Here’s a list of Fall dinner ideas that are simple, budget-friendly, and made with clean ingredients!
I love fall recipes.
Even though it doesn’t get super cold where I live (lookin’ at you, Anything-North-of-Maryland), I make cold-weather food as soon as the mornings are crisp and the wind gets a little bite.
Fall dinners can be really budget-friendly and comforting like a warm hug.
You can add butternut squash or pumpkin to so many recipes and give them a boost of veggies (mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese are great like this).
Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and other cruciferous veggies taste better and are more budget-friendly this time of year.
Additionally, greens are easy to grow, inexpensive to buy, and you can chop them up and add them to all kinds of dishes: frittatas, soup, casseroles, salads.
Budget-Friendly Fall Food:
Any meal is better in the colder weather with these seasonal ingredients.
- Pumpkin/butternut squash
- Apples
- Carrots
- Onions
- Celery
- Sweet Potatoes
- Greens
- Garlic
What else am I missing?
So many simple ways to make fall-themed dinners.
Here are some of my favorite budget-friendly fall dinner ideas:
20 Fall Dinner Ideas
Here’s a list of fall dinner ideas that are simple, budget-friendly, and made with clean ingredients!
Need a hearty, flavorful, meatless dinner? Lentil Shepherds Pie is simple to make (one hour start to finish!), made with real food, and you can make it vegan or add some meat and use the lentils to stretch it!
White Bean Chili is comforting, inexpensive, simple, and full of real food. Instructions for Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, and Stovetop included. Add chicken to make white chicken chili, and the recipe includes gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and freezer storing tips!
If you’re a frugal cook, you need a Hamburger Vegetable Soup recipe. Easy to adapt to any eating-style: vegetarian, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, dairy-free. And it’s loaded with inexpensive but flavorful ingredients. Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, Stovetop, and Freezer instructions included!
A simple, creamy, flavorful Instant Pot chicken dish infused with turmeric and ready to serve over rice and veggies!
A cheesy, tomato-y vegetarian main dish. Simple to make, extremely frugal (thank you, lentils), and completely delicious.
Warm and creamy nutrient-packed oatmeal for a quick Breakfast-for-Dinner meal! Serve with sausage or egg muffins for more protein.
This East African inspired dinner is frugal, easy to prepare, and loaded with real food. It's also vegan, vegetarian, freezer-friendly, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Inspired by The Cultured Chef (affiliate link)
Instant Pot chicken burrito bowls are one of our favorite meals! Here’s how we make this one-pot family favorite!
The best baked sweet potatoes I’ve ever had. Add to any kind of protein and veggie side for an instant fall-themed meal.
Need a budget-friendly dinner idea that helps you use what you have and prevent food waste? This soup tastes like potato soup, but it’s made with the scraps! Real food and delicious.
Okay, maybe it's unconventional, but who hasn't eaten dessert for dinner? This one is an easy Yes, made with fresh apples, whole grains, healthy fats, and just a touch of sweetener. No weird ingredients, with gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan variations!
Even though this recipe isn’t a traditional Greek Beef Roast (that one involves tomatoes and cinnamon – also delicious!), it’s full of the flavors we love, and none of them are hard to find or expensive to buy.
Beans and Rice is great in any season. Burrito bowls are an allergy-friendly, plant-based pantry meal that even help you reduce food waste (and who doesn’t love taco leftovers?!).
Does cooking a whole chicken intimidate you? Slow cooker (and Instant Pot) chicken is great, but never tastes as great as oven-roasted. Here's a quick chicken recipe you can serve with fall salad and sweet potatoes.
An authentic, frugal, hearty, ground beef staple that uses a few ingredients and costs pennies per serving. Picadillo is also gluten-free, dairy-free and Whole30 approved!
This spring mix salad is perfect for the cooler seasons and is one of my favorites to serve guests and family. Dress it up with chicken or salmon to make it a full meal!
Learn to cook dry beans with this simple recipe that is gluten-free and taught my family to love a bowl of beans. Cumin beans are to make on the stove top, in the slow cooker, or with your Instant Pot, you can feed 6 people real food for around $3 and 5 minutes of work.
It’s the perfect salad for the cooler months when broccoli is more budget-friendly – and frankly, more delicious than the other out-of-season salad vegetables. Serve with chicken and potatoes or rice.
Simple, inexpensive tomato soup ready in 10 minutes and full of real food ingredients you can find at any store. Dairy-free version too!
One of my kids' favorite fall dinners. A simple, plant-based, budget-friendly soup recipe you can make out of staples from your pantry and freezer! Serve with muffins, crackers, or bread.
What You Can Do Now:
What’s your favorite fall dinner?
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