It is no secret that professional food editors spend their working hours immersed in the culinary world, developing, testing, and refining recipes for publications that reach millions of home cooks. However, the boundary between professional obligation and personal passion often blurs when these culinary professionals clock out. Behind closed doors, the editors at Bon Appétit maintain the same enthusiasm for home cooking during their off-hours, turning to a diverse array of comforting dishes, creative weeknight dinners, and clever flavor combinations to navigate the demands of autumn.
As the weather cools and daily routines settle into the rhythm of late autumn, the editorial team has opened up about what is currently simmering on their stoves, baking in their ovens, and bringing comfort to their households. From unexpectedly harmonious pasta combinations and nostalgic diner-style sandwiches to elevated seasonal produce and reliable weeknight rituals, these are the staff-favorite recipes guiding the team through the month.
A Wild Little Pasta Innovation
For senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk, the month of November has brought a surprising new favorite courtesy of his colleague, test kitchen collaborator Rebecca Firkser. The dish, known as Butternut Pasta With Sausage and Dates, initially caught Szewczyk off guard when it was first introduced to the team, but it has since earned a permanent spot in his personal rotation.
The recipe challenges conventional pasta paradigms by incorporating sweet, chewy dates into a savory, creamy winter squash and sausage sauce. Szewczyk notes that the resulting dish offers a complex sensory experience in every bite, successfully balancing sweetness, creaminess, and a satisfying textural crunch. It serves as a reminder of how unexpected pantry ingredients can transform a standard seasonal pasta into something uniquely memorable.
The Ultimate Comfort Chicken Soup
As any parent navigating the post-summer daycare season can attest, the transition into colder months frequently brings a relentless cycle of household illnesses. For cooking director Emma Laperruque, whose son started daycare in September, this reality has sparked a dedicated chicken soup kick. Laperruque reports relying on the comforting broth for lunches, dinners, and even drinking it straight from mugs between meals to maintain her energy.
Her latest batch features another creation by Rebecca Firkser: Toasted Orzo Chicken Soup. The recipe elevates the traditional comfort-food classic by incorporating a deeply flavorful, beautifully spiced broth and generous amounts of nourishing spinach. While Laperruque acknowledges that a bowl of soup may not serve as a literal cure-all for seasonal bugs, it provides a sufficient approximation of comfort during weeks marked by fatigue and lingering colds.
Elevating Seasonal Squash Without the Effort
Delicata squash has long lived in the shadow of its more ubiquitous relative, the butternut squash, but senior cooking editor Kelsey Jane Youngman is championing its virtues. Youngman points out that delicata squash requires significantly less physical labor in the kitchen—eliminating the need for dangerous kitchen hacks or strenuous hacking through thick outer rinds—and boasts a thin, entirely edible skin that contributes both flavor and texture. Furthermore, its natural flesh mimics the creamy texture and rich sweetness of a sweet potato.
While Youngman typically prepares the squash with a minimalist approach involving simple oil, salt, pepper, and a hot oven, she recently treated herself to a more elaborate variation developed by former colleague Rachel Gurjar: Roasted Delicata Squash With Crispy Onions. The preparation requires minimal extra effort for the squash itself, but the addition of thoughtfully curated toppings elevates the dish into a holiday-worthy presentation. By garnishing the caramelized squash with store-bought fried onions tossed in extra spices, juicy pomegranate seeds, and seasoned yogurt, Youngman successfully transformed a simple vegetable side into a centerpiece worthy of entertaining guests.
Reclaiming Friday Nights with Pasta
For deputy food editor Hana Asbrink, the end of a demanding work- and school-week calls for a reliable, comforting tradition that outpaces the convenience of traditional takeout. Asbrink’s household has instituted a new Friday night ritual centered around Rigatoni With Easy Vodka Sauce paired with a Classic Caesar Salad.
The meal choice is born out of a desire for simplicity and comfort after a rough-and-tumble week. Beyond its nostalgic appeal, the menu is remarkably efficient. Asbrink notes that the rigatoni cooks in roughly the same amount of time required to simmer the sauce—a harmonious kitchen coincidence—while the Caesar dressing is frequently prepared in advance and kept ready in the refrigerator to satisfy her family’s steady demand for the dish. The routine has successfully replaced the household’s former reliance on Friday night pizza delivery, offering a homemade alternative that is both faster and deeply satisfying.
The Diner-Style Tuna Melt Experiment
Rounding out the month’s culinary inspirations is a masterclass in nostalgic comfort food from cooking associate editor Nina Moskowitz, who turned her attention to the classic tuna melt. For Moskowitz, the ideal version of the sandwich requires specific tactile and flavor elements: buttery slices of sourdough or rye bread that leave a faint sheen of grease on the fingers, tender flakes of tuna salad speckled with crisp celery, onion, and fresh herbs, and a blanket of American cheese melted to a stretchy consistency capable of rivaling a mozzarella stick. A mandatory pickle is included to provide tangy relief after each rich bite.
Channeling the methodology of her favorite local diner, Moskowitz elevated her homemade version by tucking salt-and-vinegar kettle chips directly inside the sandwich. The addition introduces an unexpected layer of crunch and acidity that completes the diner-inspired experience, proving that even the most classic comfort foods leave room for personal, playful adaptation in the home kitchen.