Top incredibly delicious recipes for a cozy autumn lunch

The weather outside has become cooler, which means that light summer snacks should be replaced with hearty autumn lunches that will help the body maintain energy and saturate it with all the necessary vitamins. UNN offers readers five recipes for incredibly delicious and healthy autumn dishes.

Pumpkin and Curry Soup

Ingredients:

·         1 tablespoon olive oil;

·         1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups);

·         2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided;

·         3 tablespoons red curry paste;

·         2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (from a 3-inch piece);

·         3 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon);

·         4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth;

·         1 1/2 kg butternut squash, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (from 2 [20-ounce] packages);

·         1 can unsweetened coconut milk (15.5 ounces), well stirred;

·         1 package silken tofu (12 ounces), drained;

·         2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 or 2 limes);

·         6 tablespoons chopped salted peanuts;

·         Chopped fresh cilantro and crushed red pepper (optional) for serving.

Preparation:

1.       Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion begins to brown, 6-7 minutes.

2.       Add curry paste, ginger, and garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth and 1 teaspoon salt, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add squash. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until squash is tender, 12-15 minutes.

3.       Remove from heat. Add coconut milk, tofu, lime juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.

4.       Serve, topped with peanuts, cilantro, and, if using, ground red pepper.

"Marry Me" Chicken and Gnocchi Skillet

Ingredients:

·         4 (4-ounce) chicken breast cutlets;

·         1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning;

·         1 tsp coarse, coarse salt;

·         1/3 cup drained and chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes plus 2 tbsp oil from jar (from a 7.75-ounce jar), divided;

·         3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp);

·         1 cup chicken broth;

·         3/4 cup heavy cream;

·         1 (16-ounce) package potato gnocchi;

·         1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach;

·         1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup).

Preparation:

1.       Season chicken. Pat chicken dry. Sprinkle both sides with Italian seasoning and salt. Cook chicken.

2.       Heat tomato oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Cook gnocchi.

3.       Add tomatoes and garlic to skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and cream. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add gnocchi, simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add spinach by the handful, stirring constantly, until spinach wilts and gnocchi are tender, about 2 minutes. Add cheese.

4.       Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Add a splash of water or more broth if needed to thin the sauce. Top with chicken cutlets. Slice chicken cutlets and arrange over gnocchi mixture.

Chickpea with Sausage and Pasta

Ingredients:

·         8 ounces orecchiette pasta;

·         1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling;

·         4.5 ounces ground sweet or hot Italian pork sausage;

·         1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup);

·         2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed;

·         1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste;

·         1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for cooking pasta;

·         1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup);

·         Coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish (optional).

Preparation:

1.       Cook pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water. Add sausage and onion.

2.       In the same pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage; cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is well browned and onion is softened, 3-5 minutes. Add chickpeas and tomato paste.

3.       Add chickpeas and tomato paste to pot; cook, stirring frequently, until tomato paste begins to caramelize, 2-3 minutes. Add reserved cooking water and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Add pasta and serve.

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon and Dill

Ingredients:

·         4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided;

·         1 medium yellow onion, chopped;

·         2 carrots, peeled and chopped;

·         6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth;

·         1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes;

·         1 1/2 cups dried red lentils, rinsed;

·         1 1/2 tsp kosher salt;

·         1 1/4 tsp ground sumac, plus more for garnish (optional);

·         1 tsp lemon zest;

·         2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon);

·         6 tbsp plain whole-milk Greek yogurt;

·         1/4 cup chopped fresh dill.

Preparation

1.       Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2.       Add broth, tomatoes, lentils, salt, and sumac, if using. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.

3.       Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Ladle soup into 4 bowls and top with yogurt. Sprinkle with lemon zest, dill, and, if desired, more sumac.

Baked Mac and Cheese with Sausage and Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

·         coarse, coarse salt for water;

·         12 ounces rigatoni pasta;

·         8 ounces sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed;

·         1 teaspoon olive oil;

·         10 ounces thinly sliced Brussels sprouts;

·         1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour;

·         3 cloves garlic, minced;

·         2 cups whole milk;

·         1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce;

·         10 ounces grated Gruyère cheese (about 2½ cups), divided;

·         1.5 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about ¾ cup).

Preparation:

1.       Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1¼ cups of the cooking water. Return pasta to the pot. Preheat broiler with rack in middle position.

2.       Heat a large broiler-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to the pot with the pasta.

3.       Heat oil in the skillet. Add Brussels sprouts and cook until wilted and charred, 3-4 minutes. Add flour and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds.

4.       Reduce heat to medium. Add milk, Worcestershire sauce, and remaining 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water; bring to a simmer. Cook until liquid is reduced by one-quarter, 6-7 minutes. Stir in 1¾ cups Gruyère. Add pasta and sausage.

5.       Top pasta with Parmesan and remaining ¾ cup Gruyère. Broil until golden brown, 3-5 minutes.