9 Cozy Fall Dinner Ideas for Your Family

Kelly R:  I love making blended soups for my family, because they're easy and can discreetly contain a lot of healthful ingredients. This vegan butternut squash soup is delicious, and requires almost no effort. The squash goes into the oven whole (no squash cutting kitchen accidents!) and once roasted is pureed in the blender with coconut milk and a few other simple ingredients.

Kelly R:  Nobody complains about this dinner in my house! It's one of our favorite crock pot meals for fall, though the leftovers freeze really well, so I'll make it throughout the year because it's so nice to have some stashed away for a quick future dinner. We freeze the leftover meat in meal-sized portions with the extra liquid. If there's not enough liquid left for dipping after you thaw, just thin it out with some extra beef broth.

Kelly R:  This beans and rice skillet has quickly become one of my favorite easy one pot meals for fall and winter, and it turned my kids into kielbasa lovers! The rice tastes magical after simmering with the smoked sausage, and it's great as leftovers for lunch the next day.

Tracy Snyder Molina:  These turkey cutlets are a quick easy dinner that I turn to all the time. The flavors are reminiscent of a holiday turkey dinner without all the work and something different than all the typical chicken and ground beef recipes. I usually pair this with wild rice and peas or asparagus to make a delicious and healthy dinner in very little time.

Kelly R:  This delicious and comforting chicken and dumplings is a well-rounded one pot dinner for families. I love making it in the fall and winter! Because it calls for cooked chicken, it's a great way to use up rotisserie chicken.

Kelly R:  I did not have high hopes for this when I made it for my family because I wasn't sure if my kids would care for wine as an ingredient, but it was a huge hit and several notches up from our usual jarred sauce. I think it's going to be a new favorite meal for fall in our house, when it's nice to have a big pot of something delicious simmering on the stove and making the whole house smell good.

Ina Garten has our backs with an easy hands-off risotto recipe that cooks almost entirely in the oven. A perfect fall dinner idea for when the temperature outside has cooled and you don't mind running the oven and warming up the house. For a fall flavor profile, consider swapping out the peas for an assortment of build-your-own toppings like sauteed mushrooms, crispy prosciutto or bacon, roasted broccoli or squash, etc.

Kelly R:  I like to make this with the pierogies that Costco carries in the refrigerated section. It's one of our go-to fall dinner ideas that's easy to throw together on a busy weeknight.

Kelly R:  When the temperature starts dropping and football is back on tv, chili is one of our favorite easy fall dinners! This recipe is so good that I've never been tempted to experiment with another one.