Food Seasonal & Holiday 40 Fabulous Fall Recipes By Midwest Living editors Midwest Living editors Midwest Living's experienced editors create best-in-class travel, lifestyle, food, home and garden content you won't find anywhere else. We're loudly, proudly Midwestern, and we're passionate about helping our audience explore and create through award-winning storytelling. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 9, 2023 Trending Videos Photo: Brie Goldman Enjoy the rich flavors of fall in these tempting takes on cool-weather classics, including pasta dishes, cobbler, pot roast, chili and pie. 01 of 41 Pappardelle with Short Rib and Carrot Ragù Brie Goldman Nestled in a Dutch oven, beef short ribs braise in tomatoes, carrots, onion and garlic, with a dash of cinnamon. Your house will smell divine while it cooks—and after the sauce chills overnight, you'll have plenty to ladle on ribbons of pasta the next day as well as freeze some for a quick-fix dinner in the future. Cozy Pasta Recipes to Make Tonight View Recipe 02 of 41 Italian Wedding Soup Brie Goldman Because this soup—which uses Italian turkey sausage as the base for mini meatballs—is so simple, the quality of the broth will show. Choose a more flavorful brand. Simmering Soups and Stews View Recipe 03 of 41 Cider-Braised Chicken, Brussels Sprouts and Apples This fantastic one-pan dinner is ideal for a Sunday supper or casual fall get-together with friends; the sauce is delicious, so serve with bread or mashed potatoes to soak up every delicious bite. Chicken Recipes Perfect for Fall View Recipe 04 of 41 Sheet Pan Sausage and Fall Vegetables One oven temp, so much goodness: Bratwursts sizzle and crisp, fingerling potatoes become burnished golden nuggets, and cabbage turns nutty and sweet. A final drizzle of brown butter and fried sage leaves ties the elements together. View Recipe 05 of 41 Gnocchi Marsala with Mushrooms and Thyme Brie Goldman Creamy, wine-infused sauce glosses mixed mushrooms and pan-seared gnocchi. (No separate pot for boiling required!) The recipe calls for mixed mushrooms; shiitakes add interesting flavor and texture, but a more frugal dish made with all creminis won't disappoint. Recipes for Mushroom Lovers View Recipe 06 of 41 Smoky Beef, Black Bean and Corn Chili Blaine Moats This hands-off, slow-cooker recipe has just a pound of ground beef and a can of stock. All the rest of the heft and taste comes from black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, chipotle peppers and corn tortillas. Hearty Slow-Cooker Soups, Stews and Chilies View Recipe 07 of 41 Spiced Apple Mochi Cakes with Miso Caramel and Walnuts Carson Downing Chef Ji Hye Kim of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor, Michigan, shares the recipe for these lightly spiced, apple-flecked cakes. Their slightly chewy texture comes from sweet rice flour, a typical ingredient in many Asian sweets. Topped with miso caramel, toasted walnuts and whipped cream, this dessert fires on all flavor and texture cylinders. View Recipe 08 of 41 Sweet Potato with Moroccan Chickpeas Blaine Moats Like chili on a baked potato—except so much more alluring, with caramelized roasted sweet potato and spiced chickpeas. Tie it all together with lemon-tahini dressing, fresh mint and dreams of far-off places. Vegetarian Recipes You'll Want to Try View Recipe 09 of 41 Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars. Carson Downing Sure, you've seen this combo before. But not done this well. This recipe doesn't use a whole can of pumpkin, so add leftovers to a smoothie, a pot of chili, hot oatmeal or even hummus. Pumpkin Recipes We Absolutely Love View Recipe 10 of 41 White Bean Stew with Marinated Radicchio White Bean Stew with Marinated Radicchio. Shelly Westerhausen Worcel/Courtesy of Chronicle Books Flecked with dill, this healthful stew blew our tasters away. The recipe comes from the cookbook Every Season is Soup Season (Chronicle Books, $33), by Indiana author Shelly Westerhausen Worcel. Turn Leftover Soup Into Something New With This Creative Cookbook View Recipe 11 of 41 Sausage-Stuffed Delicata Squash Carson Downing All you need is fifteen minutes of prep time to make this