45 Healthy-Ish Fall Recipes To Help Balance Out All Those Baked Goods & Halloween Candy (Mmm, Pumpkin Pie)
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Come fall, it's kind of hard to get our mind off pie. There’s pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, pecan pie, apple pie… We want to make sure we have a slice of them ALL before autumn ends. While we’re all about eating dessert whenever we want, we recognize we should probably have dinner first. That’s where these 43 healthy fall recipes come in—they’re super seasonal, easy to make, and best of all, leave room for dessert.
Like with every season, we love to look to seasonal produce for recipe inspiration, and fall has some of the BEST options. Potatoes are great year-round, but when we’re looking for things to be a little healthier, sweet potatoes make a great compromise. Try our twice baked sweet potatoes or our sweet potato gnocchi to see what we mean—they hit that comfort food just as well as their potato-counterparts. Fresh Brussels sprouts start popping up in fall too, and we’re adding them to everything from salads to sides to chicken dinners. If you’ve always been on the fence about them, this year’s the time to change that, and recipes like our harvest bowls or our Brussels sprout salad can help. Ditto beets. We know a ton of people who are intimidated by their earthy taste, but we love how they pair with tangy cheese in our roasted beet goat cheese salad, or how well they stand in for meat in our vegetarian beet Reubens. Squashes like pumpkin and butternut are also great additions to many of the recipes you’ve already got in your rotation. They not only add flavor, but also bulk out traditionally carb-heavy dishes so you’ll feel more satisfied by them. Check out our pumpkin lasagna and butternut squash mac & cheese for ideas–we bet you’ll start adding more fall produce to all your faves.
Want more fall recipe inspiration? Check out our favorite fall appetizers, fall dinners, and fall desserts too.
Harvest Chicken Casserole
This satisfying casserole has ALL of your fall favorites—Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cranberries... Make it for a big crowd, or pack it up and eat the leftovers for lunch. It's a meal prep DREAM.
Get the Harvest Chicken Casserole recipe.
Sweet Potato Salad
We love this salad warm, straight from the oven, but it's also very good at room temperature a few days later. 😍 You can bulk it up with leafy greens like baby spinach, put it in a burrito, or even top it with a fried egg for breakfast.
Get the Sweet Potato Salad recipe.
Harvest Bowls
When the weather starts to cool, this grain bowl should be a regular in your rotation. With sliced grilled chicken, roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes, a kale and Parmesan salad, all on top of brown rice, it's filling and healthy without being boring.
Get the Harvest Bowls recipe.
Farro Salad
With pecans, Parmesan, apple, and leafy arugula, this salad really feels like a full meal—AKA a make-ahead dream. It's got all the elements you need: sweet, salty, soft, crunchy, fatty, fresh, but free to make it your own with your preferred mix-ins.
Get the Farro Salad recipe.
Sesame Tofu & Broccoli
In this vegetarian version of a Chinese-American favorite, oven-baked tofu gets tossed in a savory, sweet, and slightly spicy sauce along with crisp-tender broccoli, then topped with toasty sesame seeds and scallions. Mmm.
Get the Sesame Tofu & Broccoli recipe.
Butternut Squash Steaks
Tired of cauliflower steaks? You should turn to butternut squash! It's a great plant-based ingredient because its texture is quite meaty yet tender, and it works with a variety of seasonings and recipes. Have a TON of butternut? Make our butternut squash soup next.
Get the Butternut Squash Steaks recipe.
Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken
These baked chicken leg quarters are glazed with mustard, maple syrup, and herbs and then roasted on top of potatoes and carrots for an award-winning healthy fall dinner.
Get the Maple Mustard Glazed Chicken recipe.
Parmesan Brussels Sprouts Salad
Making this salad might seem intimidating, but it doesn't actually require much prep. Tossed with a combo of toasted almonds, shaved Parmesan, and pomegranate seeds, Brussels make a great side for any fall get-together.
Get the Parmesan Brussels Sprouts Salad recipe.
Indian Butter Chickpeas
Looking for your new favorite way to dress up canned chickpeas? You’re in the right place. Simmered in an aromatic tomato gravy, this vegetarian spin on classic butter chicken will forever change the way you look at a can of beans.
Get the Indian Butter Chickpeas recipe.
Lentil Soup
Lentil soup is the weeknight dinner that always satisfies—it’s nutrient-dense, flavorful, and perfectly filling. While it may not be known as the sexiest of soups, my recipe is anything but boring and ensures that this vegetable soup gets the attention it deserves.
Get the Lentil Soup recipe.
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Creamy, sweet, and conveniently orange, butternut squash adds extra body and richness to mac & cheese. A little thyme does some heavy lifting, making the homey comfort classic a little fancy, and bringing some fall flavors to the table that are *chef’s kiss*.
Get the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese recipe.
Pumpkin Lasagna
At first, pumpkin lasagna might not seem as hot as, say, spinach artichoke lasagna, but don't be fooled: With layers of melty fontina and mozzarella and notes of sage and nutmeg, you'll be wanting seconds of this veggie-filled lasagna.
