Healthy comfort food? Yes, it exists. Look to traditional comfort foods in different parts of the world, where meals tend to be plant-based and rich in nutrients. Be it brothy noodle soups of East Asia, humble beans and rice of the Americas, bubbly baked side dishes of Europe, or flatbread-worthy meals of South Asia, healthy comfort food is plentiful. Here are a few of our favorite globally-inspired ways to get your healthy comfort food fix.
Ah, comfort food. Mashed potatoes. Mac and Cheese. Those simple and nostalgic foods that are known for being rich in calories and refined carbs. These days, we need all the comfort we can get. But we also need to stay healthy. Fortunately, you can get both comfort and health in the same meal.
To enjoy comfort food in a healthier way, take a globally-inspired approach to eating. The world is wonderfully full of healthy comfort food, including indulgent vegan meals and other plant-based protein comfort foods. Here are our top tips for serving up both comfort and health on the same globally-inspired plate.
Healthy Comfort Food #1: Broth & Noodles
Look to East Asia and Southeast Asia, where brothy soups and noodle bowls are the go-to healthy comfort food of choice. Warm, brothy foods are great for staying hydrated, especially when recovering from illness. And who doesn’t love noodles, a comfort food staple? On a cold day, a brothy noodle soup is a healthy comfort food must.
In their traditional forms, many of these brothy comfort food dishes are anything but plant-based. For example, Vietnamese Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is typically made with beef and fish sauce. If it’s a healthy vegan comfort food you’re after, a few key ingredients create satisfying plant-based umami bomb broths that are perfect for any number of brothy noodle soup recipes.
Need more noodle-infused healthy comfort food? Thistle’s weekly menu often features noodle bowls for dinner. Favorites include the Bulgogi Noodle Bowl. What’s more, by trying one of our meal hack suggestions, you can turn practically any noodle bowl into a tasty, brothy soup.
Mushrooms
Fungi are having a moment. Recent studies show certain varieties of mushrooms boost the immune system and decrease inflammation. You can enjoy all the health benefits and umami of mushrooms by using fresh, dried, or powdered forms as the base of the broth for a noodle soup. It’s perfect for ladling over noodles and veggies like bok choy, carrots, and green onion. You won’t miss the meat when you eat this healthy comfort food.
Miso
Take your mushroom broth noodle soup to the next level with miso. With lots of probiotics, vitamins, and nutrients, this umami bomb adds a perfectly healthy finishing touch to soup. To keep all the good bacteria of the fermented soy alive in the soup, don’t cook the miso; simply mix it in just before serving.
For more umami tips, check out our How to Make Tasty Meatless Meals for Meat Lovers post. And to further boost the health benefits of your homemade soup, we’ve got your covered in this post about healthy meals as a form of self-care.
Healthy Comfort Food #2: Beans & Rice
Across the Southern United States and Caribbean, beans and rice are a comfort food staple. In Creole cuisine, there’s red beans and dirty rice. Hoppin’ John — a Southern dish consisting of black eyed peas and rice — brings good luck in the New Year. Cuba has their famous black beans and rice. In Jamaica, you’ll find peas (kidney beans) and rice.
No matter the variety, it’s a humble and budget-friendly dish that rarely requires much modification to become a healthy vegan comfort food. Here are a few simple tips for making the already healthy comfort food of beans and rice even healthier:
Brown Rice
To up the fiber and nutrition, try making the dish with whole grain brown rice. This is a simple modification you can make to traditional beans and rice dishes that will place the humble meal firmly in the healthy comfort food camp.
Coconut Milk
Comfort food is known to be super satisfying and calorie-rich. Beans and rice may be a comforting reminder of simpler times, but the dish isn’t exactly a calorie-laden indulgence. To achieve a calorie-rich effect in a healthy way, cook your rice not just in water, but with coconut milk, too. Plant-based fats like coconut are an important part of a nutritious diet and an important component of healthy comfort food. It’s a win-win!
A Thistle subscription is a great way to regularly get your beans and rice fix. How does Chipotle Beans and Rice served with a creamy chipotle dairy-free ranch dressing sound? We also have a brand new dinner dish: Dirty Rice Bowl.
Healthy Comfort Food #3: Baked & Bubbly
You may think an indulgent European dish like a gratin (think: fancy broiled casserole) can’t be made without lots of dairy. Think again! Healthy versions of even the creamiest and cheesiest comfort foods do exist.
There are lots of different methods for making cheesy nutrient-rich dairy-free sauces. Most include some combo of cashews and nutritional yeast. Experiment in the kitchen to find a recipe you love, and make it your go-to sauce for all things creamy and cheesy.
Cashews
Picture this: a tropical nut transforms into a dairy substitute for comfort food dishes traditionally prepared continents away. Puree soaked, raw cashews with a few other ingredients to create a cheesy sauce that begs to be poured over sliced potatoes and popped into the oven.
Wondering what makes creamy and rich cashews a healthy comfort food ingredient? They’re a plant-based fat that contains stearic acid, which may help lower LDL cholesterol.
