12 Cozy Fall Recipes for Dinner and Dessert

The cool weather of autumn brings new ingredients for easy weeknight dinners and desserts. Some seasonal fruits and vegetables include:

1. 1. Gourds: Gourds, also known as squash and pumpkins, are a type of hard-shell fruit grown on a vine. Fall gourds include pumpkin, butternut squash, acorn squash, and spaghetti squash. Use these vegetables to make soups and desserts, or roast them in the oven on a sheet pan.
2. 2. Fruits: Fall is apple season, and you can use apples to make apple cider and apple pie. You can also use seasonal cranberries and pomegranates to make desserts, drinks, and side dishes.
3. 3. Vegetables: You can roast veggies harvested in the fall, like Brussels sprouts and leeks, or use them to make soups and stews.
4. 4. Nuts: Most nuts, such as hazelnuts and pecans, are harvested in the fall. Use nuts to make desserts like a pecan pie, as a salad topper, or a crumble for roasted vegetables.

From soups to stews, roasted vegetables to pasta, there are many meals that feature fall ingredients. Consider these fall dinner recipes and dessert ideas:

1. 1. Roasted butternut squash: Roasted butternut squash is one of the easiest and most satisfying things to prepare—there’s only one massive cut to make, then you scoop out the seeds, pop it in the oven on a sheet pan, and you’re done. Coat halved and seeded butternut squash in extra-virgin olive oil and season with kosher salt and black pepper, then arrange cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, or until a paring knife passes easily through the skin and the inner flesh is soft. You can even roast butternut squash alongside sweet potatoes, flavored with maple syrup for a perfect fall side dish.
2. 2. Butternut squash soup: This soup is an easy dinner, and it can be a main dish or an appetizer. This soup recipe features butternut squash, shallots, curry powder, and garlic simmered in coconut milk and vegetable broth. Once the vegetables are cooked through, the mixture is puréed with an immersion blender or blender until smooth.
3. 3. Lasagna: Lasagna is a traditional Italian main dish consisting of alternating layers of long, flat pasta noodles, tomato sauce, and cheese (typically, mozzarella, parmesan, or ricotta, or a combination of all three). Lasagna may also include layers of sautéed vegetables or ground meat, like beef or lamb. The pasta is boiled before assembly, and then the entire dish is cooked further in the oven.
4. 4. Pot roast: Pot roast is a cheap, lean cut of beef which is first browned in a skillet then stewed in a pot or slow-cooker with vegetables and broth. Pot roast generally cooks, or braises, for hours, until the tough meat becomes fall-apart tender, moist, and flavorful. Mashed potatoes are a classic pot roast side dish. You can cook a pot roast in a Dutch oven, crockpot, slow cooker, or an instant pot.
   
5. 5. Pot pie: Pot pie is a savory and gooey dish of meat and vegetables cooked in a deep dish covered with a single pie crust. Pot pie lacks a bottom crust, so you can make it in any oven-safe dish or small pot—hence the name. Chicken is one of the best-loved pot pie fillings and is a popular fall comfort food. Bitter greens and a tangy vinaigrette serve as a great foil for hearty, rich chicken pot pie.
6. 6. Potato leek soup: Potato leek soup is a classic soup made of pureed potatoes and leeks. Potato leek soup can be enjoyed hot or cold and can be smooth or chunky in texture, like a chowder. Some recipes for potato leek soup feature sweet potatoes, others are dairy-free, and many are topped with a dollop of sour cream, crispy bacon bits, and chives.
7. 7. Pumpkin soup: To make this creamy pumpkin soup, sautée pumpkin with aromatics, cook in chicken broth, and purée with heavy cream. You can serve pumpkin soup as a standalone dish, a sauce over pasta, and even a filler for a grilled cheese sandwich.
8. 8. Roast chicken: A whole roast chicken can make a perfect chicken dinner for the whole family. This recipe involves brushing the chicken with butter and placing herbs under the skin. You then roast the chicken at 475 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty minutes, then thirty minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
9. 9. Sausage and white bean stew: This popular stew features white beans cooked with Italian sausage and vegetables, like kale. This one-pot recipe can be prepared in a Dutch oven, or a crockpot or slow cooker.
10. 10. Apple pie: This popular fall dessert features a traditional tart or pie crust surrounding an apple mixture spiced with cinnamon. Apple pie is often served with whipped cream, ice cream (known as à la mode), or in certain regions, cheddar cheese. It often features a decorative lattice top crust, but you can also make a crumble topping.
11. 11. Pecan pie: Pecan pie is a quintessential American dessert featuring a mosaic of pecan halves suspended in a silky, sugary blend of eggs, butter and a sweetener—traditionally corn syrup—held together in a flaky pie crust. For extra richness, add chocolate to the pecan pie filling.
12. 12. Pumpkin pie: Pumpkin pie is a fall dessert made with a warm spiced pumpkin custard filling and flaky pie crust. Pumpkin pie is usually served (with a good fluff of whipped cream) during the fall harvest holidays like Thanksgiving when pumpkins and gourds are in season.

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