Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze
over High heat roasting gives these sprouts charred edges and a tangy finish, adding a bright vegetable counterpoint to creamy or meaty fall dinners.
balsamic roasted side
60 Fall Dinner Recipes: Chicken, Chili & Pasta
Curated by Maya WashingtonUpdated September 10, 2026
☰ Contents
Cool evenings call for dinners that smell like browned onions, roasted squash, and herbs warming in a hot pan. This collection is for busy families, meal planners, and anyone craving a Healthy Fall Dinner after a crisp autumn day.
Choose a bubbling chili, a one pan Autumn Chicken Dinner, or a bowl of creamy pasta when the kitchen needs warmth. There are also Harvest Bowls, sweet potato meals, soups, casseroles, and Best Fall Side Dishes for a fuller table.
What Are Fall Meals Dinners?
Fall dinner recipes lean on ingredients that roast, simmer, and turn sweet at the edges: pumpkin, apples, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and winter squash. The food may be rustic, creamy, brothy, or boldly spiced, but it usually starts with a deep brown sear or caramelized vegetables.
If the oven leaves squash with dark corners and a soft center, its natural sweetness will carry a sauce or grain bowl. Expect practical meals here, from quick skillet dinners to slow cooked chili and bubbling pot pies.
How to Choose the Best Fall Dinners
Start with your available time. A 20- to 40 minute skillet, pasta, or sheet pan dinner suits a weeknight, while slow cooker stews and chili can simmer while you handle other tasks. Short on energy? Choose a one pot meal and let the lid do the work.
For a lighter plate, look toward squash, lentils, chicken, and roasted vegetables. If you want a creamy fall pasta or a casserole, check the serving size and plan a sharp salad or roasted green vegetable alongside it.
Healthy Fall Side Dishes
High heat gives Brussels sprouts and potatoes browned edges while keeping the centers tender. These sides stay separate from the main dish, so they can round out chicken, chili, or a roast without adding another full pan to dinner.
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Crispy Air Fryer Potato Wedges
Cornstarch and circulating heat create a crisp potato crust without deep frying, making these wedges a useful side for chili or chicken.
air fryer potatoes -
Crispy Baked Potato Wedges
Oven baking creates browned potato wedges for a larger batch, offering a traditional alternative to the quicker air fryer version.
oven potato wedges -
Crispy Maple Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Maple and balsamic glaze roasted sprouts with sweet tart contrast, separating this side from the garlic and plain roasted versions.
maple balsamic side -
Crispy Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Garlic and over high heat roasting bring nutty, browned edges to Brussels sprouts, making this version especially suited to a holiday style table.
garlic roasted side -
Crispy Potato Wedges with Smoked Paprika
These potato wedges aim for a mahogany crust and fluffy center, sitting between the air fryer and longer oven baked approaches.
crisp potato side
Autumn Chicken Dinner Ideas
Sheet pan and skillet chicken develop their best color when the pieces have room around them and the pan is fully hot. These recipes range from garlic butter chicken to miso sweet potatoes, giving you faster options than the longer stews and pot pies below.
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Pan-Seared Creamy Garlic Chicken
A glossy garlic cream sauce coats tender chicken in this quick skillet dinner, distinct from the roasted and slow cooked chicken options.
30-minute cream sauce -
Quick and Lean Garlic Butter Chicken
Butter basting helps chicken breast stay tender in a fast pan dinner, with a shorter cook time than the collection's casseroles and stews.
20-minute chicken
Chicken Stew and Pot Pie
When a spoon cuts through tender chicken and a glossy sauce clings to it, dinner feels made for a chilly night. Pot pies, casseroles, and stews need more time than quick chicken skillets, but they bring soft vegetables, gravy, biscuits, or pastry to the table.
