5 healthy autumn recipes that aren’t pumpkin spice
When I was a kid, the passage of time felt so concrete.
Autumn was full of:
back-to-school haircuts
Saturday morning soccer games
new teachers + school routines
a fresh TGIF tv lineup I watched religiously
planning the perfect Halloween costume
(My best friend and I both had blonde hair and blue eyes, which meant that dressing up as twins every year was the obvious costume choice. One year, we went as “twin candy dots”…because, sure, THAT’S a thing. 😂)
Autumn seemed to stretch on for aaaaages when we were kids, right?
Whereas, now? Each season lasts about 0.2 minutes.
I have this theory (‘scuse me, former psych student coming through) that our brains are to blame…
We had so many novel memories as kids. Each day was different, each week had new experiences. And our brains love novelty so they remember all these unique events…making time feel like it stretched longer.
As adults, we often do the same thing day in and day out.
So our brains don’t have this pop quiz and that football game to mark the passage of time. They just remember one generic day that pretty much looks like all the other days and they condense those similar memories into one time blob, that feels like no time at all.
One great way to combat this slump is to embrace the seasons.
Intentionally noticing the seasons helps us feel more present to the world around us and make novel, time-bound memories — like we did so effortlessly when we were kids.
That way, when the winter holidays roll around, your brain will actually remember what this autumn was like, instead of saying, “Wasn’t it July like, yesterday?”
One of the easiest ways to do this is by cooking healthy autumn recipes. Eating food that’s in season not only tastes better, it’s often cheaper, too, which helps save money on your grocery bill.
Keep reading for 5 delicious healthy autumn recipes that are on regular rotation here at Westwind Cottage. They’re a great way to slow down and savor the autumn season, while feeding your body tasty and nutritious foods. And none of them are pumpkin-spice-flavored.
Nothing against pumpkin spice, of course.
I just want equal opportunities for the other amazing autumnal flavors out there. ✌️
Healthy autumn recipe #1: Autumn veggie pizza
Butternut squash.
Cauliflower.
Kale.
Black olives.
^^ Hi, these are your new favorite pizza toppings.
And if you’re asking yourself, “How in the world can a pizza covered in cauliflower be good?” I get it. But something magical happens when you combine everything in this recipe. It’s like these flavors were made to be together.
It’s THE most flavorful autumn pizza and it’s weirdly…juicy? Somewhere between the olive oil and the vinegar and the rosemary and the cheese, it’s the most sensational taste and texture sensation.
This…I don’t even know how to properly describe how good this pizza is.
Will you just trust me and give it a try? I promise you’re going to love it — even if you’re not regularly a veggie-lover. We dropped some off for our neighbors last weekend and they texted us for the recipe about two seconds later.
There’s a bit of prep with the veggies but you can do it in advance. Pro tip: roast up extras to have autumn veggies for the rest of the week!
Recipe: Roasted fall vegetable pizza by Hello Little Home
My recipe notes: Whenever I sauté kale, I add red wine vinegar when it’s done. (Learned that in Alice Waters’ masterclass and never looked back.) The recipe doesn’t call for it but I highlyyyy recommend adding a splash of red wine vinegar after the kale’s finished cooking in the pan, before it’s added to the pizza.
I also subbed manchego cheese because asiago’s hard to find in England and it was the best I’ve ever made it! Just throwing that out there.
Healthy autumn recipe #2: Butternut squash alfredo
Internet, I’mma let you finish (this blog post) but this is one of the best recipes of ALL TIME. I reallyyyy really debated whether this or the pizza should come first because I love them both a ridiculous amount.
I first made this butternut alfredo years and years ago, back in my little apartment in Stroudsburg, PA, when I was getting into the kitchen via the route of vegan cooking.
If you ask me, vegan chefs are THE most inventive ones out there and the really interesting things culinarily are coming from the plant-free scene. These geniuses can make cheese OUT OF NUTS, you guys. 🤯 They can do anything!
This recipe is rich, cheesy, and the flavors?! They’re unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. The butternut comes through but it’s punched up with miso and white wine and onions and garlic and creamy, creamy cashews and, man.
It’s hard to put into words just how good this tastes. (Joe mumbled the word “flavortown” when I made it for him the other night, if that gives you any indication.)
