Our Favorite Fall Recipes

We at TLP relish getting to return to the kitchen during the fall. Autumn ushers in a new bounty of seasonal fruits and vegetables, and with that, new cooking methods.

We’re looking for ways to fill the house with aromas of cinnamon and clove, pumpkin and apple, simmering stocks and slow-cooking stews. These recipes inspire new ways to do so.

Fall Bakes

Fall brings a chill that makes us ready to fire up the oven…which gets us fired up for baking season. It’s fortunate that the apples, pumpkin, and root vegetables appearing at farmers markets shine with the help of a little heat…and sugar…and cinnamon. These fall recipes will make you want to cancel your plans, don the apron, and fill the house with the scent of browned butter and spices.

Pumpkin Layer Cake with Pecan Toffee

It feels too early for pumpkin pie, but a milieu of fall recipes offers alternative ways to celebrate pumpkin-spice season. This pumpkin cake gets layered with a decadent cream cheese frosting, and the pecan toffee bits throughout keep it texturally exciting. Pumpkin, cream cheese, pecans, and chocolate? Don’t mind if we do!

Appalachian Stack Cake

Native to the mountains in Kentucky and Tennessee, this elegant but simple cake puts a spiced spin on the traditional apple cake. Imagine soft cookies stacked with layers of apple butter in between, and you’ll have a good idea of the Appalachian stack cake.

Sweet Potato Bread

Say what you will, but vegetables make baked treats better. They add richness and moisture without relying on dairy or oil. This one-bowl recipe pairs sweet potato’s earthy, candied notes with dried cranberries and pecans. Have it for breakfast, an afternoon snack with tea, or dessert plus a scoop of ice cream.

Acorn Cheerwine Cake

Switch up your baking routine by working with acorn flour. Earthy and nutty, it matches the notes of ginger, curry powder, and nutmeg in the cake. Top with a fruit coulis or whipped cream.

Harvest Meals

The fall harvest fills our kitchens with beets, cruciferous and root vegetables, orange squashes, and hardy greens. Prepared as a side dish or the main meal, here are our favorite ways to eat our veggies.

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Galette

For a show-stopping main dish, try this butternut squash and goat cheese galette served alongside a simple, green salad. Don’t be deterred by the crust—a galette is meant to appear more rustic than the traditional pie or tart.

Roasted Beets and Greens

Save the tops of your beets to make this bright, colorful salad. The leaves get separated from the bulbs and incorporated into the dish at the end. While the vegetables make great use of fall produce, the coconut, lime, and macadamia dressing give it a decidedly tropical taste.

Jerk Delicata Squash 

If you’re not regularly reaching for jerk seasoning for your vegetables, you’re missing out. Its all-spice-forward flavor makes it reminiscent of pumpkin and apple pies—an upgrade to the typical roasted squash.

Quick Braised Swiss Chard with Bacon

Braised swiss chard channels the same hardiness and smoky, tangy flavors of collards but comes together much more quickly. After the bacon cooks off, it takes only about five minutes to braise the chard

Fall Recipes: Warm Meals for Chilly Eves

It feels like fall when we slide a roasting pan into the oven or stir a simmering pot over the stove. We’re craving filling, warm, comfort food. These steamy dishes burst with aromatics in a way that encourages us to linger over the bowls.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Crispy Chicken Skin

Decadent pumpkin purée, schmaltzy chicken, and sizzled sage steal the show in this cozy fall pasta. Make this over the weekend when the whole family can help prepare the homemade ravioli. The recipe calls for making the pumpkin filling from scratch, but canned pumpkin sweetened with a little agave will work just as well.

Shoyu Ramen

Whether you’re combatting a chill in the air or the seasonal sniffles, ramen is the comforting cure-all. Of course, everyone loves eating ramen, but the real fun is in customizing the bowl. This shoyu ramen by Sarah Gavigan of Otaku Ramen, Nashville, gets an eye-catching addition from the rolled pork belly.

Cauliflower Tantanmen

Similar to Chinese dan dan noodles, this brothy, umami-flavored dish is full of slurpable noodles and sesame flavors. Instead of the traditional ground pork on top, this plant-based recipe calls for riced cauliflower.

West African Peanut Stew with Confit Chicken

The South’s peanut harvest season happens during the fall, and this stew is a fitting way to celebrate. Loaded with vegetables and plenty of protein, the balanced, filling meal warms up those chilly nights.

Dirty Rice

For a bowl of Southern comfort, whip up a batch of Cajun-favorite dirty rice. The holy trinity vegetables (celery, onion, and green bell pepper in the gravy offset the beef’s richness. Enjoy it piping hot for dinner, or at breakfast with a fried egg on top.