With each season comes its own set of crops, and fall is no exception. It’s time to embrace delicious ingredients like squashes, apples, sweet potatoes, and so many more. It’s also a great opportunity to try out some new, healthy recipes that help you get the most nutrients for a fraction of the cost and get you in the spirit of fall all at the same time.
It only takes about an hour to get these dishes on the table, and can even serve as the main course for any vegetarians out there. After cutting the squashes in half and letting them roast for twenty-five or so minutes in the oven, you can add fillings to your heart’s content. Celery, leeks, and apples and thyme make for a great combination. Add in some bread, chestnuts, parsley, cream, and vegetable stock into the mixture and you’ve got yourself a hearty meal. If you start out with four squashes, you’ll end up with eight servings—one serving per squash half.
You can’t have fall without pumpkins, and this recipe knows it. Orzo, which is the marriage between rice and pasta you never knew you needed, offers plenty of comfort, and the pumpkin and spicy cheddar cheese sauce give it lots of flavor to soak up. Start by boiling water and cooking the orzo until chewy, and then move onto your seasoning. This recipe uses pumpkin puree, chili garlic sauce, mustard, nutmeg, and salt, but of course, you can feel free to get creative and mix in your own favorite spices, too. Add in some grated cheese into the skillet, as well as the rest of the pasta water from earlier, and stir until everything is evenly spread. If you’re in the mood for something green, you can always top it off with arugula leaves, giving you some added texture.
Roasted Beets and Carrots Salad
If you’ve never made your own salad dressing, try this dish out as a test-run. By making your own, you’ll get better taste and far fewer fats and preservatives. All you need for the salad part is some golden and red beats, a shallot, and some baby carrots. For the dressing, just find some extra-virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, ground pepper, sherry vinegar, and of course, soft goat cheese. All together, this dish should only take you a half hour to throw together, and then another 45 minutes to finish up. Bonus: you can even roast the vegetables ahead of time to make the prep time even shorter