Get the Pumpkin Lasagna recipe.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
The maple syrup and ricotta in these sweet potato gnocchi are both technically optional—if you do skip them, we definitely recommend going our bacon fat, butter, maple syrup, and bourbon sauce route (😋), but feel free to pair with your favorite sauce too.
Get the Sweet Potato Gnocchi recipe.
Stuffed Butternut Squash
After baking brown-sugar-butter-slathered squash until perfectly tender, you'll top the squash with a hearty filling of quinoa, kale, and chickpeas. Flecked with dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, the savory pilaf has the perfect balance of texture, flavor, and pops of color. It's sweet, savory, protein-packed, and filling—what more could you want for fall?
Get the Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe.
Spicy Turkey Sausage & Kale Chili
While we love classic turkey chili, when we're looking to spice things up, we turn to this recipe. Spicy ground turkey, red bell peppers, cannellini beans, tomatoes, and kale all combine for a cozy soup that will warm you up all winter long.
Get the Spicy Turkey Sausage & Kale Chili recipe.
Stuffed Acorn Squash
All our favorite fall flavors come together in this surprisingly easy and super flavorful stuffed acorn squash. The kale adds a heartiness that only a good cruciferous green can provide, and it pairs perfectly with the tender, sweet flesh of the squash. Yum!
Get the Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe.
Cottage Cheese Alfredo
Dreaming of a big bowl of your favorite creamy pasta with less fat and more protein but with all of the flavor and texture you’re looking for in a good Alfredo? We've got you! Add meat, à la classic chicken Alfredo, or keep it simple—it's guaranteed to impress no matter what.
Get the Cottage Cheese Alfredo recipe.
Cabbage Parmesan
Craving chicken Parm but trying to eat less meat? This cabbage recipe is about to blow your mind. It's even Italian mother-approved!
Get the Cabbage Parmesan recipe.
Butternut Squash Soup
What dish is the most indicative of leaves falling and the chilly autumn breeze? Some might say it's pumpkin pie, others might say warm apple cider, but to us, nothing fits better with October sweater weather than a delicious bowl of butternut squash soup.
Get the Butternut Squash Soup recipe.
BBQ Chicken Twice-Baked Potatoes
Missing summertime BBQ chicken? Stuff sweet potatoes with rotisserie chicken and your favorite BBQ sauce, then top them with Gouda for a healthy chicken dinner you can enjoy long into fall and beyond.
Get the BBQ Chicken Twice-Baked Potatoes recipe.
Roast Pork Tenderloin
Our rosemary glaze here is SO good on pork, and helps flavor the potatoes (trust us, they're incredible). You can also add in some carrots and red onions in place of some of the potatoes for more veggie options!
Get the Roast Pork Tenderloin recipe.
Peanut Chicken Protein Bowls
The beauty about this bowl is that it's infinitely adaptable. You can roast just about any veggie, use any number of toppings, and it'll taste amazing in this recipe. The only thing we might insist you must keep on the bowl is the incredible peanut butter dressing.
Get the Peanut Chicken Protein Bowls recipe.
Coconut Ranch Kale Salad
The vegan coconut ranch dressing here is absolutely irresistible. (Seriously, you'll want to dip everything in it.) But the crunchy chickpeas may just be our favorite part. Who needs croutons?
Get the Coconut Ranch Kale Salad recipe.
Pumpkin Curry
Earthy, sweet pumpkin is the perfect base for a spicy, Thai-inspired coconut milk curry. We begin by roasting the pumpkin to provide some caramelization and nuttiness that adds a lot to the final dish. Then we take some of the roast pumpkin and actually blend it into the curry sauce which adds another layer of pumpkin flavor. 😋
Get the Pumpkin Curry recipe.
Stuffed Peppers
Of all the food you can stuff, stuffed peppers are at the top of our list. Here we’re filling them with beefy tomato rice and shredded Monterey Jack cheese, but you can customize them to fit your taste (and whatever you have in your refrigerator). Swap out the ground beef for another ground protein, and add in any melty cheese you like!
Get the Classic Stuffed Peppers recipe.
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
We love a good twice-baked potato when we're craving something creamy, carb-y, and comforting. These twice-baked sweet potatoes exhibit all the same qualities, in addition to being a little healthier—the perfect vegetarian dinner!
Get the Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes recipe.
Vegan Chili
Sweet potato, black beans, pinto beans, and a whole bottle of beer (like Modelo) come together to make a super hearty meatless chili that's perfect for fall.
Get the Vegan Chili recipe.
Stuffed Cabbage
This recipe is based on gołąbki, a Polish dish in which parboiled cabbage leaves encase a minced meat filling of either pork or beef with onions and rice. What we love most is that the meat and the rice cook in the cabbage itself—less work for you!
Get the Stuffed Cabbage recipe.
Cauliflower Stuffing
This low-carb cauliflower stuffing proves that you don’t always need bread to make an amazing stuffing. Cauliflower is basically a sponge: it’ll soak up the flavor of whatever you cook it with, so we recommend going heavy on the herbs (and the butter! 😈).
