50 Fabulous Fall Recipes
Wine-Marinated Pot Roast
This tender beef creation includes a gorgeous, glossy red wine sauce that amps up sweet root vegetables, mushrooms and onion.
Slow-Cooker Brat and Sauerkraut Soup
Potatoes, onion, sauerkraut and brats pack in the German flavor in this homey slow-cooker soup. Try with Whole Wheat Pretzel Rolls; the soft pretzels' chewy, brown exterior comes from being boiled in an alkaline solution—the 1/4 cup baking soda in the water isn't a typo!
Quick Black Forest Cherry Cake
This quick twist on the classic German chocolate-cherry cake uses boxed cake mix and cherry preserves. Don't skip the kirsch or brandy; it adds that signature Black Forest flavor.
Southwest Corn Pudding
Buttery onions, cheddar and green chilies lace our stuffinglike pudding. Inspired by traditional skillet corn bread, this fall recipe works as a side or as a meatless main served with a salad or garlicky sauteed kale.
Streusel Apple Bread
A touch of lemon, chopped cranberries and walnuts make this quick bread taste like coffee cake.
Harvest Chipotle Chili
Sweet potatoes and apples hold their own with spicy chipotle chilies in this perfect sweet-heat balance. Does it take a lot of peeling and chopping? Yes. Is it worth it? Oh, yeah.
Roast Chicken with Caramelized Onions and Fall Fruit
Apples, pears and cranberries mix with caramelized onions in a luscious tumble over chicken breasts. Why leave the skin on and bones in? Trust us; you'll notice the extra flavor in this fabulous fall recipe.
Spiced Pear-Cranberry Cobbler
You can almost remember a misty-morning trip to the orchards and bogs when you taste this riff on a Midwest favorite. A pumpkin-cornmeal biscuit crowns the sweet-tangy fruit duo.
Apple Scones with Spiced Maple Butter
They're light, buttery and fall artwork on your plate. We almost hate to cover up the baked-on apple slice with the whipped maple butter. Almost.
Gingerbread Pancakes
A weekend breakfast transforms into the very taste of fall with a stack of these cakes. This fall recipe features ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, molasses and fresh-picked apples sliced paper-thin.
Roasted Chicken with Sage Pan Sauce
This sage-infused, company-worthy fall recipe takes full advantage of cast iron's versatility. The pan goes from stove top to oven and back to stove top.
Crumb-Topped Apple Trio Pie
Crisp on top, sweetly tender inside, this quintessential fall dessert blends tart and sweet apples -- Granny Smith, Jonagold and Braeburn -- with sugar and cinnamon under a brown-sugar and walnut crumb topping.
Sausage and Spinach Skillet Pizza
A hot cast-iron skillet mimics a pizza stone to create a crisp, evenly browned crust. We loaded our pizza with oozy red sauce and stretchy cheese. Fork and knife highly recommended.
Halloween Brownies
Chocolate-hazelnut spread and dark chocolate syrup bring big chocolate flavor to this fall recipe. Change out the candy sprinkled on top of these moist bars to match the event.
Butternut Squash, Lentil and Wild Rice Stew
Here's a main-dish soup loaded with veggies. Need to reduce the sodium? Use only one can of French onion soup and replace the other with 1-1/2 cups water.
Apple-Pear Praline Pie
This picture-perfect fall pie takes more than a flaky crust. "The key to this pie is the apples you use," says Mary Schrier of Cumberland, Iowa, who got this recipe from an old, handwritten family recipe book. She suggests not using Red Delicious apples. Instead, make this with Granny Smith, Jonathan or any sweet-tart heirloom apples.
So-Easy Apple Butter
Your home will fill with the fall aroma of this five-ingredient apple butter while it simmers in your slow cooker. Serve with cheese and crackers - and keep some extra jars to give as hostess gifts.
