25+ Comfort Foods to Keep You At Your Coziest
Though your idea of the ideal comfort food may be different than your neighbor's, we all have those go-to dishes that ease the weight of world from our shoulders—if only for a bite. Sometimes, we look to our favorite comfort foods to connect us to a time and place that can be difficult to access otherwise. And other times, we simply need them to be a warm, soul-satisfying hug at the end of a long week or an exceptionally frigid day. Whatever the case, this collection of our favorite comfort food recipes (entailing all levels of cheesy, brothy, salty, sweet, crunchy, gooey, and beyond) should have your cravings covered.
New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce Recipe
Enjoy the best of the Big Easy with this traditional New Orleans-style bread pudding. It tastes so decadent, no one will believe it's been lightened!
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Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup Recipe
This slow cooker french onion soup is so easy and delicious, you'll never return to your stovetop ways. The slow cooker completely eliminates the stirring element of caramelizing onions. After hours in the low heat, the sliced onions will become soft and jammy with a rich, dark brown coloring—no attention necessary.
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Loaded Steakhouse Baked Potatoes
Loaded Steakhouse Baked Potatoes Recipe
Your family will flock to the kitchen when they get a whiff of these over-the-top spuds. We packed them with a bounty of spinach, plus a savory mushroom blend that would go great spooned over your favorite steak.
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Chicken Cordon Bleu Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Chicken Cordon Bleu Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Recipe
The flavors of classic cordon bleu translate delectably as a raveworthy grilled cheese. Serve with a side of wilted spinach or a salad.
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Classic Lasagna with Meat Sauce
Classic Lasagna with Meat Sauce Recipe
This simple lasagna is perfect for when you're short on time, but craving a comforting meal. Ready in just over an hour, it requires only 50 minutes of cooking in the oven.
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Beefy Bolognese over Penne Pasta
Beefy Bolognese over Penne Pasta Recipe
A meaty Bolognese needs a chance to reduce just a little as it cooks to concentrate flavors, and the Dutch oven allows for that, even with the lid on. This method also lets layers of flavors come through, as bacon, ground meat, and veggies are all browned in the same pot, then deglazed with cooking liquid.
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Chocolate-Hazelnut Brownies
Chocolate-Hazelnut Brownies Recipe
Fair warning: Our editors and test kitchen staff LOVED these gluten-free brownies. Words like "decadent" and "divine" were thrown around liberally.
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Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Once you've made your own veggie-packed pot of chicken noodle soup, you won't go back to the canned, super-salty stuff again. Plus, this wholesome dinner rings in at under $2 per serving.
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Chicken and Dumpling Casserole
Chicken and Dumpling Casserole Recipe
All of the homey comfort of classic chicken and dumplings, baked into a convenient casserole. One key tip for this cozy, low-effort supper: Don't stir!
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Million Dollar Pound Cake
Million Dollar Pound Cake Recipe
A mere 7 ingredients, all of which are common pantry staples, are all you need for to make this rich, classic pound cake recipe. And trust us, there's a good reason this is, by far, the most popular pound cake recipe on our site.
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Slow-Cooker White Chili with Turkey
Slow-Cooker White Chili with Turkey Recipe
Consider dinner covered for the day after Thanksgiving. This comforting slow cooker recipe is made with leftover turkey and will feed a full house. Cornmeal helps thicken this chili, and adds a hint of toasty corn flavor. Choose fine, rather than coarse, cornmeal for the smoothest texture.
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Korean Fried Chicken
You don't know crispy fried chicken until you've tried this Korean fried chicken. Our smitten test kitchen team even deemed this some of the best fried chicken they'd ever experienced. The secret to the chicken's incredible, light and crisp exterior comes down to two key details: the potato starch used to coat the chicken and the double-fry method (trust us on this one—it works).
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Vegetarian Pozole
Plan to put this easy and comforting vegetarian pozole on repeat all season long. The vibrant stew offers the smoky, delicately spicy, and bright flavors characteristic of traditional pozole, simply without the pork. Fresh spinach and red kidney beans add color and hearty texture, while also upping the iron and protein content of the pozole.
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Speedy Coconut-Curry Shrimp Skillet
Speedy Coconut-Curry Shrimp Skillet Recipe
These skillet shrimp noodles are super easy to make at home, but their flavor rivals something you'd get at a restaurant. It's slightly sweet from the coconut, with a mild degree of spice, and has plenty of toppings to keep things interesting, especially with the combination of flavors—but by all means, if you want to go harder with toppings, go for it.
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Apple Pie French Toast Casserole
Apple Pie French Toast Casserole Recipe
This overnight casserole could be breakfast, but it could also be bread pudding—in short, it's the perfect thing to serve on a chilly Saturday morning. Cinnamon and comforting, it's just sweet enough to be eaten as-is, but it's also nice topped with a little butter and maple syrup.
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Classic Fettuccine Alfredo
Classic Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
This homemade Alfredo sauce clings to the noodles, all without producing a starchy taste. Remove the pasta while it's still al dente, or slightly firm, and don't skip the freshly chopped parsley. Dried egg fettuccine is readily available in the pasta aisle in the grocery store—it costs a bit more, but it's worth it. The sauce will thicken once the pasta is added and removed from heat, so don't worry if it seems too thin at first.
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Easy Peach Cobbler
What could be a more perfect ending to a summertime meal than easy peach cobbler? Savor the flavors of summer with sliced fresh peaches cooking away with butter and spices. The topping can made from pantry ingredients you have on hand and peaches can easily be substituted with any fruit you have depending on the time of year. The tang of the lemon juice paired with the sweetness of the peaches is perfectly balanced with the crisp topping.
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Pecan-Breaded Pork Chops with Beer Sauce
Pecan-Breaded Pork Chops with Beer Sauce Recipe
Louisiana chef Horst Pfeifer combined dry mustard, celery salt, and pecans to create a memorable breading for pork chops. Serve them with your favorite vegetable and some crusty bread on the side for mopping up the rich, gravy-like sauce.
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Classic Pasta Carbonara
Classic Pasta Carbonara Recipe
This simple, classic carbonara recipe is the perfect dish when you need a special night in. And with this foolproof method for nailing the signature creamy sauce, you can go into the kitchen with confidence.
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The Ultimate Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookie
The Ultimate Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookie Recipe
Everybody needs a go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, and this is the one that you can rely on, time after time. Topped with flaky sea salt and bursting with bittersweet chocolate chunks, this sweet treat is not for the faint of heart. By baking them at a high temperature for a short burst of time, the exterior boasts a crisp texture and golden-brown color, while the inside remains melty, chewy and warm as ever. For the ultimate sweet deal, top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or drink it alongside a tall glass of milk.
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Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole Recipe
This creamy, crowd-pleasing casserole delivers generously on cheesy, savory flavor—but requires a fraction of the fuss of classic chicken cordon bleu. The key to this chicken cordon bleu casserole's incredible, bubbly richness is the stovetop cheese sauce made with Swiss and Gruyère. (If you have trouble finding Gruyère, simply substitute the same amount of Swiss.)
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Copycat Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pies
Copycat Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pies Recipe
Is this recipe an exact replica of Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pies? No. These are better. Rather than thin cakes, we went for oatmeal cookies that pack an almost peanut-butter-like flavor without any nuts. The crème filling completely nails what we love about the prepackaged pies, but takes things further with an almost airy, marshmallow-based consistency. If that doesn't convince you, preparing these at home is just as quick (if not faster) than a grocery run.
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Instant Pot Carolina Pulled Pork
Instant Pot Carolina Pulled Pork Recipe
Super tender pulled pork that falls apart with the brush of a fork and melts in your mouth is possible even on a weeknight, thanks to the Instant Pot. Pair it with Carolina-style barbecue sauce, which offers the perfect balance of sweetness, vinegar and spicy heat to perfectly complement the shredded meat. Make sure to brown the pork pieces well, as that give the meat a better flavor, color, and appearance. Serve with the classics: buns, slaw, pickles, onions, and any other side dishes you want. If you've got leftovers, incorporate them into your meal prep routine.
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Spaghetti and Easy Meatballs
Spaghetti and Easy Meatballs Recipe
Serve a classic Italian-inspired dish for dinner. The easy meatball method will make you skip buying store-bought meatballs for good. Whether you're serving adults or a family-friendly crew, this dish is a pitch-perfect crowd pleaser.
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Loaded Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Loaded Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole Recipe
This decadent, crowd-pleasing bake is perfect for game day or any day in between. It's best served with extra hot sauce or ranch dressing.
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Pan-Fried Beef and Scallion Dumplings
Pan-Fried Beef and Scallion Dumplings Recipe
These easy beef dumplings are an excellent use for extra-lean ground beef, and are great served as an appetizer or as a simple entree alongside a couple of vegetable sides, like Sesame-Soy Green Beans or Mixed Mushrooms with Fish Sauce.
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Whole-Grain Biscuits with Sausage Gravy and Eggs
Whole-Grain Biscuits with Sausage Gravy and Eggs Recipe
Few things say "good morning" quite like a hearty dish of biscuits and gravy. And with this whole grain twist, you can feel extra good about getting in a healthy serving of fiber.
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Basic Cheese Dip
Say hello to our best-ever basic cheese dip. So creamy, decadently cheesy, and perfectly easy to whip up at a moment's notice, this simple cheese dip recipe is the one to keep on hand to address any and every queso craving. Rich, but not too thick, our basic cheese dip makes a primo last-minute party appetizer or "something special" treat to make a weeknight meal feel a little more festive.