What to Cook This December
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
December has arrived quicker than ever! Thanksgiving already feels like ages ago, and the lights on our Christmas tree are brightening this dreary day. Grace is having a ball moving the ornaments all over the house!
Below, you’ll find a collection of healthy recipes to carry us through December and the holiday season. Cooking with fresh, seasonal produce is generally more delicious and more affordable, so it’s a true win-win.
If you’re shopping for an easy gift, I hear that my cookbook makes a great one. It’s on sale for about $17 at Target (online only) and Amazon right now, and it’s also now available in a cool spiral-bound format that lays flat. Stay well, eat well, and happy holidays!
Apples
Simple Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
Gluten free and easily vegan (see recipe notes)
“Amazing recipe (as always!!). I followed exactly, including the 2 tbsp of water and 2 whisky (Canada) as per recommendations. I used Courtland apples and also added the Greek yogurt to the topping which I have never done in a crumble and it was amazing. Honestly best crumble hands down (GF or otherwise!)” – Giselle
Beets
Colorful Beet Salad with Carrot, Quinoa & Spinach
Gluten free and vegan
“This could be THE best salad I have ever made. I have a vegan friend who I am always trying to find interesting recipes for and she also loved it. I made it exactly as per your recipe apart from adding a mixture of toasted almond flakes and pumpkins seeds.” – Heather
Broccoli
Vegan Mac and Cheese
Easily gluten free, and vegan
“My super picky daughter even had seconds! I thought this was very good, and definitely the best “cheese” I’ve had. I usually steer clear of nutritional yeast based cheese sauce, but I pretty much love everything I’ve made from your blog, so I gave it a try. Served with your recipe of Apple Kohlrabi salad, and was a lovely meal!” – Sarah
Brussels Sprouts
Coconut Rice with Brussels Sprouts from The Love and Lemons Cookbook
Gluten free and vegan
“Made this for dinner last night and it was wonderful! I can hardly wait for my Love and Lemons cookbook to arrive tomorrow. Thank you again” – Luann
More Brussels sprout recipes »
Cabbage
Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowls
Gluten free and vegan
“I just had a Mexican fiesta in my mouth without any of the guilt. So easy and my family thought it looked so gourmet – thanks Kate. I have shared the recipe with foodie friends to try – I am making one recipe a week from your site for 2016 and so far -ROCK STAR hits.” – Terri
Carrots
Creamy Thai Carrot Sweet Potato Soup
Gluten free and vegan
“Today was our first cool day for the season. When I stepped outside for my morning walk I knew I would be making this soup for dinner. It was so good. Thanks so much for choosing to share this tasty recipe. I can’t wait to get Angela’s new cookbook.” – Cathy
Citrus fruits
Honey Lemon Curd
Gluten free
“It turned out just perfect! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!” – Yelena
More lemon recipes » (also grapefruit, orange, lime and clementine)
Hardy greens (arugula,
chard, collard greens & spinach)
Herbed Quinoa & Chickpea Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
Gluten free and easily vegan
“I have made this twice already since you posted it, Kate. A great combination of flavors, especially with the parsley and cilantro together. This will certainly be going into our regular repertoire.” – Sophie
Kale
Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans)
Potentially gluten free and vegan
“Literally one of the best recipes ever! I’ve made this numerous times over the past few weeks as the weather has started to turn colder. It’s so delicious!!! Thanks for sharing!” – Lauren
Pomegranate
Pomegranate & Pear Green Salad with Ginger Dressing
Gluten-free and easily vegan
“This was the best looking salad I’ve ever made, and the taste lived up to the appearance. I loved how bright and fresh it was, and the ginger dressing added just the right amount of zing and pulled everything together. This was literally the centerpiece of my Christmas dinner table, and everyone loved it!” – Josh
Potatoes
Roasted Breakfast Potatoes
Gluten-free and vegan
“I’ve made these at least a half a dozen times! My husband, the potato enthusiast, loves them. Super easy and cooks up nice and crispy while I make our eggs. No more staring at the potatoes in the skillet and praying they don’t stick. Thanks, Kate!” – Heather
Radishes
Lemony Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Radish and Herbs
Vegan and gluten free
“Hi again! Thanks so much for this one! I made it for my husband and I and we loved it so much we made it for a recent housewarming and everyone went wild… Sent this one to a few guests who had requested a copy! Thanks!” — Krystal
Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole
Gluten free and potentially vegan
“The Roasted vegetable enchiladas were delicious! Even family members who claim to not be fans of veggies ate this and had seconds. Score one for plant based goodness!!” – Erin
Winter Squash
Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos
Easily gluten free and vegan
“Made these along with your Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos. We kinda mixed and matched all the toppings. It was all amazing. This will be our new family favorite. Taco night will never be the same:)
Thanks for the wonderful recipes.” – Debbie
More butternut squash recipes » (also acorn squash and delicata squash)
Don’t forget to tag your Instagram recipe photos #cookieandkate so we can all see them! If you’re looking for an ingredient that didn’t make the list, check my ingredient index for relevant recipes.
More resources you might appreciate: 23 make-ahead breakfast recipes, 45 recipes that pack well for lunch, and 20 simple weeknight dinners. You can shop my essential kitchen equipment here. Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest for a steady stream of recipe inspiration!
Kate – don’t know where to start — all these recipes look so good and are good for you which we need especially this time of year and this year in general! Love the pix of Cookie.
Happy and safe holidays!
Thank you, Jill! You as well.
Rock on Cookie! Xxxooo
Thank you, Tracy!
