Handy Chef
When cozy season arrives, it’s the perfect time to look up some recipes for comfort food. During the chilly months, we prefer warming, hearty meals like soup, stew, and casseroles. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need comforting dishes for the rest of the year, too. Comfort food, after all, is whatever makes you feel nourished and happy.
From mac and cheese and pot pie to savory soups and indulgent desserts, this recipe roundup covers all the comfort food bases with something for everyone. Here are our favorite soothing recipes to warm your hearts and bellies whenever you need a little pick-me-up.
Decadent Mac and Cheese
Three types of cheese—Gruyère, cheddar, and American—feature in this decadent recipe, making it the ultimate creamy-dreamy comfort food dish. Instead of the traditional béchamel, it calls for a bit of evaporated milk to thicken. Prepare yourself for potluck stardom.
Crispy Honey Mustard Chicken With Fries
Fred Hardy
Reminiscent of childhood, these delicious chicken thighs promise to be better than take-out. Start by slathering honey mustard all over skin-on chicken thighs, then coat the meat with crunchy panko. The cabbage, apple, and fennel slaw add color to the meal, while frozen french fries bring the comfort.
Skillet Chicken With Grapes and Shallots
Fred Hardy
When creamy polenta is involved, the dish is bound to be warm and comforting. Cook the polenta with milk instead of water to make it extra decadent and velvety. Ready in just 40 minutes, this hearty dinner will surely fulfill that comfort food craving in no time.
Chicken and Vegetable Pot Pie
This pot pie’s velvety smooth sauce is a blend of olive oil, white wine, and milk. Make things easy for yourself by using store-bought pie crust, which bakes up golden and crispy.
Gochujang Gumbo
Gumbo is a Creole soup from Louisiana, and this untraditional variation includes gochujang—a spicy-sweet Korean chili paste. For even more flavor, top with sliced scallions and minced red Fresno chilies.
Rich French Onion Soup
This recipe has all the essentials for the flavorful, multi-textured soup you’d expect from its title: a crunchy bread topping, rich melty cheese, and wine-spiked beef broth. Make sure to purchase an extra bottle of wine to drink during the hour it takes to caramelize the onions.
Gabriella’s Pot Roast
Embrace your inner Italian with this warm, comforting pot roast. Two hours of gentle simmering results in tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef.
Slow Cooker Chicken Congee
Since ancient times, congee has been a secret weapon of traditional Chinese medicine for soothing the digestive system. This version of the popular rice porridge features a coconut-milk base flavored with garlic and ginger.
Simple Shepherd’s Pie
The “simple” in this recipe title is relative. It requires 40 minutes of prep time—making mashed potatoes and a savory beef and vegetable stew and then layering them before tossing in the oven. Fortunately, this meal is still simpler than a trip to Ireland for the real thing.
Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Think chicken pot pie meets fettuccini alfredo. For this future family favorite, start with a rotisserie chicken, make a rich, decadent cheese sauce, add cooked spaghetti, and then broil the mixture on low for just a few minutes.
Creamy One-Pot Mashed Potatoes
Our go-to mashed potato recipe comes together in a single pot with no fuss. Half-and-half, sour cream, and butter give this mash a creamy, luxurious finish. With this comfort food recipe in hand, you’re halfway to a meat-and-potatoes masterpiece.
Thai Peanut Butter Ramen
If you need comfort on the fly, this recipe’s for you. It turns store-bought ramen packages into a creamy, rich, Asian-style dish in just 20 minutes. Satisfying as is, or add a protein for a one-pot, weeknight meal.
Grandma Pie With Pepperoni and Pink Sauce
A grandma pie is simply a pizza that gets cooked on a standard baking sheet, making it easy for anyone to whip up at home. This variation includes melty mozzarella, crispy pepperoni coins, red onion, and creamy red sauce.
One Pot Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup
This rich, hearty soup packs Italian turkey sausage and pillowy potato gnocchi into every bite. Store-bought gnocchi helps it come together in only 30 minutes, but if you have 20 more to spare, consider making your own ricotta-based gnocchi.
Red Lentil Squash Soup With Lemon
This velvety red lentil soup soothes and satisfies with plenty of fresh vegetables and spices, plus a bit of harissa for heat. We promise it’s worth the extra step of transferring the soup to a blender to get a super-silky consistency.
