Healthy recipes for winter dinners are very much needed. It is the most important time of the year when cold weather and holiday stress strike us. Full, hearty dishes are no longer appealing to our taste buds, but we just have to have something tasty on the table after a long, exhausting day at work.
There are many healthy recipes for winter dinners so that you can look forward to special meals made with love and care. Your love ones will be surprised.
Healthy Recipes For Winter Dinners
Healthy Recipes For Winter Dinners
You don’t have to give up comfort foods when winter rolls around (and it seems to be rolling around a lot more frequently this year). These healthy recipes for winter dinners are hearty, delicious, and anything but boring.
1. Creamy Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms
This rich, yet healthy, white chicken chili comes together in a flash thanks to quick-cooking chicken thighs and canned white beans. Mashing some of the beans acts as a fast thickener when your soups don’t have a long time to simmer. Cream cheese adds the final bit of richness and a hint of sweet tang.
16. Copycat Cheesecake Factory Madeira Chicken
Scroll down for 17 dinner ideas for winter nights to keep you satisfied until spring.
1. Creamy vegan broccoli cauliflower soup
We’re in the middle of a cauliflower revolution, and this rich soup is a way to enjoy the veggie beyond your usual pizza crust or stir fry. The potatoes add to its heartiness, and also give some potassium and vitamin C. It’s also made with a full head of broccoli, which ups the amount of folate and fiber.
2. Instant Pot cauliflower and butternut Thai curry
Another way to make good use of all the cauliflower in your fridge is with this easy Instant Pot recipe, which brings the heat in more ways than one. The starring ingredient recipe is butternut squash—a glorious winter veggie—and red lentils up the protein factor, keeping you satisfied long past you’ve emptied your bowl.
3. Roasted root vegetable, red rice, and lentil stew
What would a winter dinner recipes roundup be without a good stew, right? This one is vegan and packed with healthy ingredients like turmeric and ginger along with lots and lots of veggies.
4. Vegan smoky jackfruit stew
Another way to get your stew fix the vegan way is by making jackfruit the key ingredient, . When cooked, the plant has a similar consistency of meat. Pre-shredded jackfruit can be found in almost every supermarket, making this way easier to make on a weeknight. Blended cashews make this stew extra creamy while paprika adds some heat to the mix.
5. Greek spaghetti squash bowls
This recipe is one of most popular ever—and it’s easy to see why. Her Mediterranean spin on classic spaghetti squash amps up the flavor. She fills hers with ground turkey, artichokes, spinach, and of course, a few key spices.
6. Spiralized zucchini mac and cheese
Sometimes, all you want is a big bowl of mac and cheese…but you’re low-carb. That’s where spiralized zucchini saves the day. What makes this recipe from the other “cheesy” spiralized zucchini recipes you may come across is the crumb crust, made with gluten-free rolled oats, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. So damn satisfying.
7. Shredded carrot fish casserole
of ingredients: white fish, carrots, onion, tomato paste, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Easy, peasy, done.
8. Sweet potato and black bean shepherd’s pie
this recipe upgrades the classic dish by subbing white potatoes for sweet, and the typical frozen veggie mix for a blend of black beans, red kidney beans, tomato, mushrooms, onion, and cloves. Talk about the perfect protein-veggie balance!
9. Baked feta with chickpeas & kale
If you’re all about the Mediterranean diet, here’s a dinner idea beyond the usual plate of salmon drizzled in olive oil. Feta, chickpeas, and kale (as seen in this dinner from Love and Lemons) all make regular appearances in dinners compliant with the plan. And they happen to taste pretty darn delicious together.
10. Spicy Thai vegan ramen
There’s nothing quite like a bowl of ramen to warm your body—and soul—but often, it’s made with a meat-based broth. Not this recipe from Choosing Chia, which uses vegetable broth and coconut milk. It’s also made with ginger, which supports good digestion.
11. Vegetarian potato pizza
Your homemade pizza is about to flat-out destroy your usual delivery order. Potatoes, mozzarella, olives, thyme…Consider this your new crowd-pleasing go-to for when your friends come over for wine and Netflix.
12. Slow-cooker chipotle corn chowder
Take 15 minutes to prep this meal before you head off to work and come home to a hearty, creamy corn chowder that will have you licking your spoon.
13. Curry cauliflower fried rice with roasted chickpeas
If you’ve been searching for the perfect cauliflower fried rice recipe, consider it found. —including inflammation-fighting turmeric and iron-rich spinach—while the chickpeas add lots of protein.
14. Spinach-stuffed grilled cheese
Fact: You never outgrow grilled cheese. Sandwiched between the bread in this recipe are spinach, vegan cheese, tomato, and mushrooms— turning the carb-and-cheese loaded classic into a well-rounded meal.
15. Vegan barbecue lentils with millet polenta
In the summer, barbecue is enjoyed outside. But now that you can’t leave the house without your puffy coat, that’s not really an option. Get your BBQ fix in the winter with this cozy bowl The smoky flavors are still there, but you also get a creamy polenta as the base. It’s like summer and winter merged in the best possible way.
16. Tuna melt
Have a craving for the deli classic? Put your broiler or toaster oven to use with this , made with vegan mayo and vegan cheese. If you don’t eat fish, you can even swap out the tuna for chickpeas—it will still hit the spot.
17. Roasted tomato soup with beetroot and rosemary
Is there a more Instagrammable soup than beet? I think not. While most recipes are just straight up beet (which is def an acquired taste), this one tapers it a bit by blending it with roasted tomatoes, vegetable broth, and even a little honey.