My "Ooh That Sounds Good" Dinners for Fall

I love fall. I love cooking in the fall. To make things a little easier for myself, I’ve been compiling a list of “ooh that sounds good!” meals that we can make all season.

One of my big mental roadblocks when it comes to planning dinners is that we will make them, love them, and then I will completely forget they exist for weeks. Does anyone else have this problem? So, I thought putting a list together to capture these ideas would actually help me remember them and it serves a dual purpose that I can share the list and also take your ideas on what sounds good to you this fall! What dinners are on the line-up for you so far?

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Chili

There are few things I love more than a big bowl of warm chili. It doesn’t even have to be cool outside for me to enjoy it as evident by the fact that I insisted we make a pot last week and then I single-handedly finished the whole thing over the course of the week. It brought me an incredible amount of joy.

I’m pretty basic when it comes to chili. My favorite is a simple ground beef chili with pinto beans. My husband insists beans don’t belong in chili, but I love them. Sometimes we will make a meatier version without beans that we cook in the smoker that has ground beef, chuck roast, and bacon. Regardless of what’s in the chili, the star of the show is the Meat Church chili seasoning. I swear by pretty much every single seasoning this company makes, and their chili seasoning is so exception. It’s absolutely stellar.

American Goulash

I have little kids and pretty much any variety of noodles + ground beef with a sauce is their favorite thing. American Goulash is one of the childhood favorites that my husband and I both share even though we grew up in completely different parts of the country. I grew up calling it “slumgullion”, but they are exactly the same thing. If you’ve never had it, it’s peak comfort food.

Chopped Salad

We recently got one of these vegetable choppers that are all over TikTok, and I love this stupid thing so much. Even more, I cannot wait to use it to make a chopped salad. Getting every piece of my salad to be exactly the same size sounds like a dream. And chopped salad sounds like a nice light option to add to this already incredibly savory mix.

Big Mac Casserole

Okay, the amount of ground beef recipes on this list may be out of control but I have one more. We’ve made this casserole before and it’s great! Super easy and perfect for kids. It’s definitely one of those easy weeknight dinner options that takes no time to pull together. And we all need more of those, don’t we?

Beef Orzo Soup

Soup season is the best season, IMO. I’m always looking for new options to add to our recipe box and came across this beef orzo soup the other day. Not only do I think my husband and I will enjoy it, but my toddler loves soup and I think I can fish out enough of the ingredients from the broth to give to my baby. And then everyone’s happy, right?

Tomato Basil Soup + Bacon Grilled Cheese

I love a rich tomato soup. I never go straight tomato soup because it has too much acidity for us, so I will make it into a bisque by adding cream. This is the recipe I’ve used in the past and it’s really good! Bonus that it can be done in the Instant Pot!

When we do tomato soup, I always do grilled cheese because it’s a combination I love. I can happily make a vegetarian version of this meal for myself and the kids, but my olive branch to my husband is to add bacon to the sandwiches. And obviously, get the good cheese for this one.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

There are some things that I’ve always thought were more complex to make, but as I’ve honed my kitchen skills I realize it’s really not that difficult. And one of those is broccoli cheddar soup. It’s dumb how easy it is. Is there anything cozier than a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl?

Chicken Noodle Soup

Weirdly enough I have never made a homemade chicken noodle soup. I want that to change this year. We always have an array of vegetables on hand, so I don’t think I will necessarily go by a specific recipe but what a nice way to clear out the fridge!

So that’s my list for now! I’m sure some other ideas will pop into my head, but having this list written down somewhere and not just living in my head is extremely helpful. Happy Fall, y’all!