With autumn foliage just around the corner, here are some of our favorite fall foods in Spain that are always present in our family’s kitchen during the autumn season.

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Seasonal Comfort Dishes to Enjoy This Autumn in Spain

Fall Foods in Spain

While searching for new comfort food recipes to cook in our Spanish kitchen this autumn, I thought I’d share some of our current favorite fall dishes. Since we live near Valencia, where summers get extremely hot, late fall and winter are really the only times we can fully enjoy hearty Spanish comfort foods – like rich stews, cheeses, slow-cooked meats, and seasonal fruits and vegetables such as pumpkin and quince.

Therefore, in this post, I’m sharing what we eat as a Spanish family during the fall. This includes both seasonal dishes as well as some traditional Spanish recipes that you can technically enjoy year-round – especially in the colder regions of Spain – but here in Valencia, we mostly crave them during fall and winter.

For instance, northern Spanish dishes like fabada or Asturian stew become our seasonal cravings at home. It’s fair to say that, for us, autumn arrives not only with seasonal produce like pumpkins, quinces, and mushrooms, but also with the appeal of hearty Spanish stews and meat dishes.

As my husband Carlos’s food blog, Viva Spanish Kitchen, continues to grow with new articles, I’ll also share the recipes we use for each dish – many of them passed down through generations in Carlos’s family – which we wholeheartedly embrace every autumn at home.

Spanish Comfort Dishes to Enjoy This Autumn

Arroz al horno

While I’ve confessed on multiple occasions that my Spanish family are die-hard Valencian paella fans – and my mother-in-law still cooks it the traditional way in the Spanish countryside every Sunday – once fall arrives, my in-laws occasionally switch things up (which makes me extremely happy, because even the best paella loses its appeal when it’s on constant repeat).

One of my fall favorites is arroz al horno (also known as arroz al forn), a traditional Spanish rice dish especially typical in Alicante. Another is arroz meloso, a slightly brothy rice that’s richer than traditional paella, making it perfect for colder days. You can check out our arroz al horno recipe here.

Spanish Appetizers with Mallorcan Sobrasada

Here in Valencia, we’re quite close to the island of Mallorca. So, traditional Mallorcan sobrasada is a popular spread on Spanish toast over here too. While I have to admit that it’s not usually one of my favorite traditional Spanish flavors, during the autumn months, Carlos prepares two local Valencian toast recipes that I can’t resist. Typically served as appetizers or tapas, these are Cojonudos and Almussafes.

Cojonudos consist of crusty bread topped with Mallorcan sobrasada, caramelized onion, and a quail egg – you can check out the recipe here.
Almussafes combines sobrasada and melted Spanish cheese on a slice of bread or in a sandwich – recipe here.

Asadillo Manchego

Fall foods in Spain for our family always include chickpea dishes, with Asadillo Manchego – or Manchego roasted pepper salad – being a current favorite. I really love that it’s a hearty yet versatile dish, made with typical Mediterranean ingredients, like red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. We enjoy it both hot and cold: tossed with greens, served as a tapa on crusty bread, or paired with legumes. It’s also perfect for meal prep. You can check out the full recipe here.

Cabbage with chickpeas & potatoes

Cabbage with Chickpeas & Potatoes is one of those traditional Spanish dishes that many locals here associate with their grandmothers – simple cuisine made with humble ingredients. Carlos’s grandmother used to cook this dish, and it has become one of our favorites during the fall season.

Cabbage is packed with nutrients, and while it’s not usually something I crave, I truly enjoy it in autumn as a hearty and healthy comfort food. It doesn’t require any sophisticated ingredients, but when it’s well cooked (and nicely presented), it tastes like a real treat. You can find our recipe here.

Pan con Alioli a la Brasa

Pan con Alioli a la Brasa is a homemade variation of the alioli toast you can find in many Spanish bars and restaurants. The twist here is that the alioli is homemade with olive oil, egg, and garlic – something you won’t get in Spanish restaurants, as for safety reasons they are not allowed to use raw eggs.

