24 Hearty Fall Dinner Ideas

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

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

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

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

Rich pork broth—made with pork butt and smoked ham—brings together this comforting stew loaded with hearty meatballs and quick-pickled vegetables.

There's 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 10 minutes or so before serving.

This 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"Cooler weather taps into my cravings for heartier fare, and I'm happy to turn on the oven again," cookbook author Colu Henry says. "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.

This luscious, creamy cauliflower soup from star chef Anne Burrell gets a delicious topping of crispy roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts.

Chef Damian Sansonetti seasons thick butternut squash steaks with a chorizo spice mix of oil-bloomed cumin, Pimentón, and coriander, resulting in a smoky, sweet, and earthy shoulder-season dish. 

Cookbook author Molly Stevens swaps time-consuming caramelized onions for quick-charred scallions in this patty melt. Chipotle-spiked mayonnaise adds an extra dose of lushness and a punch of smoky heat.

Inspired by German celebratory harvest meals from centuries past, this comforting braised dish trades the traditional goose leg quarters for easier-to-source duck, served on a bed of buttery-crisp spaetzle and saucy mushrooms.

"I love making this lentil soup when the weather begins to cool," says 2017 F&W Best New Chef Nina Compton. "The ham-hock aroma hangs around the kitchen beautifully; the smell alone makes you warmer. Adding a little ginger and lemongrass brightens the soup and reminds me of being back home in St. Lucia." 

In this recipe, easy-to-make gnocchi made from russet potatoes, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and egg yolks are paired with a buttery tomato sauce laced with fresh basil.

Dinner doesn't get simpler or more elegant than this pan-roasted chicken. To make it, a whole chicken is cut into eight pieces, then roasted with grapes, garlic cloves, and sprigs of rosemary to yield crispy-skinned chicken in a schmaltzy pan sauce that begs for a crusty piece of bread.

Crispy roasted root vegetables like parsnips and celery root add an earthy, caramelized depth to this simple grain salad made with tender, chewy farro.

A quick sauté renders baby kale leaves perfectly tender, allowing them to almost melt into the buttermilk-enriched béchamel in chef and cookbook author Alexander Smalls' riff on mac and cheese.