Is there really any reason to look forward to the end of summer?  If you’re like me, you probably dread the arrival of colder weather and shorter days, but there is at least one pleasant change brought in with the seasonal shift.  Autumn flavours and ingredients help soften the harsh, rocky transition away from the long, easy days of summer.  They evoke comfort and heartiness, things that we must cling to for pleasure and sustenance while preparing for the harsh winter ahead. 

Ah but with such a rich and delicious array of in season ingredients at our disposal, comes the inevitable dilemma of what to make with our yearly harvest.  Each season brings a wealth of new recipes from bloggers -it’s an embarrassment of riches on all fronts – and while there are iterations of all the favourites, there is always something new to try as well. 

Here to help guide your autumn feasts and cozy dinners, is a list of ten favourite Fall recipes.

 Make Ahead Thanksgiving Panzanella by Oh She Glows

Angela Liddon’s autumn twist on the classic Tuscan bread salad uses Lacinato kale and Delicata squash in place of the traditional, more summery and Mediterranean cucumber and tomato combo.  This ingredient swap turns the dish into a heartier meal that conjures the sweet final days of outdoor life, of sweater weather and fall colours.

Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Panzanella

Hunky Heartbeet Cabbage Soup by Oh She Glows

Soups are, of course, are fundamental part of Fall cuisine, and a nice simmering pot of soup is the perfect salve to a dark cold October night. This Hunky Heartbeet Cabbage Soup, also known as Borscht, aside from being super rich in antioxidants, has a deep beautiful crimson colour as well as a bold flavour combination of beet, cabbage and marinara sauce, making it a feast for eyes, and for the stomach. 

Hunky Heartbeet Cabbage Soup

Vegan Pumpkin Ravioli by Hot For Food Blog

Pasta is year-round kind of food, but depending on how you prepare it, what ingredients you pair it with, it can take on a very specific seasonal quality.  This recipe by Hot for For Blog takes what is perhaps the most distinctly fall ingredient there is – pumpkin – marries it to decadent pasta pockets, and finishes it with white wine sage butter sauce to produce the perfect autumnal carb fest.  

vegan pumpkin ravioli

Fall Forest Salad by Full of Plants
This recipe from Full of Plants is a buffet of wonderful fall ingredients: carrots, chestnuts and pecans, mushrooms, lentils, rice and dried cranberries.   Though the dish appears simple on the surface, the flavours and textures being combined are complex and diverse.  And the dill vinaigrette brings it all together with a slightly sweet, acidic tang.     

Fall Forest Salad

Apple Cider Cupcakes by Sweet Potato Soul

Let’s not forget the power of a sweet, decadent treat in alleviating the fall blues.   The recipe by Sweet Potato Soul takes the flavours of a hot cup of apple cider, the kind of flavours that warm your innards, and transfers it to cupcake form.  If there’s one fall ingredient that’s more iconic than pumpkin, it’s apples, and these cupcakes have it in spades.  Apple in the batter? Yep.  Apple in the icing? Check. These cupcakes are a-must-try, moist delight.

Creamy Pumpkin Risotto by Create Nourish Love

Here we are with pumpkin again.  Risotto makes for a filling and thoroughly comforting meal on its own but with the addition of a smooth pumpkin puree, it becomes a feast fit for a solstice celebration.  This recipe from Create Nourish Love is also pretty easy to prepare, and with the pumpkin standing in for what would usually be some sort of butter substitute, it’s also substantially healthier and less oily than your standard risotto.

Butternut Squash Chili by Savoury Tooth

Chili is one of my favourite meals for a cozy, cold weather night at home.  The addition of Butternut Squash in this recipe from Savoury Tooth, makes this chili even more of a fall friendly meal.  There is also quinoa included in this recipe, giving it more substance and healthier twist.  Of course, chili also keeps very well, and is great for leftovers.  

Quinoa Stuffed Butternut Squash by Well Plated

Squash stuffed with quinoa, cranberries, chickpeas and kale?  Yes please.  This recipe screams Fall, and in addition to being an easy and delicious dinner option, it’s a bright, colourful and cheerful way to jazz up your table setting.  It’s light enough to be an appetizer, but top that squash up with a little more quinoa and you got yourself a full meal.

Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Bucatini by This Savory Vegan

If felt necessary to include at least two pasta dishes in this list.  Afterall, pasta is a culinary cure-all and always a crowd pleaser.  Despite being pasta lover, I don’t think I’ve ever tried Bucatini, which is another reason why I choose this recipe by This Savory Vegan.  Bucatini is a thick and long tube pasta, known for its ability to soak up sauce better than its close cousin, spaghetti.  With a decadent creamy sauce made of a pumpkin and hummus blend, you can guarantee this Bucatini will be soaked and dripping with goodness.

Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Bucatini

Pumpkin Pecan Scones with Maple Glaze by Cookie + Kate

Imagine sitting by your window on an autumn morning, watching the leaves drift down from the trees, with a bodom full of coffee next to you.  A gentle wind tousles the golden hued canopies.  Rain is in the air.  What’s missing from this scene? A pumpkin pecan scone of course.  These scones, from a recipe by Cookie + Kate, make the perfect sweet seasonal breakfast, or snack, or dinner, because why not.