A Grown-up Halloween Feast
While the kids are out trick-or-treating, the adults should be able to enjoy a simple yet sophisticated meal together, cocktails and all. But in reality, Halloween can often be a mildly chaotic evening with lots of neighbors and friends popping in to say hello. In that case, it’s nice to have a few quick, delicious bites to offer. To make this completely effortless this year, we’ve pulled together 10 of our favorite simple comfort food recipes. Whether you’re a vegetarian or an ardent meat eater, almost everyone will find something that calls to them here. And with that, cheers to adults taking back a little bit of the Halloween cheer this year!
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
This healthy recipe yields a creamy, to-die-for mac and cheese without actually using cheese. Instead, Oh She Glows uses nutritional yeast to add a boost of flavor as hearty greens add color. We think it’s possible you won’t even miss the cheese!
Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Soup With Cilantro Walnut Pesto
This simple fall soup from A Sweet Spoonful can be made a few days ahead—it’s a classic warm-up soup that seems much more decadent and creamy than it really is. The pesto, while not required, is a really nice touch and can be used later on sandwiches or pizzas.
Cranberry Maple Skillet Cornbread
There’s nothing like baking up a cranberry-flecked, buttery cornbread to welcome guests into your home on Halloween evening. The perfect accompaniment from Cookie and Kate to a fall soup, or a most welcome post-trick-or-treat warm-up snack.
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Lentil & Sweet Potato Empanadas
For a quick bite that will appeal to vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, these flaky yet hearty empanadas from Love and Olive Oil are made with black beluga lentils and sweet potato and boast a creamy lime cilantro dipping sauce that you’ll wish you’d discovered earlier.
All-American Beef Chili
While the ingredients aren’t revolutionary, this chili from The Brown Eyed Baker manages to strike the perfect balance of spice and spoon-ability: thick, rich and comforting.
Molasses Cookies
These grain-free cookies from Five and Spice are soft, chewy and will make the house smell like a fall evening in a matter of minutes. Dates are the main sweetener here, so you can feel good about feeding them to the Halloween candy crowd, too.
Parmesan-Crusted Pesto Grilled Cheese
Hot, simple panini sandwiches by Two Peas and Their Pod have Halloween dinner written all over them: they’re satisfying and filling, yet require very few dishes and very little effort. These make the cut with their flavorful pesto and interesting (and liberal) use of Parmesan.
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Spiked Mulled Cider
What will warm you up more than a rum-spiked cider with a little orange and vanilla bean from the wonderful food blog Everyday Occasions? We’re not quite sure, but a pot of this on the stove to welcome visitors is bound to be a welcome addition.
Turkey Meatballs in a Spicy Tomato Basil Sauce
Meatballs can be both a snack or more of a main meal, and these by Alaska From Scratch function beautifully as both. Serve them with toothpicks for a quick bite, or on a bed of buttery noodles for more of a main dish.
Vanilla Pear Cocktail
The marriage of pear and vanilla has long been a perfect flavor combination—both softly sweet and subtly fragrant. This cocktail from Two Tarts celebrates the sweeter side of fall with a very simple libation that you can make from ingredients you likely already have on hand.
