Top 5 Comfort Food Recipes For Your Next Cozy Night In
Comfort food is my jam, there is absolutely no doubt about it. I imagine a lot of people feel this way about comfort food because, well, how could it be comforting otherwise?
We veer towards what makes us comfortable, what makes us feel like home. For me, it’s my grandmother’s home-cooking and I can’t imagine I’m alone in this. Grandmothers are, among other things, the godmothers of comfort food and home-cooking. Thus, below I’ve shared some of my top comfort food recipes to make you feel like your back in your grandmother’s kitchen, wherever you may be.
1. Ooey Gooey Mac and Cheese
I am a hardcore Mac and Cheese lover. Any chance I get, I will have this ooey-gooey dish of deliciousness. And when I had to think about comfort food recipes to compile for this list, I knew Mac and Cheese had to be high up on my list. This Real Stovetop Mac and Cheese (photo below) recipe from Cookie and Kate, a favorite recipe/food blog of mine, pays homage to your childhood macaroni and cheese recipe but made with real, feel-good ingredients.
Kate gives an extensive list of tips and techniques, along with alternatives to make this dish to your liking. This recipe calls for mustard, garlic, and onion powders, as well as a dash of cayenne pepper, to really give the pasta some flavor. That’s something I really appreciate because it puts a spin on a traditional homecooked dish. The total prep and cooking time is 20 minutes, so it’s an easy recipe that you can throw together when you’re in some serious need of comfort food.
2. Cheeseburger Casserole
I love my cheese, what can I say. This Cheeseburger Casserole (pictured below) recipe from Gimme Delicious combines two seriously epic comfort food recipes into one, making it a better tasting Hamburger Helper-style dish from your childhood — and maybe even healthier because it’s entirely homemade.
This recipe is also a quick one to make, totaling 20 minutes from start to finish! This dish is also a great one to store in your fridge for leftovers (mmmm comfort food leftovers, yes please!), ensuring that your dollar stretches as far and wide as possible.
3. Lasagna
I love a good ole large pan dish to ensure I have leftovers for the next day or two. Now this recipe (photo below) from Cookie and Kate (I just love her recipes okay??) is a vegetarian lasagna. Dense in nutrients and packed with veggies, such as spinach, zucchini, and roasted red pepper, actually make this a healthier comfort food recipe than your traditional bolognese lasagna. Did you ever think there was such a thing?!
I would recommend attempting this comfort food recipe when you have a lot of time on your hands because it is more laborious than the other two recipes, taking about an hour to make. This is a great recipe for those who love to be in the kitchen and enjoy the process of making and baking as much as eating your food!
4. Mashed Potatoes
Well, I didn’t say all comfort foods were the healthiest, did I? That’s what makes it comfort food. It’s hearty and tastes just like how your grandma makes it. Ali, from Gimme Some Oven, shared what she deems the BEST Mashed Potato recipe (photo below) ever. I must say it looks mighty delicious. Perfect for Thanksgiving or one of those days where you really need some comfort food, this recipe is indulgent but, oh so satisfying when you need it most.
I also love that Ali includes possible variations that you can integrate into your rendition of this recipe, such as making your mashed potatoes vegan, replacing russet potatoes with either sweet or red, or putting a little extra touch of garlic to make them extra garlicky. This comfort food recipe is a good one for any day and one that I imagine you’ll want to keep bookmarked on your computer.
5. Chicken Pot Pie
A classic at every dinner table, chicken pot pie is definitely a comfort food recipe that has been adapted in many ways and can be made more mindfully and healthily. Erin’s Healthy Chicken Pot Pie recipe (photo below) from Well Plated by Erin is a nutrient-dense and veggie-packed, ensuring that you get the comfort food kick you crave without the serious carbs. There are mushrooms, carrots, peas, and pearl onions, to name a few, that make up this culmination of divine comfort.
This recipe also calls for Unsweetened Almond Milk instead of dairy milk for those lactose intolerant or those who prefer alternative milk. What’s also beautiful about Erin’s recipe is that you can actually make either one large chicken pot pie dish or bake your pies individually in little ramekin dishes. How cute is that!?
