These 30 Comfort Food Recipes for Fall are hearty, cozy and delicious – perfect for fall nights around the dinner table.
This time of year, life moves at lightning speed. It seems to be the nature of the season- a gradually revving up, building, towards the holidays. Days become shorter, colder and our appetites change as well. As fall gets underway, we start to crave cozy, heartier, meatier, comfort food recipes, warming to both body and soul.
If you’ve been on the blog a while, you’ll know that most of the recipes you’ll find here tend to be on the lighter, healthier side (like these Vegetarian Recipes for Fall). But I don’t judge or label food as good or bad. These fall recipes feature here are more of the “stick-to-your-bones” type. Rich, decadent and meaty. And while I don’t cook this way every day, there is a place for them, especially when shared around the table.
Comfort food, in moderation, can be incredibly nourishing on the soul level. Not just the eating of it, but particularly in the act of making it. Making comfort food can be really comforting if we allow it – the perfect way to spend a slow and lazy Sunday.
Sharing it with others feels especially good too. Many of these comfort food recipes can be made ahead– perfect for fall gatherings or the holiday table. Here are a few of my favorite comfort food recipes for fall and winter. Hope you enjoy!
Cozy Fall Comfort Food Recipes
Lentil Bolognese
Rich and robust, this plant-based Lentil Bolognese is hearty, “meaty” and full of depth of flavor. Toss it with your favorite pasta, or spoon it over creamy polenta- either way, this simple nourishing vegan meal is one the whole family will enjoy.
Creamy Mushroom Soup with Rosemary and Garlic
A simple recipe for Creamy Mushroom Soup with Rosemary and Garlic – falvoful and hearty enough to stand alone as a main course. Keto-friendly and elegant enough for fall gatherings or simple enough for fall weeknight dinners! Serve this with crusty bread for a simple hearty meal!
Pastitsio!
Butternut Lasagna with Wild Mushrooms and Sage
Chicken Pot Pie
Zucchini Lasagna
A robust and hearty fall recipe for Zucchini Lasagna made without noodles for a low-carb, keto version of one of our favorite meals! Vegetarian adaptable and Gluten-free.
Homemade Tomato Soup
Stuffed Acorn Squash
White Chicken (or Cauliflower) Enchiladas
Chicken Marsala
How to make classic Chicken Marsala (with double the mushrooms!) in a rich, earthy, complex Marsala Sauce. Serve over creamy polenta, mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower for a delcious fall dinner.
Ribollita (Tuscan Whitebean Stew)
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Tamale Pie
Chicken Biryani
Moussaka
Butternut and Potato Curry
Instant Pot Chili
Stuffed shells with Pumpkin Sauce
Butternut Squash Gratin
White Chicken Chili with Poblanos
White Chicken Chili is made with white beans, poblano chilies, cilantro, coriander and lime. Tangy, spicy, this one-pot meal is hearty and delicious!
Roasted Chicken with Lebanese 7-Spice
Whole Roasted Chicken
Middle Eastern Lamb Stew
Berbere Chicken
Slow Cooker Turkey Mushroom Bolognese
Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese with Mushrooms A simple recipe for Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese with Mushrooms- a delicious easy fall meal with lots of depth and flavor.
Rosemary Chicken Lasagna
Fesenjan
Indian Butter Chicken
Five Spice Pulled Pork Tacos
Give them and try and tell us your favorites below!
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30 Comfort Food Recipes for Fall!
30 BEST comfort food recipes for Fall. Hearty, meaty and satisfying, perfect for chilly fall nights and great for sharing! Zucchini lasagna
- Prep Time: 60
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8
- Category: main, fall recipes,
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 1/2–3 lbs zucchini (3-4 large, 9-inch long- see notes) 16-18 slices, cut to 1/3 inch thick.
- olive oil, or spray olive oil
- salt and pepper
“Meat” Sauce:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 onion
- 4–6 garlic cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
- 1 1/2 lbs ground lamb, beef, turkey, or use a vegan substitute like Beyond meat, beyond beef crumbles, soy crumbles
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 3 cups marinara sauce (divided)
- pinch chili flakes (optional)
- 8 basil leaves, torn
Ricotta Mixture:
- 15–16 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 1 egg
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 ounces pecorino romano – about 1/2 cup grated (divided)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Cook Zucchini: Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch slices. You’ll need 16-18 good slices. See notes. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan, spray or brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in the hot oven, for 20-ish minutes, or until fork-tender. Set aside. Alternatively, you can grill zucchini over medium-high until tender for even more flavor.