Since my father-in-law has chickens, we have access to fresh organic eggs, and my mother-in-law still prepares alioli the traditional way using a BabyOli machine. The autumn twist to this dish is that after cooking paella over a wood fire, we grill the alioli bread for a few minutes on each side until it’s nicely toasted and warm. Honestly, it’s so good that just thinking about it makes me crave the fall months and colder days – the perfect time to enjoy pan con alioli a la brasa.

Baked Macaroni with Chorizo

Baked Macaroni with Chorizo is a quick and easy recipe, similar to tomato pasta but with a Spanish twist thanks to the chorizo. Personally, I especially enjoy chorizo in baked dishes and stews, as it adds a unique, slightly spicy and smoky flavor to everything.

The combination of pasta (you can also use a gluten-free option) with a homemade sauce and the addition of chorizo enhances its rich flavor, while the gratinated Parmesan cheese adds the perfect finishing touch to this hearty dish. You can check out the full recipe here.

Spanish Potato Stew with Mushrooms

Autumn in Spain brings unique seasonal products to the kitchen, such as níscalos (or Lactarius deliciosus, also known as saffron milk cap mushrooms), which are cherished across the country for their meaty texture and slightly nutty flavor. Combined with potatoes in a stew, they are a staple in many regions – particularly where wild mushrooms are foraged during autumn, like Castille-León, La Rioja, and Catalonia.

Here in the region of Valencia, where we live, níscalos occasionally appear in local markets. Because our climate is drier and we don’t get enough rain for them to grow abundantly, they are considered a delicacy. Still, you can find them even in some supermarkets during the fall months, and they’re probably one of my favorite Spanish autumn foods.

Since this particular type of mushroom isn’t available year-round, cooking with saffron milk caps is, for me, one of the clearest signs that autumn has truly arrived. You can find the full recipe here.

Spanish Stuffed Eggplants

Another popular Spanish dish that we especially enjoy during the fall months is stuffed eggplant, featuring minced meat, melted cheese, and vegetables. The soft and juicy eggplant base combined with a flavorful, savory filling and topped with a golden layer of melted cheese makes for a hearty meal.

Although it’s available year-round, we rarely prepare it during the warmer months. As autumn sets in, however, Carlos often cooks either traditional stuffed eggplants or Mallorcan-style eggplants – both of which feel like irresistible Spanish comfort foods to me. Check out our full recipe here.

Fabada Asturiana

Fabada Asturiana is one of the most famous Spanish dishes from Asturias in northern Spain. While it’s a staple of traditional Spanish cuisine – and I love eating it every time I visit Asturias, even during the summer months – in Valencia, the warm and sunny climate for most of the year doesn’t exactly make anyone crave hearty dishes like fabada. Yet in autumn and winter, this is a meal I really enjoy.

Funny enough, our youngest daughter has grown especially fond of fabada. On one of our trips to northern Spain, we went to a local restaurant and ordered it for the adults, while the kids insisted on choosing from the children’s menu with fries and chicken. But when the fabada arrived, she asked to try it and ended up eating the whole plate instead of her own kid-friendly meal.

Ever since then, during the colder months, we love cooking fabada at home (or even Asturian stew) at least once every few weeks. You can find the recipe we use here.

Crema de Calabaza

Pumpkin dishes are an unmissable part of the fall season around the world. In our Spanish kitchen, we especially enjoy pumpkin pie, pumpkin tortilla, and crema de calabaza – a creamy soup made with pumpkin and other seasonal vegetables. Our favorite recipe will be published soon on the Viva Spanish Kitchen blog.

Spanish Lentil Soup (with Chorizo)

Spanish lentil soup is one of the staple dishes commonly enjoyed in households across Spain. Over my 15 years in Spain, I’ve seen endless variations of lentil soups – many households omit or add certain ingredients based on personal preferences.

