Crisp autumn days have us looking forward to soups, pot pies, roasts and casseroles. Pick from any number of fall ingredients to add flavor and color to your main dishes, sides and desserts.

This is also the perfect time of year to roast vegetables. Fall root vegetables and squash take to roasting and taste so much better for it.

How to Roast Any Vegetable

Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.

Roast vegetables either whole or chopped. The larger the piece, the longer it will take to cook. Whole beets can take an hour or more, while asparagus will be cooked in about 10 minutes.

Place the vegetables in an oven-safe pan.

Drizzle with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, just enough to very lightly coat the vegetables when tossed.

To see if the vegetables are cooked, prick with the tip of a paring knife. The knife should pull out easily.

Serve with a light sprinkle of sea salt and chopped or whole toasted nuts, breadcrumbs or grated cheese on top.

Squash Carbonara

Serve with a green salad.

6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds fall squash, such as butternut, delicata, acorn, etc
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces pancetta, unsliced; about a 1 inch thick piece
• 12 ounces bucatini or spaghetti
• 5 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• Pecorino (for serving)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and slice crosswise into ¼”-thick half-moons. Toss with oil in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the squash slices on a large rimmed baking sheet; place pancetta next to the squash. Roast until the squash is tender but hasn’t changed color and the pancetta is brown, about 30–35 minutes. Transfer the squash to a plate and set aside.

Let pancetta cool slightly, then cut into ¼” pieces. Pour any rendered fat on the baking sheet into a large skillet. Add the pancetta and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to a small bowl. Reserve skillet with the drippings in the pan.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Add pasta to the reserved skillet along with a ½ cup pasta cooking water and toss to coat, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon.

Lightly beat egg yolks and lemon zest in a large bowl just to combine. Working quickly, add the egg mixture to the hot pasta in the skillet and toss vigorously with tongs until a thick, glossy sauce forms, about 4 minutes. (If sauce still looks watery, keep tossing.)

Add pancetta and reserved squash to the pasta, season with salt and pepper and toss everything together in a large serving bowl. Shave Pecorino over pasta and top with more pepper just before serving.

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Italian Bean Soup

Serve with crusty bread.

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Two 15 ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• One 32 ounce box reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• One 5 ounce package fresh baby spinach
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a 4-quart Dutch oven cook and stir carrots and onion in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add beans, broth and seasoning. Bring to boiling and slightly mash some of the beans. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large skillet heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach; toss with tongs 1 to 2 minutes, just until wilted. Remove from the heat. Ladle soup into serving bowls; top with spinach, grated cheese and sprinkle with pepper.

Sea Scallops with Peppers and Corn

6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 ears corn (about 2 1/2 lb. total), husked, silks removed
• 1 1/4 pounds sea scallops
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 red bell peppers, rinsed, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Holding each ear of corn upright in a deep bowl, cut kernels from the cobs.

Rinse scallops, remove side muscle and pat dry; sprinkle lightly all over with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over high heat. Add the corn, bell peppers, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to taste; cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Remove to a wide, shallow serving bowl.

Add remaining oil, butter and scallops to the skillet. Cook until the scallops are browned on the outside and barely opaque in the center (cut to test), about 5 minutes.

Top the vegetables with scallops and any pan juices. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Broiled Turkey Breast with Orange Spinach

4 servings

Ingredients

• Two 8 ounce boneless turkey breast tenderloins, halved horizontally
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 oz. pancetta, cut into thin strips
• ½ cup orange juice
• Two 9 ounce packages fresh spinach
• 1 orange, cut into wedges

Directions

Lightly sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper. Place on an unheated broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from the heat for 5 minutes. Turn turkey pieces over; broil for 4 minutes more.

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, the Parmesan cheese and the bread crumbs. Spread over turkey. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes more or until topping is golden and turkey is no longer pink (170 degrees F).

Heat butter in a large skillet and cook pancetta until crisp. Add spinach, half at a time and cook 1 minute or just until wilted. Add orange wedges and orange juice with the second batch of spinach and cook until wilted. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using tongs, remove the spinach to a serving platter. Top with turkey and orange wedges. Drizzle with remaining juices from the skillet and serve.

Pork with Squash Barley Risotto

4 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup regular barley
• One 32 ounce container vegetable stock or broth
• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small cubes (2 cups)
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 12 ounces pork tenderloin
• Snipped fresh basil, oregano and thyme for garnish

Directions

Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add barley; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until toasted. Stir in broth and squash; bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover; simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover; boil 15 minutes more or until the squash and barley are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed (mixture should still appear creamy). Remove from heat. Stir in basil and oregano.

Place garlic, salt and pepper on a cutting board. Using the flat side of a large knife, smash the garlic. Drag the flat side of the knife across the garlic in one direction then the opposite direction until a smooth paste forms. Place paste in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of the oil; set aside.

Slice pork into 1/2-inch thick slices and flatten the slices with the palm of your hand. Rub garlic mixture over the pork slices.

In a 12-inch skillet heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook 2-3 minutes per side or until browned and cooked through. Serve pork with barley mixture and sprinkle with additional fresh herbs.

Posted by Jovina Coughlin in barley, Beans, cannellini, carrots, Cheese, corn, Fish, Fruit, Grains, Herbs, Italian Cuisine, orange, Pancetta, Pasta, peppers, Pork, scallops, Soup, spinach, squash, Vegetables Tags: fall dinners