5 heartwarming dinner recipes for autumn
Get in the mood for autumn with these delicious heart-warming dinner recipes, perfect for a cosy night in.
Image: Waitrose
Add some new recipes to your repertoire ready for autumn that will transform weeknight dinners into something more exciting. Here are some of our favourite heart-warming dishes that are perfect for cooler and cosier evenings.
Read more: Win pumpkin cocottes from Staub worth over £300!
Sausage tray bake
Image: Gosh Food
For a quick and easy dinner solution, this all-in-one tray bake is perfect.
- Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 packet of Gosh! Veggie Cocktail Sausages with sage and black pepper
- 2 onions, sliced lengthways into wedges
- 2 red peppers, deseeded and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 500g new potatoes, halved
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 200ml wine or stock
- Salt and fresh peppers
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.
- Combine all of the ingredients (except the wine/stock) into a large bowl and mix well together until they are fully covered.
- Pour the contents into a large non-stick roasting tin and spread the ingredients into one layer, making sure the sausages aren’t covered by all the veggies.
- Season with lots of salt and pepper.
- Roast for 20 minutes until golden brown then remove from the oven.
- Turn the cocktail sausages over and give the veggies a toss. Pour in the wine/stock.
- Put back in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the veggies are lovely and golden brown and the potatoes are fully cooked.
Beef stroganoff
Image: Hereford Beef
- Serves 2
A beef stroganoff is a classic recipe that will no doubt be a hit with friends and family.
Ingredients
- 500g Hereford Beef fillet steak – diced
- 1 red onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 2 Portobello mushrooms
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tsp paprika
- Olive oil
- 1 knob of unsalted butter
- 50ml soured cream
Method
- Finely chop the onion, garlic and parsley and chop the mushrooms.
- Place the beef between 2 sheets of clingfilm. Hit with a rolling pin to tenderise until ½ cm thick, then cut into finger-width slices. We shouldn’t do this with Hereford Beef (especially fillet), perhaps also quite an outdate method and tender beef shouldn’t need to be treated like this.
- Mix the paprika, lemon zest, and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper together and use to dust the beef.
- In a large frying pan over a medium-low heat, fry the onion and garlic in a little oil until softened. Turn up the heat and add the mushrooms and butter, and sauté until the mushrooms are golden brown, then tip onto a plate
- Add a little oil to the pan and fry the beef for 2 minutes, turning, until browned but still pink inside. Stir in the mushroom-onion mixture.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the soured cream and parsley.
- Serve with your choice of rice and get stuck in!
Read more: 5 quick back-to-school dinner recipes
Mexican beef and chickpea chilli
Image: The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan
- Serves 4
Nothing is more heart-warming than a big bowl of your favourite chilli. Try this beef and chickpea recipe for a twist on the classic dish.
Ingredients
- Spray oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 300g extra lean minced beef (max 5% fat)
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- A good pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 200ml beef stock or The 1:1 Diet Golden Vegetable Water Flavouring
- 1 bay leaf
- 200g canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped coriander or chives to garnish
- 2 tbsp 0% fat Greek yoghurt
Method
- Spray a large saucepan and place over a low to medium heat. Add the onion, green pepper, carrot and garlic and sizzle away for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
- Stir in the beef and spices and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over. Add the chopped tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the bay leaf and chickpeas. Cook gently for 30 minutes or until the beef is cooked, the vegetables are tender and the liquid has reduced and thickened. Remove the bay leaf and season to taste.
- Ladle into four shallow serving bowls and scatter the coriander or chives over the top. Add a dollop of Greek yoghurt and serve immediately, yummy!
Slow cooker spaghetti Bolognese
Image: Waitrose
- Serves 4
Amp up a family favourite with this slow cooked spaghetti bolognese recipe.
Ingredients
- 454g pack minced beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 beef stock cube
- 1 stick celery, sliced
100ml red wine
400g can Cirio Chopped Tomatoes
2 tbsp Cirio Supercirio Double Concentrated Tomato Purée
1 sprig rosemary, leaves chopped
300g De Cecco Spaghetti
Method
1. Fry the mince, onion and garlic to brown, and stir in the beef stock cube. Add all the remaining ingredients except the spaghetti, and place in a slow cooker. Set on high and cook for 4 hours. Alternatively cook on low for 8 hours.
2. Cook the spaghetti in boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until tender, and then serve with the Bolognese.
Lentil and apricot soup
Image: Crazy Jack
- Serves 4
Sometimes the only thing that will hit the spot is a bowl of seasonal heart-warming soup. This one is ideal for chillier autumnal evenings.
Ingredients
- 150g Crazy Jack Organic Traditional Dried Apricots
- 1 tbsp oil +2 tsp
- 1 onion, roughly chopped (225g)
- 1½ tbsp harissa paste + 2 tsp
- 250g pack CrazyJack Organic Red Split Lentils
- 1.4 litre vegetable stock
- Chopped coriander to serve
Method
- Reserve 4 apricots and roughly chop the rest.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion for 4-5 minutes until golden.
- Add 1½ tbsp harissa, lentils and chopped apricots and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Puree with a stick blender until smooth.
- Divide the soup into 4 bowls. Mix the remaining harissa and oil together and drizzle over the soup. Slice the reserved apricots and scatter over the soup with some chopped coriander.
Read more: 4 autumnal vegetable soup recipes
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