Recipes

55 Comforting Vegetarian Recipes That Are Getting Us Through Winter

They're warming, filling, delicious, and totally meat-free.
Simple Khichari recipe
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li

This story is part of the 2018 Feel Good Food Plan, our two-week mind-body-belly plan for starting the year off right.

After the Champagne toasts and the obligatory mumbling of "Auld Lang Syne" fade away, another New Year's tradition arrives: resolutions for a better year ahead. These lifestyle shifts come in all forms—from drinking less alcohol to wasting less food—but many choose to focus on eating less meat. It's an admirable decision but definitely tricky for reformed carnivores to uphold in the dead of winter. Luckily, eating vegetarian doesn't have to mean subsisting on a diet of cold lettuce alone: We've got plenty of recipes for meat-free comfort food. These are the healthy pastas, hearty stews, and roasted vegetable dishes keeping us warm in 2018.

  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Lunch Plant Produce and Vegetable
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    1/55

    Roasted Winter Squash with Kale Pipian

    This bright green style of mole is made by blending pumpkin seeds into a smooth paste (kind of like how pine nuts work in pesto). The oil in the seeds adds body and rich flavor to the sauce.

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  • This image may contain Food Dish Meal and Pizza
    Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski
    2/55

    Easy Flatbread with Cauliflower and Tofu

    Chef Josh McFadden’s crazy-simple yogurt flatbreads from Bon Appetit’s August 2015 issue inspired this whole-grain version.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Dish Food Meal Soup Bowl Plant Curry and Soup
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Anna Stockwell
    3/55

    Coconut-Apple-Ginger Dal

    This velvety lentil soup is the antidote to holiday excess; skip the yogurt to make it vegan (if you're looking for more plant-based recipes, check out our vegan dinner ideas).

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Bowl Curry Stew Soup Bowl and Soup
    Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Chris Morocco
    4/55

    Spiced Coconut Carrot Soup

    Puréed soups are easy because they don’t require lots of knife work... but they can also be boring. Amping up the seasoning and topping with crunchy shaved vegetables and bright herbs makes it clear that this one's not baby food.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Produce Vegetable Bean Lentil and Meal
    Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski
    13/55

    Loaded Sweet Potatoes

    We like to roast the sweet potatoes ahead of time then rewarm them by flattening and crisping them in a skillet until lightly charred.

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  • Millet polenta with scallion topping
    Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Monica Pierini
    14/55

    Millet Polenta with Miso and Scallion Oil

    The key to a toothsome alt-grain polenta is blitzing the grains for less time than you might think.

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  • Scallion ramen noodle bowl
    Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Andy Baraghani
    15/55

    Ginger Scallion Ramen Noodles

    The noodles are just a vessel for this savory, gingery, simple weeknight sauce. Double the batch, and you’ll always have a way to brighten up simple grilled or pan-roasted chops, roasted veggies, or grain bowls. (In the mood for something more brothy? Try our tomato-laced vegetarian ramen.)

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Produce Cutlery Spoon Bowl Vegetable Dish Meal Bean and Lentil
    Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    16/55

    Navy Bean and Escarole Stew with Feta and Olives

    There’s no stock in this wintry vegetarian stew recipe—it relies on the starchy bean cooking liquid for its flavor (which is a polite way of saying sorry, but you can’t use canned beans here and get the same results).

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Produce Dish Meal Bird Animal and Fruit
    Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Andy Baraghani
    35/55

    Bejeweled Rice

    You can fold all the toppings into the rice and it’ll still be delicious—but you won’t get as much of a wow factor.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Plant Egg and Bowl
    Peden + Munk
    36/55

    Black Barley with Mushroom Broth

    Buy good grains and always soak them. They'll cook more quickly and evenly when hydrated, and the soaking liquid can be used in finished dishes.

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  • Four plates with different chickpea dishes
    Alex Lau
    37/55

    Herbed Chickpeas

    Crispy, salty, creamy, and full of protein (really!), these chickpeas should be a staple in your kitchen.

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  • Kuku sabzi on a platter with a slice cut and removed to a plate.
    Bobbi Lin
    38/55

    Kuku Sabzi

    Kuku sabzi (Persian frittata) tend to have less eggs than the typical fritter or omelet. They can be slightly sweet with dates and dried rose, or savory, like the one below.

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  • This image may contain Plant Food and Vegetable
    Peden + Munk
    43/55

    Honeynut Squash With Radicchio and Miso

    What’s a honeynut squash, you ask? It looks like a miniature butternut squash and has sweet, firm flesh that stands up to any cooking method.

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  • Steamed vegetables including broccolini carrots kabocha and white radishes served with a misoginger dressing and white rice.
    Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams
    44/55

    Steamed Vegetables With Miso-Ginger Dressing

    Steamed vegetables can be lovely, but they don’t exactly pack a ton of punch in the flavor department. This dressing is purposely assertive—lemony, gingery, a little sweet, a little spicy.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Food Dish Meal Curry Soup Bowl Plant and Egg
    Alex Lau
    53/55

    Curried Butternut Squash Soup

    For this butternut squash soup recipe, you need to toss the squash occasionally while it’s roasting so it doesn’t burn or stick, and to encourage as much caramelization as possible.

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  • Winter Squash Agrodolce recipe
    Christopher Testani
    54/55

    Winter Squash Agrodolce

    A vinegar-and-chile glaze adds heat to sweet squash, spicing up the traditional flavor profile.

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