5 Fall Recipes and the Tools You Need to Make Them

If you haven’t noticed yet, fall is officially here. Pumpkin spice has re-entered our shared consciousness and we’re ready for all things cozy. It’s time for easy weeknight meals that keep us warm and let us spend the rest of the night watching The Great British Bake Off — which is coming back soon, by the way. 

To help you have the most delicious fall ever, we handpicked five of our coziest recipes and curated the tools you’ll need to make them all season long. Grab our favorite Le Creuset baking dish to make butternut squash casserole, the best Vitamix blender for a tomato bisque, this affordable Crock-Pot skillet to bake up a steaming pot pie, and more for up to 58% off.

Having accumulated more than 6,000 ratings over the years, this five-star Creamy Chicken Stew is a favorite among Food & Wine readers and can be on the table in less than an hour. While the instructions call for a skillet, an enameled cast iron Dutch oven would work best to hold all the ingredients and ensure even cooking throughout the stew. This fiery red Le Creuset Dutch oven is on sale for a rare $122 off and has the most even heat retention and distribution out of all the Dutch ovens we’ve tested. Working with chicken can also be a chore, but it’s made easy with these discounted OXO poultry shears that deftly maneuver around chicken to make the work cleaner and faster.

To take quick and accurate temperature readings of your chicken (a food safety must), this instant-read thermometer is one of our favorites and is now on sale for only $13. It has an easy-to-read backlit display and an adjustable probe so you can temp your foods from any angle — ideal for hovering over a steaming pot of chicken stew. With the dicing and chopping in this recipe, you’ll want a razor-sharp chef’s knife like this Henckels 8-inch chef’s knife that’s 50% off right now.   

Casserole is the dinner that keeps on giving, because at the end of the night, you’ll be left with plenty to have over the next few days. For this highly rated Butternut Squash Casserole recipe, a sturdy ceramic baking dish is simply a must. Our favorite, the Le Creuset casserole dish, is 30% off and comes with a lid for storing your leftovers. For staying organized and streamlining the cooking process (mise en place, anyone?), you’ll need this Viking mixing bowl set, which is our top stainless steel pick. 

You’ll also want tender, golden roasted butternut squash for the casserole, which can be achieved with these USA baking pans that deliver even heat and never warp. Plus, they’ll be great for all the cookies you’ll bake once the holidays come around. Lastly, for only $40, you can grab this Tramontina nonstick skillet that we’ve recommended for years. Beyond getting flavorful, soft leeks for this recipe, you can make eggs, grilled cheeses, and other high-stick foods without fear of a difficult cleanup afterwards.

Doesn’t grilled cheese and tomato soup sound like the perfect fall lunch? Make that daydream come true in just about a half hour with this Fire-Roasted Tomato Bisque that puts pantry staples to use. If you want to skip dicing the onions, carrots, and celery by hand, grab this food processor that’s 40% off and powerful. Once you’re ready to put everything together, this Tramontina stainless steel saucepan is ideal for sautéing and simmering the ingredients. Plus, it’s a jaw-dropping 58% off. 

Finally, if you’re like me, you’ll want an immersion blender, like this $13 Ovente handheld blender, to get a silky smooth bisque. The recipe also recommends using a countertop blender, like this Vitamix 5200 that’s nearly $100 off.

To make a fall dinner that can impress a whole group (or just your parents over FaceTime), grab some puff pastry from the freezer aisle for this easy Chicken Pot Pie recipe. You’ll also want an oven-safe skillet like this Crock-Pot enameled cast iron pan that’s 33% off, which can go from your stovetop to the oven. When the pot pie is done, you can bring it straight to the tabletop to serve. 

For a recipe that requires some stirring, you’ll need a wooden spoon from this $30 set of wooden utensils that can get into the pan’s nooks and crannies without damaging it. Now, if you don’t already have a pastry brush, it’s worth grabbing this $10 OXO silicone brush to ensure a glossy, even egg wash on the pot pie’s puff pastry — and on all your future baked goods. Beyond measuring out chicken stock for this pot pie, every kitchen needs a liquid measuring cup like this Pyrex 4-cup glass measuring cup that’s accurate and dishwasher-safe.

Nothing radiates the coziness of fall quite like warm apple cider doughnuts. If you’re thinking about making some at home but don’t want to deep-fry, try these Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts. We recommend this bestselling set of Wilton nonstick doughnut pans that’s just $18 and has over 18,500 five-star ratings on Amazon. Then, keep your doughnuts from getting soggy after they come out of the oven with this set of two cooling racks that’s 40% off. Finally, make prep work a cinch by grabbing the best whisk we tested for only $11 and our favorite silicone spatula set for $25.