I love everything about the fall season: football, cooler weather, and above all … fall recipes!
I’ve been a vegetarian for several years, and I am always on the hunt for delicious new recipes. While there is no shortage of delicious vegetarian options, finding those that are heartier can be a challenge. During this season of falling leaves and cooler temperatures, I love nothing more than a good chili or warm dinner.
Thankfully, I’ve done the hard work for you and made a list of my three favorite vegetarian and fall recipes. These are sure to be crowd-pleasers regardless of your culinary tastes. Enjoy!
Butternut Squash, Kale & Quinoa Stew
From: Love and Lemons
Author: Jeanine Donofrio
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon red chile flakes
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- ½ cup dry quinoa
- 2 to 3 cups chopped kale
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a few pinches of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the butternut squash, another pinch of salt, and stir. Let the butternut squash cook for a few minutes, then stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Add the white wine vinegar and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, broth, and quinoa. Cover and simmer until the butternut squash is tender and the quinoa is cooked through, or about 40 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, I like to taste and adjust seasonings. Add additional spices if you like.
3. When the soup is nearly done, stir in the kale and cook about 5 minutes more, or until the kale is wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings again.
This recipe is so, so good, and this blog and cookbook are full of great veggie recipes. This soup has a nice subtle kick, it’s filling, and it makes for great leftovers. I like to pair this with cornbread and a glass of crisp white wine.
Lentil Marinara Sauce Over Zucchini Pasta
From: Running on Veggies
Author: Lottie Bildirici
Ingredients:
- 5 large zucchini, spiralized into pasta
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves crushed garlic
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup lentils dry
- 1 cup tomato sauce – marinara sauce works
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 2 cups of water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions:
- In a medium-size pot over medium heat add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Then add onion and garlic cook for about 10-15 minutes until translucent or golden brown.
- Add tomatoes, lentils tomato sauce, water, and spices bring to a boil. Then lower the fire and cover for about 25-30 minutes until lentils are tender.
- Add in spinach and cook for another 5 minutes or so
- Once the pasta sauce is cooked you can add to zucchini pasta right before serving
Do yourself a favor and follow Running on Veggies on Instagram. Her recipes are delicious and designed with athletes and runners in mind.
I love this recipe because it is full of fiber from the veggies and lots of protein courtesy of the lentils. If you are looking for a little extra heat, add crushed red pepper to the sauce. I like to pair this with good, crusty bread (perfect for mopping up the extra sauce) and red wine. My go-to is an Italian Barbera which goes well with almost everything.
Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili
From: What’s Gaby Cooking
Author: Gaby Dalkin
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium-large sweet potato peeled and diced
- 1 large red onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ cups vegetable stock
- 1 15- ounce cans black beans rinsed
- 1 14.5- ounce can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup dried quinoa
- 4 teaspoons lime juice
- serving suggestions: avocado cilantro, crema, cheese
Instructions:
- Heat a large heavy bottom pot with the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the sweet potato and onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion if softened.
- Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle, cumin and salt and stir to combine.4.
- Add the stock, tomatoes, black beans and quinoa and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir everything to combine.
- Cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 30-40 minutes until the quinoa is fully cooked and the sweet potatoes are soft and the entire mixture is slightly thick like a chili.
- Add the lime juice and remove the pot from the heat. Season with salt as needed. Garnish with avocado, cilantro, crema or cheese before serving.
I have yet to make this chili for anyone who did not love it. It has even gotten the stamp of approval from some of my very carnivorous family members! I like to crush up tortilla chips and top them on the chili.
I love to make beer bread with this recipe. In the fall, I’ll usually use a pumpkin ale. I then pair the meal with whatever beer I used in the bread. This would also pair well with Meredith’s Pumpkin Chili, another great fall food from one of our contributors!
For my family, these are a few fall recipes to enjoy during this season. All can be found on the authors’ websites with even more to try. Click the links to see what other fall recipes, vegetarian or not, you can try!