At our home, we mostly prepare either vegetarian lentils with seasonal vegetables or lentil soup with chorizo (as I’ve already confessed on multiple occasions, I love the slightly spicy and smoky flavor chorizo adds to hearty fall recipes like soups or stews). You can find our vegetarian lentils recipe here, and the chorizo lentils recipe here.

Calamares encebollados 

Calamares encebollados – or calamari with onions – is another popular Spanish dish that I normally enjoy less than other seafood staples like Andalusian-style grilled calamari or cuttlefish in green sauce. However, during the fall season, that preference changes, as the caramelized onions give it a hearty, comforting feel. In autumn, I really enjoy this traditional recipe of Calamares encebollados.

Spanish Sauteed Green Beans

Green beans are a staple in the Mediterranean diet, so you might have noticed that many of the fall dishes we enjoy in Spain also include them. Recently, however, Carlos prepared another recipe that we really liked this time – Spanish Sauteed Green Beans, where the green beans felt like the main ingredient rather than just an addition.

Personally, I love dishes that are low in calories yet packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. While the rest of the family enjoys this dish with regular bread, I prefer it with gluten-free buckwheat bread, as it has more protein and makes the meal even more nutritious. Here’s our recipe.

Pisto Manchego

This Spanish vegetable ratatouille, called pisto manchego, is a delightful combination of seasonal vegetables that perfectly captures the flavors of fall in Spain. It’s great as an accompaniment to meat or fish, topped with a fried egg, or simply served on a slice of bread. Personally, I love all of these options, but lately I’ve been enjoying it most as a toast. You can check out the recipe here.

Carrilleras al Vino Tinto & Rabo de Toro

Carrilleras al Vino Tinto – or Braised Pork Cheeks in Red Wine – is another traditional Spanish recipe you’ll never see me eating outside of the fall and winter months. Yet, when well-cooked, it’s one of the most hearty and unique meals to enjoy on colder or rainy days. This is one of the must-make autumn dishes in our Spanish kitchen (along with rabo de toro) for family gatherings during the fall. Here’s our recipe.

Dishes with Quince

Of all the fall fruits in Spain, quince is probably my favorite. As I’ve already shared on the blog, my in-laws have a countryside house with a huge quince tree, so when autumn arrives, we are flooded with quinces.

While the most iconic Spanish quince dish is probably membrillo (which I occasionally enjoy with cheese during my trips across Spain), it is personally my least favorite when it comes to quince (as I prefer its texture in slices). During the fall season, my mother-in-law prepares her quince coca pastry every Sunday for our family gatherings. At home, we also often enjoy quince sponge cake and my grandmother’s quince jam – the latter is probably my all-time favorite jam flavor.

The quince coca recipe will go live on the Viva Spanish Kitchen blog soon, and you can find the quince cake recipe here and the quince jam recipe here.

Albondigas con Tomate

Albondigas con Tomate – or Spanish Meatballs in Tomato Sauce – is another classic Spanish dish that becomes especially popular in our family during the fall season, particularly because it’s a dish our children never say no to.

While it’s a beloved recipe year-round – you can even find it served during almuerzo (a traditional mid-morning snack) in Valencia – during the hot summer months, even the kids rarely ask for it. In contrast, during the colder months, it’s a hearty comfort meal that I think most people would thoroughly enjoy. You can find our recipe here.

So, as you can see, most of the local foods our family enjoys during fall in Spain are based on traditional ingredients that are available almost anywhere year-round. Yet, if you are visiting Spain in the fall, you can use this post as inspiration to try seasonal foods like local mushrooms (níscalos) or seasonal fruits like quinces – since these ingredients are tied to the fall season and many are difficult to transport overseas.

As we continue experimenting with fall dishes on Viva Spanish Kitchen, I’ll keep updating this post to show you what new recipes our family discovers each autumn.

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