Spooky season & sweater weather, what could be better?
Woah! Is anyone else feeling like September just flew by? How is it October already? While we’ll miss the harried back-to-school, changing-of-seasons energy, we’re excited to really settle into everything fall has to offer this month. Join us this October as we celebrate sweater weather, spooky season, and tailgating in both comforting and creative ways. We’ve got 40 recipes to help inspire you to make dinner this October—one for every day of the month, and then some.
We’ve included a good mix of entirely new recipes, like our Tuscan tortellini skillet, our copycat Sweetgreen harvest bowl, or our baccala, as well as some old favorites, like our goulash, our , and our tried-and-true chicken stir-fry. As always, we’re leaning into the best of fall produce, like apples, pumpkin, and butternut squash—try our , our harvest chicken casserole, or our creamy pumpkin gnocchi with Italian sausage to use up some of that apple picking or farmers' market bounty.
We’re also taking inspiration from everything going on in October, like the return of our favorite sports and, of course, Halloween. We’ve included a few of our favorite fall tailgate and game day classics here—our stuffed shells, our French onion soup, our king ranch chicken, and our gochujang white chicken chili are guaranteed to keep you and yours warm and ready to cheer on your team whether you’re watching from home or the parking lot. We’ve also got a few spooky-cute Halloween dinners here—our ghost purse ravioli, our chicken pot pie hot pockets, and our spider taco ring are scary-easy to make, and are the perfect fuel for trick-or-treating (or just enjoying on your own for a low-key evening this October).
Chicken Stir-Fry
A stir fry is our go-to weeknight dinner when we just don’t have the energy to spend a long time in the kitchen or hit the grocery store—this chicken version is no exception. Make it as is, or use it as a jumping-off point all October long.
Get the Chicken Stir-Fry recipe.
Goulash
A classic nostalgic comfort dish, goulash is the hearty weeknight dinner we'll always crave. The best thing about it? Everything cooks together in one pot—even the pasta!
Get the Goulash recipe.
Autumn Kielbasa Sheet Pan Bake With Creamy Curry Dijon Sauce
The idea of combining curry powder with sausage comes from a German fast food dish called currywurst, and it's equally delightful in this ketchup-free, creamy rendition. It adds a hit of flavor to the freshly roasted kielbasa, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and grapes.
Get the Autumn Kielbasa Sheet Pan Bake With Creamy Curry Dijon Sauce recipe.
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Tuscan Tortellini Skillet Bake
We’re not sure when “Tuscan” became a flavor profile, but we’re definitely happy that it did, because garlic, tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan were meant to be together, especially when you add cheese tortellini. This spin is sure to be a regular on your October dinner rotation.
Get the Tuscan Tortellini Skillet Bake recipe.
Vegetable Soup
Though vegetable soup is often just made up of random ingredients hanging around your fridge and pantry, it deserves to be exceptional. With a few tricks and tips (bouillon paste, a Parmesan rind, and frozen veggies are key!), it’s easy to take it from basic to “chef’s kiss.”
Get the Vegetable Soup recipe.
Sweet Potato Maple Brown Butter Gnocchi
Instead of making homemade sweet potato gnocchi, this genius recipe puts the sweet potato right into a creamy sauce and uses store-bought gnocchi for the same exact flavors and textures. The result: an incredibly irresistible fall dinner ready in less than 20 minutes.
Get the Sweet Potato Maple Brown Butter Gnocchi recipe.
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Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo
Filled with shrimp, sausage, and Cajun seasoning, hearty gumbo is the true melting-pot dish that will transport you straight to Louisiana after just one bite. It's also a top-notch comfort food stew that's perfect for keeping you feeling cozy and warm this fall.
Get the .
Stuffed Shells
Imagine lasagna being turned inside out to form cute pockets stuffed with creamy, garlicky ricotta and cream cheese, which are then slathered in tomato sauce for an impressive dinner with friends or family. That’s the beauty of stuffed shells.
Get the Stuffed Shells recipe.
Copycat Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl
Attention, Sweetgreen lovers! Your regular weekday takeout lunch is not possible at home, any time of day. Loaded with roast chicken, sweet potato, and that signature balsamic vinaigrette, our copycat version of Sweetgreen’s beloved harvest bowl is perfection.
Get the Copycat Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl recipe.
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Ghost Purse Ravioli
Looking for something delicious that's only a little bit spooky this Halloween? Try these adorable raviolis filled with ricotta, Parmesan, and finely chopped pear. We made these from wonton wrappers, rather than pasta dough, to make them scary easy on you too. 😉 You're welcOoOme.
Get the Ghost Purse Ravioli recipe.
French Onion Soup
Rich, deeply flavorful, and downright decadent, French onion soup is the treat-yourself comfort food we’ll never tire of. Caramelized onions, a beefy broth, and the signature melty cheese and bread topping all transform what could be a simple soup into an enduring classic that's wonderful for fall.
Get the French Onion Soup recipe.
Apple & Cranberry Roasted Chicken
This skillet combines chicken thighs with apples and cranberries—the perfect duo of sweet and tangy for this fall dinner. Also, because we've already got Thanksgiving on the mind, this dish also has a tasty gravy to give holiday vibes without having to prepare a whole feast.
Get the .
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Slow-Cooker Pizza
Pizza night just got even easier. While you can absolutely use a store-bought dough for this recipe, feel free to try our homemade pizza dough too.
Get the Slow-Cooker Pizza recipe.
Cabbage Roll Soup
Feeling nostalgic for cabbage rolls, but want a quick dinner instead? Try a savory bowl of cabbage roll soup instead. It’s a hearty, warm bowl of comfort food that embraces all the goodness of cabbage rolls: ground beef, rice, tomatoes, and tons of green cabbage.
Get the Cabbage Roll Soup recipe.
Creamy Gochujang White Chicken Chili
This creamy, red-tinted spin on white chicken chili incorporates gochujang for a unique spin on the classic. Gochujang, an umami-packed Korean red chili paste gives lots of chili flavor without adding a ton of heat, meaning this can be enjoyed by everyone in the family (even the spice-averse).
Get the Creamy Gochujang White Chicken Chili recipe.
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Tuscan Butter Gnocchi
Here at Delish, we can’t get enough of Tuscan butter. For this recipe, we decided to skip the protein and turn this creamy tomato-and-basil sauce into a pasta dinner by adding one of our favorite power ingredients: gnocchi.
Get the Tuscan Butter Gnocchi recipe.
Pumpkin Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sticks
While we love classic tomato soup, we sometimes want to shake things up a bit when fall comes around. This soup gets an extra creamy dose, not only thanks to sweet pumpkin puree, but also with heavy cream and sharp Parmesan.
Get the .
One-Pot Vegetarian Chili Mac
One of our favorite comfort food recipes, this weeknight dinner combines two classics: and hearty vegetarian chili. This smoky, flavor-packed meal all comes together in one pot, and it's SUPER versatile.
Get the One-Pot Vegetarian Chili Mac recipe.
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Chipotle Spaghetti
This Mexican-ized spin on spaghetti with red sauce is creamy and rich, plus a hint of smokiness from chipotle in adobo. Topped with homemade Parmesan-cilantro croutons, it doesn't get any more comforting than this.
Get the Chipotle Spaghetti recipe.
Sheet-Pan Pork Chops With Apples
Not all sheet-pan dinners are created equal, and this pork chop recipe is proof. Sheet-pan pork chops with apples falls into the camp of excellence, packing in tons of caramelized flavor with a short-ingredient list onto just one pan.
Get the Sheet-Pan Pork Chops With Apples recipe.
Camille Lowder
Digital Food Producer
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
