Warm and Cozy Fall Recipe Ideas

Perfect for chilly autumn nights, these fall dinner ideas are my favourites for cozy nights in. Hope you enjoy!

Twice-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Hot Honey (via Bon Appetit)

They had me at “hot honey!” This recipe combines classic sweet and spicy flavours, and I love it as a side dish, or main if I’m going vegetarian for the night.

Ingredients:

4 Servings

• 3 medium sweet potatoes or garnet yams, scrubbed (about 3 pounds)
• 1 Fresno or other red chiles, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup honey
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Poke holes all over sweet potatoes and wrap each in foil. Place on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast until potatoes are tender, 60–70 minutes (if you have one, use a cake tester to poke right through foil). Unwrap and let sit until cool enough to handle. Increase oven temperature to 450°. Meanwhile, combine chile, honey, and butter in a small saucepan; season with salt. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar.
• Smash sweet potatoes with your palm, then tear into bite-sized pieces (including skin), the more irregular, the better. Place in a large bowl and add half of hot honey (do not include chile as it will burn); season with salt. Arrange pieces, skin side down, in a single layer on an unlined rimmed baking sheet and roast until browned and crisp around the edges, 20–25 minutes. Drizzle with remaining hot honey with chile.

One-Pot Baked Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe (via Bon Appetit)

Great for weeknight dinners, this recipe uses one skillet, one pot, and the requites amount of cheese.

Ingredients:

8 servings

• Kosher salt
• 12 ounces Fontina and/or aged cheddar cheese
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 large sprigs sage
• 1 bunch of broccoli rabe
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 pound ridged medium pasta shells, or large tube pasta, such as lumaconi or rigatoni

Preparation:

• Place racks in center and upper third of oven; preheat to 325°. Heat a large pot of water over high. Add several tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil (this is for your pasta).
• Grate 12 oz. Fontina cheese on the large holds of a box grater (you should have about 4½ cups). Smash 6 garlic cloves, peel, and coarsely chop. Pick all sage leaves from stems and set aside about 10. Finely chop remaining leaves (you should have about 1 Tbsp.). Trim tough dried ends from 1 bunch of broccoli rabe, then cut stems into 2″ pieces. Leave leafy ends long.
• Heat a deep, large, ovenproof skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high. Add ¼ cup oil and swirl to coat. Remove 1 lb. sausage from casings and add to skillet. Break into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook, undisturbed, until sausage is browned, about 4 minutes. Stir a couple of times and continue to cook, undisturbed again, until sausage is fully cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.
• Add garlic, chopped sage, and ½ tsp. red pepper and cook, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in 2 cups half-and-half and simmer until sauce is thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
• Gradually add about two-thirds of cheese, bit by bit, stirring constantly and letting cheese melt completely before adding more, until sauce is smooth and thick, about 3 minutes; season with salt and remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, cook 1 lb. pasta shells in boiling salted water 2 minutes shy of package instructions (8–10 minutes depending on type). During the last 2 minutes, add all of broccoli rabe to pot with pasta. Drain in a colander and shake several times to remove excess water. Return pasta and broccoli rabe to empty pasta pot.
• Add cheesy sausage mixture from skillet to pot with pasta. Stir until pasta and broccoli rabe are coated in sauce, then transfer everything back to skillet.
• Cover skillet tightly with foil and bake on center rack until pasta is tender and sauce is bubbling, 30–40 minutes. Let rest a few minutes while you heat broiler.
• Remove foil and top with remaining cheese. Toss sage leaves with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl and arrange over pasta. Broil until cheese is browned and bubbling in spots, about 5 minutes (depending on strength of broiler).
• Let pasta cool a minute or two before serving.

Slow Cooker Chicken Pumpkin Curry (via The Modern Proper)

‘Tis the season for all-things pumpkin, and this curry is original and full of satisfying flavours. It’s also gluten and dairy-free, and abides to Whole 30 (if that’s your thing).

