We all have that one comfort food dish that reminds us of home. I had two. 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, as we’re all in hibernation and bulking up guilt-free, 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 40 degrees outside? Or how about a bowl filled to the brim with warm chicken corn chowder? Ugh, our stomachs are growling just thinking about it.
Ahead, we’ve gathered the best comfort food recipes guaranteed to get you through the winter.
Bolognese mac & cheese
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.
3-cheese everything spice grilled cheese
Don’t skimp on the butter, the everything spice or the grated cheese when making this gloriously sinful grilled cheese sandwich. Half Baked Harvest manages to take it one step further, embracing a variety of cheeses, including sharp cheddar, Parmesan and your choice of either Havarti or fontina.
Chili
Dubbed “the best chili recipe,” The Food Charlatan has combined tender shredded beef and Mexican masa harina, a very finely ground corn flour, and created a simultaneously refined yet down-to-earth pot of chili garnished with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, finely chopped onions, chopped cilantro and tortilla chips.
Swedish meatballs
It doesn’t get more authentic than this. This Swedish meatball recipe from Cafe Delites was passed down from a Swedish grandmother to her granddaughter.
These meatballs are made with a mixture of minced ground beef and pork, and although traditionally, they aren’t served with a creamy gravy sauce, Cafe Delites still added the recipe for sauce because, let’s be honest, no one can resist gravy-soaked meatballs.
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.
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.
Chicken & dumplings
Fluffy dumplings and moist chicken swimming in a flavorful broth: We couldn’t think of a better way to warm ourselves up. The Hopeless Housewife highly recommends using a Le Creuset Dutch oven for this recipe.
Biscuits & gravy breakfast skillet
Everyone knows that when it comes to biscuits and gravy, the gravy makes the dish. While Wife Mama Foodie’s 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Source: Read Full Article