4 Healthy Fall Comfort Food Recipes

Along with crisp temperatures, one of the best things about the fall season is the warm, rich comfort food that touches and soothes our stomachs and souls. With that being said, what’s better than a great dish, without the guilt?

I’ve plunged into the food blogosphere and gathered some of the best healthy and easy comfort food recipes for you to throw together for you and the family. Excess fat and calories aren’t needed in the coming months, (no excuses), but it’s still winter, and that means comfort food still rules. Check these out and let us know what you think!

Zucchini Noodles with Mini Chicken Feta and Spinach Meatballs

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled, plus extra for topping
1 pound lean ground chicken
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 to 1/2 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons fresh oregano, plus extra for sprinkling
2 medium zucchini squash, spiralized
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
pinch red pepper flakes
1 lemon, juiced

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In your food processor, combine the spinach and garlic and pulse until small pieces remain. You don’t want it completely pureed, but you want it to look as if the spinach is chopped. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add half of the feta (2 ounces), pulsing again just a few times.

In a bowl, mix together the chicken, egg, Worcestershire, spinach mixture, salt, pepper, oregano, and 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs with your hands until just combined. If it feels too wet and is difficult to shape into balls, add a touch more breadcrumbs and mix. Add in the remaining feta cheese and mix. Form into 30 or so mini meatballs, about 1/2 inch in diameter. Place on the parchment and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.

While the meatballs are cooking, spiralize the zucchini into noodles. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add olive oil and butter. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the lemon juice. Add the zoodles and toss well to coat. Cook until the noodles are softened slightly, tossing often, for about 5 to 6 minutes.

Serve the meatballs on a bed of zoodles. Top with extra feta and fresh oregano.

Butternut Squash Risotto

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian)
1 cup butternut squash puree
1 tsp butter or olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup shallots, chopped
1 cup arborio rice
2 oz dry white wine
1 tbsp fresh sage, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
2 cups fresh baby arugula, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan, heat broth andbutternut squash puree over medium-high heat. When it boils, reduce heat to a simmer and maintain over low heat, taste for salt and adjust as needed.

In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, heat oil or butter until melted. Add shallots, garlic, and rice; saute until the rice is well coated with oil or butter, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and sage and stir until it is absorbed.

Add a ladleful of the simmering stock; wait until it is absorbed before adding another ladleful stirring gently and almost constantly. Stirring loosens the starch molecules from the outside of the rice grains into the surrounding liquid, creating a smooth creamy-textured liquid.

Continue this process until the rice is creamy, tender to the bite, but slightly firm in the center and all the stock is used (about 25-30 minutes from the time you started).

When all the liquid is absorbed, stir in the grated cheese and remove from heat. Serve immediately and top with baby arugula and extra grated cheese if desired.

Vegetarian Chili

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 teaspoon salt
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 (15 ounces or 400 grams) small cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounces or 400 grams) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounces or 400 grams) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups water or veggie stock
1 tablespoon liquid smoke (optional)
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped + more for garnishing
1 to 2 teaspoons lime juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste

Optional Garnishes

more cilantro
sour cream
cheese
avocado
tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS:

In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and salt. Stir to combine and then cook until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the veggies from burning to the bottom of the pot.

Add the crushed garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika. Cook for another minute stirring constantly to combine.

Add the diced tomatoes and their juices, the drained beans, vegetable broth (or water), liquid smoke (if you are using it) and one bay leaf. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, for at least 30 minutes. Remove the chili from the heat.

Next, you're going to mash or blend the chili to get the best texture. You can do this a few different ways: You can use an immersion blender to briefly blend the chili right in the pot or you can transfer 1-2 cups of the chili to a blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can

also use a potato masher to break up some of the larger chunks.

Add the chopped cilantro and lime juice to taste. Season with additional salt and serve.

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Gnocchi

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups sweet potato puree 3 potatoes
1 cup pumpkin puree 175 g
1 egg
1 tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
1 ½ - 3 cups all-purpose flour 180-240 g, + more as needed

Sauce

¼ cup goat cheese 28 g
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt 28 g
½ clove garlic minced
1 Tbsp butter 15 g
1 Tbsp feta cheese 15 g
Drizzle honey
Pinch salt and pepper
And also
2 Tbsp olive oil 30 mL
6 or so sage leaves whole
½ clove garlic minced

DIRECTIONS:

If you’re going to make the cream sauce, get this together first. Basically, just mix all the “sauce” ingredients and we’ll get around to heating it later.

To puree sweet potatoes, prick each with a fork a few times and bake at 350 degrees F (175 C) for 45 minutes until fork tender (either directly on oven rack or on a baking sheet). Remove skin and pass potatoes through a potato ricer (best), push through a wire mesh sieve (good), or mash until smooth (it’ll do). Baking is preferred over boiling in this case.

Mix sweet potato puree, pumpkin puree, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
Add 1 ½ cup flour and mix only until flour is hydrated. If the dough is still very sticky, add flour a few spoonfuls at a time until dough can be formed into a loose ball.

Boiling a large pot of water.

Transfer dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times. Portion dough into fist-sized balls, and roll each out to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick ropes. Cut the ropes into about 1-inch pieces (though the size is really to your preference...I prefer smaller gnocchi).
Gently press one side of each gnocchi over the tines of a fork to create the classic ribbed appearance (I cheated and used a knife to form these little serrations).

Gently drop each gnocchi into the boiling water. When the gnocchi floats to the top (a few minutes), it is done! Remove with a slotted spoon and set on a dry paper towel, face-up.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add whole sage leaves and minced garlic. Cook until the sage is crisp, just a few minutes. Remove from heat and add the gnocchi, tossing to coat.

Quickly heat “sauce” ingredients in the microwave. Cook for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until sauce is hot and runny. Pour over gnocchi.

Jasmine Browley holds an MA in journalism from Columbia College Chicago, and has contributed to Ebony, Jet and MADE Magazine among others. So, clearly, she knows some stuff. Follow her digital journey @JasmineBrowley.