I think this would be amazing with grilled shrimp on top. But I’ve honestly never needed it because a giant bowl of pasta is my idea of heaven. I usually just serve this with some roasted broccoli because my go-to TGIFriday’s order as a kid was always fettuccine alfredo with broccoli (anybody else?) and I’m partial to that combo.
I used tagliatelle here but you can use pasta shapes for a great plant-based mac and cheese substitute for kiddos.
Recipe: Roasted butternut alfredo by The Post-Punk Kitchen
My recipe note: Don’t stress about which miso paste you use. It calls for mellow white miso (and it’s delicious with that!) but I’ve made it with red miso and brown rice miso and they’re amazing, too. Work with what you’ve got!
Healthy autumn recipe #3: Autumn harvest salad
There are 99 ways to screw up a salad and just about 1 way to get it right.
But this baby’s firmly in that top 1%.
Apples for a lil’ tart sweetness. Roasted sweet potatoes to add some satisfying stodge. Pumpkin seeds for crunch, crumbly goat cheese for saltiness, and a zingy basil dressing that is just divine.
When you’re craving something light and fresh for dinner — mayhaps after two nights of pizza and butternut alfredo? — this recipe is IT.
If you’re a salad person, you’ll love it. But if you aren’t a salad person…you’ll probably also still love it. It’s one of Joe’s favorites and he’s not a big salad guy.
Recipe: Fall salad you can’t quit by Simply Real Health
My recipe note: If you’re eating this as a main meal, rather than a side, make it a bit more filling with crispy roasted chickpeas or grilled chicken on top.
Healthy autumn recipe #4: Pumpkin chickpea curry
I think this one technically breaks my “no pumpkin spice” rule because it’s pumpkin and spicy. But not in the way you’d expect…
Since moving to England, my appreciation for Indian food has increased tenfold. Meat-loving friends will happily go for a meal at our favorite vegetarian Indian place because the flavors are just so damn good.
If you haven’t eaten much Indian food, this is a great recipe to dip your toe in. It’s flavorful but the curry flavors aren’t overpowering at all. Plus, it’s easy to make and so satisfying — basically a bowl of cozy comfort food that’s perfect for an autumn night.
It’s worth the effort to cook your own chickpeas, if you’re up for it. There’s nothing wrong with canned but making your own from dried beans tastes much better, IMHO. Plus, dried beans are cheaper and use less packaging. (And fun fact: chickpeas are high in tryptophan, which is shown to ease depressive symptoms, irritability, and anxiety.)
RELATED POST: Foods that reduce anxiety: 5 easy meals to add into your life
I also stirred in some roasted cauliflower I had leftover, if you notice that in the photo above!
Recipe: Indian pumpkin butter chickpeas by Half-Baked Harvest
My recipe note: I highly suggest serving this with naan bread. It’s nice to have a little somethin’-somethin’ to soak up all dat sauce. You can make homemade sourdough naan if you’re feeling extra (like us) or use store-bought, orrrrrr I suppose you can always go non-naan (🤪) if you wish.
Healthy autumn recipe #5: Pecan butter
If you’re anything like us, you go through nut butter like it’s going out of style. Add an autumnal twist by making your own nut butter out of pecans!
You can make butter out of pretty much any nut or seed. (Pumpkin seed butter is surprisingly good!) But there’s something about the flavor of pecan that instantly puts me in an autumnal mood.
And because pecans are on the softer side, they’re also easier to blend. I can easily make pecan butter in my blender, even though I don’t have much luck making almond butter.
Slather your autumnal pecan butter on toast or banana bread, serve with apples or bananas, drizzle it over oatmeal or yogurt…or ya know, just enjoy it straight from the spoon. Nobody gonna judge you for that.
Recipe: Pecan butter by Cookie and Kate
My recipe note: Make sure to watch your pecans as they toast. I burnt mine once because I was multitasking and left them too long. The singed flavor of the nuts 100% ruined the pecan butter...so don’t let it happen to you!
I believe it was Ferris Bueller who said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and eat autumn-flavored foods once in a while, you could miss it.”
…Or something like that. 😜
I hope you give one (or, preferably, all!) of these recipes a try this autumn. Cooking + eating special healthy autumn recipes is one of the best ways I know to add a bit of joy and really savor the season we’re in.
And if you make any of these dishes, please tag it with #westwindjournal and mention me @whitneyprend — I’d nerdily love to see your creation!
