29 Healthy Comfort Food Recipes

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We enjoyed a warm and sunny weekend here in Kansas City, but we’re expecting more snow tomorrow. So, I’m sharing some veggie-packed comfort food recipes to help carry us through to springtime.

I find that the most enjoyable way to eat well during short winter days is to focus on loading up on vegetables, rather than denying myself the cheesy, carb-heavy meals that I’m craving. Here are 29 delicious dinners that are lightened up with fresh and nutritious ingredients. Sneaky!

Want to add a side salad to any of the following? For the meals with an Asian spin, try my carrot-ginger dressing. For the others, try my green goddess dressing, creamy sunshine (honey mustard) dressing or perhaps a simple vinaigrette.

1) Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas

“Yet another winner! My husband said, why do we even ever eat meat when vegetarian tastes like this?” – Karen

2) Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans)

“This soup is awesome, very flavourful, tastes just like it’s come out of a fancy Italian restaurant kitchen. Definitely making again!” – Joanne

3) Extra Vegetable Fried Rice

“With more mouths to feed than usual over the holidays, I made this twice in the last 10 days! Both times, I followed the recipe exactly, and it was a huge hit! I used snow peas and red pepper for the 2 cups of extra veggies. Everyone gobbled it up and asked for seconds. Thanks, Kate!” – Emily

4) Lentil Baked Ziti

“Amazing! I honestly like this better than traditional baked ziti or lasagna! My 17 and 21 year old picky eaters devoured it. I almost didn’t make it because the thought of lentils in my pasta was a little scary. You’d never know they were there unless someone told you! Thank you for making the transition to vegetarian eating fun and delicious.” – Sherry

5) Vegan Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

“I made this once before- it’s super easy to make and tastes delicious. I just tossed in some store bought spiralized zucchini and let the sauce heat up the noodles. This is great for a quick mid-week meal. I’m going to make it again tomorrow night and the best part is I already have almost all of the ingredients on hand!” – Allison

6) Thai Red Curry with Vegetables

“This dish was delicious!!! I have been craving Thai food, and after making this dish, my craving was satisfied. The kids loved it too!! I always enjoy making your dishes. Can’t wait till 2017 for the cookbook!!” – Reese

7) Kale Pesto Pizza

“This was delicious! I had a bunch of baby Tuscan Kale from my CSA to use up. I love that the pesto didn’t have a bunch of added Parmesan. Can’t wait to tell my friends about it and make it again! Thank you.” – Angela

8) Broccoli, Cheddar & Quinoa Gratin

“I’ve made this three times now and I think I love it more each time I make it! Thank you for such an awesome recipe – this delicious casserole has become a regular dinner at my house. And I love the picture of Cookie eating the broccoli stem – my dog loves it too! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.” – Sara

9) Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

“This is quite possibly the best recipe I’ve made this year! I’d eat this for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. I left out the white wine (I drank it instead ;) ) and added about 2 generous handfuls of spinach with the butternut squash at the end. The wilted greens, creamy rice, and nutty squash made the absolute perfect meal. Usually, I’m not satisfied with a one-bowl dinner, but this required no sides. Perfect on its own. Thanks!” – Alyssa

10) Epic Vegetarian Tacos

“Kate, these tacos are AMAZING. I feel like you could run a really successful taco truck with your taco recipes. I’ll quit my job and run it for you, lol. We are having them for next week’s dinner too because they’re that good. So many of your recipes are stables in our household. Thank you so much for the meal inspiration and easy go to recipes =)” – Cat

11) Spicy Black Bean Soup

“This soup is amazing! It will definitely be put in our weekly rotation this winter. This was quick to put together, healthy, and there are so many ways to add on ingredients like the avocado, radishes, cheese, Greek yogurt, etc for extra tastiness. Thank you…your recipes are quickly becoming favorites in this house!” – Martha

12) Balsamic Roasted Broccoli and Red Pepper Grilled Cheese

“Fantastic flavor and lovely in the sandwich grill press. I subbed veggie broth for the oil and vegan cheese in keeping with my choice of a vegan lowfat diet (I have done this with many recipes here and they always turn out better than good). Tasted sublime and roasted tomato soup would be a great accompaniment.” – Christy

13) Vegetable Paella

“I made this last night. So delicious and beautiful. Roasting the vegetables brought out their color. On a cold December night, this was a warm, filling and simple dish to prepare.” – Nancy

14) Italian Eggplant Parmesan

“I made your eggplant parmesan last week and it is the best eggplant parmesan I’ve ever made or ever had! And so easy. I never liked breading with my eggplant so this is the perfect recipe. Delicious! Thank you!” – Sabrina

