Find inspiration and ideas for November seasonal cooking including lists of produce to buy, what to use up, and simple seasonal eating recipes for meal planning.
PLUS grab a free printable menu planning page to help you focus on cooking through the seasons.
This article is part of a year-long series on how to cook seasonal foods for each month as a resource for meal planning, saving money, and helping the environment.
Each month of the seasonal cooking series includes:
- What's in season for that month.
- What you may have in your freezer and pantry to use up if you preserve food.
- Favorite recipes using seasonal produce from An Oregon Cottage to help you plan to eat seasonally.
- A free printable weekly menu planner for the month with areas to record what's in season for you and what you have to use up!
You can find all the months of this seasonal eating series here.
November marks the start of the holiday season where seasonal produce like winter squash, sweet potatoes, hearty greens, and cranberries shine.
You can read the first section of this month for answers to the questions, "What is seasonal cooking," "Why is easting seasonal important" - and a big caution we need to take into account for eating "seasonally."
Here are tips to help you eat more seasonally and use this resource page with the printable meal planner:
- Use the lists and recipes you find here for August to make a menu according to what you are harvesting/buying.
- Harvest from your own garden or visit farmer's markets for the produce you need.
- OR use the shopping lists when super market shopping, noting the sales in the produce aisle.
- Try new things that are in season.
- Add any new recipes you like and keep them in a binder to cycle through the following season.
It's easy to lose track of produce's seasonality since most are carried all year long in stores - use this resource article and the free printable weekly menu planning page to help:
Download the menu page, print it out, and use it to write down the seasonal foods you need to use and buy, as well as the recipes you'll make that week.
PRO TIP: Keep all of these through a year and you'll have a custom seasonal menu binder you can refer to year after year!
Note: If you're already a subscriber, you can find this in the VIP library!
November Seasonal Eating
While there are still some summer-like produce available in the markets for decent prices - like fully ripe colored peppers, tomatoes, and grapes - for the most part these vegetables and fruits are winding down this month (and are non-existent in most northern gardens) as the stored produce is used up.
It's a great time to use up any tomatoes you have ripening indoors, as well as any fall lettuces, carrots, kale, or cabbage you started growing in the summer.
Soups, stews, and sheet pan dinners are great ways to use up odds and ends from the garden as well as provide those warm, comforting foods that are always so great in the colder months.
So what else do we cook with in November?
Between the markets, our pantries and freezers, the answer is:
A Lot!
Seasonal Produce for November
Fruits That Are In Season
- Apples
- Cranberries
- Figs
- Grapes
- Pears
- Plums
- Pomegranates
Vegetables That Are In Season
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Chard
- Kale
- Lettuce & greens
- Mushrooms
- Onions & Leeks
- Peas (fall)
- Parsnips
- Potatoes
- Radish
- Spinach
- Sweet Potatoes
- Turnips/Rutabagas
- Winter Squash & Pumpkins
Preserved Seasonal Food From The Freezer and Pantry
- Tomato products (Roasted Tomato Sauce, Addictive Chutney, canned plain tomatoes, seasoned sauce, pizza sauce and salsa)
- Frozen corn and green beans
- Frozen berries (hello, smoothies!)
- Pickled canned foods: cucumbers, beans, and asparagus
- Sauces and condiments: Plum sauce, Tomato Chutney, Rhubarb Chutney, jams, etc.
- Oil-packed dried tomatoes
- Zucchini Freezer Muffins and No-Fail Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Meatballs
- Chopped, frozen hot peppers and sweet peppers
- Stored garden potatoes
- Dried plums
PRO TIP: Use the planning page to record how many preserved foods you have left in order to use them up as soon as possible to make room for the new season's produce.
Seasonal Eating Recipes for November
Sheet Pan Lemon-Garlic Roasted Chicken & Vegetables
Being able to consistently turn the oven on again means easy sheet pan meals again!
One of my favorites is simple chicken and veggies - but tossing them in a lemon-garlic mixture first makes this anything but simple flavors!
Using cabbage and bacon to make a Caesar salad was one of my better ideas, lol. When my family sees this on the menu, it's a very good day.
The cheese on this comforting, easy baked pasta dish is layered in, so you don't have to worry if you don't get the cheese on the top in your serving (I know you worry about that, lol).
I have to put "best" in the title of this stew because once you try it, you will never make another beef stew recipe again. Pretty sure it's the bacon and wine that do it!
Quick Sausage & Kale(or Chard) Frittata
Equally good as both a breakfast or dinner, it's a true 20-30 minute meal that features seasonal produce and pantry staples.
Need it to be plant-based? Leave out the sausage or replace with tofu!
Big Crumb Topped Apple Pie (Freeze and Bake!)
This is a perfect make-ahead option for the holidays or any event you'd like to highlight the season's lovely apples.
What do you like to make in November?
Don't forget to download and print out your free seasonal meal planning page:
Originally published in November of 2011, this article has been completely updated to be more relevant and useful - enjoy!
Wendy (The Local Cook) says
I usually start making soups. Or, DH will grill something and I make mashed root vegetables (potatoes plus carrot/parsnip/turnip/whatever strikes my fancy) and/or baked squash to go with it.
Olga says
Thank you for this post. It's very useful. In November, I usually love making carrot soups, winter squash dishes, and apple pies.
debbie says
great post!
i like making more breads, stews, soups, using what i have perserved in my panty or freezer
debbie