27 High-Protein Dinners You'll Want to Make This Fall

Parmesan Chicken & Brussels Sprouts
Photo: Jacob Fox

If you want to add some more protein to your diet, look no further than these tasty seasonal dinners. Featuring fall produce like pumpkin, winter squash and sweet potatoes, these recipes are packed with protein to help support your bone health, digestion and overall energy. Plus, each recipe packs at least 15 grams of protein per serving to keep you full for longer. Recipes like our Parmesan Chicken & Brussels Sprouts and Turkey Pumpkin Chili are healthy, satisfying and sure to become a go-to fall recipe in your kitchen.

01 of 27

Ginger Roasted Salmon & Broccoli

5678201.jpg

This quick Asian salmon recipe uses the sauce for both glazing the salmon and tossing with the broccoli. Serve over rice noodles or brown rice tossed with sesame oil and scallions.

02 of 27

Broccoli, Beef & Tater Tot Hotdish

tater tot hot dish

Hotdish may be a Minnesota tradition but everyone, everywhere, should add this cheesy casserole to their fall dinner rotation.

03 of 27

Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Soup

8443810.jpg

This creamy chicken and mushroom soup is easy to make. The mix of vegetables and thyme adds richness, while the bone-in chicken flavors the broth. If you're in a hurry, you can skip the chicken breasts and add rotisserie chicken at the end instead.

04 of 27

Instant Pot Garlic & Rosemary Roast Pork Loin

Instant Pot Garlic & Rosemary Roast Pork Loin
Julia Estrada

It's remarkable that a pork roast can be so good so quickly! The gravy is rich and flavorful and the meat is moist and perfectly cooked--using an Instant Pot is a real game changer for pork loin roast.

05 of 27

Parmesan Chicken & Brussels Sprouts

Parmesan Chicken & Brussels Sprouts
Jacob Fox

Parmesan and breadcrumbs combine for a crispy chicken topping without having to go through the full dredging process. While your oven's on, roast some potatoes to serve alongside for a balanced, filling meal.

06 of 27

Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili

Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili
Will Dickey

Ground turkey and canned kidney beans combine in this easy slow-cooker turkey chili. A tomato base, plus cumin and garlic powder, supplies plenty of flavor, while jalapeño and chili powder bring on the heat.

07 of 27

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Caitlin Bensel

Canned pumpkin adds mellow background flavor and works to thicken up this turkey pumpkin chili. Smoked paprika adds flavor with a hint of spice. This chili is on the thicker side—if you want it thinner, add a bit more water.

08 of 27

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples & Squash

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples & Squash
Jacob Fox

This pork tenderloin recipe roasts apples and acorn squash alongside for an easy, delicious weeknight meal. Preheated baking sheets help jump-start the roasting process, ensuring everything gets nicely browned.

09 of 27

Skillet Broccoli-Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Ep. 9: Skillet Broccoli-Cheddar Mac & Cheese
Joy Howard

Broccoli—just like pasta—makes a tasty pairing with sharp Cheddar. Here, we've combined all three ingredients in a homey casserole that's baked in a cast-iron skillet. Replacing some of the pasta in the dish with vegetables makes it more nutritious and helps you cut down on carbs.

10 of 27

Easy Chipotle Chili

Easy Chipotle Chili (vegetarian, using canned veg/beans)
Caitlin Bensel

Refried beans and tomatoes provide a thick base to this easy vegetarian chili. Frozen vegetables keep prep to a minimum. Enchilada sauce and chipotle peppers in adobo work as a "chili starter" with lots of flavor and spices built in. This recipe uses part of a can of refried beans—serve the rest alongside eggs for breakfast, use them in a taco for lunch or add them to a dip for chips anytime. This healthy chili also keeps well in the fridge or freezer.

11 of 27

Chile-Spiced Shredded Beef with Cheesy Polenta

Chile-Spiced Shredded Beef with Cheesy Polenta
Tara Donne

Let your slow cooker do the heavy lifting to make a Sunday dinner that yields leftovers for another night. Tuck the rest of the spiced beef and your favorite fixings into corn tortillas or spoon over baked sweet potatoes.

12 of 27

Mushroom Ragout with Herbed Ricotta & Pappardelle

Mushroom Ragout with Herbed Ricotta & Pappardelle 
Jason Donnelly

This mushroom ragout is topped with dollops of ricotta, which cut through the acidity of the tomato-based sauce for a balanced flavor and creamy texture.

13 of 27

3-Ingredient Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Hash with Chicken Sausage

3-Ingredient Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Hash with Apple Chicken Sausage
Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Apple-flavored chicken sausage adds flavor and protein in this quick dinner hash that uses a bag of shaved Brussels sprouts as its hearty, high-fiber base. Steaming the cubed sweet potatoes in the microwave cuts way down on total cook time.

