20 Healthy Comfort Food Recipes That Are Seriously Satisfying (2024)

30 Vegetarian Comfort Food Recipes for a Cozy, Plant-Based Dinner

Turkey Pesto Meatball Soup

This isn't your average Italian grandma's meatball, but it's definitely one to add to your dinner rotation. Mix ground turkey meat with store-bought pesto for the meatballs, then simmer them in a brothy soup along with escarole.

Lighter Chicken Pot Pie

The creamy filling for this chicken pot pie is made with chicken breasts, frozen peas, and low-fat milk to keep it lighter than the original recipe. Crisp sheets of phyllo dough line the top of the pot pie, but don't weigh it down like traditional pie dough.

Turkey Meatloaf With Hoisin Glaze

Meatloaf can be just as satisfying with leaner meat like ground turkey. This one is seasoned with garlic and ginger and gets a flavorful twist by adding a glaze made with ketchup and sweet, sticky hoisin sauce.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes With Rice and Peas

In this filling vegan dinner, sweet potato slices take their hot, smoky flavor cues from Jamaican jerk and are served with our take on Jamaican rice and peas, cooked with coconut milk. There's also an irresistible mango salsa.

Vegetarian Gumbo

Packed with okra, tomatoes, yellow summer squash, and black-eyed peas, this vegetarian take on gumbo is a colorful bowl of comfort.

Slow-Cooker White Bean Soup

This slow-cooker soup ticks all the healthy comfort food boxes. It's cozy, restorative, and packed with good-for-you ingredients, including butternut squash and spinach.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Our plant-forward version of the popular British pub dish swaps the usual meat for lentils. Similar in texture to ground meat, French green lentils hold their shape when they are cooked, and using the right seasonings results in a similar taste to beef.

Crispy Lemon Parmesan Eggplant

Once you taste this irresistibly easy take on eggplant parm, you won't go back to the baked version. Long slices of eggplant are broiled until tender and golden, then topped with a zesty panko breadcrumb mixture. While the main vegetable broils, whip up a simple tomato and arugula side—even healthy comfort food needs a salad.

Turkey and Mushroom Bolognese

Here's a healthier take on Bolognese that doesn't skimp on flavor. Ground turkey meat is milder than the typical beef and pork used, but in this rich-tasting sauce, it is complemented by the umami of good-for-you mushrooms and rich pancetta.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza Margherita

This classic pizza combo hits the spot, even with a lower-carb veggie crust. Made from cauliflower, Parmesan, and mozzarella, the crust holds up against the pizza sauce and toppings, delivering a comforting dish that your family won't even realize is healthier than their usual favorite pie.

Brussels-Sprout Tacos

Making veggie tacos is as easy as doctoring up a tray of roasted vegetables. Here, crispy Brussels are roasted in a honey, chipotle chile, and soy sauce glaze then wrapped up in corn tortillas (flour works great too). They're topped with red onion, lime juice, cilantro, and finished with a delicate crunch from peanuts.

Saffron Chicken Noodle Soup

Does home cooking get any more soothing than a bowl of chicken noodle soup? Warm up on a chilly evening with this nourishing broth that's brightened with a touch of saffron—which is sweet, earthy, and complex—alongside tender chunks of chicken and vegetables.

Broccoli-and-Chickpea Parmesan

Craving those chicken Parmesan flavors but feeling adventurous? Give this new healthier spin—our one-pot broccoli-and-chickpea parm—a try. It absolutely hits the comfort food spot while also swapping fried chicken cutlets for one of the healthiest green vegetables out there, broccoli and ever-popular chickpeas.

Weeknight Vegetarian Chili

No meat is required to build hearty flavor in this one-skillet chili. Instead, the humble bean is the star. Serve this dish however you like your chili: with corn tortillas, spooned over rice, or in a bowl.

Wild Salmon With Edamame Cauliflower Rice

Wild salmon nourishes our bodies and minds, especially when paired with cauliflower rice, a lower-carb swap for the more traditional grain. And this cauliflower rice is one of the best we've ever had. What makes it different? It's baked until each bit caramelizes to that nice golden color we love so much in roasted cauliflower.

Test Kitchen's Favorite Tomato Soup

For an ultra-velvety texture you'll love, this tomato soup is made with a roux, a butter and flour combination, rather than being finished with heavy cream. Pair it with a Grown Up Grilled Cheese or Turkey BLT for an extra comforting combo that is better for you than the original.

Tuna Noodle Casserole With Cauliflower

It's hard to mess with a classic like tuna noodle casserole, but if there's one ingredient that has proven versatile enough to make its way into this perfect dish, it's cauliflower. Swap in this good-for-you white vegetable and take a load off of some of the noodle-y carbs—trust us, it will blend right in.

Lentil Soup With Crispy Kale

Move over croutons! Crispy kale is where it is at when it comes to topping this warming bowl of lentil soup. Shiitake mushrooms lend umami and richness to the broth, along with tomato paste and paprika.

Cheesy Stovetop Barley and Swiss Chard

Everyone will want to tuck right in to this cheesy stovetop barley dish, which is prepared in the same way as risotto. The barley that serves as the base of this recipe is higher in fiber and minerals than white arborio rice. Adding Swiss chard and shiitake mushrooms creates a nutrient-packed dish perfect for cooler evenings.

Spaghetti Squash With Turkey Meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs are a classic and can be lightened up in two ways. Here, we substitute pasta for long strands of roasted spaghetti squash and swap the beef for lean turkey.