all-in-one meal—perfect for those days when you need something easy but still cozy and comforting. View Recipe 12 of 41 Italian Beef Sandwiches, Pot Roast-Style Carson Downing Food Network star (and Chicago native) Jeff Mauro's recipe mimics captures the spirit of classic Italian beef without having to invest in a deli slicer. Just so you know, "real" Italian beef sandwiches are completely dunked (bread and all) in the meat juices, or jus. It's messy and marvelous. The recipe comes from Mauro's book, Come on Over (William Morrow, $30). View Recipe 13 of 41 Chocolate Cream Cups Brie Goldman For those fall days when you need a quick make-ahead dessert—and you want rich taste as well—these cream cups can be your go-to. They're just shy of a luxe truffle; each spoonful is a moment to savor. Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes View Recipe 14 of 41 Sheet-Pan Chicken and Vegetables Carson Downing For maximum flavor, this one-pan dinner has you caramelize two ways. High-temp roasting browns veggies, while basting chicken with a sweetened glaze adds color and bold flavor. View Recipe 15 of 41 Southwest Corn Pudding Blaine Moats Buttery onions, cheddar and green chilies lace our stuffinglike pudding. Inspired by traditional skillet corn bread, this recipe works as a side or as a meatless main served with a salad or garlicky sauteed kale. View Recipe 16 of 41 Cocoa Gingerbread with Heaven Frosting Carson Downing A humble snack dresses up for company. With its nutty flavor and tiny flecks of toasted milk solids, browned butter elevates a simple cream cheese frosting to saintly levels. Fall Cakes You'll Want to Make Right Now View Recipe 17 of 41 Autumn Beef Stew We riffed off Julia Child's legendary boeuf bourguignon, stealing her trick of flavoring a wine-rich beef stew with bacon drippings, but adding generous chunks of carrot, potato and butternut squash. Family-Favorite Soups and Stews View Recipe 18 of 41 Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate-Pepita Swirl Carson Downing With its ripple of chocolate, cinnamon and toasted pumpkin seeds (and browned butter in the batter!), this pumpkin bread is an indulgent afternoon treat. Our Best Pumpkin Recipes View Recipe 19 of 41 Slow-Cooker Brat and Sauerkraut Soup Potatoes, onion, sauerkraut and brats pack in the German flavor in this homey slow-cooker soup. Try with Whole Wheat Pretzel Rolls; the soft pretzels' chewy, brown exterior comes from being boiled in an alkaline solution-the 1/4 cup baking soda in the water isn't a typo! View Recipe 20 of 41 Wine-Marinated Pot Roast This tender beef creation includes a gorgeous, glossy red wine sauce that amps up sweet root vegetables, mushrooms and onion. View Recipe 21 of 41 Calico Chowder Blaine Moats If you have partial bags of dried beans loitering in the pantry, throw them all in the pot to make this anything-goes fall soup. Perfumed with thyme and sage, it's creamy, homey and gratifyingly resourceful. View Recipe 22 of 41 Pasta with Chard and Basil If you have a big bunch of chard from the farmers market or a CSA box, this healthy, easy 30-minute dinner is a great way to use it up. Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less View Recipe 23 of 41 Pan-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Mushrooms This beautiful, buttery beef tenderloin is so simple. Brown the beef in a cast-iron skillet, roast it in the oven, then take advantage of the hot pan to toss together the thyme- and sherry-glazed mushrooms. View Recipe 24 of 41 Pork Chops with Grapes and Onions Blaine Moats This dinner for two is weeknight-easy. Use bone-in chops for the best flavor and serve with mashed potatoes or rice. Top Pork Recipes View Recipe 25 of 41 Roast Chicken and Mushroom Jus At Iowa's Rapid Creek Cidery, Matt Steigerwald serves his chicken and savory mushroom sauce with Sweet Apple Risotto (find the risotto recipe here), but mashed potatoes or buttered noodles would be just as good. View Recipe 26 of 41 Quick-Roasted Salmon with Lemon and Herbs A side of salmon is as celebratory as a traditional meaty roast-in way less time. Elegant and easy, this recipe cleverly uses the same flavored mayonnaise for brushing and serving as