20 Best Fall Dinner Ideas

Welcome to your new favorite fall dinner idea: Butternut Squash Lasagna with Sage! The flavors are impeccable: creamy ricotta, punchy Pecorino, and fresh sage envelop the sweet squash in a cozy embrace. In fact, an embrace is just what it feels like when you take a bite!

Here’s a chili recipe that’s jumped to the top of our favorites list: Pumpkin Chili! Perhaps you already knew this secret, but adding pumpkin puree to chili adds an intensely creamy, flavorful body to this classic dish. This one is hearty and healthy, packed with spices, sweet potato and beans. Load it up with all your favorite chili toppings, and it’s a satisfying fall dinner recipe that’s ideal for weeknights or dinner parties.

Need a fall dinner idea? Look no further than this trusty trick: Stuffed Sweet Potatoes! Bake the spuds whole until they’re moist and tender, then top with savory fillings to make a hearty dinner recipe. The way the savory black beans contrast with the sweet orange flesh makes magic, in our opinion.

Another must-make in our fall dinner recipes: pot pie! This vegan pot pie is a stunner. Earthy carrots, potatoes and onions are slathered in a savory, creamy gravy, along with fried shallots and white beans. And on top, a flaky pastry crust that you won't be able to stop sneaking.

Eat vegan? Try our Vegan Pot Pie with Sage Crust.

What's a fall without wild rice soup? This healthy fall recipe has perfectly tender while rice, surrounded by aromatic veggies in the creamiest sauce possible. It's impossibly creamy yet 100% plant based! This one always gets rave reviews: last time we served it, it was deemed "the best wild rice soup ever"

Try either: Best Wild Rice Soup or Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup.

Take it over the top: Serve with Beet Salad & Fall Sangria!

Here's a classic fall dinner idea: and the smell alone of this butternut squash risotto bubbling away is reason to make it! The tender, caramelized roasted squash makes sweet pockets in the creamy Parmesan rice dotted with sage. And that smell of shallots sauteing in butter, with a splash of white wine? DIVINE.

Here’s an incredible fall dinner recipe that’s impressive every time: these Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas! It’s stood the test of time and has been a fan favorite for years. Tender sweet potatoes are the perfect contrast to savory black beans and tangy salsa verde. Top it off with Colby cheese, it’s the best gooey comfort food around. This one will please everyone: we guarantee it.

Need a cozy fall dinner? Try rotisserie chicken! This recipe makes for one juicy, mouthwatering, perfectly seasoned bird! Our friends and family absolutely love this recipe, and we’re excited to share it with you. Rotisserie chicken makes the best easy meal with rice and a fall salad.

Need a healthy fall soup recipe that pleases everyone? Try this Kale Soup with White Beans! Hearty Tuscan kale, white beans and tomatoes float in a tangy broth flavored with oregano and fennel. It’s like a combination of all our favorite soup recipes in one bowl: comforting and full of bold Mediterranean-style flavors.

Once it's squash season, you've got to take the chance to make this spaghetti squash spaghetti! Instead of noodles, this fall dinner recipe uses everyone's favorite squash, which when roasted can be scraped out into "noodles". Top with marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese (or vegan Parm) and you've got an incredibly flavorful healthy fall recipe! Serve with goat cheese crumbles, meatballs, or beet salad to make it a meal.

Also try: Best Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

To cook the squash: Roasted Spaghetti Squash or Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash

People who make this swear it has meat in it, but surprise! It's full of rice, nuts, herbs, and cheese that all together work to make the flavor and texture of meat. You've got to taste it to believe it! It's one of our most popular fall dinner recipes for good reason: it's 100% cozy. Serve with roasted Parmesan Potato Wedges or Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Here’s a healthy fall recipe you’ll immediately add to your regular rotation…because it’s just that good. Try this White Bean Soup recipe, full of humble ingredients and huge flavor! It’s a new favorite over here, especially now that soup season has arrived. Tender white beans float in the cozy broth with soft potatoes and leafy kale. Lemon zest lends brightness and tarragon brings an herby nuance. It’s made of 100% vegetables and tastes like a dream.

It's not fall if you haven't make pumpkin pasta sauce! Pumpkin puree turns into a creamy, savory sauce when mixed with garlic, spices, and a bit of Greek yogurt. This fall dinner recipe pairs it with doughy gnocchi pillows and gooey goat cheese. It’s probably one of the coziest comfort foods we’ve baked up, and it consistently gets rave reviews! Every time we serve it, it very quickly disappears.

Also try: Pumpkin Pasta Sauce with Penne and Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Of course, you've got to have chili as part of your fall dinner idea repertoire! This vegetarian chili is all things cozy, starring beans, corn, bulgur wheat for a little texture, mild green chilis, and a lot of chili powder. Together with our Easy Vegan Cornbread makes for the perfect fall meal (or see any of our 10 Best Sides to Go with Chili).

Other great chilis: 3-Bean Healthy Chili Recipe or Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili

Ready for the best ever soup? This one is so delicious, you feel like you’re wrapped in a cozy hug. Did we mention it’s a totally plant based dinner recipe, too? This healthy fall recipe is ready to amaze you. Or, try the pressure cooker version: Instant Pot Lentil Soup

Here's the fall-est of the fall dinner recipes: stuffed acorn squash! The squash is roasted until tender, then draped in a toasted pecan rice stuffing that makes your kitchen smell like a fall paradise! You know that scent of onions, celery and leeks cooking in butter? Well, this recipe delivers it in spades. Everyone we’ve served it to becomes a believer…and then immediately asks for the recipe.

Got an Instant Pot? Try Instant Pot Acorn Squash

Why not add cozy mac and cheese into the hall of fame of fall dinner recipes? This mac and cheese is just as gooey as it looks. This is one of our best pasta recipes because everyone who tastes it becomes a believer. The way that the cheese melts in makes the creamiest sauce. Try it with a fancy pasta noodle to mix it up.

Also try: Pesto Mac and Cheese, Gouda Mac and Cheese, White Cheddar Mac and Cheese, or Mac and Cheese with Greek Yogurt

Another in our fall dinner ideas: ready for the coziest, most comforting soup? This curried butternut squash soup tastes like a bowl of sunshine. It’s chock full of beautiful, colorful healthy ingredients, and because it's pureed with chickpeas, it's heartier than most butternut squash soups. The Thai flavors of coconut, ginger and curry are the perfect match to this lightly sweet orange squash! Pair with grilled cheese or fancy quesadilla to make it a meal.

Also try: Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup, Butternut Squash Lentil Soup, or Easy Pumpkin Soup!

Last up in our fall dinner recipes: these Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos! Throw almost any seasonal veggies onto a sheet pan, season them up, and they work as a delicious taco filling! The best part: you can add the black beans right on the roasting pan. It comes out zingy and delicious: top with pico de gallo, cheese crumbles, and a dollop of sour cream. Our family couldn’t get enough! 

Welcome to one of our favorite cozy fall dinner ideas: this creamy garlic chicken recipe! The tender, juicy chicken breasts are coated in garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika, then cooked and smothered in a garlic cream sauce!