Fall Meal Ideas and Meal Plan

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Need fall meal ideas? Temperatures are dropping, the grill is covered up and cozy meals are being called on.  This Fall Meal Plan makes use of farmers market vegetables and some apples you may have picked. Barely have time to cook?  Want some comfort meals that your family will love? I’ve got you covered!

Let’s go to the chalkboard.

Fall Meal Ideas

Stuffed Acorn Squash 

One of my favorite fall meals.  It’s impressive when served I’ve been told by my husband.  I just think it is delicious. This recipe had me at stuffing. The prep takes some time but can easily be done ahead. This is a great Sunday afternoon task.

You can roast the squash and make stuffing (do not add the egg yet) then assemble and bake the day of. You can also easily substitute ground chicken or turkey for the sausage. I’ve done both with success.

Worried about what your kids will eat? After cooking, take some plain ground sausage or turkey and put some to the side and don’t fill one squash. Serve the ground sausage with chopped roasted squash, celery sticks, and chopped apples.

https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/sausage-and-apple-stuffed-acorn-squash-146036

Tacos

Taco Tuesday, anyone? In my house, everyone would be happy with Taco Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday! The standard here – tomatoes, cheese, ground beef. No need to change it up unless you want to.

We usually have Taco Friday because leftovers are great mixed with eggs to make breakfast burritos.  Helps everyone fill up before a busy soccer Saturday.

Chicken Legs, Roasted Cabbage, and Rice a Roni (homemade)

Don’t be turned off by cabbage here!  Baking it mellows the flavor and almost creates a sweetness to it.  Try it! What I like about this is that the chicken and cabbage cook on the same baking sheet in the oven. So it takes 30-40 minutes to cook but the prep time is minimal!

Here’s the game plan:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating, slice the cabbage into 1″ rounds. Spray the baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the cabbage on one side of the baking sheet, leaving room for the chicken legs.  Lightly coat the tops of the cabbage with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. In a large Ziploc bag, combine 2 Tbs. olive oil, 1 tsp. Paprika, ½ tsp. Garlic Powder, ½ tsp. Kosher salt, and a sprinkle of black pepper and combine. Pat the chicken legs with a paper towel then put them in the bag to coat with the olive oil mixture. This step is important to get crispy skin.

Place next to the cabbage on the baking sheet and bake 30-40 minutes. This is great with brown rice or you can try this rice a roni recipe.  My family loved it!

Shrimp, Arugula, White Bean Salad

This is a true 15-minute dinner! I never brine my shrimp and it always turns out just fine. Chop everything while the shrimp cooks.  Don’t skip the step to let the shrimp cool for a minute or so before you place it on the arugula or you risk causing arugula to wilt. Serve it all separate for the kids – white beans, tomatoes, and shrimp. If your kids don’t eat shrimp, serve chicken (perhaps you have a leftover chicken leg.) If you are feeling daring you can eat the shrimp tails.

Butternut Squash Soup and BLTs

Nothing is cozier than soup and sandwiches.  This soup is creamy and flavorful without any cream.  One of our favorites! Want to cut the prep time down? Buy pre-cut butternut squash. It is just as good and saves you a lot of prep! Start to finish this recipe takes less than 30 minutes. Skip the crostini the recipe calls for, instead, I make BLT sandwiches to bulk up the meal. With a family of boys, meals need a lot of bulking up around here.

Here’s the game plan:

When the oil and butter are melting together for the soup, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and cook the bacon for about 25 minutes depending on the thickness of the bacon. I always take the bacon out of the oven just before it looks done because it seems to cook a bit more out of the oven. Then after your puree your soup, assemble your sandwiches.  

So there you have it, delicious Fall Meal ideas that are sure to satisfy your whole family. Download the shopping list for the week. Try the Fall Meal Plan and let me know in the comments below how it turned out.

And be sure to check my Weeknight Meals Pinterest Board for more fall meal ideas and inspiration!

Happy Fall!