Nutritional Yeast
Weird name, right? And yes, it resembles fish food. Affectionately called “nooch” by vegans and other dairy-free aficionados, nutritional yeast is protein-rich and fortified with B12, which makes it perfect for a plant-based diet. It’s flaky, cheesy, nutty, and oh so versatile.
For all things cheesy, the perfect healthy comfort food tag-team is cashews + nutritional yeast. Together they make a craveable sauce that’s oh-so-satisfying when you need a comfort food fix.
Want more indulgent vegan meals in your life? Our above-mentioned meal hack post also has tips for turning any of Thistle’s pasta dishes into a baked and bubbly treat — healthy vegan comfort food at its most indulgent.
Healthy Comfort Food #4: Saucy & Scooped
Why use utensils when flatbread exists? Across South Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa, flatbread scoops up any number of stewy plant-based legume dishes. It’s healthy vegan comfort food with a spicy edge, and it’s delicious.
For Indian and Pakistani cuisine, there are baked breads like naan, roti, and paratha, alongside indulgent fried breads like batura and poori. Pita is front and center in the Middle East. In Ethiopia, you’ll find injera, a spongy fermented bread made with teff flour.
Gluten-free flatbread options are sometimes hard to find. Think of the conundrum as a good challenge during these stay-at-home days: learn to bake your own varieties that are free of nutritionally lacking refined wheat flour. If you’re feeling extra ambitious (and patient!), give fermented gluten-free breads a try. Here are a few to consider:
Dosa
A Southern Indian staple, dosa is a wafer thin and pleasantly crisp rice pancake that’s often wrapped around a simple potato dish. Several comfort food boxes? Checked. What makes it a healthy comfort food is this: dosa is made with a fermented batter of rice and tiny black lentils known as urad beans. It’s good for your gut and it’s full of plant-based protein.
Injera
This spongy and super pliable Ethiopian bread quickly absorbs the flavor of whatever food it’s scooping, from spicy red lentils to smoky yellow split peas. It’s made of teff flour, which has lots of vitamin C, protein, iron, and fiber. It’s a healthy comfort food superstar. And due to being fermented, it has a pleasantly sour taste.
Thistle’s weekly menu features lots of dinner dishes that instantly become a deluxe healthy comfort food when you use your homemade flatbread as a fork. Scoop up some Ethiopian Misr Wat, Chana Masala with Basmati Biryani, and Tandoori Bowl.
For comfort foods that will help you feel your best, look beyond American fare. Be it brothy soup, humble beans and rice, a bubbly plant-based casserole, or a flatbread-worthy meal, our world has a lot of healthy comfort food to offer. Use these tips to put some on your plate today.
Healthy comfort food? Yes, it exists. Look to traditional comfort foods in different parts of the world, where meals tend to be plant-based and rich in nutrients. Be it brothy noodle soups of East Asia, humble beans and rice of the Americas, bubbly baked side dishes of Europe, or flatbread-worthy meals of South Asia, healthy comfort food is plentiful. Here are a few of our favorite globally-inspired ways to get your healthy comfort food fix.
Ah, comfort food. Mashed potatoes. Mac and Cheese. Those simple and nostalgic foods that are known for being rich in calories and refined carbs. These days, we need all the comfort we can get. But we also need to stay healthy. Fortunately, you can get both comfort and health in the same meal.
To enjoy comfort food in a healthier way, take a globally-inspired approach to eating. The world is wonderfully full of healthy comfort food, including indulgent vegan meals and other plant-based protein comfort foods. Here are our top tips for serving up both comfort and health on the same globally-inspired plate.
Healthy Comfort Food #1: Broth & Noodles
Look to East Asia and Southeast Asia, where brothy soups and noodle bowls are the go-to healthy comfort food of choice. Warm, brothy foods are great for staying hydrated, especially when recovering from illness. And who doesn’t love noodles, a comfort food staple? On a cold day, a brothy noodle soup is a healthy comfort food must.
In their traditional forms, many of these brothy comfort food dishes are anything but plant-based. For example, Vietnamese Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is typically made with beef and fish sauce. If it’s a healthy vegan comfort food you’re after, a few key ingredients create satisfying plant-based umami bomb broths that are perfect for any number of brothy noodle soup recipes.
Need more noodle-infused healthy comfort food? Thistle’s weekly menu often features noodle bowls for dinner. Favorites include the Bulgogi Noodle Bowl. What’s more, by trying one of our meal hack suggestions, you can turn practically any noodle bowl into a tasty, brothy soup.
Mushrooms
Fungi are having a moment. Recent studies show certain varieties of mushrooms boost the immune system and decrease inflammation. You can enjoy all the health benefits and umami of mushrooms by using fresh, dried, or powdered forms as the base of the broth for a noodle soup. It’s perfect for ladling over noodles and veggies like bok choy, carrots, and green onion. You won’t miss the meat when you eat this healthy comfort food.
Miso
Take your mushroom broth noodle soup to the next level with miso. With lots of probiotics, vitamins, and nutrients, this umami bomb adds a perfectly healthy finishing touch to soup. To keep all the good bacteria of the fermented soy alive in the soup, don’t cook the miso; simply mix it in just before serving.
For more umami tips, check out our How to Make Tasty Meatless Meals for Meat Lovers post. And to further boost the health benefits of your homemade soup, we’ve got your covered in this post about healthy meals as a form of self-care.
Healthy Comfort Food #2: Beans & Rice
Across the Southern United States and Caribbean, beans and rice are a comfort food staple. In Creole cuisine, there’s red beans and dirty rice. Hoppin’ John — a Southern dish consisting of black eyed peas and rice — brings good luck in the New Year. Cuba has their famous black beans and rice. In Jamaica, you’ll find peas (kidney beans) and rice.
No matter the variety, it’s a humble and budget-friendly dish that rarely requires much modification to become a healthy vegan comfort food. Here are a few simple tips for making the already healthy comfort food of beans and rice even healthier:
Brown Rice
To up the fiber and nutrition, try making the dish with whole grain brown rice. This is a simple modification you can make to traditional beans and rice dishes that will place the humble meal firmly in the healthy comfort food camp.
Coconut Milk
Comfort food is known to be super satisfying and calorie-rich. Beans and rice may be a comforting reminder of simpler times, but the dish isn’t exactly a calorie-laden indulgence. To achieve a calorie-rich effect in a healthy way, cook your rice not just in water, but with coconut milk, too. Plant-based fats like coconut are an important part of a nutritious diet and an important component of healthy comfort food. It’s a win-win!
A Thistle subscription is a great way to regularly get your beans and rice fix. How does Chipotle Beans and Rice served with a creamy chipotle dairy-free ranch dressing sound? We also have a brand new dinner dish: Dirty Rice Bowl.
Healthy Comfort Food #3: Baked & Bubbly
You may think an indulgent European dish like a gratin (think: fancy broiled casserole) can’t be made without lots of dairy. Think again! Healthy versions of even the creamiest and cheesiest comfort foods do exist.
There are lots of different methods for making cheesy nutrient-rich dairy-free sauces. Most include some combo of cashews and nutritional yeast. Experiment in the kitchen to find a recipe you love, and make it your go-to sauce for all things creamy and cheesy.
Cashews
Picture this: a tropical nut transforms into a dairy substitute for comfort food dishes traditionally prepared continents away. Puree soaked, raw cashews with a few other ingredients to create a cheesy sauce that begs to be poured over sliced potatoes and popped into the oven.
Wondering what makes creamy and rich cashews a healthy comfort food ingredient? They’re a plant-based fat that contains stearic acid, which may help lower LDL cholesterol.
Nutritional Yeast
Weird name, right? And yes, it resembles fish food. Affectionately called “nooch” by vegans and other dairy-free aficionados, nutritional yeast is protein-rich and fortified with B12, which makes it perfect for a plant-based diet. It’s flaky, cheesy, nutty, and oh so versatile.
For all things cheesy, the perfect healthy comfort food tag-team is cashews + nutritional yeast. Together they make a craveable sauce that’s oh-so-satisfying when you need a comfort food fix.
Want more indulgent vegan meals in your life? Our above-mentioned meal hack post also has tips for turning any of Thistle’s pasta dishes into a baked and bubbly treat — healthy vegan comfort food at its most indulgent.
Healthy Comfort Food #4: Saucy & Scooped
Why use utensils when flatbread exists? Across South Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa, flatbread scoops up any number of stewy plant-based legume dishes. It’s healthy vegan comfort food with a spicy edge, and it’s delicious.
For Indian and Pakistani cuisine, there are baked breads like naan, roti, and paratha, alongside indulgent fried breads like batura and poori. Pita is front and center in the Middle East. In Ethiopia, you’ll find injera, a spongy fermented bread made with teff flour.
Gluten-free flatbread options are sometimes hard to find. Think of the conundrum as a good challenge during these stay-at-home days: learn to bake your own varieties that are free of nutritionally lacking refined wheat flour. If you’re feeling extra ambitious (and patient!), give fermented gluten-free breads a try. Here are a few to consider:
Dosa
A Southern Indian staple, dosa is a wafer thin and pleasantly crisp rice pancake that’s often wrapped around a simple potato dish. Several comfort food boxes? Checked. What makes it a healthy comfort food is this: dosa is made with a fermented batter of rice and tiny black lentils known as urad beans. It’s good for your gut and it’s full of plant-based protein.
Injera
This spongy and super pliable Ethiopian bread quickly absorbs the flavor of whatever food it’s scooping, from spicy red lentils to smoky yellow split peas. It’s made of teff flour, which has lots of vitamin C, protein, iron, and fiber. It’s a healthy comfort food superstar. And due to being fermented, it has a pleasantly sour taste.
Thistle’s weekly menu features lots of dinner dishes that instantly become a deluxe healthy comfort food when you use your homemade flatbread as a fork. Scoop up some Ethiopian Misr Wat, Chana Masala with Basmati Biryani, and Tandoori Bowl.
For comfort foods that will help you feel your best, look beyond American fare. Be it brothy soup, humble beans and rice, a bubbly plant-based casserole, or a flatbread-worthy meal, our world has a lot of healthy comfort food to offer. Use these tips to put some on your plate today.