Get the Cauliflower Stuffing recipe.
Roasted Beet Goat Cheese Salad
Beet lovers rejoice! This is the ideal fall salad: creamy goat cheese (sub feta if you prefer it), roasted beets, avocado. The secret is that instead of buying precooked beets, you simply wrap them in foil and bake them like a baked potato. It takes about an hour but the resulting beets will be tender, earthy and slightly sweet in a way that no store bought beet can.
Get the Roasted Beet Goat Cheese Salad recipe.
Chicken & Broccoli
This fast and easy one-pot chicken and broccoli recipe is coated in a sweet and savory sauce with plenty of ginger and garlic for a weeknight dinner that beats take-out. This dish comes together in 20 minutes with minimal prep work too. Win win!
Get the Chicken & Broccoli recipe.
Butternut Squash Risotto
A lot of butternut squash risotto recipes call for roasting the squash first. Not this one. Here, everything cooks in the same pot, which means the butternut squash kind of becomes the sauce too. The results are insane.
Get the Butternut Squash Risotto recipe.
Baked Orange Chicken
This baked version is just as delicious and savory-sweet as the regular orange chicken without the added effort or calories of deep frying. Serve alongside brown rice and some delicious broccoli or bok choy for a fantastic, healthy weeknight fall meal.
Get the Baked Orange Chicken recipe.
Spicy Salmon Bowl
All the components of this grain bowl are great on their own—baked salmon, nutty brown rice, quick pickled cucumbers, and spicy mayo—but once they're tossed together, they somehow become even better.
Get the Spicy Salmon Bowl recipe.
Buffalo Brussels Sprouts
Even if you hate vegetables, you won't be able to stop eating these highly poppable (and totally disguised) buffalo wing-inspired Brussels sprouts. Serve with buffalo sauce or blue cheese dressing FTW.
Get the Buffalo Brussels Sprouts recipe.
Keto Pork Chops
These easy pork chops come complete with a mushroom cream sauce you'll want to pour over everything. If all keto dinners are this good, sign us up! The cream sauce helps keep the pork chops from tasting dried out and keeps this from being just a boring cut of pork chops. Bonus: It all comes together in well under an hour.
Get the Keto Pork Chops recipe.
Stuffed Pepper Soup
This soup has everything you like about a classic stuffed peppers—ground beef, rice, tomatoes, and CHEESE. Switch things up by swapping the rice with a small pasta or other grains like quinoa or farro or use ground chicken or sausage in place of ground beef if you like.
Get the Stuffed Pepper Soup recipe.
Vegetarian Beet Reubens
Flavored with many of the same spices as corned beef, beets take the place of meat in this fun play on the classic Reuben sandwich. While the beets are roasting, make a quick Russian dressing with ingredients you likely already have in your fridge and pantry—mayo, ketchup, horseradish, and sweet pickle relish.
Get the Vegetarian Beet Reubens recipe.
Turkey Lasagna
We love ground beef with all our heart, but every now and then we need a break. Enter: this beautifully cheesy ground turkey recipe. It's got everything you love about a traditional lasagna, only you'll feel a little better after destroying a big slice.
Get the Turkey Lasagna recipe.
Chicken Primavera Spaghetti Squash Boats
Spaghetti squash turns our favorite angel hair pasta primavera into a gluten-free, low-carb dinner. It's the perfect healthy dinner to keep things fresh—swap in your favorite fall veggies to make it extra seasonal.
Get the Chicken Primavera Spaghetti Squash Boats recipe.
"Skinny" Alfredo
This healthier version of our Fettuccine Alfredo lets you feel a little bit better about pasta nights. Skipping the heavy cream and using just a little bit of Greek yogurt still gives you a creamy sauce you'll never know is lightened up.
Get the "Skinny" Alfredo recipe.
Mashed Cauliflower
The secret to making steamed cauliflower smooth and creamy? CREAM CHEESE! (We're big fans, if you hadn't noticed.) The cream cheese adds the delicious richness that you might be missing from mashed potatoes.
Get the Mashed Cauliflower recipe.
Burrito Butternut Squash Boats
Butternut squash boats are to fall as stuffed zucchini are to summer. They're the perfect low-carb vehicle for plenty of veggies, meat, and, of course, CHEESE.
Get the Burrito Butternut Squash Boats recipe.
Cheesy Cauliflower Bake
Love potatoes au gratin? Us too. Swap in this cauliflower version to get all the creamy, cheesiness you love, with less carbs. Bonus? More room for pumpkin cheesecake for dessert!
Get the Cheesy Cauliflower Bake recipe.
Balsamic Glazed Roasted Cauliflower
A whole roasted cauliflower makes for a fantastic healthy vegetarian dinner main dish. This one is roasted with extra veggies and has a slightly sweet balsamic glaze over it. It's easy to throw together and will leave you feeling full, but not heavy. Win!
Get the Balsamic Glazed Roasted Cauliflower recipe.
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