Quick Info
- Prep Time: 15–25 minutes per recipe
- Cook Time: 15–8 hours (one slow cooker recipe; others 20–35 minutes)
- Total Time: 30 minutes to 8 hours (hands-off)
- Yield: Each recipe serves 4–6
- Course: Dinner (plus one dessert!)
- Cuisine: American comfort with seasonal twists
- Skill Level: Easy
- Special Equipment: Dutch oven or soup pot, rimmed sheet pan, 12-inch skillet, slow cooker, oven-safe skillet (for crumble)
Introduction
When the air smells like woodsmoke and the kids start bringing home leaf bouquets, I switch our meal plan to full-on cozy. This week’s lineup is our greatest hits: a silky butternut–apple soup, a caramelized sheet-pan chicken & Brussels sprouts, a 20-minute skillet gnocchi with sausage and kale, a hands-off slow cooker pot roast, and—because we deserve it—a bubbling apple crumble for dessert.
These are the dinners I lean on when homework runs long and everyone drifts toward the kitchen asking “what’s for dinner?” They’re simple, deeply comforting, and built on fall flavors. Light a candle, grab your favorite sweater, and let’s cook our way through the week together.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
1) Butternut–Apple Soup (Creamy, No Heavy Cream)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large butternut squash (about 2 lb), peeled and cubed
- 2 apples (Honeycrisp or Gala), peeled, cubed
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried)
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- ½ tsp kosher salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (or ¼ cup coconut milk, optional)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
2) Sheet-Pan Maple Mustard Chicken & Brussels Sprouts
- 1½ lb boneless chicken thighs
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved
- 1 small red onion, wedges
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¾ tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional)
3) Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage, Kale & Brown-Butter Sage
- 1 lb shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi
- 12 oz Italian sausage (sweet or spicy; turkey works)
- 2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 3–4 fresh sage leaves, chopped (or ½ tsp dried)
- 3 cups chopped kale (or baby spinach)
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- Lemon wedge, to finish
4) Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Carrots & Mushrooms
- 3 lb chuck roast, patted dry
- 1 tbsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil (for searing)
- 1 lb carrots, cut in 2-inch pieces
- 8 oz mushrooms, halved
- 1 yellow onion, thick slices
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1½ cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
5) Weeknight Skillet Apple Crumble (Maple Oat)
- 5 medium apples, peeled & sliced
- 2 tbsp brown sugar + 1 tbsp lemon juice + ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp butter (for the skillet)
- Crumble: ¾ cup rolled oats, ½ cup flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, pinch salt, 6 tbsp cold butter, diced
Optional / Variations
- Soup: ¼ tsp curry powder for warmth; swirl of pumpkin seed pesto on top.
- Sheet Pan: Swap chicken for smoked sausage coins; add halved baby potatoes.
- Gnocchi: Make it meatless with white beans; add chili flakes for heat.
- Pot Roast: Add ½ cup red wine with the broth; finish with parsley and a spoon of horseradish.
- Crumble: Add ¼ cup chopped pecans; serve with vanilla yogurt or ice cream.
Instructions
1) Butternut–Apple Soup
Sauté & simmer: Warm oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Cook onion 5 minutes; add garlic 30 seconds. Stir in squash, apples, thyme, broth, salt, and pepper. Simmer, partially covered, until squash is very tender, 18–20 minutes.
Blend & finish: Remove from heat. Blend with an immersion blender until silky (or carefully in batches). Stir in butter (or coconut milk) and lemon juice; adjust salt. Serve with cracked pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
2) Sheet-Pan Maple Mustard Chicken & Brussels Sprouts
Heat oven: 425°F (220°C). Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment.
Whisk glaze: In a bowl, whisk olive oil, Dijon, maple, vinegar, salt, pepper, paprika.
Toss & roast: Toss Brussels and onion with half the glaze; spread on pan. Nestle chicken, brush with remaining glaze. Roast 20–25 minutes, flipping sprouts once, until chicken is 165°F and sprouts are caramelized. Rest 5 minutes; splash with a little cider vinegar if you love tang.
3) Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage, Kale & Brown-Butter Sage
Crisp gnocchi: Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Melt butter with oil; add gnocchi and cook, stirring, until golden in spots, 4–5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Brown sausage: In same skillet, cook sausage, breaking up, until browned. Stir in shallot and sage 1 minute.
Wilt & finish: Add kale with broth; cook 2–3 minutes until tender. Return gnocchi; toss with Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon. Season to taste—my crew adds extra Parm “snow.”
4) Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Carrots & Mushrooms
Sear (worth it): Season roast all over with salt and pepper. Sear in a hot skillet with oil, 3–4 minutes per side, until browned.
Load crock: Add carrots, mushrooms, onion, and garlic to slow cooker; place roast on top. Whisk broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme; pour around roast. Add bay leaf.
Cook: LOW 8 hours (or HIGH 4–5) until fork-tender.
Shred & serve: Discard bay leaf. Shred or slice roast; toss with some juices. Serve with veggies and spoonfuls of the cooking liquid (or simmer juices 5–10 minutes to reduce).
5) Weeknight Skillet Apple Crumble
Apple base: Heat butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium. Add apples, brown sugar, lemon, cinnamon; cook 5–6 minutes until glossy and slightly softened.
Crumble: Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt. Cut in cold butter with fingers until sandy clumps form.
Bake: Scatter over apples. Bake at 375°F (190°C) 18–22 minutes until golden and bubbling at edges. Rest 10 minutes (the hardest part), then serve warm.
Tips & Variations
- Make it a plan: Soup on Monday (leftovers for lunch), sheet pan Tuesday, gnocchi Wednesday (20 minutes!), pot roast Thursday (hands-off), crumble Friday.
- Pan heat = flavor: Preheating the sheet pan jump-starts browning for Brussels and onion.
- Balance is key: Finish rich dishes (gnocchi, pot roast) with lemon or vinegar to brighten.
- Veg swaps: Use sweet potatoes in place of squash; swap kale for spinach; add parsnips with carrots.
- Kid strategy: Serve soup with grilled-cheese “soldiers,” and let kids drizzle maple on the sheet-pan veggies.
- Leftovers love: Pot roast becomes grilled cheese filling, gnocchi reheats crisp in a skillet, soup freezes beautifully up to 3 months.
- Gluten-free path: Use GF gnocchi and flour in the crumble; everything else is easily adapted.
- Budget boosters: Bulk out sausage gnocchi with an extra cup of kale and a handful of white beans; double the soup with one more apple and cup of broth.
Nutrition
(Estimates per serving; will vary by brands and portions.)
- Butternut–Apple Soup: Calories: 230 • Protein: 4 g • Carbs: 36 g • Fat: 8 g • Fiber: 6 g
- Maple Mustard Chicken Sheet Pan: Calories: 420 • Protein: 33 g • Carbs: 24 g • Fat: 20 g • Fiber: 6 g
- Sausage & Kale Gnocchi: Calories: 520 • Protein: 24 g • Carbs: 56 g • Fat: 22 g • Fiber: 5 g
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast: Calories: 480 • Protein: 38 g • Carbs: 14 g • Fat: 30 g • Fiber: 3 g
- Skillet Apple Crumble: Calories: 310 • Protein: 3 g • Carbs: 49 g • Fat: 12 g • Fiber: 4 g
Final Thoughts
I hope these 5 Cozy Fall Recipes bring as much warmth to your week as they do to ours. The soup is silky comfort in a bowl, the sheet pan delivers caramelized edges with minimal mess, the gnocchi is a lightning-fast hug after long days, the pot roast perfumes the whole house, and the apple crumble… well, that one guarantees a chorus of “save me a corner!” If you tweak spices or swap veggies, tell me—my family loves trying your variations at our Friday taste-test ritual.
Save this for cozy fall dinners, easy weeknight recipes, skillet meals, slow cooker favorites, and simple fall desserts. From my leaf-strewn, cinnamon-scented kitchen to yours—happy cooking and even happier eating!
