21 Tasty Fall Recipes That Make Weight Loss So Much Easier

Posted: September 29, 2021 12:13 pm

We all love to enjoy the bounty of the season we are in, but sometimes the best tasting seasonal dishes don’t fit with our healthy eating goals. We have scoured our favorite sources for delicious, fall-flavored dishes that are also diet-friendly. Whether they are healthy remakes of familiar recipes or simply destined to become new fall favorites, we have gathered up 21 of the tastiest fall recipes that will make it easier to stick to your weight loss goals.

1. Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring, and these fall-flavored overnight oats are anything but boring! With six simple ingredients, you can throw these oats together and nibble on them for a few days at breakfast or anytime you want a naturally sweet, healthy oatmeal.

2. Arugula Salad with Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Pears, & Blue Cheese

This filling fall salad hits all the right flavor notes with tasty roasted pork combined with sliced autumnal pears. The spicy arugula mixes well with the tangy blue cheese and crunchy walnut topping to finish off a healthy meal that is perfect for lunch or dinner.

3. Butternut Mole Enchiladas

Dark and flavorful adobo sauce adds the punchy flavor while butternut squash and black beans fill the enchiladas with healthy veggies. You won’t miss the heavier meat and cheese normally found on enchiladas once you taste the smoky goodness of this nutritious fall swap recipe.

4. Butternut Squash and Turkey Chili

Fall dining always includes chili but losing weight doesn’t always work well with heavier recipes that use thickeners, cream, and cheese to provide the flavor. This lighter chile lets squash and turkey combined with green chiles deliver the flavors for a mouthwatering, traditional chili without all the heavy calories.

5. Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Comforting mac and cheese can still be part of a healthy weight-loss diet when healthy cauliflower is part of the recipe. Adding in this stealthy ingredient not only ups the veggie content but also swaps out some of the pasta needed to make this dish so delicious without being so heavy.

6. Hearty Vegan Lentil Soup

Sometimes leaving out the meat is on the menu for your healthy diet, and this vegan lentil soup is sure to be a fall favorite for those meals. This soup is full of hearty, filling lentils and beneficial vegetables for a good-for-you soup full of flavor.

7. Instant Pot Cream of Carrot Soup

Rich, creamy soups don’t have to be off the menu when watching your food. This carrot soup is bursting with fall flavors from the onions, carrots, and potatoes. An instant pot is used to quickly bring the ingredients together and then an immersion blender is used to ensure a smooth texture.

8. Italian Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Vegetables and Quinoa

Savory roasted pork is the star of this dish, but it competes with nourishing quinoa for top honors. Throw in roasted fall favorites carrots and parsnips and this seasonal dish will make it hard to believe you are eating healthy with all of its rich, mouthwatering flavors.

9. No-Sugar Added Mini Apple Pies

Eating healthy doesn’t mean always skipping dessert, especially when a no-sugar-added pie is on the menu. These tiny treats get their sweetness from dates, but you’d never know it. Fall apples flavor is bursting from these mini pies and as a bonus, they don’t contain gluten either since they are made with oat flour.

10. Pomegranate Pecan Salad with Cinnamon Apples

With so many fall flavors, this salad is sure to be enjoyed all season long. Simple to throw together, this salad’s star is the bright pomegranate seeds on top. But autumnal flavors from the pecans and cinnamon-dusted apples add in depth of flavor, making this salad a perfectly healthy but decadent choice.

11. Pumpkin Curry Soup

Not many other vegetables say fall quite as clearly as pumpkin, and this soup is full of the seasonal gourd’s flavor. Matched with tangy curry, the coconut milk and pumpkin create a soup that screams fall while still being a lighter recipe with an intense fall flavor.

12. Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Cranberries and Feta

The traditional fall vegetable, the acorn squash, is roasted while filled with healthy quinoa for a creative take on an autumnal stuffing dish. Instead of the heavier variety at Thanksgiving, nutty quinoa is topped with antioxidant-rich cranberries and salty feta for a roasted dish bursting with grains and flavors perfect for a vegetarian main dish.

13. Roasted Acorn Squash Salad

Fall favorite acorn squash and a taste of maple inject seasonal flavor into this spicy arugula-based salad. Plucky pomegranate, orange, and Dijon mustard all provide zing in the dressing without adding in extra calories, making this gorgeous salad low calorie but high on flavor.

14. Roasted Cauliflower & Potato Curry Soup

Chameleon cauliflower’s roasted flavor adds depth to this curry soup while coconut milk makes the broth smooth. This hearty soup takes advantage of the autumnal flavors that come from the roasted vegetable without adding in a heavy base, creating a lighter, tastier version of a classic fall dish.

15. Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup

Taking advantage of fall’s bountiful vegetables, this easy soup is full of flavor but not calories. Using beans as a protein, this hearty soup will smell delicious simmering all day in the crockpot. Stirring in a spoonful of pesto to finish out each bowl of this soup adds in a surprising flavor pop as well.

16. Smokey Vegan Black Bean Soup

Nothing says fall like a soup slow cooking all day long, wafting the appetizing scents of a delicious meal. A perfect vegan dish, black beans, and carrots combine with smoky paprika to create a hearty, healthy soup with the rich flavors of a long-simmering pot of fall-flavored vegetables.

17. Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Broccolini

Hearty but heavy lasagna gets a fall makeover with fall favorite spaghetti squash as the base. Zesty broccolini sautéed with garlic adds a dash of green to the nutty roasted squash, and a topping of melted cheesy goodness turns this dish into a stunner.

18. Spicy Brussels Sprouts Chips

Watching what you eat in the fall can be hard when snack foods seem to be on every table. Instead of indulging in mindless snacking, these crunchy and tangy baked brussels sprouts chips are just the nibble you need to stick to your weight-loss goals without adding in needless calories when a snack attack hits.

19. Spicy Southwest Butternut Squash Casserole

A casserole is a perfect way to put a quick meal on your plate with minimal fuss, but they can be loaded with unhealthy ingredients. This dish instead uses autumnal squash as the base and adds in a zingy southwest spice for a fun twist. Loaded with veggies too, this casserole is an easy addition to add to your fall recipe rotations for its rich flavor, simplicity in putting it together, and healthy ingredients.

20. Turkey Lasagna with Butternut Squash, Zucchini, and Spinach

This lightened up version of a traditional layered lasagna hits all the right (healthy) notes for those of us watching what we eat. Turkey swaps for beef and fall favorite butternut squash adds a delectably rich flavor to the layers of this dish. Adding in veggies takes this dish to another level without being overpowering, and traditionalists will appreciate the golden-brown finish when baking is done, even though it hides a healthier inside than most lasagnas.

21. Winter Squash and Lentil Stew

This seasonal soup combines sweet and savory for a go-to dish that works for fall into the colder months. Sweet squash is tempered with smokey cardamom and ginger to flavor the savory lentil base of this simple-to-make soup that comes together in the pressure cooker. Spinach is a late add-in that ups the vegetable content in this healthy but hearty dish.