5 gut-friendly comfort foods to make this winter
Boost your digestion with our favourite gut-friendly comfort foods that are perfect for cold winter nights
Winter is the season for cooking cosy comfort foods at home, but if it was a New Year's resolution to be more conscious of your gut health, these recipes are here to help. From adding extra fermented ingredients to upping the fibre or veg, these comfort foods are all gut-friendly and perfect for cold winter nights.
For more like this, check out our gut-friendly vegan recipes and our budget comfort food guide.
1. Spicy chickpea stew
Make a filling meal that encourages healthy gut bacteria with this chickpea and cauliflower stew. A valuable plant-based protein, chickpeas are full of fibre and a great way to bulk out a veggie meal – here they're simmered with peppers and fragrant spices. Serve over the herby couscous for a warming winter dinner.
Discover more chickpea recipes to use this nutritious storecupboard staple.
2. Fragrant spiced chicken with banana sambal
Serve with the fruity sambal for extra plant foods and brown rice for a high-fibre side.
3. Miso & butternut soup
Curl up with a bowl of this cosy soup on cold nights or for an easy gut-friendly lunch. It delivers all five of your five-a-day in one go, including vitamin-dense butternut squash and kale. The soup is blitzed until silky smooth and sesame-dressed kale adds some crunch on top. Miso paste (made from fermented soybeans) contains millions of beneficial bacteria, which support a healthy gut and good digestion, as well as adding umami depth of flavour.
Got a jar of miso paste to use up? Check out all our miso recipes for ideas, from noodle salad to steak and pancakes.
4. Sweet potato shepherds pie
Shepherds pie is a winter classic, but this equally comforting version has been given a healthy makeover. Vibrant sweet potato is used for the fluffy topping and lean lamb mince underneath is bulked out with lentils (fibre promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria) and swede for an easy way to get extra veg into a family favourite.
See more healthy family meal ideas, including curries, stir-fries, traybakes and more.
5. Kimchi jjigae
Fermented foods are great for gut health and tangy kimchi is the star of the show in this Korean stew. A popular comfort food in Korea, it's spicy, warming and can easily be customised to suit your favourite flavours – try swapping the pork belly for tinned tuna or adding extra veg that need using up.
See our quick kimchi recipe to have a go at making your own.
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