Norwegian-Style Fish Soup with Dill or Parsley
Simple, coastal, and comforting, this creamy fish soup tastes at home from Norway’s harbours to Canada’s shores. Atlantic cod, Pacific haddock, or sweet East Coast shrimp settle into a gentle dill-scented broth with tender vegetables—nourishing after a windy day by the sea and proof that humble ingredients can feel memorable.
Sage Madeleines
Light, fragrant, and a little unexpected, these savory madeleines pair the nuttiness of brown butter with the gentle pine of fresh sage. They’re elegant beside a summer soup like gazpacho, lovely with cheese and olives, and just as good warm from the tin with a sprinkle of sea salt.
Earthy Mushroom Tart
This tart brings back the memory of mushroom picking in the fall — the joy of spotting chanterelles, morels, or field mushrooms tucked away in the woods and fields. Rich, earthy mushrooms layered on crisp pastry with cream, herbs, and a splash of sherry turn simple ingredients into something elegant yet comforting. Perfect as a starter, a light lunch, or even a centerpiece for a Canadian-inspired feast, it celebrates the deep, woodsy flavours of foraged food.
Chicken Truffle Parfait
Chicken liver parfait may sound like fine dining, but in Canada it often appears in the most down-to-earth places — from Québec bistros to farmhouse kitchens. Smooth, rich, and elegant, it proves that humble ingredients can create something indulgent and memorable. This version, with a touch of truffle oil, bridges rustic comfort and sophistication, much like Canadian food culture itself.
Carrot, Ginger and Coriander Soup
Carrot soup is a true Canadian fall and winter staple — simple, comforting, and made with ingredients that store well through the colder months. On the Prairies, carrots and root vegetables were often stored in cellars to last through long winters, making soups like this both practical and essential. The sweetness of carrots pairs beautifully with the warmth of ginger and the freshness of coriander, creating a bowl that’s nourishing yet vibrant.
Butternut Squash Soup
Few dishes feel more like autumn in Canada than butternut squash soup. With its golden colour and naturally sweet flavour, it captures the harvest season — when markets overflow with pumpkins, squashes, and gourds of every kind. Roasting deepens the flavour, blending turns it velvety, and a warm bowl feels just as right at a fall table as it does on a snowy evening.
Split Pea Soup
Split pea soup is a Canadian classic, especially in Quebec, where it dates back to the 1600s with French settlers. Made from dried peas that lasted through long winters, it was often simmered with salted pork to create a hearty, nourishing meal. Thick, golden, and comforting, it remains a staple across the country — a simple soup with deep roots in Canadian history.
Tomato and Basil Soup
Few dishes are as comforting as tomato soup with grilled cheese. In Canada, this pairing is pure nostalgia — warming bowls of tomato-basil soup served alongside golden, gooey sandwiches made with chedder cheese on white bread were a childhood staple. Simple, nourishing, and endlessly adaptable, tomato soup is as welcome on a snowy afternoon as it is at a summer table made with fresh garden tomatoes.
Earls Inspired Clam Chowder
This creamy chowder, inspired by the version at Earls, is hearty, rich, and deeply comforting — the kind of bowl that feels like home on a chilly Canadian day. Made with chicken stock, potatoes, smoky bacon, and cream, it’s a versatile dish that works with or without clams. Whether served on the coast or far inland, it has become a Canadian favourite for its warmth and flavour.
White Bean and Truffle Oil Soup
This soup is proof that comfort can also be refined. Creamy white beans, puréed until velvety, form the base, while a drizzle of truffle oil adds richness and depth. It’s simple to prepare yet feels indulgent, the kind of dish you can make on a weeknight and still serve proudly at a dinner party. In Canada, beans have long been part of our agricultural history, grown across Ontario and the Prairies, making this dish a meeting point between humble crops and a touch of luxury.
Maritime-Inspired Lobster Bisque
Lobster bisque may be French in origin, but it feels right at home in Canada, where lobster suppers are a hallmark of Maritime culture. Once humble fisherman’s food, lobster has become the centrepiece of East Coast feasts and celebrations. Silky, rich, and deeply flavourful, bisque captures that spirit — simmered from shells, enriched with cream, and perfect for turning a cold winter night into something festive.