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Creamy Chicken Pot Pie
A flaky golden crust covers creamy chicken and vegetables here, bringing classic pot pie comfort to a larger family style autumn meal.
flaky pot pie -
Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
The slow cooker handles the savory filling while a golden topping finishes the meal, reducing hands on work for busy family evenings.
hands-off pot pie -
Chicken Pot Pie Casserole with Golden Biscuits
This casserole swaps pastry for a quick baked topping, combining cooked chicken, carrots, and onions in a faster pot pie format.
40-minute casserole -
Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie in 35 Minutes
An Instant Pot version delivers creamy chicken pot pie filling in 35 minutes, useful when you want comfort food without a long bake.
pressure cooker pot pie -
Instant Pot Chicken Stew with Tender Thighs
Chicken thighs, onion, and garlic create a fast pressure cooked stew with tender pieces and a sauce led texture rather than pastry.
35-minute chicken stew -
Pan-Seared OnePot Chicken Stew
This one pot chicken stew builds dinner around a savory sear and tender vegetables, with less equipment than the pot pie recipes.
one-pot chicken stew -
Easy OnePot Chicken Stew: Hearty and Cozy
This easy one pot chicken stew combines family sized portions with a longer simmer, creating a cozy meal without assembling a pastry crust.
easy family stew -
Fall Harvest Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
Puff pastry crowns a savory harvest filling, giving this vegetable forward pot pie a lighter, flakier finish than biscuit topped casseroles.
puff pastry pot pie
Fall Weeknight Pasta Recipes
Pasta is the quickest route to a substantial fall dinner, especially when squash, pumpkin, mushrooms, or cheese become the sauce. Keep an eye on the noodles because they continue softening in a hot sauce, unlike the longer baked casseroles in this collection.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo with Thighs
Chicken Alfredo brings a creamy pasta angle to the collection, while the slow cooker keeps the main cooking process largely unattended.
slow cooker pasta -
Ultra-Easy Ravioli Lasagna Bake
Frozen ravioli replaces separate lasagna noodles, giving you layered baked pasta with fewer preparation steps and a 55 minute dinner window.
shortcut baked pasta -
Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta
Roasted butternut squash becomes a savory pasta sauce, giving plant based cooks a seasonal alternative to tomato or dairy heavy noodles.
squash pasta sauce -
Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Penne, chicken, tomato sauce, and cheese turn Parmesan flavors into a family casserole, with pasta doing the work of a side dish.
chicken pasta bake -
Creamy Healthy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Pumpkin folds into familiar macaroni and cheese, adding a seasonal color and flavor without changing the approachable baked pasta format.
pumpkin mac cheese -
Creamy Sweet Potato Mac Cheese
Sweet potato gives macaroni and cheese its seasonal color and creamy base, providing a vegetable led comfort dish for a larger table.
sweet potato pasta -
Mini Mushroom Pasta Bakes with Cremini Mushrooms
Individual mushroom pasta bakes finish with golden panko, offering portioned comfort food rather than one large casserole dish.
individual pasta bakes
Healthy Sweet Potato Dinner Ideas
Sweet potatoes bring a soft center and browned, caramelized edges to bowls, skillets, and salads. These plant forward choices use beans, lentils, squash, or vegetables instead of relying on a meat heavy sauce, so they suit a different kind of fall weeknight.
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Healthy Pumpkin Black Bean Quesadillas
Pumpkin and black beans fill crisp quesadillas with a plant based autumn combination, ready faster than the baked casseroles in this collection.
20-minute quesadillas
Fall Chili Cook-Off Recipes
A good chili should thicken as it simmers, with the surface barely bubbling rather than boiling hard. Beef, turkey, pumpkin, squash, beans, and pressure cooker versions offer different routes to a deep bowl, from same hour dinners to slow cooker batches for a gathering.
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Healthy Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
White beans and chicken create a thick slow cooked chili with a lighter color and gentler profile than beef based autumn chilis.
slow cooker chili -
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
The pressure cooker develops zesty white chicken chili quickly, giving cold weather cooks a speedy counterpart to the slow cooker recipe.
