As the air turns crisp and the leaves begin to fall, nothing feels better than cozying up with a warm, hearty meal. Fall is a season of comforting flavors, like pumpkin, sweet potatoes, apples, and squash. It’s also a time when you’ll want to turn to stick-to-your-ribs meals, such as soups, casseroles, and stews. But just because the season seems synonymous with comfort food doesn’t mean that food has to be heavy or unhealthy. It’s easier than you think to enjoy seasonal favorites while still keeping meals nutritious and simple to prepare.
Fall dinners are all about enjoying warm, filling meals that fuel your body without weighing you down. In contrast to heavy, calorie-packed comfort foods, these healthy fall dinner recipes focus on lean proteins, fiber-rich vegetables, and spices that bring out the natural flavors of autumn.
Soups and Stews: A Bowl of Warmth
Nothing says fall like a steaming bowl of soup, and these healthy fall soup recipes are packed with vitamins, minerals, and flavorful ingredients. Not only do these soups taste delicious, but they’re also one of the easiest ways to meal prep.
Butternut Squash Soup: Creamy, cozy, and full of fall flavor. Sauté garlic, ginger, onion, carrots and apple in olive oil until softened. Add salt, turmeric, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne (if using). Cook another minute, stirring constantly. Add squash, sage, vegetable broth and coconut milk. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are very soft, about 30-40 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup to a smooth consistency. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Pumpkin soup is a fall staple, and this one gets a bright twist with a touch of lime.
Lentil Chicken Soup: A batch of this soup brings the nostalgic flavors and heartwarming feel of the holidays at any time of year. When I have time to slow-cook it, my whole house smells cozy. 1-1/2 cups: 275 calories, 3g fat (1g saturated fat), 65mg cholesterol, 374mg sodium, 39g carbohydrate (13g sugars, 3g fiber), 26g protein.
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Turkey Soup: This soup makes the most of leftover turkey, simmering it with beans and vegetables for a hearty bowl of comfort.
White Turkey Chili with Avocado: Swapping ground turkey for the usual beef keeps things lighter and leaner, while avocado adds creaminess and healthy fats to every bite. Oh, and it's ready in an hour. There’s nothing better than coming home to a warm pot of chili, and this lighter take with chicken and white beans is satisfying and wholesome.
Beefy Stew: Beefy stew reminds me of their precious contributions. 1-1/4 cups: 352 calories, 14g fat (4g saturated fat), 57mg cholesterol, 581mg sodium, 36g carbohydrate (14g sugars, 6g fiber), 22g protein.
Easy Chili Con Carne:
Easy Meatball And Vegetable Soup:
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Freekeh Vegetable Soup: Proof that a veggie-based soup can be just as hearty and satisfying as any meaty one. The secret is an heirloom grain that’s rich in protein. "In Arab communities, the prized young green wheat is picked and dried in the field over wood to create freekeh, a beguiling grain that can be used a million ways," recipe creator Adeena Sussman writes.
Ground Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry:
Ground Beef and Broccoli Fried Quinoa:
Healthy Vegetable Soup: This warming vegetable soup, from Great British Bake Off host Mel, is a traditional family recipe that packs in fresh veg and spices, making a healthy supper.
Italian borlotti bean, pumpkin & farro soup: Warm up on chilly evenings with this hearty, healthy bean & pumpkin soup. Serve this low-calorie meal with a chunk of fresh bread for dunking.
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Keto Instant Pot Sausage-Kale Soup: Consider this soup an edible choose-your-own-adventure game. Use any type of sausage (kielbasa, chorizo and Italian are all great choices), and switch up the greens to customize this healthy bowl. The broth is truly your oyster.
Lentil Vegetable Soup:
Red lentil & squash dhal: A hearty budget meal of spiced red lentils with butternut and tomatoes. Add coriander, cumin, turmeric and a dollop of mango chutney
Sausage, Corn and Poblano Chowder: Psst: This one freezes really well, so make a double batch and thank yourself on a lazy night in the future when you need dinner in a pinch. I'm partial to spicy Italian sausage here, but any kind works. Just serve it with plenty of bread, crackers or biscuits for dipping.
Simple Potato Cauliflower Soup:
Spicy Lemon Ginger Chicken Soup: Number one on my list of comfort foods? Chicken soup. This version wins bonus points for flavor, ease and versatility. (Go ahead, add noodles if you please.) "As soon as temperatures begin to drop, I turn to this chicken soup," recipe creator Aran Goyoaga admits. "The broth is very flavorful and slightly spicy, but the lemon and greens brighten it."
