Don’t miss out on the very best fall dinner ideas featuring seasonal produce! Try healthy dinner recipes from cozy pot pie to chili.

Fall dinner ideas

Once fall starts, it’s all we can do to hold back on our fall food traditions. There’s the first chili of the season. Then pumpkin cookies and pumpkin bread. And of course, all the squash: risotto, soup, stuffed squash, you name it! Here we’ve compiled a list of all the best cozy fall dinner ideas that embody the coziness and produce of the season. You won’t want to let the season go by without making every single one of these tasty and healthy fall dinner recipes.

And now, our top fall dinner ideas and recipes!

Seasonal fall ingredients

What foods are seasonal in the autumn? Some of the seasonal fall ingredients you’ll see in recipes this time of year (click to see recipes for each):

For more: Head to Fall Appetizers, Fall Cocktails, Top Fall Recipes and Fall Desserts to accessorize with these meals. Or try Fall Drinks, Fall Bourbon Cocktails or Fall Vodka Cocktails.

More fall dinner recipes!

In case you’re in need of more inspiration outside of these healthy fall recipes, here are some more favorites:

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Butternut Squash Lasagna

20 Fall Dinner Ideas


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 9 1x

Description

This butternut squash lasagna recipe is incredible! Ricotta, Pecorino, and sage make a stunning dinner that pleases everyone.


Ingredients

Scale

For the butternut squash

  • 2-pound butternut squash (medium)
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

For the lasagna

  • 9 to 12 lasagna noodles (6 to 8 ounces, gluten-free if necessary)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh sage, divided, plus additional leaves as desired
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
  • 16 ounces (2 cups) whole milk ricotta cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 cup shredded Pecorino cheese, divided
  • 8 ounces (2 ½ cups) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Instructions

  1. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Boil the squash: Peel and cut the butternut squash into small cubes about 1/2-inch thick. (Go to How to Cut Butternut Squash for a video! A serrated vegetable peeler works best.) Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the squash and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes until fork tender (test a piece to see if it is done). Drain, then place in a medium bowl. Mix with the olive oil, kosher salt and garlic powder.
  3. Meanwhile, boil the noodles*: Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Boil the noodles until just before al dente, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Drain the noodles, then drizzle a baking sheet with a bit of olive oil. Lay the noodles flat onto the sheet, then turn them over so they become coated with olive oil to prevent sticking.
  4. Prepare the ricotta sauce: Add 1 tablespoon chopped sage to a medium bowl and reserve about ½ tablespoon for topping the lasagna. To the bowl, add the lemon zest, nutmeg, ricotta cheese, salt and pepper and milk. Stir.
  5. Layer the lasagna: In a 9” x 13” baking dish, spread ½ cup ricotta sauce on the bottom of the pan. Then top with 1 layer of noodles, ½ of the cooked squash, scant 2/3 cup cheese sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and ⅓ cup Pecorino cheese. Repeat again: 1 layer of noodles (you may need to cut a noodle in half for the side, depending on your pan), the remaining squash, scant 2/3 cup cheese sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and ⅓ cup Pecorino cheese. Finally, top with noodles (again, you may need to cut a noodle in half for the top layer), then the remaining ricotta sauce spread with a spatula. Sprinkle the entire top with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese, ⅓ cup Pecorino cheese, and ½ tablespoon sage.
  6. Bake the lasagna: Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes, until the top is browned. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Leftovers can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days and reheated in a 400°F oven. (See make ahead and storage notes below.)

Notes

*If you use fresh lasagna noodles, they don’t need to be boiled.

Make ahead ideas: Boil the butternut squash in advance and refrigerate it until ready to bake. Boil the noodles in advance and refrigerate, making sure they’re coated in a little olive oil.
Or make ahead the entire pan: Make the entire lasagna prior to baking, then refrigerate overnight. Increase the bake time as needed to cook until it’s warmed through and the cheese has browned.
Storage info: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days. Or freeze them: it’s easiest to cut it into single servings and freeze each in separate containers. To reheat, defrost the lasagna the refrigerator, then place in a baking dish, cover with foil and reheat at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, until warmed through.

  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Fall Dinner Recipes, Fall Dinner Ideas

A few sweets

OK, we couldn’t resist adding a few fall desserts to accessorize with your meal:

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you’ll want to make again and again.

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