Ingredients:

• 1 14 oz can coconut milk
• 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 tbsp Fish sauce
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce (or tamari)
• 1 tbsp Brown sugar
• 4 cups Sugar pie pumpkin or butternut squash (3/4 inch cubed) (1.5-2 lb pumpkin)
• 1 1/2 lbs Boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Red bell pepper, sliced
• 3 Heaping cups baby spinach, fresh
• 1 Lime, juiced
• Steamed rice
• Lime wedges
• Cilantro
• Cashews, toasted

Preparation:

Slow Cooker

1. In the bowl of your slow cooker, stir the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar.
2. Add the pumpkin and chicken and nestle it until it’s submerged in the liquid.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

4. Switch the slow cooker to high mode if it’s not already, and transfer the chicken to a bowl. Season the liquid with salt and using a fork or a hand blender (for smoother texture) mix the pumpkin curry together.
5. Using two forks, shred the chicken (it will shred very easily) and return it to the cooker along with the bell peppers. Cover and cook the curry for 30 more minutes.
6. Add spinach and the juice of 1 lime to the pot and stir until spinach begins to wilt. Serve over steamed rice with extra lime, cilantro and cashews.

Instant Pot

1. In the bowl of your instant pot, stir the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar.
2. Add the pumpkin and chicken and nestle it until it’s submerged in the liquid.
3. Seal instant pot lid and set the Instant Pot to Manual/High Pressure for 10 minutes. Once finished allow the valve to manually release for 10 minutes.
4. Transfer the chicken to a bow. Using two forks shred the chicken.
5. Return it to the cooker along with the salt and bell peppers. Stir until the pumpkin is smooth.
6. Set on saute mode and cook for another 5-7 stirring often, until bell peppers are tender.
7. Add spinach and the juice of 1 lime to the pot and stir until spinach begins to wilt. Serve over steamed rice with extra lime, cilantro and cashews.

Apple Cider Donut Loaf Cake (via Epicurious.com)

Perfect pairing for your couch, a fire, and a hot cup of tea, this loaf cake is full of seasonal ingredients and tastes like a farmstand apple donut. Divine.

Ingredients:

8 Servings

• 9 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided, plus more for pan
• 1½ cups apple cider
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1¼ cups plus 2 Tbsp. (172 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. (15 g) cornstarch
• 1¼ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
• ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, divided
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup (200 g) sugar, divided

Preparation:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°F. Lightly butter an 8½x4½” or 9×5″ loaf pan. Line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on both long sides. Bring cider to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until cider is reduced to ¾ cup, 8–10 minutes. Pour ¼ cup reduced cider into a small measuring glass or bowl and set aside. Transfer remaining reduced cider to a small bowl and let cool 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream and vanilla and set aside.
• Melt 8 Tbsp. butter in same saucepan (no need to clean) over low heat. Let cool slightly. Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ½ tsp. cinnamon, and ¼ tsp. nutmeg in a medium bowl to combine. Vigorously whisk eggs and ¾ cup (150 g) sugar in a large bowl until pale, voluminous, and frothy, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add melted butter in a steady stream; continue to whisk until fully combined and emulsified (no spots of fat should remain). Reserve saucepan. Whisk dry ingredients into egg mixture in 3 additions, alternating with reserved sour cream mixture in 2 additions; whisk just until no lumps remain. Batter will be thin. Scrape into pan and set on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake cake, rotating halfway through, until deep golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 60–80 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and poke top of cake all over with a toothpick. Spoon 3 Tbsp. reserved reduced cider over; let cool 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix a big pinch of salt, remaining ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, ½ tsp. cinnamon, and ¼ tsp. nutmeg in a small bowl. Melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in reserved saucepan and mix into remaining 1 Tbsp. reduced cider.
• Using parchment paper, lift cake onto rack and set rack inside rimmed baking sheet. Peel away parchment from sides. Brush warm butter mixture over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle generously with sugar mixture to coat every surface (use parchment to help rotate cake and collect any excess sugar). Remove parchment and let cool completely before slicing.
• Do Ahead: Cake can be made 4 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Honeycrisp Apple and Kale Salad (via Half Baked Harvest)

Healthy, simple, and delicious, this takes all of the fall season’s best produce and puts it in one bowl. I love this for lunch!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
• 1/3 cup raw pepitas
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
• 2 heads kale, shredded
• 2 honey crisp apples, thinly sliced
• arils from 1 pomegranate
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Cider Vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fig preserves
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On the prepared baking sheet, toss together the pepitas, olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Arrange in a single layer. Lay the prosciutto flat around the pepitas. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the pepitas are toasted and the prosciutto is crisp.
• Meanwhile, in a large salad bowl, combine the kale, apples, and pomegranates.
• To make the vinaigrette. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shallots, cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly. Add the apple cider vinegar, fig preserves, and thyme. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
• Pour the vinaigrette over the salad, tossing to combine. Top the salad with toasted pepitas, prosciutto, and feta. Eat and enjoy!