Instant Pot chili -
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili with Ground Beef
Ground beef and pumpkin simmer together in the slow cooker, creating a savory harvest chili for hands off dinners and casual gatherings.
slow cooker pumpkin chili -
Fall Chili Recipe: Hearty and Savory
Beef chuck and pumpkin create a thick fall chili, with slow simmered depth that differs from the quicker pressure cooker versions.
beef chuck chili -
Classic Beef Chili: Hearty and Savory
Deeply browned beef gives this classic chili a dark savory base, making it a straightforward benchmark for a fall chili spread.
classic beef chili -
Award Winning Hearty Beef Chili
A over high heat sear builds beef chili flavor in about an hour, making it faster than the long simmering and smoked versions.
one-hour beef chili -
Savory Pumpkin Chili with Ground Turkey
Ground turkey keeps this pumpkin chili distinct from beef heavy versions, while the savory seasoning prevents the squash from tasting dessert like.
turkey pumpkin chili -
Instant Pot Pumpkin Chili: Smoky and Hearty
The Instant Pot concentrates smoky pumpkin chili flavors quickly, offering a pressure cooker route to a large autumn batch.
pressure cooker pumpkin -
Healthy Turkey Pumpkin Chili in 45 Minutes
Ground turkey and pumpkin create a thick, savory chili for cooks wanting a lighter colored meat option in the fall lineup.
ground turkey chili -
Fall Harvest Chili with Beef and Squash
Beef and squash give this harvest chili a deeper autumn profile, with a chunky texture that differs from smoother pumpkin chilis.
beef squash chili -
Smoked Heath Riles Fall Chili Recipe
Smoking adds a pronounced wood fired note to beef chili, making this the long cooked choice for cooks planning well ahead.
smoked beef chili -
Hearty Fall Crockpot Chili
Ground beef cooks slowly into a thick crockpot chili, giving you a hands off option with a darker color and savory base.
crockpot beef chili
Beef Stew and Skillet Dinners
Beef chuck rewards a long, gentle cook, while ground beef and potatoes brown quickly in a skillet. Choose the stew when you want a dark gravy and tender meat; choose the skillet or soup when dinner needs to be ready sooner.
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Guilt-Free Homemade Cheeseburger Soup
Lean beef, carrots, and cheddar turn familiar burger flavors into a spoonable soup, with a shorter cooking time than traditional stews.
cheeseburger soup -
Slow Cooker Beef Stew: Tender and Rich
Long slow cooking softens beef chuck into rich gravy, giving you a substantial make-ahead dinner when the afternoon is available for simmering.
slow cooker stew -
Failure-Proof Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Tender beef and a creamy sauce make this stroganoff distinct from brothier stews, especially when spooned over noodles on a cold evening.
creamy beef dinner -
Healthy Instant Pot Beef Stew
Pressure cooking shortens the route to tender beef and gravy, giving stew lovers a faster alternative to the slow cooker version.
pressure cooker stew -
Cowboy Casserole with Buttery Biscuits
A biscuit topping sets this beef casserole apart from stew, baking into a golden lid over a substantial family style filling.
biscuit-topped casserole -
Quick Fall Beef Skillet: Hearty and Savory
Lean beef and golden potatoes cook together in a 30 minute skillet, giving weeknights a faster alternative to stew.
30-minute beef skillet
Creamy Fall Pasta and Squash
Butternut squash, pumpkin, broccoli, and mushrooms soften into sauces that coat pasta, orzo, gnocchi, and ravioli. Roast or sauté the vegetables until their edges color, because watery produce can thin the sauce and mute the savory notes.
