Savoring Autumn: Delicious Dinner Ideas

While fall may signify the end of summer and the return of shorter days and winter weather, it does mean that delicious autumnal flavorsdelicious autumnal flavors and seasonal produce are ready and waiting to be championed and enjoyed.

From hearty chilis and creamy pumpkin pasta to flavorful harvest bowls enjoyed alongside your favorite premix cocktails, you don’t need to be a professional chef to make the most of the fresh produce and comforting flavors of the season.

Pork Chops with Apple & Bacon

Pork chops with apples and bacon is the perfect 30-minute, one-pan meal that can quickly be whipped together for a seasonal weeknight dinner. The juicy pork chops are perfectly complemented by crisp-tart sliced apples marinating together in a sweet and savory sauce, made using flour, apple cider, mustard, and bacon drippings.

Small slivers of crispy bacon add an irresistible smokey flavor, while sweet and soft shallots provide enough sharpness to cut through the richness of the meal without overpowering the softer flavors of apple and sage. While the meal can easily serve a family of four, a side serving of rice perfectly accompanies this powerhouse pan meal.

Classic Chili

There are very few meals more welcoming on a chilly fall evening than a classic hearty chili. But while many recipes call for lengthy cooking times to allow for flavors to amalgamate in the pot, the right recipe can have you sitting down to eat in only 40 minutes.

In a large pot, cook onion until soft and translucent before adding garlic and cooking until fragrant. After adding tomato paste to the vegetables, lean ground beef can be added and cooked off until completely browned. Alongside a generous seasoning of salt and pepper, chili powder, oregano, cumin, paprika, and cayenne can be added to taste. Once your crushed canned tomatoes and beans have been thrown in, bring the mixture to a simmer for roughly 25-30 minutes. Serve with your toppings of choice, including grated cheese, sour cream, and scallions.

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

Transform your favorite creamy pasta recipe into a fall favorite by incorporating smooth and creamy pumpkin, fragrant rosemary, spicy garlic, and smokey bacon. The beauty of the recipe is that the meal can be kept for up to three days when safely stored in a refrigerated airtight container.

Cook your bacon until crispy and brown first, so you can use a tablespoon of the bacon grease to make the base of your sauce. To a skillet, add butter to your bacon fat before toasting rosemary until it is fragrant and crispy. Remove the rosemary and set aside before sauteing garlic for roughly a minute before adding pumpkin puree, heavy cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and cooked bacon alongside a cup of reserved pasta cooking water. Stir until combined and simmer until slightly thick before adding your cooked pasta. Top your served pasta with the crispy rosemary leaves and enjoy.

Harvest Bowls

Harvest bowls are the ideal weeknight dinner option that you can turn to again and again. The advantage of this filling and ridiculously easy dinner recipe is that it works with whatever you have on hand, including the fresh seasonal produce you love most.

Celebrate the flavors of fall by combining sliced grilled chicken with roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, fresh kale leaves, and parmesan, served over nutty brown rice or quinoa. Top it off with a delicious dressing made with apple cider, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, shallot, dijon mustard, honey, and plenty of salt and pepper.

Turkey Pot Pie

Turkey pot pie is a fantastic weekend dinner with a comforting creamy center and extra-flakey crust. This delicious twist on the chicken classic is the perfect way to use any leftover Thanksgiving turkey and rogue vegetables you still have hanging around your fridge or freezer.

While store-bought puff pastry is a great shortcut ingredient when you simply don’t have the time or energy to make it from scratch, homemade dough is much easier to make than you may expect. The key to the perfect crunch is ensuring your butter is ice cold and working with the dough as little as possible to prevent the butter from melting before being cooked.

Farro Salad with Roasted Root Veggies

Crispy roasted carrots, parsnips, and celery root add fantastic depth and caramelized wonder to an earthy but elegant farro salad. Top with a simple olive oil and red wine vinaigrette, allowing these brilliant seasonal vegetables to be the stars of the show.

If you are unfamiliar with farro, it is an ancient grain that has been used in cooking for thousands of years thanks to its high levels of fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is similar to barley and has a nutty taste and chewy texture. It is usually sold dry and is cooked in a pot of boiling water, like rice. For salads, it is better to use pearled farro as opposed to whole grain.

The farro, root vegetables, and dressing can all be prepared at least a day in advance, but the salad should only be combined and dressed right before serving to prevent it from becoming soggy and losing texture.