Spinach, sweet potato & lentil dhal: A comforting vegan one-pot recipe that counts for 3 of your 5-a-day! You can't go wrong with this iron-rich, low-fat, low-calorie supper
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Power Bowls:
Sweet Potato Chowder: Corn and clam chowder can step aside-I'm having sweet potato tonight. Pancetta, nutmeg, kale, sage and salted pepitas give this soul-soother all the fall flair you crave. (Dried cranberries would add color and a pop of sweet-tart splendor, too.)
Sweet Potato Moussaka:
Turkey Pumpkin Chili: We have this turkey pumpkin chili often because everyone loves it, even the most finicky grandchildren. It’s a definite keeper in my book! 1-1/4 cups: 281 calories, 13g fat (3g saturated fat), 75mg cholesterol, 468mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (9g sugars, 7g fiber), 25g protein.
Casseroles: Comfort in a Dish
Whenever I’m in the mood for comfort food I always make a casserole! Casseroles are great because they’re usually made in one baking dish and there are always leftovers! When it comes to building healthy casseroles I like to have a balance of protein, healthy fats, fiber and carbs. This is usually pretty easy because most casseroles involve some sort of grain, protein and veggies.
Creamy Vegan Lentil and Roasted Vegetable Bake: "This is the ultimate winter comfort food," recipe creator Nisha Vora alleges. Caramelized roasted vegetables meet satisfying lentils and cashew cream in this rich casserole. To make it gluten free, omit the breadcrumbs from the pine nut topping (or use wheat-free breadcrumbs).
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie: We seem to eat for comfort during the holidays…but comfort foods aren’t necessarily healthy. To make a classic comfort food dish more healthy, I came up with this lovely take: turkey shepherd’s pie. It’s perfect for putting out on your holiday buffet table. 1 serving: 314 calories, 11g fat (2g saturated fat), 75mg cholesterol, 654mg sodium, 29g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 5g fiber), 28g protein.
One-Pan Wonders: Easy and Delicious
Chicken Sausage, Spelt and Pepper Skillet: It’s as healthy as it is convenient, plus there will hardly be any dishes to clean afterward. In other words, it's the perfect weeknight dinner, if I do say so myself. (Oh, and it's packed with 29 grams of protein per plate.)
Sheet-Pan Supper: Most nights I need something that I can get on the table with minimal effort and delicious results. This sheet-pan supper has become an all-time favorite, not only because of its bright flavors but also because of its speedy cleanup time. 1 pork chop with 1-1/4 cups vegetables: 516 calories, 17g fat (4g saturated fat), 82mg cholesterol, 505mg sodium, 51g carbohydrate (19g sugars, 9g fiber), 39g protein.
Sweet Potato, Tomato, Kale and Halloumi Sheet Tray: When you don’t feel like cooking but still need to eat something nutritious, this gorgeous sheet pan wonder has your back. Everything melts together in the oven while you sit back and relax. Serve it with rice or a crusty baguette.
Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Chickpeas and Yogurt Sauce: I love you, three-ingredient yogurt sauce. "You can line the sheet pans with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup," former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen writes, "but you'll have an easier time getting those taters nicely caramelized if you don't line the tray. They'll get more direct contact with the hot surface, and the water content will evaporate more efficiently."
Other Delicious and Healthy Fall Recipes
Apple Cider Pork Chops: These apple cider pork chops are a must for fall family dinners. I serve them with buttered egg noodles to soak up more of that delicious sauce. The recipe is easy to double when company pops in. 1 pork chop: 301 calories, 14g fat (4g saturated fat), 82mg cholesterol, 210mg sodium, 8g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 0 fiber), 33g protein.
Baked Chicken and Ricotta Meatballs: If you, like me, adore meatballs in all forms, why should you limit yourself to appetizers and spaghetti? These are quick-cooking, easy to prepare and require minimal cleanup. They'd be great served with pasta, rice or soup, or if you're feeling really virtuous, raw greens.
Baked Coconut-Curry Meatballs: In my humble opinion, baking meatballs is superior to frying them. Easy cleanup, tender meatballs and less oil? Check, check and check. "I've also found that baking helps meatballs hold their shape and keeps them from drying out," recipe creator Tieghan Gerard adds. "This curry is extra saucy, so serve it over couscous or rice and with fresh naan for dipping."
