Fall is a time for cozy comfort recipes of all types—from soups and stews to cheesy casseroles and more—but it can be a busy time too. This collection of 20 recipes provides plenty of options for getting dinner on the table for the whole family without a lot of extra steps. From beef stew to grilled shrimp, these recipes show off the best comfort flavors we crave in fall—and all the recipes come together in three steps or fewer.
Most of us likely have a few generational recipes passed down from our grandparents that have become staples at our holiday dinners and family potlucks. Some of us may even have ones that have become part of our weekly rotation.
While many of the recipes we love to share are delicious pound cakes or homemade spaghetti sauce, sometimes we can forget about the ridiculously simple ones that were just meant to get dinner on the table—like my grandmother’s three-ingredient recipe, made with some pretty unlikely household staples.
Raising eight kids on a farm, my grandma had a lot of hungry mouths to feed, which meant sometimes the simple, cheap meal was the way to go. In this case, however, it turns out the simple, cheap meal was actually a delicious one that I still make to this day when I don’t feel like cooking, or don’t have a lot of ingredients in my house.
The combo? Egg noodles, a can of tomato soup, and bacon. I’m not sure if you could call it a stew or just a runny “pasta sauce,” but noodles smothered with bacon-packed soup is the budget-friendly meal of dreams.
The method has changed over the years, but, originally, when my grandma—and subsequently my grandpa, when she passed away—made the dish, it was four ingredients. That final ingredient was a diced onion, but as kids, my brother and I didn’t like onion, so my mom would omit it when she made it.
My grandma would fry the bacon in a cast iron skillet, then cook the onions in the bacon grease, and finally add the tomato soup and water — which gave the soup so much extra flavor. Then, she’d serve the tomato soup sauce over egg noodles. It really doesn’t get much easier.
Today, I only use the three ingredients—mostly because I didn’t know there was a fourth until I fact-checked the recipe with my parents—and don’t use a cast iron skillet. I like to cook my bacon in the oven because it’s a lot less messy, so I’ll cook the bacon, cut it up, and add it to the pot of prepared tomato soup.
It may sound like a strange dish, but the simple flavors really work together—and it’s a great meal to stretch those last few days before your next grocery run. In other words, don’t knock it ‘til you try it!
Get dinner on the table in a flash with these comforting casseroles that are ready in 45 minutes (or fewer). From slow cooker suppers to shortcut dinners made with canned biscuit dough, you’ll find a new fall favorite in this cozy collection.
Chef John’s Mississippi chicken chili could not be easier to make in the slow cooker with only a handful of ingredients. Made with cannellini beans, pepperoncini peppers, and a whole stick of butter , the chili comes out rich and delicious. You can substitute any canned beans for the cannellini beans.
You can use chicken breasts instead of thighs, but the thighs make for a better chili, and won’t dry out during the long cooking time.
For a more pronounced chili flavor, you can double the amount of chili powder. For a spicier version, ground chipotle can be substituted for some of the chili powder.
Simple ingredients cooked well is the secret to great meals—but that makes cooking sound easier than it is.
Finding dinner recipes or sides that you love and consistently want to make can be a challenge. If you’re in the mood for a simple, seasonal recipe, I would like to recommend our most-saved recipe of last October: Roasted Butternut Squash.
The recipe has thousands of saves and is great to make when fall is in full swing. It lets the squash shine, which is why this recipe is so great to make when this vegetable is in season.
This recipe only uses three ingredients, plus some oil to bring everything together. All you need is some squash, garlic, and a little salt and pepper. Of course, there are so many more seasonings and spices to use if you want to adapt the recipe to your liking (such as cinnamon, rosemary, paprika, or even honey or agave).
Peel the squash, then slice in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds from the center of the bulb, and cut the squash into 1-inch cubes. Mix with oil and seasonings, then place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 25 to 35 minutes. The squash should be tender and lightly browned.
If the skin of your squash is too tough to peel, poke holes in the skin and place it in the microwave for a minute or two, then give the peeling process a go. The skin should be softer and easier to work with.
