Our 50 Best Vegetable Recipes to Cook This Winter
Some cozy, some healthy, all downright delicious
When it comes to seasonal vegetable recipes, people tend to think about spring and summer and the bounty those seasons bring. It’s true that the colder months offer a more particular range of produce—roots, cabbages, greens, and more—but it’s easy to eat delicious in-season vegetables in the cold-weather months as well. When we spy kale, Brussels sprouts, carrots, turnips, beets, winter radishes, and more at the farmers’ market, our wheels start turning about the many ways to utilize fall and winter vegetables in sides, mains, soups and stews, and even desserts.
Kale grows starting in mid-summer, but it reaches its peak during the winter. How to cook with kale can be answered with all sorts of dishes, from pasta with crispy sausage bits to white bean soup with a smoked ham hock. Tender baby kale is delicious raw—try it in a simple salad with toasted pine nuts, parmigiano, and a lemon vinaigrette.
Sweet winter carrots are an under-appreciated ingredient. For new carrot recipes, try roasting carrots and turnips together in olive oil then dressing with toasted cumin seeds or coriander, mint, and a lime juice vinaigrette. For more idea of what to pair with carrots, think maple syrup, a buttery glaze for braising or sauteeing, or loads of fresh herbs like Italian parsley and dill. And don’t toss the carrot tops—they make a wonderful pesto to serve on pasta, atop crostini, alongside a vegetable platter, or with roasted carrots and burrata.
The mellow flavor of some cold-weather vegetables works well in a variety of preparations. For cauliflower recipes or potato recipes, turn to ideas like hearty lamb stew with harissa or delicate but filling goat cheese soufflés. Roasting either vegetable will give it a deep, caramelized flavor flavor— toss it with warm vinaigrette or serve sprinkled with capers, toasted nuts or bread crumbs, and a drizzle of mustard brown butter.
We could go on. But instead, check out some of our absolute best vegetable recipes for winter.
Homemade Pasta With Spicy Cabbage and Bacon
Tricolore Salad with Grapefruit Saba Vinaigrette
Thai Pomelo Salad (Dtam Som Oo)
Beet and Ricotta Gnocchi with Wilted Beet Greens and Aged Balsamic
Sprouts, Kohlrabi, and Beet Salad with Herbed Crème Fraîche Dressing
Fermented Squash and Sesame Dip
Broiled Spaghetti Squash with Walnut-Miso Glaze
Mashed Yams with Lime and Honey
Sweet Potato Honey Fries with Curry-Honey Sauce
Cumin-Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Lentil Salad with Beets and Pomegranate
Smoked Trout, Rutabaga, and Microgreen Salad
Lamb and Cauliflower Stew with Harissa
Charred Cauliflower and Shishito Peppers with Picada Sauce
Pappardelle with Cauliflower and Mustard Brown Butter
Open-Faced Lasagna with Acorn Squash and Smoked Caciocavallo
Baby Kale Salad with Pine Nuts, Parmesan, and Lemon Vinaigrette
Cracked-Wheat Porridge with Hen of the Woods Mushrooms and Turnip-Top Salsa