Chicken Enchiladas in Salsa Verde
Enchiladas are comfort food at its finest. The chicken filling is rich and satisfying, while the sauce is tart, savory, and creamy. Cover the enchiladas with cheese, and you have the ideal one-dish dinner.
Classic Slow-Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
A slow cooker transforms this special-occasion-only recipe into an any-day one. It takes just 20 minutes of prep in the morning to turn a corned beef brisket into a full-bodied, satisfying evening meal the whole family will enjoy.
Parmesan Meatloaf
Meatloaf can get a bad rap, but this one is tender and rich, and requires only a handful of ingredients. To prevent dryness, opt for high-quality ground beef with a higher fat percentage.
Miso Chicken Noodle Soup With Kimchi
Linda Pugliese
This bowl of comfort takes cues from Japanese and Korean cuisines. Its chicken-based broth is infused with white miso paste, soy, and tofu cubes, and the noodles are udon or soba. Last-minute stir-ins of an egg yolk and kimchi add creaminess and a punch to each bowl.
Macaroni and Cheese With Cauliflower
This twist on mac and cheese contains (don’t tell the kids) chopped cauliflower, which adds a nutty essence. It’s topped with breadcrumbs for a nice crunch.
Baked-Potato Eggs
Fill these twice-baked potatoes with egg, Parmesan, butter, and sausage for a rich, comforting meal. These stuffed potatoes work just as well for brunch as they do for dinner.
Pizza Margherita
The ingredients are unremarkable: dough, tomato, and mozzarella. But what they add up to, topped with basil and baked until the cheese is bubbling and melty, is anything but.
Turkey Burgers With Lime Mayo
These turkey burgers are super flavorful thanks to finely minced onion and chili powder mixed into the patties. Layered with bright ingredients like lime mayonnaise, lettuce, and avocado, these burgers are balanced and satisfying.
Sausage and Sage Stuffing
Stuffing is comforting and delicious any time of year and doesn’t need to be reserved for the holidays. Infused with sausage and sage, this hearty stuffing has an Italian bent.
Three-Cheese Calzone
Three cheeses―Parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta―melt together in this oozy delight. Pre-made pizza dough makes preparing calzones at home a breeze.
Cheesy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
If you’re a salty-sweet fan, these cheesy spuds are for you. A topping of melted fontina and Parmesan is the perfect contrast to the candy-like sweet potato flesh.
Slow-Cooker Classic Beef Stew
A savory combination of beef, red wine, and thyme makes this dish worth the wait. The hands-on time for this recipe is minimal, but allow 7½ hours to let the slow cooker work its magic.
Chili for a Crowd
This hearty, lager-spiked chili is the ideal dish for a potluck, family gathering, or the big game. Full of beef, peppers, and beans, it’s flavorful and filling. Set up a chili bar so everyone can add whatever toppings they’d like.
Cheesy Baked Beans and Tomatoes
This recipe transforms basic pantry ingredients into a bubbling, pizza-like vegetarian main. Serve with crusty bread to sop everything up, and a fresh green salad to balance everything out.
Crispy Chicken Cutlets With Artichoke Dressing
What would a comfort food recipe roundup be without fried chicken? These weeknight-friendly chicken cutlets are easy to make at home, and the artichoke dressing offers a bright, briny component to the meal.
Smoky Maple Turkey
Great for the holidays or any big gathering, this make-ahead turkey is smoky and sweet, thanks to smoked paprika and maple syrup. Smeared with butter, the bird gets crispy, golden skin while its meat stays tender.
Instant Pot Beef Ragù With Pappardelle
This deeply savory beef ragù tastes like it’s been cooking all day, but it actually only cooks for about 30 minutes in an Instant Pot (on high). Serve over pappardelle, polenta, or your favorite grain.
Savory Baked Feta
A block of warm, creamy feta screams comfort food to us, and we love it in this Greek-inspired recipe with olives, oregano, and red onion. Make sure you have plenty of bread or pita crackers to scoop up every last bit.
