5 Fall-Is-Here Recipes We're Making This Week

It's time to transition from bountiful summer produce to comforting fall food. If you're not ready to commit to all the fall food, make something fall-ish—not full blown braises, but they'll still make you feel a little warm and cozy. Maybe we'll try perfect spaghetti and meatballs or fry up some apple cider doughnuts. Choose your own adventure and try one of the five recipes we can't wait to cook this week.

1. Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs

The sauce only has about five minutes of active time—plus a little bit of stirring—so it's great for a day when you want to stay home and ignore all people. Maybe you'll have a change of heart after all that cooking and break some garlic bread with friends afterward.

2. BA's Best Apple Cider Doughnuts

Don't stop yourself from buying an extra jug of apple cider. Doughnuts are meant for dunking. We had to eat a lot of doughnuts to confirm that these are, indeed, BA's best, so we can vouch for 'em proudly. This is a bit of a project, but worth it for crispy doughnuts fresh out of the fryer, rolled in excessive cinnamon sugar.

3. Slow-Cooker Indian Spiced Chicken

We loooove slow-cooker pork, but sometimes you need a piggin' break. This fragrant, herbaceous stew uses budget-friendly chicken drumsticks and can feed you all week for the price of one takeout dinner. Serve with rice, garlicky naan, or both. Unlike chicken breasts, dark meat doesn't dry out easily after many hours in the Crock Pot.

4. Cast-Iron Roast Chicken with Caramelized Leeks

Roast chicken is timeless, but sometimes you have to give it a little update. This one is cooked on a bed of leeks, which caramelize in chicken fat as they roast together. Yes. You want that.

5. Butternut Squash Cacio e Pepe

Squashio e Pepe, if you will. You only need to use one bowl and one skillet for this recipe, which means less time for cleanup and more time for eating lots of butternut squash and Parmesan cheese. If only life could be this easy.

Time to make those doughnuts: