We’re heading into the season where comfort becomes a priority. Fluffy blankets, movie nights, and hot chocolate are a great foundation for upping the comfort level in your home. But to take it to the next level, your kitchen needs to pumping out some food classics.
If it’s stew you’re after, check out our listicle of stew recipes for enough stew to last you the winter. Chicken is another comfort food staple, and we have a listicle for winter chicken recipes too. And we’re not done yet, because below you’ll find 12 comfort food recipes to keep you seriously toasty this winter.
Table of Contents
1. Creamy Mushroom Soup
When I think about comfort food, the first thing that comes to mind is soup. And what’s more comforting than a creamy mushroom soup? The addition of garlic and rosemary adds some heartwarming herbal flavors to this classic soup dish. Serve it as a starter, or add a slice of crusty bread to make it a complete meal. You can easily modify this recipe to make it vegan or gluten-free.
2. Pastitsio
Pastitsio used to be a regular feature on the menu when I was growing up, and I’ve only just discovered that it’s a Greek dish. You learn something every day, especially with Backyard Boss in your life. Something I knew along, however, is that pastitsio is one of my favorite comfort foods. This hearty lamb bolognese filling is topped with penne pasta and baked in the oven. The complex flavors and satisfying meat filling is sure to up the comfort levels in your home.
3. Butternut Lasagna (vegetarian)
Sticking with the baking theme, here’s a baked dish the vegetarians in your family can get behind. This butternut lasagna recipe uses butternut instead of bolognese and adds wild mushrooms and sage for a true taste of the seasons. This dish can be made ahead of the meal preppers and can be made vegan too.
4. Chicken Casserole
No comfort food list is complete without a chicken casserole recipe. This chicken and wild rice casserole recipe take inspiration from a soup with the same ingredients, only they’ve been tweaked a bit to become a casserole. The crunchy croutons on top add a lovely texture to this delicious dish.
5. Chicken Pot Pie
While we’re on the topic of comfort food classics, check out this chicken pot pie recipe. Once you’ve made this comfort staple at home, you’ll never go back to store-bought. The double layer of flaky pie crust is filled with a bunch of vegetables cooked in a creamy and rich sauce. As if you need another reason to try this recipe, this is a great dish to cook ahead for those days when you need a meal in a pinch.
6. Apple Pork Chops
Apple and pork are a classic combination. For extra seasonal vibes, this apple pork chops recipe simmers the tender pork chops in an apple cider sauce to elevate the fall flavors. This recipe is quick and easy to whip up for a weeknight dinner for the family but will also hold its own when you have guests for a dinner party.
7. Mississippi Pot Roast
How do you make comfort food even cozier? Make your whole house smell delicious for hours while the food is cooking. When you have this Mississippi Pot Roast bubbling away in your crockpot, that’s exactly what will happen. This 5 ingredient recipe has an amazing depth of flavor and light on labor. The recipe calls for a crockpot, but you could also roast it in a dish in the oven under some aluminum foil. Here’s an easy way to impress your family for a weeknight dinner.
8. Homemade Pizza Party
You might find this surprising, but pizza is considered the most popular comfort food in the United States. Why not make a party out of it with this homemade pizza recipe? Your kids will love rolling their dough on the dinner table and customizing their pizzas. Nothing is more comforting than a fun night at home with your family.
9. Spaghetti And Meatballs
This classic meal is one of those quick and easy weeknight meals that’s always a winner. This dish is highly customizable, and you can easily substitute many of the ingredients for whatever you have in your pantry or fridge. This spaghetti and meatballs recipe browns the meatballs on a sheet pan in the oven rather than fried on the stovetop.
10. Cheese Grits
Grits might be one of the easiest and most comforting dishes to make. While grits are usually served as a side, nobody will judge you for eating grits as a yummy meal, especially when you follow this cheese grits recipe. The colder months are all about eating food that will warm you up from the inside, something grits excel at.
11. Apple Pie
While the main course might be the star of the show, dessert is what people are looking forward to. And when it comes to dessert to accompany a comforting meal, you can’t go wrong with this apple pie recipe. This particular recipe adds a couple of steps to avoid the common pie pitfalls of a soggy crust and a waterlogged filling. “Easy as pie” will be a common saying in your house, with this recipe in your cookbook.
12. Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding
When you can’t decide what to make for dessert, why not combine two winter classics for the coziest dessert your house has ever seen? The pumpkin pie filling brings the classic flavors of the season to this spin on a classic bread pudding. This pumpkin pie bread pudding is served with fresh cream or your favorite ice cream. Yum.
Last Call
There you have it, 12 classic comfort food recipes to get you and your family through the colder months. There’s a bit of variety on the list but they all meet the same criteria; hearty, wholesome, seasonal meals to keep you cosy this winter. There are even a few desserts thrown in to satisfy those with a sweet tooth.
What do you think? Let us know which of these recipes you’ve tried in the comments below. Or share this with a friend that you’ll have around for dinner sometime this fall or winter.