40 Healthy Fall Recipes You Can Feel Good About
You're going to want a lighter dinner to save room for ALL THE PIE.
When we think of what we look forward to during the 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 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 buffalo Brussels sprouts or our parmesan Brussels sprouts 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.
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.
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.
Pumpkin Lasagna
At first, pumpkin lasagna might not seem as sexy 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Crispy Balsamic Chicken
Simple, healthy weeknight dinners are a must during the fall and this one-pan dinner is favorite of ours. Crispy chicken thighs are surrounded by Brussels sprouts and a tangy balsamic sauce. It's quick and easy and might inspire you to want to cook a homemade dinner every night of the week.
Get the Crispy Balsamic Chicken 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.
Buddha 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 dressing. It's insanely addictive and one of our favorite sauces EVER.
Get the Buddha Bowls 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.
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.
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.
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
We love lentil soup for its versatility. We add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic as a base here, plus canned tomatoes, fresh thyme, and of course, lentils. Feel free to add in whatever leafy greens you like—kale, Swiss chard, arugula, even mustard greens (our favorite for their spicy taste).
Get the Instant Pot Lentil Soup recipe.
Farro Salad
This salad is a sort of template for a good grain salad. It's got all the elements you need, but feel free to make it your own with your preferred mix-ins. This salad is a sort of template for a good grain salad Not a fan of pecans? Use walnuts instead. Got some extra pears on hand? Ditch the apples and use them.
Get the Farro 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.
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.
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.
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.
Miso Butter Cod
This is an easy and healthy dinner that's ready in just 40 minutes. The cod and bok choy roast together, keeping things simple, but don't worry—this fish is flavor-packed. The miso butter gets a little umami kick from sriracha, honey, garlic, and ginger. Yum!
Get the Miso Butter Cod recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
Creamy Chicken Piccata With Gnocchi
Sheet-Pan Garlic Butter Salmon & Asparagus
Creamy Chipotle Shrimp Pasta
Slow-Cooker Creamy Lemon Herb Chicken
