Although it’s fun to come up with creative recipes that stretch our abilities, sometimes we just want something familiar and delicious after a long week. Remember when you were a kid and mom would make our favorite foods that would lift our spirits? Although we all have our own favorites, we ll know how important comfort food can be to turn us around during hard times. With that in mind, we’ve collected some delicious and simple recipes for you to try out for yourself. With no further ado, here are the 10 best comfort food recipes we’ve found.
1. Old Fashioned Meat Loaf
Even if you haven’t made it in a long time, you probably have a fond memory of mom’s old meat loaf from some point in your life. If not, it’s never too late to start! This meat loaf recipe is incredibly simple to make and is sure to hit the spot every time. Here’s what you do.
1 teaspoon of prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon of dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 egg
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of bread crumbs
1 cup of ketchup
Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. In a side bowl, mix up your horseradish, mustard, salt and pepper and set that aside. After that, get out a big bowl and mix your ground beef, onion, egg and Worcestershire sauce. Add the small bowl in as well and mix everything up until it comes together. Put the final mixture into a loaf pan and pour ketchup over the top of it. When you’re ready, bake the entire thing uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes. When it’s done, cut into it and enjoy!
Though lasagna definitely tastes delicious, it’s often a little bit intimidating to us because there are so many steps. A good lasagna has plenty of meat, cheese, sauce and noodles in it as well—and this recipe definitely fulfills all those requirements. As it turns out, making this recipe is really not as complex as it may seem. And the outcome is delicious, so let’s get started.
8 ounces of uncooked lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
1 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup of shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan
1 24-ounce jar of pasta sauce with meat
Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees and cook your lasagna noodles according to the package instructions. After that, get out a large bowl and mix your ricotta cheese, half a cup of mozzarella and Parmesan. Drain your noodles and stir them into the cheese mix as well. After that, spread a cup of pasta sauce into a baking dish and layer half of your noodle mix on top of that with another cup of sauce. Layer in the rest of your noodle and sauce mix and sprinkle your leftover cheese on top. Cover the dish with some greased foil and bake the entire thing for 10 or 15 minutes. When it’s done, let it cool for a minute before digging in.
Though there’s virtually no end to what you can make with pasta, this recipe is really something special. If you love cheeseburgers and you want to shake up the presentation of it somewhat, this cheeseburger pasta is definitely the way to go. If you want something that’s easy to make and that your whole family will love, give this one a try.
1 package of penne pasta
1 pound of ground beef
1/4 cup of cubed butter
1/2 cup of flour
2 cups of 2% milk
1 1/4 cups of beef broth
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons of ground mustard
2 cans of drained diced tomatoes
4 chopped green onions
3 cups of shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
2/3 cup of grated Parmesan
Begin by cooking your pasta according to the instructions and draining it. After that, get out a Dutch oven and crumble your beef into it over medium heat and cook all the pink out of it. Take it out of the pan with a slotted spoon and drain the extra fat out of it. Using the same pan, melt butter in it over low heat and stir in the flour until it turns smooth. Cook it while stirring until it turns lightly brown for about two to three minutes. Whisk in your milk, broth, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Bring it all up to a boil and stir everything until it turns thick for about a minute or two. Stir in your tomatoes and bring it up to a boil before turning the heat down, simmering it and covering it for five minutes. Add your green onions, pasta and beef and heat everything through. Stir in half of your cheese as well until it melts. Sprinkle the rest of your cheese in and take it off the heat. Let it all melt and then serve!
If you’ve ever had a walking taco then you already know the idea behind this one, even if the presentation is a little different. In essence, this is a casserole dish which has plenty of crunchy, cheesy, salty flavor. Above all, it’s simple enough to make and it’s incredibly delicious—here’s how you make it.
1 pound of ground beef
1 chopped onion
2 cans of Ranch Style beans
1 bag of Fritos corn chips
2 cans of enchilada sauce
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
thinly sliced green onions
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. After that, get out a skillet and cook your beef and onion on medium heat for six to eight minutes. Keep breaking up the mix the whole time and drain the extra fat when it’s cooked. Stir in your beans as well. Keep one cup of corn chips aside before pouring the rest into a greased up baking dish. Layer your meat mix, enchilada sauce and cheese on top of it. Finish it off with the reserved chips on top and bake the whole thing uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes. Add green onions on top and serve!
Despite it’s name, chicken and dumplings isn’t really exactly what its name says. Still, it is a simple and delicious recipe that you can whip up in no time that the whole family is sure to love. If you’ve had this a lot as a kid, this recipe is sure to take you back. If you’ve never had it, now is a perfect time to start. Here’s how you do it.
Soup:
1 1/2 cups of 2% milk
1 1/2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2 1/2 cups of cooked chicken, cubed
1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Dumplings:
1 cup of biscuit mix
1/3 cup of French-fried onions, chopped
7 tablespoons of 2% milk
1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley flakes
To get started, mix together your milk, frozen veggies, cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, garlic powder and poultry seasoning. Bring the whole thing to a boil, stirring throughout. In another small bowl, mix together your biscuit mix, onions, milk and parsley until it’s all moistened. Scoop it out with a teaspoon into your stew and cook the entire thing uncovered for 10 minutes. After that, cover the pot and simmer it for 10 to 12 minutes more until the dumplings are cooked through and enjoy!
6. Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Even if you’re not sick, a well-made batch of chicken noodle soup can work wonders at any time. Although you may be attached to the simpler, Campbell’s-soup version of this classic recipe, once you try it this way you may never go back. If you were looking for something hearty that’s sure to make you feel good, this is the recipe for you.
1 tablespoon of canola oil
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
8 cups of chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
3 cups of uncooked whole wheat egg noodles
3 cups of chopped rotisserie chicken
1 tablespoon of minced fresh parsley
Begin by heating oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add in your chopped celery, carrots and onion and cook it all up, stirring everything for five to seven minutes. Next, add your broth, basil and pepper before bringing it all to a boil. Stir in your noodles and cook for an additional 12 to 14 minutes (or until the noodles are al dente). Add your chicken and parsley in as well and heat everything through and you’re done!
Although this is one that not all of us have had growing up, it’s another simple and delicious recipe that is sure to make anyone who eats it feel satisfied. If the name sounds like something you’d enjoy, then look no further and let’s get started with this one.
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup of sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup of cubed fully cooked ham
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1/4 cup of water
3/4 cup of uncooked instant rice
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan
Begin by heating some oil in a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Cook your onions and mushrooms in it until they turn soft. After that, stir in your ham, broth and water and bring it all to a boil. Stir in your rice as well before turning the heat down and letting it simmer, covered, for about five minutes until the rice is tender. At the end, fluff it up with a fork and top it off with cheese and sliced green onions!
8. Mushroom and Herb Chicken
Chicken is one of those perfect ingredients in cooking because it seemingly goes well with everything. Mushrooms are like that as well. This recipe proves just how good they can taste together in a creamy, simple and delicious dish that you’ll make again and again. So let’s get started.
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon of butter
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup of water
1 teaspoon of minced chives
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon of lemon-pepper seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon of dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme
cooked egg noodles
Start by flattening your chicken to a half-inch thickness before browning it with butter in a skillet. After that, get out a side bowl and combine your soup, mushrooms, water, chives, mustard, lemon-pepper, garlic salt, salt, rosemary and thyme. Pour that mix over the chicken before bringing everything up to a boil. Next, reduce the heat, cover the skillet and let it simmer for eight to 10 minutes. When it’s done, serve with some cooked egg noodles and you’re ready to eat.
We all know just how good a perfectly-made casserole can be. For the most part, we tend to make them with meat, cheese, sauce and noodles—but you can also use fish in some situations as well. As a case in point, this tuna casserole is going to open your mind to a whole new way of making these dishes. So let’s get started.
1 package of elbow macaroni
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of fat-free milk
1 can of light water-packed tuna (drained and flaked)
2 tablespoons of diced pimentos
3 teaspoons of minced onion, dried
1 teaspoon of ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of crushed cornflakes
Start by cooking your macaroni according to the package before mixing your soup, mushrooms, cheese, milk, tuna, pimentos, onion, mustard and salt in a mixing bowl. Drain your macaroni before adding it to the tuna mixture and combining everything. When it’s well-mixed, move it all over into a sprayed baking dish. Sprinkle the cornflakes on top and bake the entire thing, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes and you’re ready to eat!
Last but not least, this chili mac is another great variant when you’re looking to whip up a simple and tasty pasta dish. As the name suggests, it’s full of meaty, cheesy goodness—and putting it together is about as easy as it gets. Once you’ve had it once, your family is sure to ask for it again and again. So let’s get started.
1 cup of uncooked elbow macaroni
1 pound of ground beef
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cans of chili with beans
1 can of whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
Begin by cooking your macaroni according to the directions on the package and drain out the excess water. In a large skillet, cook up your crumbled beef along with your pepper and onions over medium heat for five to seven minutes. Drain the excess fat out as well. After that, stir in your chili, corn and macaroni and heat everything up. Sprinkle it all with cheese at the very end and you’re ready to eat!
Hopefully, this list of recipes should give you all kinds of inspiration the next time you want an easy dinner that your family can still get behind. Each of these recipes takes very little time to assemble and combines so many of the best flavors that we all know and love. Have you given any of these recipes a try for yourself? Which one is your favorite? Once you’ve gotten the hang of these, feel free to experiment and make them your own. Happy cooking!
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