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Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup with Apple
Butternut squash and apple lend savory sweet depth to this pressure cooker soup, which reaches the table faster than a stovetop simmer.
squash apple soup -
Homemade Cheesy Chicken Casserole with Panko Crust
Cheese and chicken form the center of this 40 minute casserole, a straightforward baked option when you want a creamy family dinner.
cheesy chicken bake -
Creamy Marry Me Lentils
Lentils simmer in a rich one skillet sauce, giving plant based diners a quick autumn entrée that differs from the chicken and beef dishes.
vegan lentil skillet -
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Butter
Nutty brown butter and squash filled ravioli create a 25 minute pasta suited to an autumn dinner party or a quieter weeknight.
brown butter ravioli -
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Garlic and Sage
Pumpkin, sage, and garlic turn pasta into a 30 minute cream sauce, delivering a more direct seasonal flavor than plain Alfredo.
creamy pumpkin pasta -
Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Gnocchi Soup
Gnocchi, broccoli, and cheddar make a one pot soup with tender dumplings, distinct from the squash soups and chili bowls.
broccoli cheddar soup -
Healthy Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti Squash Bake
Spaghetti squash replaces standard noodles beneath Parmesan and garlic, creating a vegetable forward baked dinner with a browned top.
squash Parmesan bake -
One Pot Creamy Butternut Squash Orzo
Butternut squash gives one pot orzo a risotto like finish without constant stirring, combining seasonal produce with a streamlined pasta method.
one-pot squash orzo
Fall Harvest Bowls and One-Pan Meals
A tray of vegetables or a skillet of beans can carry dinner without a complicated side plan. These meals pair autumn produce with chicken, beef, grains, or legumes, and the roasting pan gives the ingredients browned edges that steaming would miss.
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Black Bean Sweet Potato Taco Skillet in 30 Minutes
Black beans and sweet potatoes bring taco seasoning to a 30 minute skillet, giving plant based cooks a hearty harvest bowl alternative.
sweet potato taco skillet -
Sheet Pan Miso Chicken Sweet Potatoes
Miso adds savory depth to roasted chicken and sweet potatoes, creating a single pan autumn dinner with caramelized edges.
miso sheet-pan dinner -
White Bean Enchilada Skillet in 40 Minutes
White beans and enchilada flavors meet in one pot, giving plant based diners a cheesy skillet dinner without chicken or beef.
vegetarian enchilada skillet -
Fall Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner with Apples
Chicken and autumn vegetables roast together until the skin darkens and the edges caramelize, creating a balanced sheet pan dinner.
fall sheet-pan chicken -
One Pan Fall Chicken Dinner with Root Veggies
Roasting chicken and seasonal vegetables on one pan creates caramelized edges, with fewer dishes than a separate entrée-and side plan.
one-pan autumn chicken -
Roasted Sweet Potato Fall Salad: Caramelized and Savory
Roasted sweet potatoes anchor this plant based fall salad, while the 40 minute timing keeps it practical as a main or side.
sweet potato harvest salad -
Quick Fall Sheet Pan Dinner with Sausage
over High heat roasting brings root vegetables and dinner components together in 40 minutes, with a direct sheet pan approach for busy nights.
quick sheet-pan dinner -
Chicken Shawarma SheetPan Dinner with Greek Yogurt
Mediterranean shawarma seasoning changes the usual autumn chicken profile, while the sheet pan method keeps the meal practical and colorful.
shawarma sheet-pan chicken -
BBQ Sheet Pan Chicken with Potatoes and Green Beans
BBQ sauce turns roasted chicken into a sticky sheet pan dinner, pairing familiar smoky sweetness with potatoes or other tray vegetables.
BBQ sheet-pan chicken -
One Pan Fall Chicken with Roasted Root Veggies
High heat helps this one pan chicken brown instead of steam, giving seasonal vegetables and chicken a more deeply roasted finish.
high-heat fall chicken
Storage and Food Safety Tips for Fall Dinners
Refrigerate cooked meat, pasta, chili, and casseroles in shallow containers once they stop steaming heavily. FDA storage guidance suggests two hours as the limit at room temperature, or one hour when the surroundings are very hot. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below.
Most leftovers are generally best within three to four days, though texture varies. Reheat soups and sauces until hot throughout; USDA guidance puts the safe internal temperature for chicken at 165°F (74°C). Discard food with a sour smell, mold, or unusual bubbling.