15) Mujadara (Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions)

“This mujadara recipe is amazing! I followed the directions exactly and it turned out wonderfully. My entire family devoured it, commenting on the perfectly cooked rice and lentils and the flavorful carmelized onions. My dad said he could eat meatless if all vegetarian entrees tasted this good…” – Lydia

16) Homemade Vegetarian Chili

“I absolutely LOVE this chile recipe! I have made it several times and I still can’t get enough of it. Especially now since it is so cold where I live! I even got a bunch of meat eaters to love it! Thanks for the great recipe :)” – Stephanie

17) Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole

“The Roasted vegetable enchiladas were delicious! Even family members who claim to not be fans of veggies ate this and had seconds. Score one for plant based goodness!!” – Erin

18) Spinach Stuffed Shells

“My husband told me this is the best vegetarian meal I’ve ever made for him (and that’s out of a LOT of meals I’ve made for him, so big praise)! Our local grocery was out of the Rao’s marinara, so we used their Tomato Basil sauce instead. He had the leftovers for lunch today and has texted me several times raving about how he just can’t get over how good they were. Thanks for the great recipe!” – Jordan

19) Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

“I absolutely LOVE this recipe!!! I have made it time and time again. I had friends from Philadelphia visit last week. They prefer vegetarian meals, so I pulled this recipe out. It was a hit with them. They are now hooked on your site as well.” – Kathy

20) Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

“Kate, I have to admit that when I first saw this I was bit scared to make it. Of course, based on how delicious your other recipes are, I should have known better. Well, no need to fear….this is soooo delicious!!!! Another winner for sure, even my non-vegan family loved this.” – Tanya

21) Spinach Artichoke Enchiladas

“This was phenomenal. My kids loved it, and my six year old asked if we could have it every night! Bravo!” – Nicole

22) Spaghetti Squash “Pizza” Bowls

This recipe starts with golden and tender cooked spaghetti squash.

“Delicious and fun! I had never prepared or eaten spaghetti squash before so it was really cool to pull apart the “spaghetti” after roasting the squash. This was easy to prepare, tasted great, and one half of a squash was definitely filling. Thank you, not only for another terrific recipe, but for encouraging me to try a new food!” – Karen

23) Fresh Huevos Rancheros

“I LOVED this!! I added a chopped jalapeno to the pico and left off the salsa completely, because for one I didn’t have any and also I thought the pico was enough! Used the optional avocado and feta :) So delicious!” – Michelle

24) Best Vegetable Lasagna

“I just made this for a special family dinner. We ALL voted it by far the best lasagna ever! Everyone went back for seconds. :) Thank you so much for this delicious recipe! I followed your directions exactly and even doubled it for extras this week. I’m so glad I did! I will definitely be making this often for friends and family.” – Lee Anne and the Laskey Crew

25) Vegan Mac and Cheese

“This is delicious! You know it’s good when both kids ask to have leftovers for lunch at school. One daughter is gluten & dairy free (the rest of us are not) and we all loved it! Really nice to have a healthier version of mac and cheese – thank you!!” – Lucy

26) Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables

“We had this recipe just tonight and wow! It was absolutely wonderful! The perfect balance of cheese, sauce, and vegetables. Thank you so very much, we will be sure to try many more of your amazing recipes in the future!” – Zoe

27) The Best Lentil Soup

“Made this today on a very wet, wintry evening. It was absolutely delicious. Great simple recipe with just a little oomph in it. Putting the kale in for the final 5 minutes was the perfect touch. This is now on my “the weather is crappy what shall I make” list. Thank you.” – Dave

28) Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Crispy Baked Tofu with Honey-Sesame Glaze

“This is delicious! It came together easily and without too much effort. (I didn’t have enough brussels sprouts, so I did a combination of brussels and broccoli, which worked great). I’ll definitely make this again! Thank you!” – Kathy

29) Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils & Marinara Sauce

“I never thought of lentils and marinara together, or lentils and pasta, but the combination is delightful! I used my go-to marinara recipe and will absolutely be making this dish again. And the lentils were so tasty even before being mixed in with the sauce that I may make them separately for salads, etc. Thank you for another wonderful, easy weeknight recipe!” – Alex

If you like these recipes, please pin them for reference! If you make any of these soups at home, please post a picture on Instagram and tag it #cookieandkate so I can go check it out! I love it when that happens. ♥

More resources you might appreciate: 23 healthy make-ahead breakfast recipes, 45 recipes that pack well for lunch and 20 simple weeknight dinners. You might also like my monthly seasonal produce guides and essential kitchen tools. View all roundups and resource posts here.

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