This Week on Better Plates: 6 Cozy Fall Recipes
Only one of the six needs the oven, and half of them can be made the day before.
Fall cooking has a reputation for being long and slow, and this week’s cozy fall recipes mostly ignore that. One recipe out of six turns the oven on. Half can be made the day before, which is the useful part heading into a season of crowded kitchens and borrowed counter space. The week runs green and crunchy through the middle, with shaved fennel on Wednesday and skillet Brussels sprouts on Friday, while Monday’s roasted carrots carry the weight on the holiday-side end. Pumpkin turns up Thursday, in a smoothie rather than a pie.
Roasted Carrots with Pistachio and Pomegranate Gremolata — Monday
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Two pounds of multicolored carrots roast with a spoonful of maple syrup until fork tender, then vanish under what creator Dina Deleasa-Gonsar calls “a savory and sweet gremolata that is as gorgeous as it is delicious” — pistachios, chives, sage, and thyme pulsed coarse, with pomegranate seeds folded through at the end so they stay whole. She pulses it only until the nuts break up, since the texture is the point. Both halves can be made ahead and stored separately, with the carrots reheated at 350 before the room-temperature gremolata goes over the top.
Cook time: 20–25 minutes | Serves: 6–8 | Protein: 6g
Spicy Chili Egg Salad Bagel Toast — Tuesday
Three boiled eggs mashed with chili oil and plain Greek yogurt, piled onto a bagel toasted until it crunches. Creator Yunon calls it “an easy high-protein breakfast that comes together with just a few simple ingredients,” and the yogurt is what keeps the salad creamy on half a tablespoon of mayonnaise. They point out that the crispier the bagel, the better the contrast with a soft filling, and suggest folding in tuna or shredded chicken to push the protein past 25 grams.
Cook time: 10 minutes | Serves: 1 | Protein: 25g
Fennel Citrus Salad — Wednesday
“If you don’t like fennel, this salad will change your mind,” creator Sasha Goreshtein writes, and the citrus dressing is the whole argument. Shaved fennel and celery go in with grapefruit segments, thin slices of pear, and a generous amount of dill, dressed with olive oil, grapefruit juice, honey, and red wine vinegar. It needs no cooking at all and improves after time in the refrigerator, though the pear goes in at the last minute to keep it from browning.
Cook time: No cook | Serves: 4 | Protein: 1g
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie — Thursday
“The warm blend of pumpkin pie spice brings coziness and warmth,” creator Jenifer Lori writes of the one genuinely autumnal thing on the list. Canned pumpkin, full-fat Greek yogurt, almond butter, and a frozen banana blend into something thick enough to want a spoon, with the banana doing the chilling so no ice is needed. She credits the yogurt as “the star ingredient here that pushes the protein content up,” and at 550 calories it lands closer to breakfast than to a snack.
Cook time: 1 minute | Serves: 1 | Protein: 18g
Restaurant Quality Brussels Sprouts — Friday
“Crispy, golden Brussels sprouts in just 22 minutes, no deep fryer required,” creator Joy Wilson writes, and the counterintuitive part is where it begins. Oil goes into a cold pan, the halved sprouts go in cut side down, the lid goes on, and only then does the heat. “The secret is starting with a cold skillet, plenty of olive oil, and a lid,” she says, which steams them tender while the cut faces brown, before five minutes uncovered crisps the surface. Lemon, parsley, salt, and a generous shower of Parmesan go on off the heat.
Cook time: 12 minutes | Serves: 4 | Protein: 3.8g
Dill Ranch Deviled Eggs — Saturday
Creator Olivia Lam describes these as “a high protein bite you can make for brunch,” creamy and “filled with herbs like dill, chives, and tarragon to keep it light and fresh.” Twelve deviled eggs at 75 calories apiece, which makes them one of the easier things to set out for a crowd. They hold for a day in the refrigerator and no longer, and she notes that low-fat mayo and plain yogurt in place of the sour cream lighten them further.
Cook time: 20 minutes | Serves: 12 deviled eggs | Protein: 4g