Quick Comparison
| # | Recipes | Best For | Time | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roasted Brussels Sprouts in 30 Minutes | balsamic vegetable side | 30 min | Not provided |
| 2 | Air Fryer Potato Wedges: Crispy | air fryer potato side | 35 min | Not provided |
| 3 | Baked Potato Wedges for 6 Servings | oven potato side | 1 hr 20 min | Not provided |
| 4 | Roasted Maple Balsamic Brussels Sprouts | maple-glazed fall side | 35 min | Not provided |
| 5 | Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts: Crispy | garlic Thanksgiving side | Time varies | Not provided |
| 6 | Crispy Potato Wedges in 40 Minutes | crunchy potato side | 40 min | Not provided |
| 7 | Creamy Garlic Chicken in 30 Minutes | quick cream sauce chicken | 30 min | Not provided |
| 8 | Garlic Butter Chicken in 20 Minutes | fast pan-seared chicken | 20 min | Not provided |
| 9 | Creamy Chicken Pot Pie for 8 Servings | pastry-topped comfort food | Time varies | Not provided |
| 10 | Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie: Golden | hands-off pot pie | Time varies | Not provided |
| 11 | Chicken Pot Pie Casserole in 40 Minutes | quick biscuit casserole | 40 min | Not provided |
| 12 | Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie: Creamy | pressure cooker pot pie | 35 min | Not provided |
| 13 | Instant Pot Chicken Stew in 35 Minutes | fast chicken stew | 35 min | Not provided |
| 14 | OnePot Chicken Stew for 4 Servings | one-pot chicken stew | Time varies | Not provided |
| 15 | Easy OnePot Chicken Stew for 6 Servings | easy family stew | 1 hr 30 min | Easy |
| 16 | Fall Harvest Pot Pie with Puff Pastry | vegetable puff pastry pot pie | Time varies | Not provided |
| 17 | Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo for 6 | slow cooker creamy pasta | Time varies | Not provided |
| 18 | Ravioli Lasagna in 55 Minutes | shortcut baked pasta | 55 min | Not provided |
| 19 | Butternut Squash Pasta in 45 Minutes | plant-based squash pasta | 45 min | Not provided |
| 20 | Chicken Parmesan Casserole with Penne | family baked pasta | Time varies | Not provided |
| 21 | Pumpkin Mac and Cheese in 30 Minutes | pumpkin comfort pasta | 30 min | Not provided |
| 22 | Sweet Potato Mac Cheese for 8 Servings | sweet potato pasta bake | Time varies | Not provided |
| 23 | Mini Mushroom Pasta Bakes in 40 Minutes | individual mushroom pasta bakes | 40 min | Not provided |
| 24 | Pumpkin Quesadillas in 20 Minutes | quick plant-based dinner | 20 min | Not provided |
| 25 | Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili (Dinner) | slow cooker chicken chili | Time varies | Not provided |
| 26 | Instant Pot White Chicken Chili | pressure cooker chili | Time varies | Not provided |
| 27 | Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili with Ground Beef | slow cooker pumpkin chili | Time varies | Not provided |
| 28 | Fall Chili Recipe with Beef Chuck | thick beef pumpkin chili | Time varies | Not provided |
| 29 | Beef Chili for 6 Servings | classic beef chili | Time varies | Not provided |
| 30 | Beef Chili in 1 Hour 10 Minutes | faster seared beef chili | 1 hr 10 min | Not provided |
| 31 | Pumpkin Chili with Ground Turkey | turkey pumpkin chili | Time varies | Not provided |
| 32 | Instant Pot Pumpkin Chili for 8 Servings | pressure cooker pumpkin chili | Time varies | Not provided |
| 33 | Ground Turkey Pumpkin Chili | ground turkey chili | Time varies | Not provided |
| 34 | Fall Harvest Chili for 6 Servings | beef and squash chili | Time varies | Not provided |
| 35 | Heath Riles Fall Chili Recipe: Smoked | smoked beef chili | 6 hr 20 min | Not provided |
| 36 | Crockpot Chili with Ground Beef | crockpot beef chili | Time varies | Not provided |
