Best Fall Recipes Round-Up

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Fall is the perfect time for pumpkin and apple fall recipes. The minute the leaves begin to turn and the air feels crisp in the morning, I want to make ALL THE PUMPKIN AND APPLE THINGS!!! The warm, homey scent of these fruits of fall comfort me as I say goodbye to the carefree days of summer. So, here are ten of my favorite ways to delight in fall flavors. Your kids can help make all of these fall recipes (or maybe even make them on their own!).

What’s the difference between pumpkin pie spice and apple pie spice?

The only difference between pumpkin pie spice blend and apple pie spice blend is that the pumpkin pie spice adds ginger and allspice. I find that these subtle, spicy-sweet notes add as much to apple recipes as they do pumpkin ones. So I pop into The Spice House or Penzey’s, buy one container of pumpkin pie spice, and make it my goal to use it all up by the New Year.

Fall Pumpkin Recipes

Note: All of these fall pumpkin recipes call for plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Read cans carefully. Or you can roast your own pumpkin and puree it yourself. Get on with your Martha Stewart self.

Pumpkin Smoothie: Place a half of a frozen banana, ½ cup pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ¾ cup milk, 1- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, and ½ teaspoon (or more) of pumpkin pie spice in the blender. Blend. Enjoy a veggie serving as breakfast. Boom! You’re practically a nutritionist with this fall pumpkin recipe.

Pumpkin Bread: I love this one from Deb at Smitten Kitchen. Pro-tips: Use melted butter, not oil. This loaf is as huge as it is advertised, so I divide the batter into smaller pans and/or make muffins. I substitute 2-3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice instead of her mix of cinnamon and such. I also omit the cinnamon sugar topping to help convince myself that I’m eating healthfully.

Pumpkin Oatmeal: Add ¼ cup pumpkin, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup to your regular oatmeal recipe. If you don’t have one, look at the side of the oat package. It’s up to your preference: stove or microwave, milk or water. I like rolled oats WAY better than instant for this fall pumpkin recipe.

Pumpkin Echiladas: Martha Stewart does it right with this easy enchilada recipe. Add one can drained and rinsed black beans to chicken and scallion filling, and save time by using a rotisserie chicken. I can get ten to twelve enchiladas with the filling mix, so you might need more tortillas. I also jazz up the sauce by adding 2 teaspoons cumin and ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice to the sauce. This is easy to make 1-2 days ahead or to freeze so it can be a quick weeknight meal.

Fall Apple Recipes

Sautéed Apples, Leeks, and Brussels Sprouts with Bacon: Fry up a ½ lb. bacon. Remove the bacon and let it drain on paper towel. Lay one pound of halved Brussels sprouts face down in hot bacon fat and cover, cooking over medium heat. Uncover after about four minutes, when they are bright green. Let the flat side get brown over medium low heat, then season with salt and pepper. Set aside. You might need a teaspoon or two of butter if the pan is looking dry. Add two or three thinly sliced leeks and let sweat until wilted, then add three or four peeled, cored and sliced apples. Continue sautéing the apples and leeks until the apples are slightly softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add Brussels back in and stir in one tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Crumble the bacon over the top and serve.

Pork Tenderloin and Apple Sheet Pan Supper: Season a pork tenderloin with olive oil, and a seasoning blend (salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and a tiny bit of brown sugar). I throw it on a cookie sheet with sweet potato wedges tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, I add apple wedges seasoned with oil and a dash of pumpkin pie spice, and broccoli florets tossed in the same stuff as the sweeties. One (big) cookie sheet, one very complete dinner in 30 minutes.

Apple CrostataThis is the lazy woman’s apple pie, and I am even lazier than the recipe! I use a store bought crust and I don’t peel apples. I skip Ina’s spices and make the crumble with 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice. This is something I always serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Apple Pancakes: These are so simple: make pancake batter as you normally do (from a mix, from scratch, same diff), but add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, two peeled and grated apples, and ¼ to ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to your mix. Cook and serve as you normally do pancakes, except these are much more special.

Curry Squash Apple Soup: This one is coming to you straight from our Contributor Jess, who says it’s a favorite fall apple recipe in her household!

Chicken Apple Soup: An original fall apple recipe from Contributor Dave.

1 chicken, cut up
2 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, sliced (use the white part and an inch of the green part)
1 cup apple juice
¼ cup vinegar
4 cups chicken stock
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
3 tablespoons Applejack booze
½ cup cream
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook for about 8 minutes. If the butter starts getting brown, lower the heat. Turn the chicken and cook another 5 minutes. Remove the chicken, which isn’t cooked through yet, and place it in a bowl. Add the leeks to the pot and cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until they’re soft but not brown. Add the chicken back to the pot. Add the apple juice, vinegar, and stock. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken and let it cool. Add the apples to the pot. Remove the skin from the chicken, and remove the chicken from the bones. Discard skin and bones, and cut the chicken into small pieces. Add the calvados and heavy cream to the pot. Bring it to a simmer, add the chicken chunks, salt, and pepper. Simmer until the chicken is heated.

I hope these fall recipes get you inspired to warm up your kitchen. Bon appétit!

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