Just as the weather begins to cool, we start to look for easy fall recipes made for cozy dinners at home. Many recipes feature apples, just as they come into season, or hearty root vegetables as we transition away from tomatoes, corn, and summer squash. You’ll find lots of comforting soups and stews in this collection of recipes, as well as warming chicken dinners and tasty pastas made for fall. No matter what you’re craving, these easy fall recipes are bound to satisfy you.
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
This decadent soup is easy to pull together on a weeknight, but is sure to impress guests at your next dinner party. A medley of fall vegetables, hearty chicken sausage, creamy broth, and crispy bacon, this cozy supper is worth its weight in gold.
Credit:
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Crispy chicken is already a pretty perfect food, but when flavored with a packet of ranch seasoning? It’s downright irresistible.
Credit:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
This butternut squash pasta combines sweet roasted squash, caramelized shallots, and garlic with a touch of cream. The result? A luscious and velvety sauce.
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Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
It’s not often that you find a chili recipe that comes together in 20 minutes, and not only does this recipe do just that, but it doesn’t skimp on the flavor either. Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce and taco seasoning ensure every bite is full of flavor.
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
This versatile chicken dish can be served over pasta, mashed potatoes, or even rice. Just make sure to ladle all the tasty garlic-butter sauce over whatever starch you pick.
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Fred Hardy; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel
Unlike some other squashes, deliata squash doesn’t have to be peeled. It’s easy to slice and stuff for a delicious seasonal dinner.
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Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray; Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke
We love to turn to our Instant Pots for a speedy soup, and this pork chili recipe does just that. While pulled pork alone normally takes hours to make, this easy stew will be ready in well under 2 hours, and is mostly hands-off too.
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Once you brown off the meat for the soup, all you have to do is add it and all the other ingredients to a slow cooker. Then your work is done, and the appliance takes over from there.
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Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn
“Love this recipe! Never thought to do salmon in a cast-iron [skillet] but it made for the crispiest skin I’ve ever gotten at home,” said one Southern Living reader about this easy salmon meal.
Credit:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Pork loins are quite lean, which is why bacon is the secret weapon for keeping them extra juicy and flavorful. The added fat and salt of smoky bacon ensure every bite is beautifully seasoned.
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Store-bought pizza dough and easy, cheesy toppings make for a quick sheet pan pizza the whole family will love. Bake with the pan on top of a pizza stone for a crispier crust.
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Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
Simple ingredients, like garlic and breadcrumbs, shine in this quick fall dinner recipe. Toasty black walnuts and savory Parmesan work their magic, yielding a crunchy and creamy pasta that’s extremely comforting in the colder months.
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Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This is not your typical pot roast. Made with store-bought flavor shortcuts like ranch dressing dip mix, French onion soup mix, and pepperoncini peppers, you won’t have to do much prep work to ensure an ultra-tasty dinner.
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Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Don’t let the fancy name fool you; this gorgeous chicken cutlet recipe is fairly easy to make. If you start with store-bought cutlets instead of pounding out chicken breasts yourself, it will be even easier to pull together.
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Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Lauren Odum; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This pasta dish makes use of pantry staples like canned tomatoes, beans, and veggies. It’s a quick but comforting dinner on the fly.
Credit: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Ranking; Prop Stylist Julia Bayless
It can be tricky to perfectly cook a pork chop, but luckily, an air fryer can take a lot of the guesswork out of the process. It gives you that gorgeous crust on the outside, and a moist, juicy center too.
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Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
This is the best way to put leftover pulled pork from your favorite local barbecue joint to good use. Feel free to dress the bowl in our Alabama White Sauce instead of a classic red barbecue sauce.
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Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
We pound pork tenderloin wafer thin in this speedy recipe. Then, pan fry it until crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez
Sheet pan dinners make for effortless weeknight dinners. This one infused with the sweet fall flavors of apples and fennel is exactly what the season calls for.
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
This 30 minute meal is loaded with all the classic flavors of Chicken Piccata (lemon, butter, and capers), but in an even easier to make meatball format. Serve over orzo or rice with a light side salad for a complete meal.
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Robby Lozano; Food Stylist: Marianne Williams; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
The key to this recipe is patience and trusting the process. Once it goes in the oven, you don’t want to peel back the foil until the timer goes off.
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Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Costen King; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel
This is not the same Salisbury Steak found in the frozen aisle. This homemade version infused with the tangy and spicy bite of pepperoncini peppers is more than worth getting a pan dirty over.
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Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox
These are the easiest enchiladas you’ll ever make. They’re built and broiled in one skillet, and are ready to eat in just 25 minutes.
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Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
We aren’t promising any proposals with this recipe, but we’re confident everyone at the table will be more than satisfied by this sun-dried tomato-infused chicken. Serve with pasta, rice, or garlic bread.
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Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Make these speedy steaks for a cozy fall date night in. For a money-saving swap, trade the filets for two less expensive New York strip steaks (about 12 ounces each), and reduce the cook time.
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Brittany Conerly; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
Nothing screams comfort food more than a chicken pot pie. Here, we use store-bought puff pastry rather than pie crust for an extra flaky topper.
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Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
There’s a lot to love about this over-the-top chicken recipe. It’s stuffed with cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and bacon.
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
If you don’t already have Asian chili-garlic sauce in your pantry, this recipe will convince you to keep it on hand. It’s the garlicky, savory, and spicy condiment that gives this chicken its signature flavor.
Credit: Alison Miksch
Taking the backbone out of a whole chicken makes quick work of a roast chicken dinner. It’s even easier because the veggie sides cook right alongside.
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Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Turn to this Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese before you even think about reaching for the boxed stuff. It’s faster but just as flavorful as oven-baked versions.
Credit:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Who knew that bourbon and salmon were such a perfect flavor pairing? Combined with honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, and orange slices, bourbon forms a sticky, sweet glaze that beautifully lacquers the fish.
Credit:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Store-bought ravioli streamlines the lasagna-making process to make the classic Italian entrée a lot easier to pull off on a weeknight. This recipe comes together in just 30 minutes.
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Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
There’s no chopping or peeling required to make this soup, thanks to dry onion soup mix and frozen veggies. Serve with a side of crusty bread.
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Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
A traditional bolognese simmers for hours, but most of us don’t have the time for that on a weeknight. We shorten the cook time in this recipe by using a few flavor-packed ingredients like fennel seeds, 10 garlic cloves (trust us), and sweet Italian sausage.
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Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
“As a traditional Greek food lover who’s usually short on time, this recipe fit the bill!” wrote one Southern Living reader. And while this recipe skips the traditional homemade béchamel in favor of a quick ricotta topping, you won’t miss out on any of the classic flavor of Pastitsio.
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Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf; Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
Aside from the namesake bourbon, this recipe tosses the chicken in ketchup, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors.
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Victor Protasio; Food Stylist Rishon Hanners; Prop Stylist Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland
It’s rare that a soup comes together start to finish in only 30 minutes, but this recipe does just that. It also allows you to enjoy all the flavors of a grilled cheeseburger long after it’s too cold to go outside and fire up the Weber.
Credit:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Dumplings can be time (and labor) intensive to prepare. This dump-and-go slow cooker recipe takes most of the hard work out of the process.
Credit:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Bright ingredients like chopped green chiles, cumin, and cilantro keep this hearty soup from being too heavy or rich. Serve it with crumbled tortilla chips and shredded cheese on top.
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Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Loren Wood; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Although this stew is fantastic, the star of the dish is the hamburger bun croutons. They add crunch and a pretty finish (and ensures that every part of the hamburger is incorporated into the meal).
Dining and Cooking