I made the creamy Thai sweet potato and carrot soup and the pasta e fagioli yesterday to meal prep for the week, and we ended up having a “soup sampler” dinner and ate a little bit of both! I told my fiancé that I was testing out a new (to me!) food blog by making those recipes, and after that delicious dinner we declared ourselves Cookie and Kate fans! Looking forward to exploring more wonderful recipes here! :)
I am very pleased with your book Love Real Food. I have only had it a short time but enjoying reading it and trying some of the recepies. I find it easy to follow and interesting to read. Photos are a great addition and helpful. Thank you Kate for a really good cookery book.
Thank you so much for purchasing my book and letting me know how much you enjoy it! I appreciate your support, Susan.
Your recipes have transformed my cooking! I am continually delighted with each new recipe I try out. I love the way you use herbs and spices in ways I’ve never tried before with delicious ( and healthy) results.
Thank you for your wonderful book and really looking forward to the next one!
Belated response as I’m catching up with email, but OMG! Remission! Absolutely fantastic news. Woohoo!
I’m so happy to hear Grace and Cookie are doing well! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thank you for always providing us with incredibly delicious and healthy meal ideas! Your cookbook is the most dogeared and stained one in the kitchen! I get very excited to see the monthly “what to cook” e-mails arrive!
Thank you so much, Dawn! Really happy to hear that you’re enjoying all the recipes I’ve created over the years, especially while I’m unable to spend much time in the kitchen. Have a wonderful day!
My baby boy was 6 lbs when he was born too! He’ll be 7 months old soon and he’s 23 lbs now! The newborn phase was hard for me – I definitely didn’t love every moment. But those days are precious even still, and the hardest days are already fading in my mind. I’m loving the baby stage now for sure! Lots of fruits and veggies and cute baby giggles! You’re doing great, mama Kate. Sending lots of love to your beautiful family! ❤️
Wow! It’s truly mind-boggling how fast they grow. She’s just three months now and filling out the 3-6 months size way too fast. Thank you for reminding me of all the goodness to come! The smiles are filling me up and I bet the giggles are even better. :) Happy holidays to you and your family!
I love seeing your “what to cook” posts too. And I’m SO happy that your entire family is thriving. We had your Butternut Squash soup two days ago and it is YUMMY. I will be making that often.
Thank you so much, Carolyn. It’s such a sweet time. Wish I could have that soup for lunch!! So glad you enjoyed it.
Hi Kate, so glad to hear that Cookie is doing well. Such a sweetheart!
Thank you, Gail!
Kate! I missed the original post about Grace in October…congratulations!!! She’s beeeaauuutiful!!!!! She has no idea how lucky she is having such a great chef for a mom! Also sending love and healthy thoughts Cookie’s way. Xoxoxo
Thank you so much, Andrea! Grace is snoozing on me as I type. Really looking forward to introducing her to all our favorite foods! Happy holidays to you. :)
I was wondering recently how Cookie is doing, I am glad she is fighting and defying the odds as you say! Give her a treat from me! :)
Thank you, Franziska! Will do!
Wow! Oh my goodness the recipes are fantastic! Lol, I have tried all the December recipes! I love this website! Where have you been all my life! You are going to make me a star in my own kitchen! Thank you! My family thanks you!
You’re welcome, Ace! I’m glad you enjoyed the list. Be sure to comment on what you like!
Congratulations- just seeing the baby news now and I’m sure that your life is unbelievably busy (and hopefully fun!)! Best of luck with Cookie (I’m sure that you are being incredibly thoughtful with your care) and hope that your winter is fun and bright!
Thank you, Meghan!
Good morning from Victoria, BC. I LOVE your recipes SO much. They are the favourites in our home. I heard about you from a 100 year old neighbour’s great grand-daughter-in-law who was visiting from Nelson, BC. She told me about your recipes and I love them. My husband and I been vegetarian for 3 or 4 years now. Your recipes are our very favourite go-to’s. I print them from them from your blogs but we need to get your cookbook too. I had to write because I just read your post about your baby girl, Grace, and you said, “Can you tell I’m crying” because you are overwhelmed with so much love. Well I am 66 with a 28 year old son who lives 30 mins away. Just spoke to him this morning before he started work. Adam is such a sweet man to all and wonderful son. When I read in your post, “Can you tell I’m crying”, I wept instantly because the love for my grown-up child is so deep and is so profound that tears just flow. You know the saying “go with the flow”…it takes on a whole new meaning when you’re a mom! Thanks for all the joy of cooking and eating sumptuous healthy meals that you have given us :) Merry Christmas to you and your family, your new baby, Grace and to Cookie! Wishing you and your family good health, much happiness and many years of blogging :)
What a lovely comment to read on a Monday! Thank you, Kerry. I appreciate your comment.
Regarding Cookie’s lymphoma, consider giving her a dose of fenbendazole (Safeguard or Panacur) periodically. Fenbendazole is used as a dewormer, but it also has been found to help with cancer, although it hasn’t been researched thoroughly. Best wishes.
Happy Holidays Kate! Longtime reader and huge fan of your site and recipes. No need to apologize to the critics here of late on lack of new content. You have always been so honest about your process, made amazing videos and been a positive proponent for all things healthy and delicious. I will be making your Lentil Soup this weekend and wishing you health from California. Cheers!
Thanks so much for your kind words! That lentil soup is still my favorite. :) Happy holidays from Kansas City!
Oh, the squash tacos! My son and I have made these several times already. And he, who is wary of trying to cook, used the leftovers to invite friends over when I was out of town. Everyone loves the squash tacos! We ran out of cilantro, but it was OK and he added some cortija cheese to the mix.
Funny enough, my cooking went up a notch during the Covid shutdown…and eventually I realized most of the recipes I loved were yours! So now I just follow you around seeking cooking wisdom. And you never fail me. :D