The 21 Most Popular Recipes of October 2020
October cooking is often full of squash and warm spices and the first pots of soup. But this year, especially, Epi readers also gravitated toward comfort food—creamy pasta, crispy chicken, fluffy flatbread, and slice after slice of tangy cheesecake. We’ve all been eating apple pie for breakfast, and making (fall-themed!) pancakes for dinner. Below you’ll find the most popular recipes on Epicurious from the past month—and maybe a little inspiration for the weeks to come.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi1/21Simple Classic Stuffing
Since many of you were cooking for Canadian Thanksgiving this month, we weren't shocked to see this recipe trending. But some of our editors—and perhaps some of you, too—cooked this simple, perfect stuffing without any holiday-related excuse. It's just that good.
Photo & Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin2/21Pumpkin Dutch Baby With Pumpkin Butter
It's hard for brunch recipes to get more autumnal than this creamy, custardy pancake, which is spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and topped with an easy homemade pumpkin butter. Does it work for a comforting dinner, too? Of course it does.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Laura Rege3/21Creamy One-Pot Pasta With Sausage and Squash
October was all about easy dinners. This creamy, cheesy pasta sauce is a great foil for the pound of butternut squash scattered throughout the dish. The best part? Both the pasta and the sauce are made in one pot—no separate pot of boiling water needed.
Photo and Food Styling by Joseph De Leo4/21Yogurt and Spice Roasted Salmon
We'd never cubed salmon before coming across this recipe, and now it's one of our go-to moves. Increasing the surface area means crispy edges in just the oven-time that it takes the salmon to get silky and luscious inside.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton5/21Chicken and Potato Gratin With Brown Butter Cream
This new recipe from Epi contributor Christian Reynoso is all about the brown butter cream sauce. And the crunchy homemade breadcrumbs, which are crisped in the chicken drippings.
Photo & Food Styling by Joseph De Leo7/21Miso-Squash Ramen
If you're on a squash kick, we highly recommend this new brothy bowl from Epi contributor Hetty McKinnon. Roasting the squash with miso boosts its savory punch, and puréeing some into the soup itself makes the texture rich and creamy.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi8/21Our Favorite Apple Pie
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews10/21Crisp Roast Duck
Photo by Rush Jagoe11/21Pita
If you’ve only ever had dry supermarket pita, this is a different animal entirely: puffed up like a pillow, savory on its own, and ready to scoop up anything you like. Read chef Alon Shaya's tips on how to make pita before you start.
Alan Richardson12/21Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good
Every fall, home cook start stuffing their vegetables with bread and cheese. This classic Dorie Greenspan recipe gives you a stuffed pumpkin that's centerpiece-worthy.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce13/21Buss Up Shut (Paratha Roti)
In October, cookbook author Ramin Ganeshram shared her journey toward the fluffiest, most pillowy roti. This recipe is one worth celebrating.
Photo by Marcus Nilsson, Prop Styling by Amy Wilson, Food Styling by Frances Boswell14/21Creamy Pasta With Crispy Mushrooms
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Bill Clark15/21Creole Cream Cheesecake With Caramel-Apple Topping
Sure, pumpkin cheesecake is a fall classic. But this year, caramel-apple cheesecake is the move.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton16/21Instant Pot Lamb Haleem
This warmly spiced lentil and lamb stew—adapted for the Instant Pot by contributor Sohla El-Waylly—cooks until everything practically dissolves into one silky, soothing bowl. The bright, crunchy toppings keep you coming back from more.
Charles Masters, food styling by Sue Li17/21Cioppino Seafood Stew With Gremolata Toasts
This warming San Francisco classic is flexible in terms of seafood selection. Use shrimp, clams, mussels, and/or squid, plus cubes of bass, halibut, hake, or cod—or add a little cooked crabmeat to each bowl when serving.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell18/21Ancho Chile Pork Tenderloin With Brussels Sprouts and Squash
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce20/21Dad’s Curried Chicken
This chicken from Ramin Ganeshram's weeknight collection gets a boost from Green Seasoning, an herby mix of chives, culantro, thyme, oregano, and parsley. If you can't find the culantro, cilantro works as a substitute here.
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou21/21Chicken-Lentil Soup With Jammy Onions
It's soup season, and this recipe is always in our fall rotation. Make it on the weekend—patiently browning the onions and garlic is essential to adding flavor and depth to the finished dish.
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