When the polar vortex hit and my kitchen felt like a walk-in freezer, these five warming meals kept me nourished without ever preheating the oven.
Last January, the temperature dropped to negative fifteen degrees. My old Victorian apartment, charming as it is, has drafts that make the kitchen feel like an extension of the outdoors.
Standing in front of a preheating oven for twenty minutes while my fingers went numb? Not happening.
So I got creative. I wanted meals that would warm me from the inside out, meals that felt substantial and comforting, but that I could make entirely on the stovetop or with small appliances.
What emerged was a week of eating that reminded me why I love cooking in the first place: simple ingredients, minimal fuss, maximum soul. Here are the five meals that got me through.
1) Coconut red lentil soup with warming spices
This soup became my Monday night ritual during that brutal week. Red lentils cook down into a creamy, almost velvety texture without any blending required. I sautéed onion, garlic, and ginger in a Dutch oven, then added cumin, turmeric, and a pinch of cayenne before stirring in the lentils and a can of coconut milk.
The whole thing simmered for about twenty-five minutes while I changed out of my work clothes and lit a candle. There's something meditative about stirring a pot of soup while snow falls outside your window. Have you noticed how the simplest meals often feel the most grounding?
I topped each bowl with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime. The brightness cut through the richness perfectly, and the leftovers tasted even better the next day.
2) Stovetop white bean and kale stew
I've made versions of this stew for years, but during that cold snap, I leaned into making it heartier than usual. Cannellini beans formed the base, along with diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and more garlic than any recipe would recommend. I added lacinato kale in the last few minutes so it wilted but kept some texture.
What made this version special was finishing it with a drizzle of good olive oil and a generous shower of nutritional yeast. The combination created something almost cheesy, deeply savory, and impossibly warming.
Marcus came home from a run in the freezing rain that night and ate two bowls without saying a word. Sometimes silence is the best compliment a cook can receive.
3) Instant Pot congee with crispy mushrooms
I'll admit I was skeptical about congee for years. Rice porridge sounded bland, something you'd eat when sick rather than something you'd crave. I was wrong. Congee is a blank canvas that absorbs whatever flavors you bring to it, and in an Instant Pot, it requires almost no active cooking time.
I used jasmine rice with a ratio of about one cup rice to eight cups of vegetable broth, pressure cooked for thirty minutes. While it cooked, I pan-fried sliced shiitake mushrooms until they were crispy at the edges, almost like little chips.
The toppings made everything: those crispy mushrooms, sliced scallions, a drizzle of sesame oil, and chili crisp for heat. Each bite was different depending on what my spoon picked up. It felt like self-care in a bowl.
4) Peanut noodles with whatever vegetables survived the week
By Thursday, my refrigerator looked sparse. Half a head of purple cabbage. Some sad-looking carrots. A red bell pepper past its prime. This is when peanut noodles save the day.
I whisked together peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and sriracha while rice noodles soaked in hot water. The sauce came together in minutes. I shredded the cabbage, julienned the carrots, and sliced the pepper thin, then tossed everything with the drained noodles and that glossy, spicy-sweet sauce.
No cooking required for the vegetables, which kept them crunchy and bright against the soft noodles. This is the kind of meal that reminds me that constraints often spark creativity. What's in your fridge right now that's waiting to be transformed?
5) Chickpea shakshuka, hold the eggs
Traditional shakshuka features eggs poached in spiced tomato sauce, but I've found that chickpeas work beautifully as a protein-rich, entirely plant-based alternative. The key is building a deeply flavored tomato base with cumin, paprika, and a touch of cinnamon.
I let the sauce simmer until it thickened slightly, then nestled in a drained can of chickpeas and covered the skillet to let everything meld together. Fifteen minutes later, I had a bubbling, aromatic dish that begged for crusty bread.
I ate this straight from the skillet, tearing off pieces of sourdough and dragging them through the sauce. The apartment smelled incredible for hours afterward. Sometimes the best meals are the ones that make your home feel more like a home.
Final thoughts
That week taught me something I keep relearning: comfort doesn't require complexity. Every one of these meals came together in under forty minutes, used ingredients I mostly had on hand, and left me feeling genuinely nourished rather than just fed.
When the world outside feels harsh, there's power in creating warmth from simple things. A pot of soup. A bowl of noodles. The ritual of chopping, stirring, tasting. These small acts of care add up.
What meals do you turn to when the cold feels relentless? I'd love to know what's simmering on your stovetop this winter.
