6 Fall Recipes You Must Try

Fall is a time to avoid heavy foods because you want to have all the energy you can to participate in fun activities all season long. Of course, eating a heavy meal like pasta every now and then is okay, but you must find fall recipes that won’t slow you down so you can lose or maintain weight and feel energized every day. However, if you choose not to prepare your own meals, you won’t have access to nutrition labels that tell you everything you need to know about the foods you’re consuming, so we suggest eating at home at least three times a week if you’re trying to lose weight or get healthier. Specifically, here’s our list of fall recipes to try. 

1. Seafood Salad

Looking for something light, tasty, and filled with protein and amino acids? Check out this seafood salad that only takes 15 minutes to prepare and can feed the whole family. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 Orange
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Lime
• ½ pound peeled cooked shrimp, chopped 
• ½ pound fresh crab meat, chopped
• Shredded lettuce
• Crackers

Directions:

1. Grate orange zest into a mixing bowl. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into the same bowl as the zest. Repeat with lemon and lime. 
2. Add shrimp, crab, onion, and season to taste with pepper. Toss to coat. 
3. Lay on fresh shredded lettuce or kale and serve with crackers

2. Caprese Salad

Caprese salad is expensive in restaurants, so it’s much cheaper to make at home. In just 15 minutes, you’ll have a salad with four servings. 

Ingredients: 

• 4 tomatoes, sliced
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
• ½ pound mozzarella, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Arrange tomato slices, cheese, and basil in a circle on a serving platter. 
2. Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, ground mustard
3. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste

3. Cucumber & Hummus 

Try cucumber and hummus boats as delicious snacks you can enjoy any time of day. Cucumber is hydrating, while hummus provides you anti-inflammatory properties that can aid in weight loss. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup quinoa
• 6 cucumbers
• 14 oz or 1 carton of hummus
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 oz crumbled tomato and basil feta cheese
• ½ cup greek olives, chopped
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to instructions on the package and transfer to a large bowl to cool. 
2. Cut cucumbers in half, scoop out pulp and seeds. 
3. Add tomatoes, cheese, and olive to quinoa. 
4. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, garlic, and pepper until fully blended. 
5. Pour over the quinoa mixture. Toss to coat. 
6. Spread 2 tablespoons of hummus inside each cucumber. 
7. Top each cucumber with ⅓ cup quinoa mixture. 

4. Tomato Flatbread

So far, we’ve talked a lot about snacks and salad fall recipes, so we think it’s time to talk about something you can eat for lunch or dinner. The tomato flatbread is an easy option that takes just 20 minutes for 8 pieces. Make as many as you like to satisfy everyone’s appetite. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 tube pizza crust
• Cooking spray
• 3 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
• ½ soft sun-dried tomato halves, julienned
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded pizza cheese
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions:

1. Unroll and press pizza dough into a rectangle based on your crust preferences. Transfer dough to a baking sheet coated in cookie spray. 
2. In a mixing bowl, toss both types of tomatoes in olive oil and seasonings. 
3. Grill pizza dough covered on medium heat for 3 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown. Turn it over and grill the other side until golden brown. 
4. Remove pizza dough from grill and spoon plum tomato mixture over crust. Top with cheese and cherry tomatoes.
5. Grill for 2-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 

5. Grilled Basil Tomato Chicken 

Looking for a healthy meal for the entire family? Try this 25-minute recipe consisting of 15 minutes of prep time and just 10 minutes on the grill. The recipe below makes 4 services, enough for the whole family or two very hungry adults. 

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 plum tomatoes
• 4 boneless chicken breast halves

Directions: 

1. Place balsamic vinegar, fresh basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, and salt in a blender. 
2. Cut 4 tomatoes into quarters and add to the blender. Cover and blend all ingredients until completely blended. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken and ⅔ cup marinade. Refrigerate for one hour. Keep remaining marinade for later. 
4. After one hour (or longer, depending on your preferences), drain the chicken and place it on an oiled grill rack on medium heat. Grill chicken until reaching 165 degrees, about 4-5 minutes per side. 
5. Cover tomatoes and grill over medium heat until lightly browned. 
6. Serve with remaining marinade. 

6. Mango Sorbet

No meal is complete without dessert, but you don’t have to have a heavy chocolate cake to satisfy your sweet tooth. This mango sorbet fall recipe only takes 5 minutes and is a nice refreshing treat any time of day. 

Ingredients

• 1 package of frozen mango chunks, lightly thawed
• ½ cup passion fruit juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately or cover and freeze for at least three hours. 

Final Thoughts

Finding the best fall recipes to satisfy your entire family this fall can be difficult. Hopefully, we’ve given you something new to try. All of these recipes can be modified based on your preferences. Add your favorite spices to kick the flavor up a notch, or experiment in your kitchen to find the best snacks, meals, and desserts for you and your family. 

The goal for fall meals is to make something that’s delicious but won’t slow you down, no matter what you’re doing for the day. Choose foods that are refreshing and energizing to give you more energy to spend time outdoors.