- Make the Filling: In a large saucepan or skillet, saute the onion, garlic and optional fennel seeds in a little oil, for 1-2 minutes, over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat (or vegan meat) lower heat to medium, and break it apart with a metal spatula, until completely crumbled and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes (vegan meat will take much less time). Drain any of the fat. Return meat to the pan and add salt, pepper, oregano, and 2 cups marinara sauce. Give a good stir, cover and bring to a gentle simmer until heated all the way through. Stir in torn basil leaves. See notes.
- Ricotta: Mix the ricotta cheese in a medium bowl with the egg and nutmeg.
- Assemble: Grease a 9 x13 inch pan. Pour 1/2 cup of marinara to coat the bottom lightly. Place 8-9 slices of zucchini ( save the prettiest, most uniform ones for the top.) to cover the bottom. Pour the meat sauce over top. Spoon the ricotta mixture over the meat sauce and spread it around. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the grated pecorino cheese, Add the top layer of zucchini. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of marinara over top and spread evenly into a thin layer. Dust with the remaining pecorino.
- Bake: Wipe off the edges of the pan, cover with foil and bake at 425F for 20 minutes, remove foil and continue baking, until golden and bubbling, 5-10 more minutes.
Notes
Go to the Full post for recipe notes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛ slice
- Calories: 457
- Sugar: 4.1 g
- Sodium: 730.2 mg
- Fat: 34.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 14.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.8 g
- Fiber: 2.1 g
- Protein: 25.2 g
- Cholesterol: 119.9 mg
Keywords: fall recipes, fall recipe ideas, best fall recipes, recipes for fall, comfort food recipes, comfort food meals,
Five spice pulled pork tacos. Brilliant. Love how you marry the cuisines into something spectacular, and original! Keep crushing it!
Jim
thanks so much Jim!
Thanks for sharing these. All look very delicious. Your blog has helped me to get inspired and I found joy in cooking this kind of recipe.
Great to hear Mitu!
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe with us. I learned a lot from your content. I hope to update more new recipes.
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thank you Sheikh Jabir! Happy you are here.
Thanks for sharing these food recipes. All recipes looks very delicious.Your blog has helped me to get inspired and i found the joy in cooking this kind of recipes.
Thanks Milton, we really appreciate this!
Hey Sylvia!
I’ve been enjoying your recipes for about six months now (just breaking into the fall comfort foods list) and I LOVE the flavors. Actually, I love everything about the culinary style here. I’ve told everybody I know about your blog. Your recipes and selections are incredible, and better yet — reliable! I don’t need to test them out before serving them up for my friends. And they’re actually excited to eat my food!
Six months ago, I could hardly make more than spaghetti. My food was bland, over/underdone, and I sometimes didn’t even bother to heat up my leftovers, just shoveled ’em down lukewarm. Sad, I know.
But your recipes have made me fall in love with cooking to the point that I’m building ALL my skills! I care about what I cook and what I eat. I use garnishes (what!?) and am even designing an indoor herb garden for my extensive rosemary needs. What used to be a chore is so much fun now! My endless thanks for your wisdom and cheer on this blog, it’s a delight to have learned so much from you.
Ever grateful,
E
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You are so kind Elle! Thanks for sharing here, and sharing with your friends. I’m so glad the blog has helped you get inspired again and love that you found the joy in cooking.❤️ It really can be so much fun. Love your indoor herb garden- I need one of those!
My wife would love the way i learned from you, I am insanely excited to show her, thanks for the great content.
Lasagne is the Italian name for the noodles used in a lasagna casserole. … Pasticcio is a wider category of casseroles which doesn’t have a strict definition. It is the Italian spelling, you will also see other variants such as pastitsio . It usually has noodles, but not always.
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Hey this is awesome .
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my favourite food is cheese and biscuits (separate)
how can I register on your website to receive your updates and newsletter and become a member of your community 6
Hi, enter your email address where it says subscribe- on the home page, center, top bar or on the side bar.
I like lamb but not beef only a little so as chicken Thank, You..
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Great recipes
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I’ve never seen so many lamb recipes in one place before 😁
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Did I miss something? No vegetarian recipes for November?
Haha, Yes, there are ALWAYS vegetarian recipes! This is just for the meat-eating folk. Take a look at these Vegetarian Recipes or these Vegan Dinner Recipes– more up your ally. 🙂
I am going to try to make as many of these recipes that I can this month.
Thanks for sharing. :)))
Thanks!!! Let me know your favorites!
Your recipes look amazing. I want to come live with you 🙂
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Haha! I would say yes but our house is tiny!
These all look so amazing! Thank you for all the inspiration!