Conquering stuck jar lids ranks right up there with cleaning out the dishwasher filter as one of our most despised kitchen tasks. There’s something about a fragile glass jar and a lodged-on lid that immediately adds an extra layer of stress. This is not to mention the fact that the time we spend fighting with an overly stubborn lid could be much better spent making dinner or dessert.
Whether you’re one of the 54 million adults in the U.S. with arthritis or simply ended up with a jar with a locked-on lid, it’s a frustrating predicament. For this reason, there are countless products ranging from under-cabinet openers and pricey electronic models to knife-knocking strategies and the viral hack of squeezing the lid between your hands. (By the way, we tried the latter method and weren’t able to get this to work.)
We’re convinced that there has to be a better way than shelling out $60 for a new appliance or struggling to make that squeezing strategy work. Turns out, there is. And you most likely already have what you need in a kitchen drawer right now.
Georgia Pot Roast, a TikTok recipe from Allrecipes Allstar sweetpealifestyle, is a simple twist on the Mississippi Pot Roast recipe. Using pickled Vidalia onions, instead of pepperoncini, this recipe is sure to please everyone. Serve over rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, or mashed cauliflower.
Options abound in the wide world of hamburgers. Whether you like them beefy or vegan, restaurant-style or backyard barbecue-approved, we’ve got plenty of burger recipes for you to try. We’ve even stretched the boundaries of what qualifies as a burger, taking inspiration from beef Wellington, chicken Parmesan, and even Thanksgiving leftovers.
But when it comes to one category of burger—fast food cheeseburgers—many of us are usually looking for the same thing.
Priority number one? The meat. According to Jim Perillo, executive chef at The Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown, New York, the beef should always be fresh, not frozen, since “frozen patties tend to be dryer. They lose moisture through the thawing process. Pre-cooked frozen patties that have been sitting also leave much to be desired. Nothing beats a fresh burger,” he says.
The best burgers are well-seasoned and rocking a satisfying “crust,” adds Dominic Iannarelli, chef-owner of Prime & Providence in West Des Moines, Iowa. This usually comes from being grilled, smashed, or seared.
Caroline Chambers, the Carmel Valley, California-based author of the Substack and the cookbook “What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking” chimes in with a vote for a thin patty, which allows for “a perfect balance. I basically want equal parts cheese to patty to bun.”
As for that bun, it better not distract from the real star of the show, says Dan Pelosi (aka @grossypelosi), a New York-based recipe writer and New York Times bestselling author of “Let’s Eat: 101 Recipes to Fill Your Heart & Home.” It should be soft so it’s able to “hug the burger,” Pelosi says, but toasted to stand up to any sauces.
When it comes to the toppings, less is more. Every topping should have a reason for being invited to the party, Iannarelli says.
Overall, a good clue that a burger is high-quality is the fact that it’s one of few sandwiches on the menu, Pelosi continues. “The sign of a confident burger is when she is not afraid to be one of the very few options available.”
Grandma always knows best (at least when it comes to cooking). In this nostalgia-inducing treasure trove, we’ve rounded up our very best chicken recipes from grandmothers in our community. From crowd-pleasing 9×13 casseroles and comforting soups to restaurant-worthy meals that’ll impress even the pickiest dinner guests, you’re sure to find something you love in this collection of chicken recipes from grandma
We’ve all been there. You open the fridge, ready to make a morning scramble, reach for the egg carton, and suddenly pause. Are these eggs still good? When did I even buy them? And more importantly, how am I supposed to tell if they’re spoiled just by looking at the shell?
If you’ve ever wondered the same, you’re not alone. The good news: there’s a quick, reliable test that can help you decide whether to crack the eggs or reach for a yogurt parfait instead. Read on to learn how it works.
If your eggs make you stop and question their freshness, test them using the “bowl test,” say experts from Eggland’s Best, a popular egg brand. “For the ‘bowl test,’ fill a bowl with water and carefully drop the egg into it. If an egg is fresh, it will immediately sink to the bottom and lie flat on its side,” the company says. Then you’re all set to get cracking on that omelet, frittata, or soufflé
Good Food, Good Meat, Good God, Let's Eat! 