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This creamy, cheesy soup has over 400 5-star reviews! Ready in 30 minutes, it’s perfect for crisp fall weeknights.

Easy Fall Dinner Ideas

Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta

Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta

This fall pasta looks like mac and cheese…but it’s entirely dairy-free! Blended butternut squash and cashews create its rich, creamy sauce.

Vegetarian stuffed peppers

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Seasoned rice, beans, and corn create a hearty filling for these flavorful stuffed peppers.

Fall recipes - Grilled cheese sandwich

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Pair it with a bowl of tomato soup for a comforting fall dinner.

Fall dinner recipes - Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo

Shhhh! There’s a secret ingredient hiding inside this luscious homemade Alfredo sauce. It’s not cream….it’s cauliflower! It makes this recipe lighter than classic fettuccine Alfredo, but no less delicious.

Vegetarian lasagna

Best Vegetarian Lasagna

There’s nothing better than piping hot lasagna on a crisp fall night.

Best fall recipes - Butternut Squash Curry

Easy Coconut Curry

This fragrant curry stars fall veggies like butternut squash and cauliflower. Add a protein like chickpeas or tofu to make it a heartier meal.

Vegetarian chili

Easy Vegetarian Chili

This veggie chili is the best I’ve tried! Chipotles in adobo sauce fill it with smoky, spicy flavor.

Cheese enchiladas in a baking dish

Easy Enchiladas

We never have leftovers of these cheese, black bean, and spinach enchiladas. They’re so tasty that Jack, Ollie, and I can easily polish off the whole pan!

Healthy fall dinner recipes - Avocado Sweet Potato Tacos

Avocado Sweet Potato Tacos

Roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, and pickled onions create a quick, flavorful filling for these easy veggie tacos.

Butternut squash risotto

Butternut Squash Risotto

I’ll be honest: this risotto requires a good amount of stirring. But on a crisp fall night, I don’t mind standing near the warm stove to make it, especially because it smells amazing.

stuffed acorn squash recipe

Stuffed Acorn Squash

If you need a plant-based main course for Thanksgiving (or any fall dinner), you can’t go wrong with this stuffed squash. It looks gorgeous, and it’s super flavorful, filled with a savory mixture of mushrooms and herbs.

Fall dinner ideas - Orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

When you get tired of all things squash and sweet potato, add this pasta to your rotation of fall dinner recipes. Filled with bitter greens and caramelized onions, it’s unexpected, hearty, and complex.

Creamy Pumpkin Penne Pasta

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

This luxe fall pasta is super simple—you just need 10 ingredients to make it!

Sweet Potato Hash

Sweet Potato Hash

Serve this one-pan meal with your favorite hot sauce to take it over the top.

Homemade mac and cheese

Homemade Mac and Cheese

This comforting baked mac and cheese is our kiddo’s #1 fall dinner request.

Vegetarian fall recipes - easy baked ziti

Easy Baked Ziti

This easy baked pasta packs in a hefty amount of veggies. There’s an entire pound of spinach hiding among the noodles, sauce, and cheese!

Cozy Fall Soup Recipes

Pumpkin soup

Pumpkin Soup

You won’t find canned pumpkin here—fresh roasted squash gives this soup its creamy texture.

Cabbage soup

Cabbage Soup

Serve this nourishing soup with crusty bread for sopping up the flavorful broth!

Dumpling soup

Dumpling Soup

I always keep a bag of frozen potstickers on hand so that I can whip up this soup on busy weeknights. It takes less than 30 minutes, and it’s better than takeout!

Healthy Fall Recipes - Carrot Ginger Soup

Carrot Ginger Soup

This energizing carrot ginger soup tastes fantastic on its own, but it’s even better with a swirl of pesto on top. Bonus points if you blend carrot tops into the pesto. Waste not, want not!

Fall Dinner Ideas - Vegetable Soup

Vegetable Soup

I’ve made this brothy, warming soup with a million combinations of vegetables, and it always comes out great. Feel free to toss in whatever veggies you have in your fridge!

Wild Rice Soup

Creamy Wild Rice Soup

Fall in a bowl! A lightly creamy miso broth surrounds savory autumn veggies, white beans, and nutty wild rice.

Creamy potato soup

Creamy Potato Soup

This creamy soup looks decadent, but it’s secretly healthy. Blended potatoes and white beans make up its velvety base, and lemon, vinegar, and smoked paprika create its tangy, smoky flavor.

Minestrone soup

Minestrone Soup

Pasta and white beans make this flavorful veggie soup a meal in a bowl. I love it with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese on top.

Fall Salads and Slaws

Spinach salad

Spinach Salad

My mom’s favorite fall salad! It features tender spinach, creamy goat cheese, crisp apples, cranberries, and pecans. A tangy apple cider vinegar dressing ties it all together.

sweet potato salad recipe

Sweet Potato Salad

This recipe combines so many of my favorite ingredients: roasted sweet potatoes, tender arugula, avocado, feta cheese, and creamy tahini dressing. Serve it as a side dish, or enjoy it on its own for a healthy lunch.

Healthy fall recipes - Kale Salad with radish, avocado, and chickpeas

Kale Salad

This colorful salad is one of my favorite fall recipes to make for lunch. Thanks to crispy roasted chickpeas, toasted seeds, avocado, and a rainbow of veggies, it always keeps me full till dinnertime.

Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Just 7 ingredients fill this bright, refreshing salad with a mouthwatering mix of textures and flavors.

Farro salad

Farro Salad

I love using nutty farro in fall recipes like this one, but if you’re gluten-free, you can still enjoy this salad. It’d be just as yummy with cooked quinoa or wild rice.

Side Dish Fall Recipes

Roasted Delicata Squash with Apples

Roasted Delicata Squash

If you’ve never tried delicata squash, get ready to fall in love! With sweet, creamy flesh and thin, edible skin, it’s both delicious and easy to cook (no peeling necessary!). I especially love it in this simple preparation with kale, apples, and sage.

Best fall recipes - Roasted Brussels sprouts

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

A lemon Parmesan dressing fills these crispy roasted Brussels sprouts with bright flavor. Even Brussels sprouts skeptics will love them!

Mashed potatoes

Best Mashed Potatoes

When Jack (aka the world’s #1 mashed potato lover) gave this recipe the stamp of approval, I knew I had to share it! It’s a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or any fall dinner.

Roasted carrots

Roasted Carrots

When I need a quick and easy side dish to round out a fall dinner, I make these carrots. They roast to tender, caramelized perfection in just 15 minutes!

Vegetarian fall recipes - Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower

I make this fall side dish every week. It’s easy and healthy, and it pairs well with almost anything. If it’s not in your rotation yet, take this as your sign to add it.

Healthy fall recipes - Roasted potatoes

Roasted Potatoes

You’d be hard pressed to find potatoes that are tastier than these. They’re crispy on the outside, creamy in the middle, and doused in a zingy lemon dressing.

Rosemary focaccia bread

Focaccia Bread

Olive oil and sea salt fill this homemade focaccia with rich, savory flavor. Don’t let the recipe intimidate you—it’s surprisingly easy to make!

Roasted beets

Roasted Beets

Dress up these beets with olive oil, herbs, citrus zest, and flaky sea salt for a fresh fall side dish.

Scalloped potatoes

Scalloped Potatoes

When I’m in the mood for comfort food, this recipe never disappoints. It consists of thin potato slices layered with creamy béchamel sauce and topped with cheddar cheese.

Favorite Fall Desserts

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread

This easy pumpkin bread is moist, wholesome, and filled with pumpkin spice flavor. Eat one slice, and you’ll be reaching for a second before you know it!

Apple crumble

Apple Crumble

Of all the apple desserts out there, this oat-y, nutty crumble is my favorite. I love to make it after a trip to an apple orchard in the fall! For a nut-free alternative that’s equally delicious, try my easy apple crisp.

Cinnamon rolls - Best fall recipes

Cinnamon Rolls

Packed with brown sugar and cinnamon, these warm, gooey rolls would be a welcome addition to any brunch. We love them for dessert too!

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are one of my favorite pumpkin treats! They’re soft, warmly spiced, and studded with melty chocolate chips.

Best Brownie Recipe

Best Homemade Brownies

Looking for an easy fall baking project? You can never go wrong with chewy, fudgy homemade brownies.

Best fall recipes - Pumpkin pie

Pumpkin Pie

Growing up, I always ate the pumpkin pie filling and pushed aside the crust. But this recipe changed everything for me. Instead of a traditional pie crust, it features a gluten-free pecan crust that’s rich, nutty, and warmly spiced.

Apple pie with ice cream

Apple Pie

In my not-so-humble opinion, this is THE BEST apple pie recipe! It has a flaky, buttery crust and juicy apple filling. Don’t skip the vanilla ice cream on top!

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Fall Recipes: Easy Butternut Squash Soup

rate this recipe:
5 from 9 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves 6
This butternut squash soup is one of our favorite fall recipes!

Ingredients

for serving:

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper and sauté until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the squash and cook until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, sage, rosemary, and ginger. Stir and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant, then add 3 cups of the broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the squash is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Let cool slightly and pour the soup into a blender, working in batches if necessary, and blend until smooth. If your soup is too thick, add up to 1 cup more broth and blend. Season to taste and serve with parsley, pepitas, and crusty bread.

6 comments

5 from 9 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. SoCal Hot Sauce
    10.07.2024

    5 stars
    “What an amazing collection of fall recipes! I love how cozy and comforting these dishes look. I can’t wait to try some of them with a dash of SoCal Hot Sauce(https://socalhotsauce.com) to add a little spice to the season. Fall flavors and a bit of heat are the perfect combo! Thanks for the inspiration!”

  2. Galis
    09.25.2024

    5 stars
    Don’t know which is better! Watering your mouth,

  3. KGL Staff
    09.24.2020

    5 stars
    I love this recipe, it’s fast and easy and tastes so good!! I had it yesterday and I’m having it today because it’s so good!!

  4. Emily from carvingajourney.com
    09.23.2020

    WOW! Thank you for sharing all of these ideas! I am trying to introduce pumpkin and squash back into my husband’s diet after he got ill eating a bowl of soup as a child (he claims he is scarred for life) Out of all your fall squash recipes which do you recommend as a good starter for him (mixed and mingled with other flavors?) THANK YOU!!!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.