Hearty Mushroom Risotto
Risotto is the kind of dish that slows you down — demanding patience and rewarding it with creamy, comforting perfection. For me, it carries the memory of crisp Canadian autumns spent mushroom picking, baskets filled with chanterelles or morels, the forest floor alive with colour and scent. Across Canada, mushroom foraging has become both tradition and passion, from BC’s golden chanterelles to Quebec’s prized morels. This dish brings that wild bounty into the kitchen, pairing Italian technique with Canadian harvests for a bowl that feels rustic, seasonal, and deeply comforting.
Grandma’s Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and cheese was a staple at my grandma’s table — rich, creamy, and always made with Balderson cheddar, that iconic Ontario cheese with a sharp, nutty bite. She never bothered with fancy toppings or baking it in the oven; her version went straight from the pot to the plate, gooey and comforting. For us, it wasn’t just supper — it was tradition, rooted in Canadian flavour and simplicity.
Chicken and Broccoli Pasta
Some recipes just feel like home on a cold Canadian night, and this is one of them. Creamy, hearty, and quick to throw together, it was the kind of weeknight favourite that warmed the kitchen while snow fell outside. With tender chicken, bright broccoli, and that nostalgic creaminess from mushroom soup and sour cream, this dish carried many families through long winters — comfort food that proves simple can be deeply satisfying.
Mom’s Chicken Pot Pie
There’s something timeless about a golden chicken pot pie pulled from the oven, steam curling out of its flaky crust. Rooted in British cooking traditions, this dish found a natural home in Canada, where cold winters called for hearty, warming meals. In Prairie kitchens especially, farm families stretched a single chicken with garden vegetables, flour, and milk to feed a crowd. Over time, it became a staple across the country — a Sunday dinner favourite, a holiday table centerpiece, and a freezer-friendly comfort for busy nights. Creamy, filling, and nostalgic, pot pie is more than a meal — it’s a piece of Canadian kitchen history.
Creamy Butter Chicken
Butter chicken may have been born in Delhi in the 1950s, but it has found a true second home in Canada. With more than 1.8 million Canadians of South Asian heritage, the dish has become a staple in households and restaurants from Toronto’s Little India to Surrey’s vibrant Punjabi markets. Creamy, spiced, and deeply comforting, it’s the kind of dish that feels as Canadian as stew or chili — warming you from the inside out on a snowy night, shared with rice, naan, and family around the table.
Harissa Chicken and Vegetables
This dish balances warmth, colour, and spice in a way that feels perfectly at home in Canada. Harissa, a North African chili paste, has become a pantry staple in multicultural kitchens from Vancouver to Toronto. Canadians often give it a local twist — a drizzle of maple syrup for sweetness, or pepper jelly made from Prairie peppers for a distinctly regional flavour. Paired with hearty vegetables and comforting proteins like chicken or pork, this meal reflects the Canadian table: global inspiration grounded in local abundance.
Healthy Frittata - On The Go
Inspired by Spain’s tortilla de patatas, the frittata has found a home in Canadian kitchens as a quick, healthy, and adaptable dish. It’s my go-to for using up vegetables, and with a little cheese baked on top, it turns golden, hearty, and comforting. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a simple lunch — and it keeps well in the fridge for busy mornings.
Quiche Lorraine (Bacon & Cheese)
Classic French in origin, Quiche Lorraine has been warmly embraced in Canada. With crisp pastry, smoky bacon, and creamy egg filling, it’s become a favourite for brunches, family gatherings, and even school lunches packed the next day. Comforting yet elegant, it’s a dish that always feels at home on the Canadian table.
Eggs With Parmesan & Oregano
This dish takes the humble scrambled egg and gives it a Mediterranean twist — soft, creamy eggs enriched with Parmesan and scented with oregano, served with toasted sourdough, crushed tomato, and a drizzle of olive oil. In Canada, over 1,200 family-run egg farms supply fresh, local eggs to every province, proving how a simple ingredient can connect communities coast to coast — a comforting breakfast with a sun-drenched flair.