| 37 | Cheeseburger Soup in 45 Minutes | family soup night | 45 min | Not provided |
| 38 | Slow Cooker Beef Stew for 8 Servings | make-ahead family dinner | 8 hr 20 min | Not provided |
| 39 | Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff in 8 Hours | creamy beef dinner | 8 hr 30 min | Not provided |
| 40 | Instant Pot Beef Stew in 60 Minutes | pressure cooker stew | 60 min | Not provided |
| 41 | Cowboy Casserole in 45 Minutes | biscuit-topped family meal | 45 min | Not provided |
| 42 | Beef Skillet in 30 Minutes | quick beef and potato skillet | 30 min | Not provided |
| 43 | Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup: 35 Min | pressure cooker squash soup | 35 min | Not provided |
| 44 | Cheesy Chicken Casserole in 40 Minutes | cheesy family casserole | 40 min | Not provided |
| 45 | Marry Me Lentils in 25 Minutes | quick vegan skillet | 25 min | Not provided |
| 46 | Butternut Squash Ravioli in 25 Minutes | autumn dinner party pasta | 25 min | Not provided |
| 47 | Creamy Pumpkin Pasta in 30 Minutes | 30-minute creamy pasta | 30 min | Not provided |
| 48 | Broccoli Cheddar Gnocchi Soup One-Pot | one-pot creamy soup | 40 min | Not provided |
| 49 | Crispy Spaghetti Squash Parmesan | squash pasta alternative | 55 min | Not provided |
| 50 | One Pot Butternut Squash Orzo | one-pot squash orzo | Time varies | Not provided |
| 51 | Black Bean Sweet Potato Taco Skillet: 30m | 30-minute vegetarian skillet | 30 min | Not provided |
| 52 | Roasted Miso Chicken Sweet Potatoes | one-pan miso chicken | Time varies | Not provided |
| 53 | White Bean Enchilada Skillet One-Pot | one-pot vegetarian skillet | Time varies | Not provided |
| 54 | Fall Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner for 4 | sheet-pan chicken dinner | Time varies | Not provided |
| 55 | Roasted One Pan Fall Chicken Dinner | one-pan autumn chicken | Time varies | Not provided |
| 56 | Roasted Sweet Potato Fall Salad (40 Min) | plant-based harvest salad | 40 min | Not provided |
| 57 | Quick Fall Sheet Pan Dinner in 40 Minutes | quick roasted vegetables | 40 min | Quick |
| 58 | Chicken Shawarma SheetPan Dinner for 6 | Mediterranean sheet-pan meal | 40 min | Not provided |
| 59 | BBQ Sheet Pan Chicken for 4 Servings | sticky BBQ chicken | 40 min | Not provided |
| 60 | One Pan Fall Chicken for 6 Servings | high-heat autumn chicken | Time varies | Not provided |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these fall dinner recipes?
Use skillet, pasta, and sheet pan recipes when dinner needs to be ready within about an hour. Choose a slow cooker stew or chili for hands off cooking, and select pot pie or casserole when you want a pastry or baked topping.
Can I make fall dinners ahead of time?
Many stews, chilis, soups, and casseroles can be prepared ahead and reheated gently. Keep pasta, crispy toppings, and roasted potatoes separate when possible so they do not soften overnight.
What are the best fall side dishes for chicken or chili?
Roasted Brussels sprouts, potato wedges, sweet potato salad, or another roasted vegetable can balance a rich main dish. Pick a sharper balsamic or garlic seasoned side when the entrée has a creamy sauce.
How do I keep chicken from drying out in fall dinners?
Avoid overcrowding the pan, use the cooking time as a guide rather than leaving chicken over heat, and check the thickest piece with a thermometer. Sauces and covered cooking can also help retain moisture.
What makes a good fall chili cook off recipe?
Look for browned meat, enough simmering time for the spices to soften, and a base that is thick rather than watery. Pumpkin or squash can add body without making the chili taste like dessert.
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