Single-Serving Caramel Apples
Flaky pastry and baked apples become absolutely irresistible when combined with caramel and a hint of brown sugar in this fall recipe. Make these up to six hours ahead of your meal and cover with plastic wrap so the pastry doesn't dry out. Bake while the coffee brews!
Miner's Beef Stew
In Branson, Missouri, guests dine on this favorite fall stew at Silver Dollar City's Lucky Silver Mine Restaurant, while others learn how to make it at the park's Culinary & Craft School. The meat slow-cooks for fork-tender results.
Sweet Potato-Cranberry Cake
"I love this because it contains chocolate, pecans and cranberries," says Patricia Polley of Columbus, Ohio. "What more can I say?" She marbles chocolate and sweet potato batter together in a fluted tube pan for a moist, tender spice cake.
Danish Pastry Apple Bars
One of her students shared this fall recipe long ago with Gail Michael of West Lafayette, Indiana. "These were in the lunch box of one of my first-grade students in the fall of 1974," Gail recalls. She's baked many batches of these apple bars since then. It's like apple pie in a baking pan.
One-Pan Harvest Pasta
This hearty weeknight dinner recipe is perfect for September, when you're starting to crave cozier foods but your garden is still producing a bounty of herbs and vegetables!
Pumpkin-Banana Bread
Lisa Johnson of Gardner, Kansas, added banana to pumpkin bread for a new twist on this quintessential fall treat. "This pumpkin bread is a favorite with our family," she says. "It's easy to make, and my two girls enjoy helping me."
Chipotle Black Bean Chili
Inspired by traditional Mexican mole, this hearty vegetarian chili includes a touch of chocolate to add depth. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce give a rich smokiness to this fall recipe. If you like, you can save half the chili to make Stacked Black Bean Enchilada Pie.
Cranberry Layer Cake
This moist white cake combines toasted pecans and refreshing orange peel with cranberries. Orange peel flavors the thick cream cheese frosting, too.
Multigrain Apple Streusel Muffins
Rise and shine! These tender gems taste so good, you’d never guess we bumped up the fiber in this fall recipe with two kinds of whole grains and traded most of the butter for applesauce and buttermilk.
Cranberry Orange Upside-Down Cake
Invert this moist cake while it's still warm to reveal a fall kaleidoscope of glistening, tart berries and sweet mandarin oranges.
Warm-Me-Up Chicken Chili
Combine chicken, chopped vegetables and canned beans for this warm-and-comforting chili. This fall recipe gives variations for Slow Cooker Chicken Chili as well as a spicier Chipotle Chicken Chili.
Almond-Cranberry Bread with White Chocolate Glaze
Sweet bread balances tangy cranberries in this winning fall recipe. Like many quick breads, this loaf will improve in flavor and texture if you let it sit overnight before slicing it.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Caramel Swirl
This fall dessert comes from Mooselips Java Joint in Seeley, Wisconsin. It's creamy, cool and not overpowered by the pumpkin or the spice.
Maple Sweet-Potato Sticky Buns
Traditional sticky buns not quite sweet enough for you? Add sweet potato, maple syrup and syrupy pecans. How about now?
Hearty Minestrone Soup
Susan Corley of New Albany, Ohio, shared her version of the classic Italian soup in New Albany Cooking with Friends, a cooking club project that took regional honors in the 2007 Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards. Susan often slow-cooks a pot of the soup for family meals during the holidays.
Sour Cream Pumpkin Bars
Browned Butter Frosting tops moist Sour Cream Pumpkin Bars, a favorite fall recipe.
Pumpkin-Praline Layer Cake
This nutty layer cake is a favorite dessert with Midwest Living® readers. Whipped cream topping complements a moist filling of pumpkin, brown sugar, pecans, butter and more whipping cream.
Chicken and White Bean Stew
Great Northern or cannellini beans blend with chicken and purchased Alfredo sauce in this easy-to-assemble fall meal. Serve with crusty bread and tossed salad.
