Cooking is a passion of mine and come fall I get so excited for the season where turning your oven on is finally acceptable again. With fall comes the return of autumnal veggies, pasta bakes, roasts, and stews galore. All of the recipes below I myself have personally made and therefore have vetted them for all their autumnal goodness. There are main dishes, desserts, sides, and pretty much anything I felt fell into the fall recipes category and wanted to share with y'all. Some are super easy and can be done on a whim, while others may require you to set aside a Sunday for, but all are well worth the effort.

1. Pumpkin Mac n' Cheese

http://paulasplate.net/2014/10/pumpkin-macaroni-an...

This is an all time favorite. So incredibly simple, but so delicious. What I totally spaced on the first time I made this was that the recipe calls for 8 oz, half a box, of pasta, not the full box. This really threw all of the proportions off. I add a teaspoon or so of dijon mustard to give it a little kick!

2. Chicken Tetrazzini

http://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/recipes/166/chick...

This could definitely be categorized as a winter dish, but like I said, the second night time drops below 60 degrees, I am all about the pasta bakes. This works great with penne or rotini too if linguine isn't your thing.

3. Butternut Squash Soup

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-ki...

My mom always adds a 1/2 cup or so of heavy cream at the end to give it a little more depth. Side note: This works very well if you make it ahead of time and freeze it. If you are going to add the cream, make sure you freeze it without it, and then add a little when you reheat.

4. Sausage and Lentil Soup

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lent...

The above photo does not do this soup justice. My mom made up her own recipe for sausage and lentil soup from this restaurant in town, but this recipe comes very close. Instead of kielbasa, we crumble up spicy Italian sausage.

5. Pomegranate and Pear Salsa

http://honestcooking.com/pear-pomegranate-and-onio...

I made this for a class project one time on cooking in season. I found it to be so interesting because salsa is such a common party mix, but the ingredients didn't seem to fit what I knew as salsa. I love this recipe because it is sweet and spicy and savory all at the same time.

6. Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/...

These are an all time favorite. I made up my own recipe for butternut squash ravioli once I learned how to make pasta, but this recipe is spot on. What it doesn't tell you is to roast the squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and then to mash it down with parmesan cheese as the filling. Pasta is something I think people find daunting, but my poppy taught me that it is as simple as one cup of flour and one egg for everyone at the table. I then add one more egg to keep the consistency smooth and then a touch of warm water and/or olive oil as the mixture needs. Practice makes perfect and I think it's a great skill to have. Besides, it seems so much more impressive than it really is.

7. Apple Pie Crescents

https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/apple-pie-cresce...

I love these little guys because they're bite-sized apple pies. They're super easy to make and a great alternative to making a pie.

8. Butternut Squash Goat Cheese Pasta

Once again, my mom makes this and I cannot find the exact recipe, but this is as close as I could get. The only changes we make are we do not add walnuts, though it seems like something we should try now. And second, we add thyme and sage, not basil, though both sound delicious. The way the goat cheese melts and creates its own cheesy goodness is just wonderful.

9. Company Pot Roast

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/company-pot-r...

I have saved my all time favorite for last. This is my go to comfort food and though the cooking time can be a bit daunting, it is 100% worth the effort. I have made this with a whole roast as she suggests, but I have also made this with beef cubes. That comes out more like a stew and is a consistency I prefer. I also add cubed potatoes to this recipe which also makes the consistency thicker. And finally, another thing my mom does is she removes half of the tomato, veggie, wine mixture before we serve it. She blends/mashes the half she pulled out as this makes the stew more stew like.

I hope you all find something here that jumps out at you! Like I said, cooking is a passion of mine and I love that food can bring people together. Even if you think you are not a good cook, I hope you challenge yourself to something new; you never know what might happen!