3 Healthy Bowls of Comfort Food for Winter

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Every Winter, without fail, I crave heavier comfort food with rich flavor. Is it a natural instinct for self-preservation against the cold weather?

Maybe, but I think it is also a response to seasonal foods. I ADORE squash and winter is when they are perfection.

I try to eat a variety of foods on a regular basis, but I turn to a few tried and true options every single winter.

It just so happens that my favorite comfort food options are healthy or can easily be made healthy through small substitutions.

Comfort In A Bowl

First, we have not only my favorite but a favorite of my family.

Every Winter I get calls asking when I will make Chilli, and those calls have been getting closer and closer to Autumn for the last three years.

I remember first making this recipe over a large stock pot with my sister at my parent’s home. She had just returned home from many years in Chicago while attending College and was ready to share a great recipe with me.

Of course, we used too much Chili powder and almost made a final stew too spicy to eat. Luckily, my mom is a wiz in the kitchen and saved the vat of chili.

Since then I stick close to the recipe with just a few substitutions for health. Recently, I even made this chili for a cook off at the request of my Dad (yes, he entered my chili into a cook off at his job :-)). This winning recipe is a riff off of Emeril Lagasse’s Texas Style Chilli recipe he first shared YEARS ago.

To make this recipe a bit healthier, I only use two tablesppons of oil for the initial rendering of the meat, and I substitute one pound of meat for one pound of cooked black beans instead. I also skip the Tequila and voila!

Delicious chili that I either eat alone with a little mashed avocado or over a bed of rice.

Chicken noodle soup is a classic Winter comfort addition to all households both for its medicinal and nostalgic properties.

It’s also one of the easiest soups to make and customize according to your dietary needs.

The basic recipe is well outlined in this video, and is healthy all on its own. However, if I want to skip the noodles, I boil a couple of potatoes or rice separately and add them to the pot of soup along with the shredded chicken.

Noodles can still be a great healthy option, and with brown rice, vegetable, and bean varieties, noodles can enhance the nutritional value of your bowl of soup as well.

To kick up the vegetable content I like to add peas or edamame about 10 minutes before the end of the cook time.

Come winter I like to make a big batch and freeze some for any sick days as well.

This list would not be complete without a personal favorite meatless option, Butternut Squash Soup.

Butternut squash has such a delicious nutty sweet flavor enhanced by roasting.

I kick up a recipe by Alton Brown by adding half of a roasted green apple and one tablespoon of cinnamon to the recipe. Also, to kick up the health factor I substitute Cashew Milk for heavy whipping cream and cut down the honey by two tablespoons.

This is another quick and easy soup that is easily customizable.

To make the soup a filling nutrient dense meal, I roast chickpeas and throw them into my bowl before eating or just pair the soup with a piece of french bread.

Whatever your choice, this bowl packs a punch of flavor alongside its health benefits.

I love a good hearty bowl of soup or stew, and I enjoy trying new recipes. BUT these are my go to, never fail choices for comfort food in a bowl.

I make small tweaks that increase the health content without sacrificing flavor or comfort. Instead, these little tweaks enrich the nutrient content, and make comfort food worthwhile any time of year.

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