49 Best Healthy Fall Recipes to Make the Most of Harvest Season
Stay on track with meals for every part of the day.
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The arrival of the crisp fall air signals the start of comfort food season—whether it's a hearty casserole or a seasonal pie. But just because you’re craving warm and cozy foods doesn't mean you can't stay on track with your healthy eating goals. In fact, there are tons of fresh fall fruits and vegetables to embrace, like cauliflower recipes and seasonal butternut squash.
Here, you'll find tons of healthy fall recipes for every meal of the day. You'll find options for healthy Crock-Pot recipes, healthy pumpkin recipes, and healthy recipes made in an air fryer—including the crispest Brussels sprouts you’ll ever try! Looking for something to satisfy your hankering for football foods? Skip the fried wings and try the lightened-up buffalo chicken meatballs instead. Or get your family to start the school year off right with healthy fall recipes that are perfect for busy weeknights.
And since you'll likely be preparing for your Thanksgiving dinner come fall, there are tons of healthy Thanksgiving side dishes, like butternut squash casserole and a holiday salad packed with apples and fennel. You can also try the slow cooker turkey chili for an easy fall dinner or the harvest bowl for a quick seasonal lunch. Plus, there are a few options for healthy desserts. Baked apples, anyone? You'll stay fueled all fall and still enjoy every single bite.
Sheet Pan Chicken with Butternut Squash and Cauliflower
Dinner and clean up with be a cinch since this chicken is baked on one sheet pan. It's all spiced with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne and accompanied by butternut squash and cauliflower.
Get Ree's Sheet Pan Chicken with Butternut Squash and Cauliflower recipe.
Cabbage Soup
It's so easy to increase your vegetable intake when there's a soup like this at the ready. You can substitute whatever you have on hand, like celery, potato, bell pepper, spinach, or kale.
Get the Cabbage Soup recipe.
Enchilada Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Healthy sweet potatoes can be a main dish! Stuff them with a blend of rotisserie chicken, green chiles, and a kick from jalapeños, all topped with a velvety sauce.
Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwiches
If you love buffalo-flavored everything come football season, then try this vegetarian twist! Instead of meat, you lightly fry up cauliflower so you can eat your veggies without even thinking about it.
Morning Glory Muffins
Now this is the best way to get up in the morning! These muffins are packed with apples, raisins, carrots, coconut, pecans, and whole wheat flour for a delicious start to any day.
Get the Morning Glory Muffins recipe.
Stuffed Butternut Squash
Butternut squash can be tedious to peel and cut up. But here, all you have to do is split it in half and fill it with a hearty sausage, rice, and kale filling.
Get Ree's Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe.
Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
Make tender and juicy chicken thighs in the slow cooker! They cook right alongside baby potatoes and carrots so you get a a whole meal in one pot without much effort.
Get Ree's Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs recipe.
Panko-Crusted Pork Chops with Carrot Mash
Panko breadcrumbs crisp up so well in the oven, making them a perfect contrast to juicy pork chops. And the slightly sweet carrot mash will be on your dinner rotation all season.
Baby Kale Salad with Acorn Squash
Want a salad that's anything but boring? Mix baby kale and roasted acorn squash with creamy goat cheese, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds for a flavorful taste of fall.
Get Ree's Baby Kale Salad with Acorn Squash recipe.
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Lean ground chicken is a great way to put a healthy spin on game day grub. It's satisfying and spicy, but with less frying. Plus, it's served up with a crisp and refreshing cucumber salad.
Get Ree's Buffalo Chicken Meatballs recipe.
Roasted Delicata Squash
This simple side dish let's the fall squash shine! All you need to enhance the slightly sweet and earthy flavor is fresh sage, seasoned salt, black pepper, and parmesan cheese.
Get the Roasted Delicata Squash recipe.
Sweet Potato Chili
Don't tell Ladd, but this chili is entirely vegetarian! It's still plenty comforting, though, thanks to sweet potatoes, beans, and fire-roasted tomatoes.
Get the Sweet Potato Chili recipe.
Honey Mustard Chicken
The marinade for this chicken recipe is perfectly balanced with just the right amount of sweetness from the honey and acidity from the mustard. You can grill it outside or cook it on the stovetop depending on the weather.
Get the Honey Mustard Chicken recipe.
Zucchini Pizza Bites
Still trying to get through that bumper crop of zucchini? This recipe is perfect for after-school snacks or game day munchies. Each slice is topped with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni!
Get the Zucchini Pizza Bites recipe.
Broccoli Wild Rice Casserole
Not only is wild rice a good source of fiber, but it's also known for being rich in antioxidants. Add some veggies, like broccoli, mushrooms, and carrots, and this casserole is a healthy addition to your fall table.
Get Ree's Broccoli Wild Rice Casserole recipe.
Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
Making this seasonal fall veggie in the air fryer will bring out all that crispy goodness. It'll turn even the biggest Brussels sprouts skeptics into lovers.
Get the Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts recipe.
Thanksgiving Salad
With all the heavier dishes on your Thanksgiving table (or any fall table for that matter), this salad will be a nice way to balance out the meal. It's packed with fresh apples, crunchy lettuces, smoked almonds, and crumbled blue cheese.
Get the Thanksgiving Salad recipe.
Sourdough Pecan Granola
This nutty granola is chock full of dried cherries, pumpkin seeds, coconut, candied ginger, and pecans. You can sprinkle it over a bowl of yogurt, serve it up with milk, or even snack on it by the handful!
Get the Sourdough Pecan Granola recipe.
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Lightly sweetened oats topped with warm-spiced apples are a nourishing way to start your day. Add a few toasted walnuts for protein and you'll be fueled up for whatever the day has in store.
Get the Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal recipe.
Collard Greens
It's true that collard greens are a vegetable, but they also happen to be extremely comforting, especially when cooked low and slow with smoked turkey for flavor.
Get the Collard Greens recipe.
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