Fall is one of the best times of year to indulge your culinary side.
Not only do you get to experiment with a wider range of dishes—including soups and stews that were just too hot to eat over the summer—but you have access to ultra-colorful and ultra-flavorful fall veggies that add so much more complexity to your dishes. Plus, those fall veggies are guaranteed to boost your immune and digestive systems.
In this post, we want to share with you a few of our favorite fall recipes you can try at home that will A) be incredibly tasty, and B) offer you an excellent infusion of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Try these recipes on your own, and you may just find they make your fall menu significantly more delicious and nutritious.
Butternut squash is one of the healthiest of the fall veggies. It’s packed with Vitamin A, which gives it its unique color, flavor, and amazing health benefits. Squash is excellent for your eye health, boosts your immunity, and provides a massive influx of dietary fiber that improves digestion and feeds your gut bacteria. It’s also low on the glycemic index, and will provide a significant slow-acting energy boost without spiking your blood sugar levels.
Using it in this skillet makes it so much heartier and healthier. You’ll find it’s the perfect one-pot meal to whip up in a hurry on a chilly autumn day.
Ingredients:
For this recipe, you will need:
2 cups of cooked rice (of your choice)
3 vegan sausages
Olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1 onion (yellow or white)
Half a butternut squash
2 cups of kale
Preparation:
Start off by cutting the butternut squash into cubes. Toss them in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Roast in the oven at 425 F for 20 minutes, or until soft. Flip over halfway to ensure even roasting.
Dice the onions and garlic, then cook in a skillet until aromatic. Add in the vegan sausage and cook until it is crispy.
Chop the kale and add it into the skillet, along with basil, rosemary, and other green herbs to taste. Add in the roasted squash and stir well to combine everything. Finally, add in the cooked rice along with a tablespoon or so of soy sauce to bring out the umami flavors and tie it all together.
Serve and enjoy!
Hummus is one of those dips you’ll find everywhere these days, because it’s just delicious and incredibly versatile (great for everything from pita bread to veggie sticks to tortilla chips).
Adding pumpkin into the recipe infuses the hummus with color and flavor, as well as a massive amount of Vitamin A to bump up its health benefits. It’ll add a slight sweetness that makes your hummus far more interesting than just the basic recipe. It’s worth a try if you want to mix up your offerings and bring a dish to a fall party that will turn heads and tantalize taste buds.
Ingredients:
For this recipe, you will need:
1 can of chickpeas
1 ½ cups of cubed pumpkin
Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Water
Lemon juice
Spices: cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, black pepper
Tahini
Preparation:
To begin, toss the pumpkin in olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin, then roast in the oven at 425 F until soft enough to mash with a fork.
Drain the liquid from the chickpeaks, remove the hulls, and place them in a blender. Add in ¼ cup of water, ¼ cup of lemon juice, two tablespoons of tahini, half a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of cumin, a pinch each of cinnamon and cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste, and finally, the roasted pumpkin.
Blend until creamy. Add more water, lemon juice, and olive oil until you achieve the desired consistency, acidity, and thickness.
Serve garnished with sliced green onions and another drizzle of olive oil topped with a pinch of cayenne pepper.
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If you’re looking to mix up your fall menu with pasta dishes that pack a ton of flavor, you can’t go wrong with this one. It’s got everything you could want: lemon for acidity, garlic for potency, kale for nutrients, and mushrooms to bring in a hit of deep, rich umami.
It’s a bright yet hearty dish that’s all but guaranteed to become a family favorite.
Ingredients:
For this recipe, you will need:
1 8.8-ounce pack of noodles (farfalle, penne, fusilli, and ziti all work wonderfully)
2 cups of mushrooms (button, cremini, shitake, maitake, or others)
4 cloves of garlic
2 cups of kale
1 lemon
Nutritional yeast
Red chili flakes
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Preparation:
To begin, set the water for the pasta to boil. Salt the water liberally, add the pasta, and cook until just before al dente. Drain, but retain a cup or so of the noodle liquid, and set the pasta aside.
Mince the garlic, and saute them with two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Chop the kale and mushrooms. Stir in the kale first, cooking until it begins to wilt, then add in the mushrooms.
As the mushrooms begin to cook down, add in the pasta with a tablespoon or two of the noodle liquid. Add in a bit more olive oil, a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast, a teaspoon of red chili flakes, and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix thoroughly, then zest the lemon onto the pasta and squeeze in the juice. Don’t let the lemon juice cook down, but mix to coat all the ingredients then quickly transfer to a serving dish.
Garnish with parsley and more nutritional yeast for added flavor and color.
Warm salads are a treat when the weather begins to cool. This particular recipe combines fiber-rich Brussels sprouts with Vitamin A-packed butternut squash and Vitamin C-loaded red bell peppers. Put together, it’s a masterpiece of flavors, colors, and textures.
Ingredients:
For this recipe, you will need:
2 cups of Brussels sprouts
2 cups of butternut squash (cubed)
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion
1 clove of garlic
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red wine vinegar
Dijon mustard
Toasted pumpkin seeds
Parsley
Preparation:
To begin, slice the Brussels sprouts in half and cut both the red onion and red bell pepper into bite-sized pieces. Toss them along with the butternut squash cubes in two tablespoons of olive oil, along with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast at 425 F for 20 minutes, or until thoroughly browned. Set aside until cooled slightly.
Make a vinaigrette using one tablespoon of red wine vinegar, one tablespoon of olive oil, a splash of water, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the dressing over the roasted veggies and mix well to combine. Mix in 2-3 tablespoons of toasted pumpkin seeds and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
These fall recipes are guaranteed to infuse your meals with more flavor, but also a whole lot more micronutrients. All the colorful fall veggies—like squash, Brussels sprouts, kale, and pumpkin—will provide a hefty dose of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. They’ll give you an immune boost, aid in digestion, improve heart and brain health, and reduce oxidative stress and free radical damage.
Add these recipes to your menu to be healthier and happier with your meals than ever!
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