20 Hearty Family Dinner Ideas For Fall

Whether you stay at home with your kids or are in an office from 9 to 5, the dinnertime rush is one of the great challenges of being a mom. We're always on the lookout for inventive, healthy, and easy ways to tackle mealtime, and with the changing seasons, our food preferences tend to follow suit.

Nurture your entire family this Fall and beyond with 20 of our favorite ideas for hearty Fall dinners.

01
Slow-Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder
Creme de la Crumb

Slow-Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder

This chicken corn chowder is going to keep your family warm all Fall long.

02
Cheeseburger Casserole
Recipe Tin Eats

Cheeseburger Casserole

Skip the buns and add in macaroni to make this delicious cheeseburger casserole for your little ones.

03
Apple Cider Chicken With Caramelized Apples
Averie Cooks

Apple Cider Chicken With Caramelized Apples

Apple cider chicken is the yummiest way to get into the Fall spirit, especially with a side of caramelized apples.

04
Butternut Squash Soup and Garlic Cheddar Grilled Cheese Croutons
Cooking For Keeps

Butternut Squash Soup and Garlic Cheddar Grilled Cheese Croutons

This butternut squash soup with garlic cheddar grilled cheese croutons is going to be a total hit at family dinner this Autumn.

05
Ham and Cheese Sliders
Averie Cooks

Ham and Cheese Sliders

These ham and cheese sliders are the perfect fit for tiny hands and mouths.

06
Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf
Whitney Bond

Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

The only way to make meatloaf any more delicious is to wrap the whole thing with bacon.

08
Apple-Stuffed Pork Chops
Slow Cooker Gourmet

Apple-Stuffed Pork Chops

Stuff these pork chops with apples and throw them right into the crockpot for a hearty Fall meal your family will devour.

09
Slow-Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup
Foxes Love Lemons

Slow-Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup

Swap out the chicken breasts in this crockpot favorite for precooked rotisserie chicken to save time — and add flavor!

10
Butternut Bacon Pasta
Self-Proclaimed Foodie

Butternut Bacon Pasta

This butternut bacon pasta is creamy and warm, the two best qualities in Fall food.

11
One-Pot Pumpkin Pasta
Show Me the Yummy

One-Pot Pumpkin Pasta

There's nothing that screams "Fall" more than pumpkin, and this one-pot pumpkin pasta is the perfect way to get the orange produce into your family's diet.

12
Honey BBQ Meatballs
Slow Cooker Gourmet

Honey BBQ Meatballs

Give meatballs a fun twist with this slow-cooker recipe for honey BBQ meatballs.

13
Perfect Chicken Parm
Self-Proclaimed Foodie

Perfect Chicken Parm

The Self-Proclaimed Foodie calls this recipe the "perfect chicken parm" and it seems to us that it's perfect for Fall!

15
Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff
The Chic Site

Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Everything in this recipe for beef stoganoff gets thrown into the slow cooker to make your meal prepping a breeze.

16
Mexican Skillet Casserole
Amanda Haas

Mexican Skillet Casserole

The most-requested recipe on Amanda Haas's site, this Mexican skillet casserole, is bound to become a family favorite. Filled with rice, cheese, and beans, it can easily be eaten on its own or rolled up in a burrito.

17
Mozzarella and Tomato Panini
Michael Chiarello

Mozzarella and Tomato Panini

Michael Chiarello's daughter, Gianna, and her friends loved these golden brown grilled sandwiches as kids. He would make the sandwiches on Saturdays while the kids were swimming or playing, and cut the food into small triangles for easy eating.

18
Beef Lo Mein
Flickr user Bordecia34

Beef Lo Mein

If your go-to grocery doesn't carry specialty items like traditional lo mein noodles, don't stress. That box of spaghetti you have sitting in the cupboard works just as well with this homemade take on beef lo mein. No need to follow the recipe to a T, either. Customize with whatever veggies you have on hand for a quick and easy main meal or side the whole family will love.

19
Stuffed Butternut Squash
POPSUGAR Photography | Sarah Lipoff

Stuffed Butternut Squash

Here's a hearty dish that's stuffed with cheese and vegetables and topped with melty cheese. Stuffed butternut squash is also healthy and filling main dish.

20
Cheesy Chicken Taquitos
Weelicious

Cheesy Chicken Taquitos

"I love taquitos, but most of the time when you find them, either at a fast food chain or your local Mexican restaurant, they're deep fried to make them extra crispy and give them that great fried flavor," Weelicious's Catherine McCord says. "They're delicious, but I was intent on making an equally appealing yet healthier version." And that she did. In her forthcoming Weelicious: One Family. One Meal, Catherine shares her cheesy chicken taquito recipe, which, when served up with an avocado sauce for dipping, is a healthy (and tasty) alternative to the frozen and restaurant versions.