Looking for Fall Dinner Ideas? Here are Some Tasty Ones!
Fall is a great time for food – there are a ton of seasonal flavors, spices, and vegetables that give you more Sunday dinner ideas than you can cook! From vegetarian to hearty meat dishes, there is a mix of healthy and sweet out there for you to whip up.
Here are Board and Life, we’re big into making soups and stews in the fall. We love the ability to toss in new flavors and always have some leftovers for re-heating! We like potato leek soup because Lisa loves potatoes. Seriously.
So, whether you are looking for autumn dinner recipes for you or easy fall recipes for a crowd, these fall dinner party ideas are sure to please the taste buds. While Pinterest is a great place to start looking for ideas, we wanted to bring together a few fall dinner ideas we want to try the most!
Table of Contents
Soups/Stews
Starting off the list, we wanted to highlight a few soups and stews. As we mentioned, we love soups and stews because they are so easy to make and can be reheated over a day or two. This makes for easy meals that are still hearty and tasty when the weather outside is getting chilly!
Beef Stew
No list of classic fall dinner ideas is complete without at least one hearty beef stew. There’s something about beef with carrots, celery, and a nice flavored broth that says “fall is here”! For this recipe, you can consider swapping the beef for another stewing meat like lamb. You could also drop the meat and substitute in more vegetables – perhaps a root vegetable like parsnip. Here is the recipe.
Autumn Stew
Another classic stew that is a hearty and thick – with one awesome ingredient added to it for a fall twist: pumpkin! This is a great way to use the pumpkin leftover from pumpkin carving for Halloween. A great variation is to substitute sweet potato for pumpkin – but you can try both and see which one you like best! Find the recipe here.
Butternut Squash Soup
Okay, another classic on the fall food list is squash. The thing with any kind of squash soup is getting the spices right. That said, there is no ONE way to do the spices for your soup – it really is up to the creator and their tastes! This recipe used cream cheese to achieve the creaminess but there are other cheeses you can substitute! Here’s the recipe for the Butternut Squad Soup.
Apple Tomato Bacon Soup
When we read the title for this soup, we thought the same thing as you: apple AND bacon?! But, here we are! This soup seems like a great mix of sweet and savory. Bruce loves bacon so we’re inclined to make this one soon and let you know how it goes! Did we mention the recipe has red wine? Get the recipe here.
Pies/Casseroles
If you’re preparing food for a larger dinner party, an easy option that can feed many people is to make casseroles and pies. Again, easy to throw together and then just toss it in the oven – voila – you’ve got food for many guests OR lots of meals for just you! Casseroles are good because you can substitute lots of different ingredients to achieve the exact taste you want!
Chicken Pot Pie
Full disclosure: Bruce also loves pie – both the sweet and savory varieties. So, this chicken pot pie is perfect! Between the hearty, creamy filling to the flaky crust, a pot pie is a great option for feeding many without a ton of prep work since the oven does most of it! You can find the chicken pot pie recipe here.
Turkey Pot Pie
If chicken isn’t for you, you can always substitute it with turkey. While they are similar meats, turkey will typically give you a richer flavor. Since we’re talking about pies, another twist on these recipes is whether you make the crust yourself or not. Buying pre-made crusts can save a ton of time and they still turn out great. However, you can totally make your own if you have the time/skill! Here is the recipe.
Hearty Healthy Chicken Casserole
Finally in this section, we come to the laziest and the heartiest of the dishes – the chicken casserole. This version has lots of great additions like cranberries, wild rice, and almonds. If you don’t like brussels sprouts (Bruce loves them – Lisa not so much) then you can always substitute them for another vegetable. Likewise with the sweet potato – but most people like sweet potatoes. Try this one out for a flavor explosion in your mouth. You can find the recipe here.
Salads
Fall salads always make us laugh because they always seem to have a hilarious combination of ingredients and yet they somehow taste amazing. We guess that’s the nature of food/flavor pairings! Salads are great because they can be hot or cold and serve different purposes at a dinner party or as a side for a dinner date!
Warm Brussels Sprout Salad
When you mix bacon, maple syrup, and cranberries – good things happen. This is true for this warm holiday salad made with brussels sprouts. Most of the prep is done in the oven – all you have to do it throw the ingredients together and finish with rosemary for a fragrant salad experience. Here is the recipe.
Easy Apple Coleslaw
Are you a fan of coleslaw? We love it – either vinegary or creamy! That’s why we’ve included this recipe. This creamy take on slaw even has a sweet twist – apple! You might be inclined to substitute the bell pepper or leave it out since usually slaw doesn’t include it. Find the full recipe here.
Harvest Salad
Another mix of classic fall flavors with a few surprises – this fall harvest salad is sure to please any guests you have over for any occasion. One of the ingredients we like is blue cheese – but it can be substituted since it is a stronger flavor that not everyone loves. You can also use olive oil if you can’t find walnut oil! Here is the recipe for the harvest salad.
Classics
We couldn’t make a fall recipe list without having a few hearty classics on it. These ones are pretty self-explanatory, but it’s always nice to try different variations of the classic foods below!
Macaroni and Cheese
Ah yes, nothing says fall like a warm bowl of mac n’ cheese. Takes you back to when you were a kid, don’t you think? This recipe has a few extras to the cheese sauce but makes use of the oven and breadcrumbs for that classic crust you find on top. You can stop short of the crust is you want! Here is the recipe.
Classic Meatloaf
Meatloaf is one of those contested recipe items because each family does it differently and their version is always the best, are we right?! Meatloaf always has two points of differentiation – how the meat is flavored and the glaze! This recipe called for the vegetables to be finely chopped and put into the meat while the glaze is a mix of sweet and spicy with ketchup and Dijon mustard. Give it a try! You can find the recipe here.
Simple Pot Roast
Honestly, this pot roast recipe really is simple. With a few ingredients – cooked a certain way – you can create a tasty meal that pleases many and requires very little prep. Served best with mashed potatoes and horseradish, the meat comes out tender and the sauce that is produced makes a great base for gravy! Here is the recipe.
Bonus: Dessert
We couldn’t let you get away without a few dessert ideas! There are so many great options for fall flavors so we went with two classics – apple and pumpkin. Dig in below to find the dessert that works best for you!
Apple Crisp
There’s not much to say about this classic apple crisp recipe other than it’s basically just like Bruce’s mom makes and it is absolutely delicious. Apple crisp is best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and/or maple syrup drizzled on top if it’s not already sweet enough for you. Here is the recipe.
Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
Feeling compelled to include pumpkin on the list but not wanting to just have pumpkin pie, we thought we would change it up with a pumpkin cheesecake! In fact, the fillings are very similar – just filled with cream cheese for a creamier consistency than a classic pie filling. You can find the recipe here.
And there you have it – some great fall dinner ideas and two bonus dessert items that you can try out! What do you think? Are any of these already classic meals in your household? We’re excited to try out the apple bacon soup – and we will honestly let you know how it turns out!
As always, Stay Curious,
-B&L