Cheesy Potato Casserole
Potatoes + cheese + cream = comfort. As a main or a side, serve this hearty stick-to-your-ribs dish with any green vegetable to allay guilt.
Instant Pot Coconut Curry Chicken
This Indian version of comfort in a bowl is prepared in the fast lane. Thanks to the Instant Pot, this aromatic, authentic curry only tastes like it took all afternoon to make.
Classic Chicken Soup
This universal cure-all has been touted for centuries as a remedy for colds, flu, and congestion, and probably could end war and climate change if we gave it a chance. For now, it’ll suffice that it just makes us feel better, no matter what ails us.
Slow-Cooker Coffee-Braised Brisket With Potatoes and Carrots
Any recipe with “slow”, “brisket”, and “potatoes” in it automatically qualifies as comfort food. Make an extra cup of coffee in the morning to pour into the slow cooker and by dinnertime, this beefy, stew-like dish is ready.
Rainbow Paella
Paella is the quintessential comfort food of Spain. This vegan version swaps the traditional chorizo, chicken, or seafood with a “rainbow” of veggies for a lighter, yet every-bit-as-delicious, one-pot meal.
Creamy Parmesan Risotto
Serve this creamy Italian staple with just about any main dish, provided you don’t mind a side that steals the spotlight. It’s a high-maintenance dish that demands your attention while cooking, but is so worth it.
Chicken Adobo
Adobo is how Filipinos do chicken and rice. This version combines pineapple and orange juice with classic Southeast-Asian flavors, giving this classic a sweet-and-sour twist.
Grits Pudding
Sure, grits are iconic with shrimp, but for breakfast…in a pudding? Think of this new sweet-and-spicy breakfast option as a cross between Cream of Wheat and rice pudding. Top with chopped pistachios and apricots, drizzle with honey, and you have a bowl that’ll comfort you through the rest of the day.
Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
This comforting curry dish is thought to have originated in Britain by cooks who immigrated there from India, Bangladesh, or Pakistan. This version calls for simple pantry ingredients, including garam masala, and is served atop a bed of white rice garnished with a fresh cucumber-cilantro relish.
Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
An ice cream maker and five simple ingredients are all it takes to make this cold comfort classic. The recipe yields a quart—a single serving for some of us—so prepare to scale up accordingly.
PB&J Ice Cream Sandwiches
This recipe is childhood nostalgia and something you never tried before in the same bite. Overachievers can make the peanut butter cookies, jelly, and ice cream from scratch, but this recipe—which calls for store-bought—is for the rest of us who can’t wait that long.
Flourless Spiced Hot Chocolate Cake
Hot chocolate meets chocolate cake in a fudgy, spiced dessert that’s also gluten-free. Not decadent enough? Top with a dollop of homemade whipped cream.
The Best Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
Many of us think of apple pie as a fall staple, but with apples widely available year-round, there’s really no reason we can’t make this comforting dessert any time of year. Pair with ice cream or cheddar cheese to take this iconic symbol of American cuisine over the top.
Supreme Pizza
This easy-to-make recipe for supreme pizza calls for whole wheat dough, fresh mozzarella, and all the toppings. Red onion, bell pepper, pepperoni, mushrooms and more come together in one flavorful pie.
Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
Greg Dupree
Just when you thought mashed potatoes couldn’t get any better, they did. Brown butter, which adds a nutty flavor, completely elevates the classic mashed potatoes recipe. Sour cream and half-and-half tossed into the mix makes these potatoes ultra creamy and luscious.
Slow-Cooker Beef and Noodle Curry
Fred Hardy
Stew meat and sweet potatoes sit in a bath of flavor-packed curry paste, onions, and ginger until the beef is extremely juicy and tender. After six hours of hands-off cooking, you’ll dump in more curry paste, lime juice, coconut milk, basil, and salt, letting it cook for 15 more minutes before serving. Top with additional fresh basil leaves.
Sausage and Mushroom Cassoulet
Jennifer Causey
Rich, flavorful mushrooms and smoky sausage bring a richness to this weeknight dinner than will taste like it’s been on the stove for hours. White beans, thyme, and nutty Parmesan round out the flavors for a comforting home-cooked meal. Substitute plant-based sausage and you’ve got a great meatless Monday vegetarian option.
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