Winter weather brings with it plenty of colds and flu. Although many associate symptoms like a sore throat and stuffy nose with infections, your gut can also become inflamed and irritated. When it does, you need comfort food for an upset stomach that can bring holistic relief.
What are the best easy on the stomach recipes to prepare for when the winter winds begin to blow? Here are six best dinner recipes to eliminate stomach discomfort.
1. Chicken With Wild Rice and Quinoa Stuffing
A menu teeming with whole grains is sure to yield some easy on the stomach recipes for several reasons. The next time you feel unsettled in the tummy, try putting this chicken with wild rice and quinoa stuffing on the table. Make it ahead and pickup a rotisserie bird at the grocery on the way home to save time and energy when you don’t feel well. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 stalks chopped celery
- 2 peeled and diced Granny Smith apples
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons. fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon. kosher salt
- ½ cup white wine
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth (use vegetable for a vegetarian version)
- 2 cups wild rice blend
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 ½ cups dried cranberries
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup Italian parsley
- ¼ cup fresh minced sage leaves
Saute the onion, celery, apples and garlic. Combine all ingredients in a Pyrex container and bake until firm — about an hour on average. Store in individual freezer containers for an easy weekday side.
This dish sparkles as a comfort food for upset stomach for several reasons. One, it’s high in fiber, which helps push food through your digestive tract, easing constipation. However, it also adds bulk to your stool if diarrhea plagues you. Wild rice, quinoa and Granny Smith apples contain oodles of the stuff, a winning combination to nourish your intestines.
Furthermore, it contains juicy herbs with proven healing properties. For example, thyme oil is effective against several bacterial strains that cause stomach upset. Parsley is well-known among herbalists for relieving gastrointestinal issues like bloating, indigestion, stomach cramps and nausea.
2. Vegan “Pork” and Sauerkraut
You probably don’t think about pork when you have an upset stomach — for a good reason. Although your body quickly absorbs the protein from meat, it’s overall slower to digest, slowing down your gastrointestinal tract without sufficient fiber to move it along. However, the recipe below substitutes a vegan alternative for the problematic stuff, and sauerkraut is the ideal comfort food for upset stomach, thanks to the probiotics.
- Cooking oil
- 1 jar sauerkraut
- 1 diced medium onion
- 1 peeled and diced medium apple
- 1 to 2 teaspoons whole peppercorns,
- 2 to 4 teaspoons brown sugar
- 4 vegan sausages
Cook the sausage and onion until gently brown, then add the other ingredients. Save the peppercorns and sugar for last, using them to adjust the sourness of your kraut.
Probiotics refer to beneficial bacteria that live in your intestines. They keep nasty strains in check — the kind that makes you sick. Sauerkraut contains several types that are beneficial to your gut health.
3. Chickpea Pasta With Yogurt Sauce
Pasta is comfort food and can fall into the easy on the stomach recipes category if you eliminate the tangy tomato and cheese-based sauces. Fortunately, you can look to this recipe with good-for-your-tummy yogurt as the base:
- 3 tablespoons. butter, divided into a 2 tablespoons. and 1 tablespoon. portion
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
Saute garlic in a tablespoon of butter. Mash garlic with the salt and stir into a saucepan with slightly warmed yogurt. Toss into the pasta and top with parsley. Saute the pine nuts in two tablespoons of butter and add to the dish.
Yogurt is also rich in probiotics, including the lactobacillus variety that fights intestinal bloating and gas. Garlic is antimicrobial to help kill germs that cause stomach upset, and pine nuts add richness to this dish. Using chickpea pasta instead of the regular type provides a protein punch and avoids spiking your blood sugar.
4. Miso Soup
Miso is like the chicken soup of the east — it’s something you might eat in many Asian countries when under the weather. Fortunately, the fermented base makes it a rich source of probiotics to nourish your stomach health. Finally, it’s a snap to put together when you’re sick with this recipe:
- 4 cups water or kombu dashi
- ½ cut cubed tofu
- 1 teaspoon dried wakame or dulse flakes
- 3 tablespoons miso paste
- 2 chopped spring onions
Bring the broth to a boil. Add the tofu and flakes and turn off the heat. Remove 1 cup of broth, mix the miso paste until fully dissolved and return to the broth. Garnish with spring onions and serve — with rice, if desired.
Miso is a fermented mix of soybeans and grains, making it a good source of both pre and probiotics. Prebiotics refer to fiber that nourishes the bacteria in your intestines. Seaweed — the wakame flakes — is a rich source of multiple vitamins and minerals to enhance your health.
5. Beet Goulash
You might not think of goulash as a comfort food for upset stomach. However, beets are high in fiber to nurture your digestive system. Furthermore, they contain substances called betalains with numerous anti-inflammatory properties, helping them fight infectious diseases that cause tummy upset.
This recipe is another excellent meal to make ahead and keep in the freezer for those nights when cooking is too much. Put it in the crockpot before you leave for work and come home to goodness:
- 2 large cubed beetroots
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 1 medium chopped onion
- 1 large red chopped pepper
- 8 chopped button mushrooms
- 5 tablespoon paprika
- 2 large cubed potatoes
- 1 cup dry red or white wine
- 1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup veggie stock
- 1 handful chopped fresh parsley
Toss beetroot with olive oil and caraway seeds, then place in a 180° oven to roast. In a large saucepan, saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent, adding the pepper, then the mushrooms and cook for one minute. Add the other ingredients and cook for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Turn off the heat and add the beets, allowing the mixture to set for at least an hour for the flavors to combine before freezing.
6. Roasted Apples and Fennel
What if your sweet tooth calls for dessert despite needing comfort food for upset stomach? Get slightly sweet with this recipe that combines two ingredients that nurture your gut:
- 2 Gala apples
- 1 fennel bulb
- 6 halved shallots
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Melt two tablespoons of butter and combine chopped apples, fennel and shallots, cooking until golden. Stir in the sugar and allspice, adding a touch of pepper if you like a little savory with your sweet. Place in a 425° oven and roast for 15 minutes or until soft. Toss in apple cider vinegar and one more tablespoon of butter to create a glaze, adding sugar if the mixture isn’t sweet enough for your tastes.
Apples contain pectin, a type of fiber that moves food through your system. Fennel calms your digestive tract, helping with bloating and discomfort.
Easy on the Stomach Comfort Food Recipes for an Upset Tummy
When your tummy is upset, you need easy on the stomach recipes that you can whip up in a jiffy or make ahead and freeze. What should you put in your freezer?
Line it with a few of these comfort food recipes for upset stomach. Better yet, eat these dishes anytime to nourish your gut health and prevent problems in the first place.
