24 Hearty Fall Dinner Recipes to Add to Your Rotation

By Food & Wine
Updated August 06, 2020
Abby Hocking
With the beginning of autumn comes the beginning of comfort-food season, when hearty dishes help us adjust to colder weather. Think fall dinner recipes like pasta with pumpkin brown butter sauce (made with our homemade pumpkin butter!), pork loin braised with mushrooms and wine, and a one-skillet chicken pot pie that gets a punch of flavor from Dijon mustard. There are always a few key ingredients we turn to as well, including butternut squash, apples, and Brussels sprouts. Read on to find out how to use them in some of our favorite fall dinner ideas.
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Pork Chops in Sage Butter with Beet Puree and Swiss Chard

Credit: John Kernick
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The vibrant magenta beet puree that accompanies these luscious pork chops is made with almost equal parts beets and creamy Yukon Gold potatoes.

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Anise Pork with Figs and Apples

Credit: Ashley Colbourne
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The sweet licorice flavor of aniseed or fennel seeds adds depth to pork. For the sauce, look for dried figs that are soft and moist. If they seem very dry, soften them in hot water before cutting.

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Curried Carrot and Apple Soup

Credit: Con Poulos
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This velvety soup has a wonderful balance of sweetness, spice and tang. The secret ingredient: gingersnap cookies.

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Butternut Squash Casserole with Leeks, Prosciutto and Thyme

Credit: © Alexandra Rowley
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This luscious squash-studded bread pudding is the ideal accompaniment to roasted meats and birds, or cut it into large squares and serve as a main course with a green salad on the side.

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Pork Loin Braised with Mushrooms and Wine

Credit: Greg DuPree
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Fistfuls of fresh herbs, fragrant strips of orange peel, and plenty of garlic perfume the wine-infused braising liquid penetrates this essential Corsican comfort food. The resulting jus is vibrant and richly seasoned; ladle extra over the polenta on each plate.

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Farro with Vinegar-Glazed Sweet Potato and Apples

Credit: Con Poulos
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Roasting sweet potato and apples with a little sherry vinegar and tossing them with farro, dried cherries and roasted cashews makes for a hearty cold-weather dish.

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Pork Meatball Stew with Carrots and Pickled Mustard Greens


Credit: Christopher Testani
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Rich pork broth—made with pork butt and smoked ham—brings together this comforting stew from brothers Andrew and Eric Dayton’s restaurant The Bachelor Farmer in Minneapolis.

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Golden Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash Purée

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The neck of the butternut squash is easy to peel and cube, making it perfect for dishes easy pasta dishes. This recipe is a great way to use up that pesky bottom half, as here the halved squash is simply baked until soft, and then the flesh is scooped out.

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Garlicky Braised Lamb Shanks with Sweet Peppers

Credit: Greg DuPree
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Legendary chef Jeremiah Tower’s satisfying lamb shank dish makes the perfect dinner for when the weather stars to cool.

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Pumpkin Lasagne

Credit: Karen Mordechai
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No need to roast fresh pumpkin for this dish (although you certainly could); using canned unseasoned pumpkin puree is much quicker, and it works just fine. Like most lasagnes, this one is easier to cut if left to set for ten minutes or so before serving.

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Gnocchi Parisienne

Credit: Justin Walker
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Poached pâte à choux dumplings crisped in brown butter and topped with ham and cheese make a wonderfully rich entrée.

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Mayan Pepita-Chicken Stew

Credit: Greg DuPree
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This rustic chicken stew is seasoned with a carefully toasted mix of seeds and spices, which are ground into a coarse paste with roasted tomatoes and tomatillos. Stirred into the stew toward the end of the cooking process, the paste both thickens and seasons this warming fall dish.

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Pasta with Pumpkin Brown Butter Sauce

Credit: Abby Hocking
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A classic browned butter and sage sauce gets a boost of fall flavor from pumpkin butter. Be generous with the Parmigiano-Reggiano—its salty, savory bite adds the perfect hit of umami flavor to this decadent pasta dish.

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Roasted Merguez Sausage with Apples and Onions

Credit: Victor Protasio
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For this sheet-pan dinner, use Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples, which hold their shape better during roasting that other varieties. Plus, their pleasant sweetness balances the intensely spiced merguez sausage.

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Roasted Chicken and Acorn Squash with Sumac Brown Butter

Credit: Victor Protasio
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Pre-salting the chicken makes for savory flavor throughout and helps crisp up the skin. Browning the butter adds nutty depth to the sauce; a flourish of sumac and Aleppo chile adds a fresh, bright flavor to the finished dish.

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Black Cod with Mushrooms, Bacon, and Red Wine Sauce

Credit: Cedric Angeles
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A sweet and spicy take on Bordeaux-style red-wine sauce makes this tender, flaky fish extra flavorful. Store-bought veal demiglace is the secret to the sauce’s depth; look for it in specialty stores or online.

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Chicken Pot Pie with Leeks and Thyme

Credit: Greg DuPree
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This classic chicken pot pie comes together in just about an hour and uses only one skillet.  Come for the patchwork of crispy, golden-brown puff pastry; stay for the comforting, classic flavors of the filling. Leeks and thyme lend a cozy, traditional flavor to this dish, while Dijon mustard adds a subtle, unexpected punch.

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Confit Lamb Shoulder with Polenta and Brussels Sprouts

Credit: Cedric Angeles
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Braising lamb shoulder in garlic-infused oil yields a super-tender, falling-off-the-bone meat. Drizzle leftover braising oil on each plate for a delicious garnish. If the polenta begins to clump as it sits, simply vigorously whisk it back to a smooth and creamy texture.

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Pork Chops with Three-Apple Slaw

Credit: Victor Protasio
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For his zippy version of coleslaw, F&W’s Justin Chapple swaps the cabbage for a mix of sweet and tart apples—Gala, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith—and then tosses them with a creamy, Tabasco-laced dressing.

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Chorizo-and-Fig Salad

Credit: Con Poulos
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This fantastic salad from Laura Rege combines crisp roasted fingerling potatoes and chorizo with fresh, sweet figs, crunchy fennel, and sharp arugula.

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Dutch Oven Classic Beef Stew

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There’s nothing better than coming home to a simmering pot of this hearty stew on a cool fall or winter day. Hearty chunks of beef turn tender after a low and slow trip in your favorite Dutch oven; potatoes join the party during the tail end of cooking so they don't dissolve into the stew. Cut potatoes into similar-size pieces to guarantee they cook evenly.

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Delicata Squash and Sausage Crostata with Ricotta and Honey

Credit: Justin Walker
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In their book Wine Food, sommelier Dana Frank and recipe developer Andrea Slonecker pair funky, bright wines with flavorful, vegetable-forward dishes like this easy weeknight crostata, which layers fennel-spiced sausage, chile, delicata squash, and honey for a dinner that pairs well with a northern Italian Dolcetto.

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Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Capers

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
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Cooler weather taps into my cravings for heartier fare, and I’m happy to turn on the oven again,” Colu Henry writes. “Of all the fall vegetables, it’s the return of my beloved cauliflower and its elegant florets that I celebrate the most.” In this recipe, cauliflower comes together with capers, garlic, anchovy, crushed red pepper, lemon zest, parsley, and Pecorino Romano to form a comforting pasta dish that’s ready in under an hour.

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Cauliflower Soup with Herbed Goat Cheese

Credit: © Nicole Franzen
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This luscious, creamy cauliflower soup from star chef Anne Burrell gets a delicious topping of crispy roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.

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