Easy Gourmet Fall Inspired Meals to Make at Home This Season

As the season begins to shift from summer to autumn, the leaves change colors and fall to the ground, pumpkins and Halloween candy become available at grocery stores, and as the mood for a hot beverage sets in -- you might find yourself with the desire to make a delicious fall inspired meal at home. 

Everyone finds cheer in the fall season with its mild weather and lightheartedness -- they go to a pumpkin patch, farmer’s market, or fall festival. This year celebrate the fall season by cooking a meal with ingredients you can buy from these events. 

Local farmers markets will have everything you need from pumpkins, gourds, and squashes to numerous vegetables and fruits like peaches and apples. The best part about a farmers market is you can buy a large quantity of produce for a small amount of money -- which makes this the perfect opportunity for some fall inspired experimental cooking. 

We have come up with a list of fall meals that will make you feel warm and cozy after coming inside from the chilly weather. These include many fall vegetables and fruits that you can pick up at your local grocery store or farmer’s market. We will teach you how to make:

• Butternut Squash Soup 
• Taiwanese Rice Noodles 
• Apple and Mixed Berry Crumble
• Cheesy Pumpkin Quesadillas 

Butternut Squash Soup 

With Chili and Creme Fraiche 

There’s nothing more relaxing than spending a day off from work cooking something at home that you can eat later in the week when you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to cook. This soup is an easy and delicious gourmet recipe that you can make now and enjoy a warm bowl of later when the weather is chilly and you feel like a warm pick-me-up. The best part is the total time needed for the recipe is 65 minutes -- but only 15 minutes are prep time, the rest is cook time. 

You will need: 

• 1 butternut squash, peeled and deseeded 
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 mild red chilies, deseeded and finely chopped 
• 850ml hot vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp creme fraiche and more to garnish 
  

To make this soup, begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Next, cut your peeled and deseeded butternut squash into large cubes -- about 1 and a half inches wide. Toss your squash chunks into a roasting pan and toss in one tablespoon of olive oil. Roast the squash for 30 minutes until they are golden and soft, turn them one time throughout cooking. 

While the squash is roasting -- using a large saucepan melt one tablespoon of butter with the other tablespoon of olive oil. Once melted, add 2 diced onions, your thinly sliced clove of garlic, and ¾ of your deseeded and finely chopped red chilies. 

Cover your pan and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Add roasted squash to the pan along with the 850ml of vegetable stock and four tablespoons of creme fraiche. Stir and mash with a hand held blender until it reaches a smooth consistency. For a more silky and smooth soup -- add the mixture to a blender and blend in increments until smooth. 

After the soup has reached the consistency of your liking, return the mixture to the pan. Reheat the soup to your desired temperature and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Serve with added creme fraiche and red chilies as garnish. 

Taiwanese Rice Noodles 

With Pumpkin 

This recipe comes in handy when you're looking to make a gourmet dish with fall flare, but are low on time or not feeling in the mood for laborious cooking. These Taiwanese pumpkin rice noodles can be made as a one pot dish! The total time needed to make this dish is 35 minutes -- 20 minutes prep time, 15 minutes cook time. Pull this recipe out when you need a show stopping dish for your friend’s next fall party.

You will need: 

• 3 ⅓ ounce rice vermicelli noodles 
• 8 ounces pumpkin, peeled and deseeded 
• ¼ onion
• 1 - 2 cloves of garlic 
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 8 ounces ground pork
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce
• ⅓ cup water
• Pinch of pepper
• 3 ounces bean sprouts (optional)
  

To make these pumpkin noodles, start by adding the rice noodles to a heatproof bowl and cover them with boiling water. Set the noodles aside and prepare the rest of the dish as they soak -- they will need about 20 minutes. After, drain and set aside. 

Cut your peeled and deseeded pumpkin into small dices. Next dice the onion into small cubes and finely chop or crush your garlic. 

Using a wok or large skillet, heat the oil and add the onion. Cook for one to two minutes and add in the chopped garlic. Cook for an additional one to two minutes until both ingredients are softened and just barely or lightly browned. Add pumpkin and pork to the pan and brown the meat. 

Next, pour in your liquids -- soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, water, and add in the pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add in the rice noodles. Cook for a few minutes -- stir regularly to completely combine the ingredients but be careful not to smash or break the pumpkin. One the sauce has been absorbed into the mixture, evaporated from the pan, and the pumpkin is tender, the dish is ready to be served. 

Apple and Mixed Berry Crumble

With Granny Smith Apples, Blueberries, and Raspberries

Granny Smith apples provide a sour, tart, and tangy flavor that will pair well with the tartness of the berries. 

This warm apple and mixed berry crumble with heavy cream drizzled over top will leave you wanting to stay in the fall season all year long. The apples and berries should be readily available at your local farmer’s market if you want to pick some up when you’re buying some pumpkins to carve. This gourmet recipe is simple and relatively hands off so you can spend more time enjoying the delicious smell rather than cooking! The total time is one hour and 30 minutes, but active prep time is only 25 minutes. 

You will need: 

• 2 Granny Smith apples -- peeled, cored, and cut in half lengthwise, then sliced paper thin
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• ¾ tsp cinnamon 
• 3 cups blueberries 
• 3 cups raspberries
• 2 cups quick oats
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp finely grated ginger
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 sticks plus 6 tbsp unsalted butter cut into pieces
• Heavy cream for serving
  

To make this crumble, begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, toss your thinly sliced apples in the lemon juice, granulated sugar, and ¼ tsp of cinnamon. Separate the apples into two 9-inch glass pie plates and top each with the mixture of berries. 

Next, take another medium sized bowl and toss oats with the light brown sugar, flour, ginger, salt, and remaining cinnamon -- ½ tsp. With your hands, mix in the butter until the mixture takes a crumbly texture. 

Spread the crumble topping over the berries. Set pie plates on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes or until fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Transfer from oven to wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Cut and serve crumble with heavy cream drizzled over top. 

Cheesy Pumpkin Quesadillas 

With Smoky Sour Cream

This fall recipe is a little out of the box, but trust us, you’ll be making this Mexican fall inspired dish all season long after you’ve tried it. This one is the easiest of the three and the good news is you only need pureed pumpkin which you can make yourself to pick up at the store. This easy gourmet recipe takes 20 minutes total -- 10 minutes prep time and 10 minutes cook time. 

You will need:

• ¾ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 ¼ cups packed grated colby jack cheese (Mexican blend can be used as substitute)
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1-2 tsp minced jalapeno 
• ½ tbsp chopped green onion
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 medium flour tortillas
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ of a lime
• ½ tsp smoked paprika 
• Cilantro and jalapeno slices for garnish
  

To make these quesadillas, begin by combining pumpkin, cheese, spices, salt, jalapeno, and green onion in a medium bowl. 

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add half of the pumpkin mixture to one side of a tortilla and fold the other half over to create your quesadilla. Place in the skillet and cook until browned, about two minutes. Flip to the other side and cook until it has browned, about two more minutes. The cheese should be melted and the quesadilla fully cooked through. Make the remaining quesadilla with the rest of the pumpkin mixture, tortilla, and oil. 

In a small bowl combine sour cream, juice from ¼ of a lime, and smoked paprika. To serve, slice the quesadilla into three equal sections, top with the smoky sour cream mixture, cilantro, and jalapeno slices depending on how spicy you like it. 

These four easy gourmet fall inspired recipes will help you ring in the new season and have you dreaming about making these meals again next year -- if not all year long!