14 of 27

Beef & Sweet Potato Coconut Curry

Beef & Sweet Potato Coconut Curry
Jacob Fox

A tender cut of beef like sirloin or rib-eye won't get tough as it simmers away in the stew. Serve with rice noodles, if you like.

15 of 27

French Onion Dip Chicken & Rice Casserole

French Onion Dip Chicken & Rice Casserole
Greg Dupree

This creamy French onion dip chicken and rice casserole topped with crispy potato chips is perfect for game day or whenever you want a comforting meal the whole family will love.

16 of 27

Braised Chicken & Fall Vegetables

Braised Chicken & Fall Vegetables
Jacob Fox

A rustic chicken dinner doesn't get much easier than this. You can make the entire meal in one skillet, which makes cleanup a breeze. We've used a combination of parsnips and carrots to give this dish a variety of colors and flavors, but you could replace the parsnips with additional carrots if you'd like.

17 of 27

Butternut Squash Chickpea Mac & Cheese

Butternut Squash Chickpea Mac & Cheese

This gluten-free butternut squash mac and cheese packs plenty of cheesy goodness in every bite. Chickpea pasta gets coated in a sauce made with pureed butternut squash that gives this comforting meal a nutrient boost and adds a sweet note to complement the savory flavors.

18 of 27

Fall Vegetable & Sausage Stew

Fall Vegetable & Sausage Stew
Jacob Fox

Hot Italian sausage complements the sweet potatoes and greens, providing just the right amount of heat in this comforting soup. Simmering with rosemary sprigs infuses the soup with aromatic flavor without the extra work required to mince the leaves before cooking them.

19 of 27

Spaghetti Squash Peanut "Noodles" with Chicken

5678323.jpg

Chinese five-spice powder, a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns, adds a hint of warmth and the suggestion of sweetness to this healthy chicken recipe. It's great on just about anything you grill or roast, so it's worth keeping in your spice cabinet.

20 of 27

Fish Nuggets with Seasoned Sweet Potato Wedge

8530225.jpg

Frozen fish sticks get a makeover with this recipe for oven-baked fish nuggets. To give them that irresistible deep-fried crunch, we rely on panko breadcrumbs with their lighter, flakier texture.

21 of 27

Pork Chops & Parsnips with Apricot Agrodolce

Pork Chops & Parsnips with Apricot Agrodolce
Jacob Fox

This agrodolce (meaning sweet-and-sour in Italian) is sticky and tangy thanks to dried apricots, vinegar and honey. Thin-cut pork chops are great for a weeknight because they cook so fast. If you don't see any in the case at the store, ask your butcher to cut them for you.

22 of 27

Creamy Sausage & Kale Pasta

Creamy Sausage & Kale Pasta

This quick, comforting gluten-free pasta is perfect for weeknights when cooler weather sets in. Red lentil pasta is coated in a creamy, savory sauce flavored with sausage and packed with plenty of kale. Serve with a green salad on the side.

23 of 27

Lemon-Herb Roasted Spatchcock Chicken & Potatoes

Lemon-Herb Roasted Spatchcock Chicken & Potatoes

The name might be funny, but the results are awesome. Spatchcock chicken cooks faster than roasting a whole chicken. The bird cooks quickly and evenly, with more skin exposed to get crisp in the oven. If you're uncomfortable cutting the chicken and removing the backbone yourself, ask your butcher for help. Roasted fingerling potatoes round out this easy, one sheet-pan dinner.

24 of 27

Jack-o'-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

Jack-o'-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

Carve faces into the side of a bell pepper for a cute jack-o'-lantern you can eat too! This adorable Halloween-themed dinner is perfect for a family dinner to fuel your trick-or-treating adventure. Or serve them at a Halloween party and watch them disappear! Don't feel like freehand-carving the faces with a knife? Try using a cookie cutter instead.

25 of 27

Slow-Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup Meal-Prep Freezer Pack

Caramelized Onion and Brussels Sprout Gallette

Not only does this chicken noodle soup recipe utilize the crock pot for a set-it-and-forget-it easy dinner, you can also prep all the ingredients ahead of time and store them away in the freezer to pull out on a day where you forgot to plan dinner. That's a meal-prep win! Just make sure you thaw the food before adding it to the slow cooker--otherwise it will remain at an unsafe temperature for too long.

26 of 27

Vegetable Lasagna with White Sauce

Vegetable Lasagna with White Sauce

This vegetable lasagna with white sauce has a velvety sauce with lots of veggies and plenty of cheesy goodness. The layers of butternut squash give the dish a sweet and creamy flavor and texture. This vegetarian lasagna packs comfort in every bite.

27 of 27

Filet Mignon for Two with Sweet Potato Mash

Filet Mignon for Two with Sweet Potato Mash

A small quantity of compound butter, seasoned with garlic and herbs, makes a simple but delicious finish for a tender steak. We have rounded out this colorful healthy meal with roasted broccolini and mashed sweet potato--the perfect impressive yet easy dinner for date night-in.

Was this page helpful?
Related Articles