Indulgent Caramel Apples
Wrap your favorite tart or sweet apple in caramel (we even created a less sticky version), then unleash your imagination as you add on nuts, cereal, dried fruit, candy, decorative sprinkles or whatever else inspires you--and your taste buds.
Steel-Cut Oatmeal Heaven
Why steel-cut oats? This chunky oatmeal has a nuttier flavor and chewier texture than if it used rolled oats. Other heavenly ingredients in this fall recipe include dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, crumbled bacon and a drizzle of honey.
Apple-Cranberry Walnut Pie
Sweet apples balance the tang of cranberries in this fall favorite.
Hearty Multigrain Pancakes
We added whole grains to these flapjacks to help ward off the morning munchies. Personalize this breakfast or brunch recipe with chocolate chips, blueberries and other stir-ins.
Wild Rice and Chicken Soup
Mix a can of cream of chicken soup, mushrooms, veggies and rice mix for the soup base. Any boneless cooked chicken works in this slow-cooker recipe, but chicken thighs, with more moisture from fat, cook the best.
Michigan Tart Cherry Pie
If you're a fan of classic, not-too-sweet cherry pie, look no further. This is our best one.
Souper Spaghetti
For this fall recipe, use classic spaghetti ingredients -- sauce, diced tomatoes, ground beef, noodles and Italian seasoning -- to create this easy soup. A salad and garlic bread complete the meal.
Apple and Couscous-Bulgur Salad
Studded with dried cherries and almonds, this hearty fall salad pairs well with roast pork or even barbecue. Boiled cider and lemon juice add a touch of pucker that keeps the salad from tasting too sweet. You can make your own boiled cider or buy it online or in specialty stores (or substitute regular apple cider).
Cheesy Potato Soup
Potato, bacon and cheese - all the flavors you love in a bowl of soup! The American cheese keeps the soup from curdling while it slow cooks. Mashing cooked potatoes a bit gives it some body, while the bacon adds a smoky-salty taste to this fall soup.
Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken
Cranberry sauce combined with tapioca and onion soup simmers to perfection in this five-ingredient main dish recipe, a slow-cooker version of an oven classic. Serve over white rice to complete the fall meal.
Hot Dog-Hamburger Secret Sauce and Cranberry-Orange Relish
Joan Wagner of Overland Park, Kansas, contributed the Hot Dog-Hamburger Secret Sauce recipe. "My two sons, Chris and Ken, gave this recipe the name 'secret sauce' because no one guessed what was in it," Joan says. It's a nice balance of sweet and tangy.
Colorful Cranberry-Orange Relish comes from chef Richard Fisher of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The versatile spiced topper goes well with meats, including deli turkey, bratwurst and grilled pork chops.
Missouri Apple Soup
Nancy Rudolph of St. Louis found the ideal ratio of curry powder to Missouri apples for this creamy soup. "This is easy and quick to make," she says. "And it's perfect for those first few chilly fall evenings."
Fennel Apple Salad
Barbara Miller of La Porte, Indiana, pairs sweet, aromatic fennel with fall's fresh apples in this recipe. Make this up to a day ahead, then cover and chill. "It's especially good with a pork roast or grilled chicken," says Barbara.
Gingered Pumpkin Soup
Maple syrup adds sweetness to Gingered Pumpkin Soup, which makes a creamy fall side dish or appetizer.
Ultimate Grilled Cheese and Ham Panini with Parsnip Fries
When grilled cheese dreams big, it winds up like this. Our melty-perfect creation layers fruit chutney with ham, thinly sliced pear, a few arugula leaves, Gouda and creamy, nutty Fontina.
Ultimate Grilled Cheese and Ham Panini with Parsnip Fries
Free printable apple desserts cookbook
Click below to download our FREE printable collection of 10 top apple dessert recipes, or choose from one of our other free printable cookbooks!
Continue for more great Midwest Living fall recipes
Click below for more delicious Midwest Living fall recipes.