Comfort Food Recipes That Will Get You Through Winter

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We all have that one comfort food dish that reminds us of home. For my family, it’s lumpia, a Filipino egg roll. My Filipino mother would tightly pack a plastic container full of these irresistible rolls — packed with ground beef, water chestnuts and various other veggies — for road trips, holidays, you name it. My father, on the other hand, makes the best damn biscuits and gravy you’ve ever tasted thanks to the recipe his father, my late grandfather, passed down to him. So in our mixed-race household, we were lucky to get the best of both worlds. And we know we’re far from alone.

Comfort food has a way of transporting you back to your childhood and doing just that, comforting you. And in the winter months, comfort food almost always has a way of finding its way into our respective kitchens. Because, really, is there anything better than a creamy, heaping pile of mac ‘n’ cheese when it’s gray and 20 degrees outside? Or how about a bowl filled to the brim with warm chicken corn chowder? Our stomachs are growling just thinking about it.

Ahead, we’ve gathered the best comfort food recipes guaranteed to get you through the winter.

One Pan Chicken Sausage Orzo

Comfort food doesn’t have to take all day to cook. This one pan orzo with chicken sausage is hearty, creamy, and flavorful, and is easy enough to make on weeknights.

Get the recipe from Chef Elizabeth Reese.

Shepherd’s Pie

Cheesy mashed potatoes top this hearty Shepherd’s Pie, which is made with ground beef and pigeon peas instead of sweet peas, keeping the flavor ultra-savory. Yes, technically this would be a cottage pie since it’s not made with lamb, but in the U.S. it seems like Shepherd’s Pie is a catch-all term.

Get the recipe from Eat the Bite.

Easy Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

Ultra creamy and never dry like some baked mac and cheese recipes, this easy stove top macaroni and cheese is bound to be a family favorite. Make the simple recipe as-is, or add in broccoli and chicken for added nutrition.

Get the recipe from Just Like Granny.

Cozy Braised White Beans

Vegans deserve comfort food too! This dish of creamy braised white beans with garlic and rosemary is a warming meal to crave on cold nights, perfect for scooping up with toasted sourdough or homemade focaccia.

Get the recipe from Garlic-Head.

Baked Mostaccioli

Baked pasta is a family favorite for a reason. This dish is the perfect balance of pasta, sausage-filled tomato sauce, creamy ricotta, and melty mozzarella.

Get the recipe from The Spaghetti Sisterhood.

Baked BBQ Turkey Meatballs

Cooking With Kim.

BBQ meatballs feel like a special treat, but make them with turkey instead of beef, and you’ve got a slightly lighter take on this classic comfort food. Serve them with mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.

Get the recipe from Cooking With Kim.

Homemade Naan

Easy Indian Cookbook.

Need something to sop up the sauce in your favorite comfort food dish? Try your hand at homemade naan. This recipe for the soft flatbreads is no-knead to make the project easier.

Get the recipe from Easy Indian Cookbook.

Beef Ramen

Ramen is one of the most versatile dishes out there. You can add some leftover protein from a previous night’s dinner, use up some veggies that have been sitting in your fridge or experiment with new herbs and spices to really amp up the flavor. There really is no wrong way to make ramen but this simple beef ramen is one of our favorites because it’s the food version of a warm hug and it’s so simple to make.

Get the recipe from Pass Me Some Tasty.

Bolognese Mac & Cheese

bolognese mac and cheese — Drizzle & Dip.

Elevate your traditional mac ‘n’ cheese recipe and add rosemary, a host of other fragrant herbs, and bolognese sauce. The meat sauce in this particular recipe also calls for red wine, and you can’t go wrong with that.

Get the recipe from Drizzle & Dip.

3-Cheese Everything Bagel Grilled Cheese

Don’t skimp on the butter, the everything bagel spice, or the grated cheese when making this glorious grilled cheese sandwich. Half Baked Harvest keeps things interesting by embracing a variety of cheeses, including sharp cheddar, Parmesan and your choice of either Havarti or fontina.

Get the recipe from Half Baked Harvest.

Chili

Dubbed “the best chili recipe,” this dish combines tender shredded beef and Mexican masa harina, a very finely ground corn flour that adds flavor and thickens up the chili. This refined yet down-to-earth pot of chili is loaded with flavor, and gets garnished with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, finely chopped onions, chopped cilantro, and tortilla chips.

Get the recipe from The Food Charlatan.

Swedish Meatballs

This Swedish meatball recipe from Cafe Delites was passed down from a Swedish grandmother to her granddaughter. The meatballs are made with a mixture of minced ground beef and pork, and although they aren’t traditionally served with a creamy gravy sauce, Cafe Delites still added it to the recipe because, let’s be honest, no one can resist gravy-soaked meatballs.

Get the recipe from Cafe Delites.

Homemade Scalloped Potatoes

Looking for a tiny twist on classic scalloped potatoes? This recipe from Well Plated is lighter on the cheese, skips the béchamel sauce and uses crumbled goat cheese, slices the potatoes even thinner, and adds garlic and rosemary.

Get the recipe from Well Plated.

The “Best” Lasagna

Rich. Satisfying. Perfectly proportioned. When a lasagna is described in such a way, how can you possibly resist? Carlsbad Cravings’ meaty lasagna is loaded with three layers of pasta, creamy ricotta, homemade meat sauce and Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

Get the recipe from Carlsbad Cravings.

Biscuits & Gravy Breakfast Skillet

Everyone knows that when it comes to biscuits and gravy, the gravy makes the dish. While Wife Mama Foodie’s dairy-free recipe isn’t particularly traditional, it’s still legitimate. Her gravy recipe calls for butter, onions, mushrooms, cornstarch, almond milk, vegetable stock, sage, thyme and black pepper.

Get the recipe from Wife Mama Foodie.

Egg & Cheese Strata

If you’re more of an eggs-for-breakfast person, this delicious egg and cheese strata from Leite’s Culinaria is for you. You need to make it the night before, which ensures you’ll have the perfect lazy morning the following day.

Get the recipe from Leite’s Culinaria.

Slow Cooker Roast

Described as a “fool-proof recipe” by food blog Jo Cooks, this slow cooker roast is fall-apart tender and supported by a colorful cast of veggies and herbs. But make sure you have plenty of time to let this simmer. It takes 10 hours to cook in the slow cooker.

Get the recipe from Jo Cooks.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

This isn’t your grandmama’s chicken corn chowder recipe. It’s much more colorful — and overloaded with Mexican flavors and spice. The Recipe Critic’s recipe is so incredibly easy and quick too, as you don’t even need to cook the chicken. Simply purchase a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store, pull it apart and throw it into a large pot along with the rest of the Southwestern ingredients. In just 25 minutes, you have yourself six servings of Mexican chicken corn chowder.

Get the recipe from The Recipe Critic.

The Pioneer Woman Meatloaf

Did you also grow up eating dry, overcooked meatloaf covered in thick layer of rubbery ketchup? Then it’s time you met the Pioneer Woman’s meatloaf recipe. Wrapped in bacon, this meatloaf is made with 70 percent-lean ground beef and soft, white sandwich bread — Ree Drummond’s two secret weapons for tender, juicy, flavorful meatloaf.

Get the recipe from The Cozy Cook.

Sweet Tea Fried Chicken

Sweet and savory join forces for this fried chicken recipe by Grandbaby Cakes. The key is brining the chicken in sweet tea for 48 hours then combining it with the salty flour mixture. Perfection.

Get the recipe from Grandbaby Cakes.

A version of this article was originally published January 2020.

Before you go, check out Ina Garten’s easy weeknight dinner recipes below: