Fall has the best, most hearty food! Favorites include squash, casseroles, pumpkin spice, soups and more! Breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners galore, perfect for planning ahead. Here are my Favorite Fall Recipes for Your Next Meal Plan!
Note from Danielle
‘Tis the season of pumpkin spice, apples, and squash. Which is totally okay with me! Now that it’s Fall, we need warm meals you can prep ahead or put together on a weeknight with time to spare. That’s where this list comes into play.
Give it a browse if you’re trying to meal plan for the week and need some inspo. I guarantee there’s something you’ve never tried! As I said last season, If you get even one idea from this list, then I’ve accomplished my mission!
Here’s what all of my Favorite Fall Recipes have in common:
- I make all of these recipes on repeat every Fall as we transition from all the fresh Summer produce towards more warm and spiced foods.
- They taste best in Fall (proven fact 😉), when we’re craving all the pumpkin spice things!
- They all have easy to find ingredients, such as squash, pumpkin or other root veggies.
Here are my favorite tools for cooking in the Fall:
- Instant Pot – My Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 Qt (affiliate link!) was so trusty, I never got the burn signal once! I had it for years and recently gave it to my sister, who is also loving it. The Instant Pot is the best for soups, meaning it’s the perfect Fall food appliance!
- Air Fryer – I use a Cosori Turboblaze 6 Quart Air Fryer (affiliate link!), and it always gets the job done. This is a larger size which I recommend for households of two or more.
- Dutch Oven – I splurged on a Le Creuset, but a Lodge 6 qt Cast Iron Dutch Oven (affiliate link!) will do the trick! Super useful for all kinds of cooking, especially because you can go from stovetop to oven without switching pans.
- Souper Cubes – These 2-Cup Souper Cubes Trays were sent from the soup gods above to help meal preppers everywhere! I use them constantly. Best for freezing perfect sized portions for later!
Tips for meal prep and meal planning:
How to start meal planning:
The best way to meal plan is a little bit different for everyone: some use a mobile app, some write on a laminated sheet with dry erase marker, some simply keep a note with meals listed in their phone.
It depends on what works for you! The only way to know what works best for yourself is to start and give it a try. If it doesn’t work very well, try another method instead.
For an easy method to get you started with meal planning, browse my article 5 Steps to Help You Make a Meal Plan That Works!
Free Meal Planner Templates
To get started with planning meals, try out my free Meal Planning Printable PDFs. I’ve got Weekly & Monthly Meal Planner templates, plus a shopping list template!
Ready for some of my favorite Fall recipes to try out in your next meal plan? If you’ve made one of my recipes before and you enjoyed it, you might like more of them!
Maybe we have similar tastes? Let me know in the comments below! Alright, alright, here’s the good stuff!
Here are some of my Favorite Fall Recipes for Your Next Meal Plan:
Squash noodles just scream Fall! I love this recipe because it tastes just like spaghetti, but it's made with spaghetti squash. This recipe is packed with veggies and perfect for the whole family!
Dutch Oven Recommendation: Lodge 6 qt Cast Iron Dutch Oven (affiliate link!)
Fall means back to school, and back to school means weeknight dinners are needed. This one is full of fiber and protein, with both canned and fresh ingredients to keep things interesting. The sauce is creamy, sweet and spicy, so you know it's good.
Pumpkin Spice Whipped Greek Yogurt is an incredible make-ahead protein packed dessert that tastes JUST LIKE pumpkin pie filling. It's made with plain Greek yogurt, canned pumpkin, and sweetened with maple syrup. I've made a lot of variations of whipped Greek yogurt, and I think this one is my favorite!
This is such a classic recipe that I know I'll be making for years to come. A whole roast chicken just tastes better when it's cold outside.
If you've never made a whole chicken, don't be intimidated! It's simple for beginners, but a favorite of pros! I always use my Instant Pot to make broth from the chicken bones and leftover veggies.
With a few simple ingredients, you can make your own homemade seasonal creamer, both dairy or non dairy. Stash it in the fridge and pour a dash into your coffee every morning of the week. So easy, and made exactly how sweet or spicy you want it.
Potatoes, chicken, bacon, Ranch flavors – sounds super hot, delicious and comforting to me! This Chicken Bacon Ranch Potato Bake is basically a potato based casserole and your whole family will devour it!!
Snacks are for meal prepping too. It's like pie, but you're allowed to eat it every day, whenever you want. You'll be shocked that a mere four ingredients creates these lil dream balls. Nobody can resist a date treat!
This is one of the most popular recipes on Project Meal Plan, especially in the Fall! This casserole is stuffed with veggies and rotisserie chicken, plus a cheesy topping that will make the whole family happy.
The perfect blend of carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes. With this recipe, you can prep the veggies ahead of time, then air fry batches during the week as needed. Crisp browned edges with soft steamy insides; nobody will be able to resist!
Tis the season for pumpkin oatmeal. If you like to use your Instant Pot for oats, add this one to the list. It's so easy so make with rolled oats and bit of pumpkin puree. I've also got notes on exactly what to do if you get the BURN notice on this one.
If you find yourself with a huge excess of apples (12 or more!), I highly recommend making a batch of homemade apple cider. It tastes like Fall in a glass, it makes your house smell amazing, and it's the best thing to do with random varieties of apples. I've made five batches this season!
Another squash casserole going down, and this one tastes like pizza! Squash makes such a good casserole base because it's so versatile. Add your favorite toppings to this casserole and enjoy as leftovers for the week!
Perfect for Fall weeknight dinners, use your air fryer for delicious fork tender acorn squash – with sweet or savory seasoning options! The air fryer was a bright spot of 2020, in my opinion.
You can make muffins without flour! This version is flavored for the season, and they turned out perfect using 'just add water' pancake mix. Super moist from the pumpkin, and easy to make in one bowl, even if you're out of flour.
Use up leftover holiday turkey, stuffing and cranberries in these copycat wraps. This could possibly be my favorite wrap from Trader Joe's, so I decided to recreate it at home. YUM.
Go full baked potato with all the toppings (I've got a full post on homemade bacon bits too), or keep it simple with just this incredible smooth and creamy soup. Russet potatoes are for more than just baking and frying!
Seasonal Recipes For Your Meal Plan
Found yourself here, but it’s not summer? Here are our other seasonal recipe lists for your meal planning needs:
- ☀️ Summer Recipe Ideas – Need some no-reheat lunches, no-bake desserts, and all the fresh produce? Browse this list!
- ❄️ Winter Recipe Ideas – Cozy soups and stew, all forms of potatoes, warm breakfasts, literally anything steamy and cheesy.
- 🌷 Spring Recipe Ideas – We bring back smoothies, but we still make soup. We bring back salads, but we still eat casseroles.
LOOK AT YOU GO!
Have you made any of these Fall recipes before? Let me know your favorites in the comments below! Don’t forget to add a pic with your comment 📸
