It’s not your imagination – you crave comfort food in the fall. As the days get cooler and shorter, your inner cave-person begins to crave food that will keep you warmer (read: carbs and empty calories). So bring on the chili, the soups, the 13×9 casseroles, and pasta.
Here are 10 recipes to try or to inspire…
Pumpkin Bisque with Smoked Gouda
Image via Pioneer Woman
This is NOT your mother’s pumpkin soup. Two things to love about this soup besides the obvious: 1) Gouda and 2) it calls for canned pumpkin, so no hassling with slimy pumpkin seeds. If you become a pumpkin fanatic in the fall, and are obsessed with anything and everything pumpkin flavored, give this creamy soup a try.
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Cheddar and Chive Mashed Potatoes
Image via Taste of Home
Summer 2022 in Montana was a hot one, so it stands to reason that potatoes may not have made the evening menu on a regular basis. This recipe culminates in melt-in-your-mouth buttery mashed potatoes. It makes A LOT, which is perfect for fall – freeze leftovers and pull them out on busy evenings.
Three-Bean Baked Beans
Image via Taste of Home
This dish is chili’s first cousin. What makes this recipe a winner is its versatility. You can switch out the ingredients to suit your taste. For example, I usually substitute Jimmy Dean sausage for the ground beef because it has more flavor, and I’ll usually pour in my favorite BBQ sauce (Jack Daniel’s Original BBQ sauce is perfect in this recipe!) in lieu of molasses, ketchup, and brown sugar. You can also make this recipe your own by choosing your favorite type of beans.
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Cheese Stuffed Shells
Image via Taste of Home
What would fall be without a hearty pasta dish? I made this dish once when my kids were little, and it was quickly added to the rotation. I’m an expert at recipe shortcuts, so I use jarred sauce instead of making it. I also dribble a few tablespoons of alfredo sauce over the top of these shells – the red and white sauce combo is a taste sensation!
Slow-Cooker Pot Roast
Image via Cafe Delights
Nothing welcomes fall into your home like a roast, slow-cooking while you are away all day. Being greeted to this aroma after a hard day’s work is the closest thing most of us will get to a Fairy Godmother. My preferred shortcut for this recipe? Adding a couple of cans of Golden Mushroom soup – this adds rich flavor and creates a mouth-watering gravy. I also create a layer of baby potatoes and baby carrots under the mushrooms and onions, which results in a meat, gravy, potato and veggie masterpiece.
Pumpkin-Coconut Soup
Image via Healthy Food
Ready to “Thai” a variation of the pumpkin soup recipe above? Fresh gingerroot, fall spices, and coconut milk give this pumpkin soup a unique and unbeatable flavor. This dish screams for a companion of the fresh bread variety. Accompany it with your favorite homemade bread, or treat yourself to a loaf of artisan bread from the bakery.
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Apple Cider Pork Chops
Image via Taste of Home
Get in the spirit of autumn by visiting an apple orchard that sells apple cider. Then cart that cider home and make this delectable dish that combines pork and one of fall’s cherished flavors – apple. Serve over buttered noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Image via Taste of Home
Football and fall go together like chips and dip, which is why we would be remiss if we didn’t include a couple of appetizers for game day. This dip combines a sports bar classic – the flavor of buffalo chicken wings – with warm, cheesy goodness. Might want to double this recipe.
Beer Dip
Image via Taste of Home
Montanans are all about their beer, their ranch dressing, and football. Those things all come together in this semi-addictive dip. Get your share of this early, it won’t last long.
Pumpkin Bars with Orange Frosting
Image via Taste of Home
You didn’t think we’d forget the dessert, did you? We started with a recipe for all you pumpkin lovers, and that’s how we’ll close it out. So if your sweater or pumpkin latte hasn’t openly wept yet, this should do the trick. Gear your tastebuds up for the ultimate fall indulgence – pumpkin, fall spices, and a hint of orange.
Kat Hobza has lived in Montana since she was nine and was raised in the mountains west of Victor, Montana. There, she learned to hunt, fish, shoot competitively, chop and stack firewood, and drive on icy and muddy roads. Kat has over two decades of experience in professional writing, content, and digital marketing and is a marketing consultant for Glacier Sotheby’s International Realty. When she’s not working, she’s either hanging with her hilarious adult kids or soaking up the sun somewhere – a riverbank, a golf course, or her deck. You can contact Kat through her business website, Way Easy Marketing.
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