a condiment. Favorite Salmon Recipes View Recipe 27 of 41 Pear Tarte Tatin Carson Downing Just seven ingredients go into this upside-down French tart. And one of them is très-easy purchased puff pastry. (Choose an all-butter pastry, such as Dufour or the Trader Joe's house brand, for the best flavor.) View Recipe 28 of 41 Harvest Chipotle Chili Sweet potatoes and apples hold their own with spicy chipotle chilies in this perfect sweet-heat balance. Does it take a lot of peeling and chopping? Yes. Is it worth it? Oh, yeah. View Recipe 29 of 41 Roasted Pork with Apple-Walnut Salsa Who knew a pork shoulder seasoned with just salt and pepper could be so scrumptious? The recipe comes Minneapolis chef Marshall Paulsen. The salsa recipe makes a very generous amount of the apple salsa, about 4 cups. It will keep fine for a day or so in the refrigerator to eat with leftovers, or just halve the recipe if you don't think you'll use it all. Any leftover pork makes a mean sandwich. View Recipe 30 of 41 Poppy Seed Bundt Cake Brie Passano Angela Garbacz, owner of Goldenrod Pastrries in Lincoln, Nebraska, features recipes that adapt to gluten- and dairy-free needs in her cookbook, Perfectly Golden. This simple, sweet cake reminds her of her time in Poland. Gluten-Free Desserts to Satisfy Any Sweet Tooth View Recipe 31 of 41 Roast Chicken with Caramelized Onions and Fall Fruit Apples, pears and cranberries mix with caramelized onions in a luscious tumble over chicken breasts. Why leave the skin on and bones in? Trust us; you'll notice the extra flavor in this fabulous fall recipe. View Recipe 32 of 41 Spiced Pear-Cranberry Cobbler You can almost remember a misty-morning trip to the orchards and bogs when you taste this riff on a Midwest favorite. A pumpkin-cornmeal biscuit crowns the sweet-tangy fruit duo. View Recipe 33 of 41 Sausage and Spinach Skillet Pizza Blaine Moats A hot cast-iron skillet mimics a pizza stone to create a crisp, evenly browned crust. We loaded our pizza with oozy red sauce and stretchy cheese. Fork and knife highly recommended. Homemade Pizza Recipes View Recipe 34 of 41 Vanilla Apple Gratin This simple, orchard-fresh dessert captures the flavor of vanilla ice cream melting into the warm apples in a pie-but more quickly, and with way less fat and sugar. View Recipe 35 of 41 Ratatouille When cooler nights trigger cravings for warming autumn suppers but the garden still bears a summer's bounty of tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and eggplant, we call on the French for help. The classic vegetable stew is traditionally served unadorned, but we love it spooned over homemade garlic bread as a luxe fork-and-knife sandwich. View Recipe 36 of 41 Apple, Cranberry and Pecan Galette A free-form tart is the anxious pie-maker's best friend. No fussy crimping, and any torn edges or lumpy folds just add to the charm (especially when sprinkled with sparkly raw sugar). View Recipe 37 of 41 One-Pan Harvest Pasta This hearty weeknight dinner recipe is perfect for fall and winter, when you crave cozier foods. View Recipe 38 of 41 Danish Pastry Apple Bars One of her students shared this fall recipe long ago with Gail Michael of West Lafayette, Indiana. It's like apple pie in a baking pan. View Recipe 39 of 41 Brussels Sprouts with Ham and Leeks In the final minutes of cooking, a splash of fresh orange juice and cider vinegar adds the perfect sweet acidity to a company-worthy (but family-night-easy) side dish. Fresh Recipes for Brussels Sprouts View Recipe 40 of 41 Thai-Style Chicken Curry with Basil and Jasmine Rice Because it calls for a full cup of fresh basil, this is a great dish to make in early fall, when the plants in your garden are huge and you're looking for ways to use them. This dish starts on the stove top but finishes out of the way in the oven, leaving just enough time to make rice for sopping up the creamy sauce. View Recipe 41 of 41 Crumb-Topped Apple Trio Pie Crisp on top, sweetly tender inside, this quintessential fall dessert blends tart and sweet apples —Granny Smith, Jonagold and Braeburn—with sugar and cinnamon under a brown-sugar and walnut crumb topping. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit