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.
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Roasted Beets with Orange and Crème Fraîche
Crispy Smashed Za'atar Potatoes
Braised Red Cabbage
Adding a grated russet potato to this braise helps to temper the sour sweetness of the cabbage. Get the recipe for Braised Red Cabbage »
"Creamed"Collard Greens with Peanut Butter and Chile
Root Vegetable and Quinoa Salad with Pickled Sunchokes
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Shaved Carrot Tart with Ricotta
Braised Turnip Greens
There’s no shortage of greens you can cook, but the Memphis BBQ Company goes for turnips. The vegetables grow wild in the Mississippi Delta, and the greens can be cooked just like collards. Cube up the turnip roots for a full side dish. Get the recipe for Braised Turnip Greens »
Homemade Pasta With Spicy Cabbage and Bacon
Cabbage is a staple vegetable in Slovenia; here it is wilted in bacon fat and spiced with cayenne before being tossed with homemade noodle dough for this traditional pasta dish. Get the recipe for Homemade Pasta With Spicy Cabbage and Bacon »
Endive and Walnut Salad
With winter looming, this salad with endive, comte and walnuts is a great choice for cold weather. The recipe, adapted from Susan Herrmann Loomis’s The French Farmhouse Cookbook, is from a cook in the town of Vinay, where walnuts are produced. The crisp and bright salad is made heartier by the addition of nuts and cheese. Get the recipe for Endive and Walnut Salad »
Tahini-Beet Dip
Tahini’s nutty, luxurious properties don’t stop at hummus. Keep the sesame paste flowing with this bright red purée of boiled beets, lemon, and garlic. Get the recipe for Tahini-Beet Dip »
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Tricolore Salad with Grapefruit Saba Vinaigrette
Grapefruit supremes (segments of pulp separated from the membrane) and aged balsamic vinegar brighten this classic Italian salad from author Dana Bowen. Get the recipe for Tricolore Salad with Grapefruit Saba Vinaigrette »
Thai Pomelo Salad (Dtam Som Oo)
Sweet pomelo pairs beautifully with chiles, peanuts, and mint in this recipe for a classic Thai salad from Talde in Brooklyn, New York. Get the recipe for Thai Pomelo Salad (Dtam Som Oo) »
Beet and Ricotta Gnocchi with Wilted Beet Greens and Aged Balsamic
For this Piedmontese dish, a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar adds a tangy complexity.
Garlicky Skillet Greens with Ham
Roasted Winter Vegetables
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Slow-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Garlic Labneh
Cauliflower, Carrot, and Cabbage Achar (Malaysian-Style Pickle)
Sprouts, Kohlrabi, and Beet Salad with Herbed Crème Fraîche Dressing
Sprouts, Kohlrabi, and Beet Salad with Herbed Crème Fraîche Dressing
Warm Red Potato Salad
Three-Beet Salad with Orange-Yogurt Dressing
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Israeli Fried Potatoes with Kashkaval Cheese
Butternut Squash and Smoked Mozzarella Pizza
Potatoes
Combine chopped red, purple, and russet potatoes with sliced onions, herbs de provence, coarse sea salt and olive oil in a tightly sealed tinfoil packet and place on grill for thirty minutes, shaking the tinfoil packet occasionally to evenly cook. Get the recipe for Potatoes Roasted with Saffron »
Sweet Potato Fries
The pale yellow, thin-skinned sweet potato and the moister, orange-fleshed American “yam” (which is not really a yam, but another kind of sweet potato) both work well for these alternatives to conventional french fries.
Fermented Squash and Sesame Dip
“This is a nod to tahini dip, done in a way where you also get sweet and sour flavors from fresh and fermented vegetables,” Burns says. “The sesame helps emulsify, and lemon juice, garlic, and spices lend a little acid and heat.” If you have another fermented vegetable on hand, you can substitute all fresh squash and use the lacto-brine from that vegetable in place of or in addition to the lemon juice. Get the recipe for Fermented Squash and Sesame Dip »
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Armenian Stuffed Cabbage (Dolmas)
Van Valkenberg Hot Slaw
Coleslaw gets a makeover as a filling and hearty casserole that test kitchen assistant Sarah Ruth Maier grew up eating at family functions. Get the recipe for Van Valkenberg Hot Slaw »
Carrot-Tahini Dip
Don't waste your carrot tops
Roasted Carrot Salad with Burrata
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Creamed Brussels Sprouts
This creamy, savory preparation brings out Brussels sprouts’ natural sweetness. Creamed Brussels Sprouts »
Soy-Braised Kabocha Squash
Braising—with a healthy dose of soy—is one of our favorite ways to bring out the texture and flavor of winter squash.
Broiled Spaghetti Squash with Walnut-Miso Glaze
It’s rare that we encounter spaghetti squash not shredded into its eponymous noodle-like threads. But kept intact, it reveals a beautifully yielding texture and a savory, subtle flavor that’s perfectly offset by a rich walnut-miso glaze.
Mashed Yams with Lime and Honey
Creamy baked yams mashed with butter, lime juice, and honey make an easy, bright autumn side dish.
Sweet Potato Honey Fries with Curry-Honey Sauce
An aromatic combination of spices elevate the humble sweet potato oven fry to something truly special. Get the recipe for Sweet Potato Honey Fries with Curry-Honey Sauce »
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Cumin-Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Toasted cumin seeds, mint, and lime juice intensify the sweetness of simple baked root vegetables. Get the recipe for Cumin-Roasted Carrots and Parsnips»
Creamed Spinach with Spiced Bread Crumbs
Creamed Spinach
Shaved Cauliflower and Radicchio Salad
Lentil Salad with Beets and Pomegranate
Packed full of glowing winter produce—sweet roasted beets, tart pomegranate seeds—this lentil salad makes a colorful addition to the winter table. Get the recipe for Lentil Salad with Beets and Pomegranate »
White Bean and Lacinato Kale Soup with Smoked Ham Hock
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Smoked Trout, Rutabaga, and Microgreen Salad
Mix flaky chunks of smoked trout and roasted golden rutabaga with your choice of microgreens to add a fresh hint of early spring to this rustic salad. Get the recipe for Smoked Trout, Rutabaga, and Microgreen Salad »
Lamb and Cauliflower Stew with Harissa
For this Middle Eastern–spiced stew, cauliflower stems are minced and sautéed in the mirepoix to add flavor, while the florets are broiled and added at the end of cooking to offer crunch and body. Get the recipe for Lamb and Cauliflower Stew with Harissa »
Cauliflower and Goat Cheese Soufflés
Charred Cauliflower and Shish*to Peppers with Picada Sauce
Picada is a Catalan-style pesto, made here with almonds, parsley, and chocolate—a surprise ingredient that adds a pleasing touch of bitterness to this delicious side dish. Get the recipe for Charred Cauliflower and Shish*to Peppers with Picada Sauce »
Pappardelle with Cauliflower and Mustard Brown Butter
Pappardelle with Cauliflower and Mustard Brown Butter
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Open-Faced Lasagna with Acorn Squash and Smoked Caciocavallo
This layerless lasagna recipe from Philadelphia chef Marc Vetri uses an egg-rich dough, but store-bought fresh pasta sheets can be substituted.
Maple-Glazed Carrots
Braising carrots slowly in butter, rather than steaming or boiling them, brings out their natural sweetness. Maple syrup adds a delicate glaze and a rich flavor.
Baby Kale Salad with Pine Nuts, Parmesan, and Lemon Vinaigrette
This quick, zesty kale salad from Florida chef Jeffery Jew gets a decadent touch from rich pine nuts and ribbons of parmesan cheese.
Cracked-Wheat Porridge with Hen of the Woods Mushrooms and Turnip-Top Salsa
Cracked Wheat Porridge with Mushrooms
Cast-Iron Squash Pudding
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