Buffalo-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes: These have Sunday football (and meal prep) written all over them. Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken in the filling to save yourself some time in the kitchen. You can also prepare the potatoes ahead and refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to five days. Then, simply warm them in a 425°F oven for 15 minutes before serving.
Butternut Squash Risotto with Crispy Leeks: Risotto is the ultimate comfort food, even when unadorned. Butternut squash adds flavor, sweetness and richness without a ton of extra calories. So go ahead, sprinkle on more Parmesan to your heart's content.
Cauliflower Chili: Depending on how you make (and serve) it, chili is basically the ultimate healthy fall recipe, and this one is the bowl of my wildest dreams because, hello, cauliflower. "It's a hearty meal that becomes more flavorful after a day or two," recipe creator Lindsay Grimes Freedman explains, "which means it's even better when eaten as leftovers. Here cauliflower florets stand in for meat, maintaining the hearty and flavorful quality that everyone loves in a chili."
Chicken Pumpkin Pizza: Think pizza and pumpkin can’t go together? This chicken pumpkin pizza will change your mind. The sweetness of the pumpkin paired with the spice of the chipotle peppers makes for a delicious, balanced sauce. I love that this recipe incorporates healthy ingredients in a fun, family-friendly way. 1 piece: 225 calories, 9g fat (3g saturated fat), 37mg cholesterol, 504mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 3g fiber), 15g protein.
Crisp Fall Green Salad with Benne Seed Ginger Dressing: With all the rich food that the colder months bring, it’s nice to have a bright, healthy and refreshing salad in your fall recipe collection when you need a boost. You know, to remind yourself what fresh produce tastes like between bites of apple crumble and pumpkin pie.
Fall Harvest Honeycrisp Apple and Kale Salad: The season has so much to offer when it comes to fresh produce, so why not toss it all in one beautiful salad? I'm talking apples, pepitas, kale and pomegranate arils. Don't even get me started on the cider vinaigrette, which is sweetened with fig preserves.
Fall Harvest Quinoa Salad: I'm a sucker for anything with winter squash…and halloumi. This healthy fall recipe happens to have both, along with crunchy pepitas and a turmeric-tahini dressing you'll want to drizzle on everything.
Gramby Meatballs: Our children call these "Gramby Meatballs" because the recipe came from my dear mother-in-law. It's a great way to make spinach palatable. I usually make a triple batch, bake them all and freeze the extras for a quick meal later. 3 meatballs: 234 calories, 10g fat (3g saturated fat), 121mg cholesterol, 568mg sodium, 9g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 2g fiber), 27g protein.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Carrots and Chermoula: The fresh chermoula (an herby, citrusy North African sauce) brightens up this healthy fall recipe ust right. But don't let the name make you think its out of reach: You likely have most of the necessary ingredients for it in your pantry right now.
Meatless Bean Burgers: Meatless meals are so tasty when these hearty bean burgers are on the menu. Guacamole and sour cream make them seem decadent.
Pork with Spicy Stuffing: Spicy stuffing balances the delicate flavor of pork in this dish that looks great on the plate-and tastes even better! 3 slices: 201 calories, 8g fat (2g saturated fat), 71mg cholesterol, 492mg sodium, 5g carbohydrate (2g sugars, 2g fiber), 26g protein.
Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms and Bacon: It's hard to believe a healthy fall recipe like this can be both creamy and low-cal (provided you keep the portions in check). "The bacon and mushrooms get a nice crispness here, adding a nice savory, smoky note," Candace Davison, PureWow VP of editorial content, says. "The polenta is so hearty that it'll keep you feeling full all day."
Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Barley Risotto: These stuffed 'shrooms look fancy and taste decadent, but they’re also so easy to make-not to mention super healthy and filling to boot. Cook the barley in vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to keep the meal vegetarian, if you'd like.
Quinoa Vegetable Soup with Kale: Vegetable soup on its own is delicious, but not all that substantial. Adding quinoa is an easy way to make it more satiating with a bunch of energy-rich carbs and filling protein. This one is hearty enough that you could call it a stew, IMO.
Roasted Aloo Gobi: This extra special vegan curry uses roasted cauliflower and potatoes to bring out their flavour. You can also serve as a side to meat curries