Food & Cooking Recipes Healthy Recipes 20 Comfort Food Recipes That Are Both Healthy and Satisfying These new takes on the classics are good for both the body and soul. By Laura Rege Laura Rege Laura is a freelance writer for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 4, 2023 Close Photo: Johnny Miller If you're looking for a cozy but good-for-you dinner, turn to these healthy comfort food recipes—we make them on repeat. Loaded with vegetables and lower in carbs, these hearty meals are perfect for any time of the year. Our favorites include dishes that lean on lower-fat proteins—like chicken, turkey, tuna, and salmon—or are vegetarian. We also have lighter versions of classics made with smart swaps, like using cauliflower in place of traditional carbs in pizza and rice. You'll also find a few riffs where vegetables replace the meat in tacos, chili, and other comforting meals. The point? These recipes are proof that eating well and satisfying flavors never have to be mutually exclusive. 30 Vegetarian Comfort Food Recipes for a Cozy, Plant-Based Dinner 01 of 20 Turkey Pesto Meatball Soup Lennart Weibull 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. View Recipe 02 of 20 Lighter Chicken Pot Pie José Manuel Picayo Rivera 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. View Recipe 03 of 20 Turkey Meatloaf With Hoisin Glaze Lennart Weibull 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. View Recipe 04 of 20 Grilled Sweet Potatoes With Rice and Peas Yuki Sugiura 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. View Recipe 05 of 20 Vegetarian Gumbo Sidney Bensimon Packed with okra, tomatoes, yellow summer squash, and black-eyed peas, this vegetarian take on gumbo is a colorful bowl of comfort. View Recipe 06 of 20 Slow-Cooker White Bean Soup Lennart Weibull 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. View Recipe 07 of 20 Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie Kate Mathis 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. View Recipe 08 of 20 Crispy Lemon Parmesan Eggplant Chris Simpson 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. View Recipe 09 of 20 Turkey and Mushroom Bolognese Chris Simpson 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. View Recipe 10 of 20 Cauliflower Crust Pizza Margherita Bryan Gardner 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. View Recipe 11 of 20 Brussels-Sprout Tacos Lennart Weibull 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. View Recipe 12 of 20 Saffron Chicken Noodle Soup Gentl and Hyers 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. View Recipe 13 of 20 Broccoli-and-Chickpea Parmesan Johnny Miller 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. View Recipe 14 of 20 Weeknight Vegetarian Chili Con Poulos 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. View Recipe 15 of 20 Wild Salmon With Edamame Cauliflower Rice Kate Mathis 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. View Recipe 16 of 20 Test Kitchen's Favorite Tomato Soup Sidney Bensimon 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. View Recipe 17 of 20 Tuna Noodle Casserole With Cauliflower Linda Pugliese 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. View Recipe 18 of 20 Lentil Soup With Crispy Kale Armando Rafael 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. View Recipe 19 of 20 Cheesy Stovetop Barley and Swiss Chard Nico Schinco 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. View Recipe 20 of 20 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. View Recipe Updated by Riley Wofford Riley Wofford Riley is an associate food editor for Martha Stewart Living. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit