79 Comfort Food Recipes to Make While Wearing Your Fuzzy Slippers
All we want to eat is comfort food. But the definition of the term depends, of course, on whom you ask. For some, cheesy baked pasta comes to mind first, while others think of a roast chicken, a toasted sandwich, or a big pot of stewy chickpeas. We say: All comfort foods are welcome here. And if you’re looking to add to your personal repertoire, you’ve arrived at the right place. These comfort food recipes are the dishes we're most looking forward to as the weather cools. We hope you’ll find a few new favorites below and cook them on repeat whenever you’re looking for something soothing.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton2/79Hong Kong–Style French Toast
Stuffed with peanut butter and drizzled with condensed milk, this French toast is crisp yet custardy.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano and Stevie Stewart4/79Chilaquiles Rojos
This cozy dish is a great way to use up tortillas (or tortilla chips) that are past their optimal freshness, as well as leftover roast chicken or carnitas. An egg on top? Why not. It's worth making your own salsa roja to give your chilaquiles rich, balanced flavor.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne8/79Apple Sticky Toffee Pudding
This apple dessert could be the star of your next dinner party—it also reheats well for breakfast the next day.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by Lillian Chou9/79Char Siu
Sticky, succulent Chinese barbecue pork is often purchased from restaurants, but you can absolutely make it at home. Cook it on a rack over a pan of steaming water and baste regularly.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone12/79Our Favorite Mashed Potatoes
Cream mashed potatoes aren't just a Thanksgiving recipe. You're fully allowed to make them on a weeknight to keep you sustained through a Netflix session.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne13/79Our Favorite Mac and Cheese
If you like your macaroni and cheese with a creamy interior and crunchy top, you've come to the right place. This is a comforting casserole to please kids and grown-ups alike. The sauce is flavored with extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated Parmesan, mustard powder, and white pepper. Serve with a side of green beans if you like.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton16/79Chicken and Potato Gratin With Brown Butter Cream
Just say it with us: brown butter cream sauce. Don't you feel better already? This luxurious dish starts with bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, potatoes, and fragrant herbs. (Plus, yes, that brown butter and cream.) It's cold-weather comfort that works even if it's not cold where you are.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi17/79Sweet Potato Casserole With Graham Cracker Streusel
Photo by Hannah Che18/79Sesame Noodles
This recipe includes a homemade chile oil—feel free to reach for whatever chili crisp you have around if you don't have the energy to start from scratch.
Photo by Elena Heatherwick23/79Confit Tandoori Chickpeas
Send a few cans of spiced chickpeas into the oven for a nap with some olive oil and tons of garlic, and dinner will be a no-effort, barely-and-dishes success. There's a reason our executive editor makes this comfort food dish almost every week.
Photo by Marcus Nilsson, Prop Styling by Amy Wilson, Food Styling by Frances Boswell24/79Creamy Pasta With Crispy Mushrooms
Savory mushrooms get a quick sear before they're tossed into a creamy pasta sauce with lemon, Parmesan, and lots of black pepper. It's a restaurant-worthy meal that's easy to recreate at home.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Sean Dooley27/79Marcella Hazan's Butter, Tomato, and Onion Sauce
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce28/79Dad’s Curried Chicken
This chicken curry was on the dinner table at least once a week when cookbook author Ramin Ganeshram was growing up. And it's become a tradition on our tables, too.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop and Food Styling by Ali Nardi29/79Matzo Ball Soup
Maybe you dream of Grandma's matzo ball soup, but this one might be even better. There's an entire chicken in this soup, and then some. You'll pull out the breast early on and use the white meat to garnish the finished bowls, but everything else stays and simmers for hours, enriching the stock with concentrated flavor and lip-smacking body.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova34/79Turkey Meatloaf
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews35/79Chocolate Mousse
Photo by Marcus Nilsson, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich37/79Cheesy Cabbage Gratin
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Simon Andrews41/79Spring Greens and Leek Gratin
Seasonal greens get even better when they’re decked out with cream, cheese, butter, and crispy torn bread. This recipe calls for spinach and arugula, but you can use any greens you like.
Photo by Nicole Franzen43/79Egg-in-a-Hole Sandwich With Bacon and Cheddar
It's often said that kids like breakfast for dinner, but the truth is, pretty much everyone likes breakfast for dinner. Here's how to make a great one. Step one: cut holes in two pieces of sourdough. Step two: fry eggs in those holes. Step three: slap them together with crispy bacon, melty cheddar, and plenty of hot sauce.
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Heather Greene, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou44/79Sausage and Ricotta Baked Cannelloni
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Dana Bonagura45/79Oven Risotto With Crispy Roasted Mushrooms
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell46/79Creamy Potato and Leek Gratin
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne49/79Simple Bread Pudding With Melted Ice Cream Sauce
Romulo Yanes50/79Queso Fundido
You can reheat this ooey-gooey dip in a skillet, or keep it warm in a fondue pot. Pull up your chic tv tray and tune in to the next episode of your favorite show.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks53/79Diner-Style Rice Pudding
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova54/79Chicken Stew With Potatoes and Radishes
This one-pot recipe takes its flavor cues from chicken paprikash. Cooking low and slow is the key to getting deep flavor and the perfect texture; make sure to simmer the stew until the potatoes are creamy and the chicken is pull-apart tender.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini55/79Cheesy Baked Butternut Squash Polenta
Photo by Alex Lau56/79Classic Cassoulet
Does this cassoulet recipe seem daunting? Don‘t worry. We give you plenty of road signs along the way so you can break it up into several manageable steps. If you want an easier weeknight version, though, consider Cassoulet Toast.
Photo by Charles Masters, Food Styling by Suzanne Lenzer57/79Our Favorite Lasagna With Sausage, Spinach, and Three Cheeses
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert60/79Breakfast Burritos With Bacon, Egg, and Cheese
Truly great breakfast burritos can be yours, but it's worth it to start by making fresh tortillas. Then fill with silky black beans, cheesy eggs, and bacon, and roll it up.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova63/79One-Pan Chicken Drumsticks with Rice and Beans
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne65/79Molten Double Chocolate Mug Cake
It's true, a mug cake can actually be good. This is our resident cake expert's go-to recipe.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad and Lillian Chou69/79Adjaran Khachapuri
This khachapuri recipe makes all you need for a meal—a luscious cheesy, eggy, buttery bath to dip bread into. Looking for a version to feed a larger crew? Make this large-format khachapuri instead.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne70/79Baked Rigatoni With Red Peppers and Green Olives
Photo by Nassima Rothacker71/79Chicken Korma
This quick recipe gets chicken korma on your table in just 30 minutes. Don't eat meat? We recently published a new paneer korma recipe as well.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Grace Parisi72/79Buttermilk Biscuits With Honey Butter
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich73/79Vegan Roasted Garlic–Potato Enchiladas
Take garlicky mashed potatoes, wrap them in corn tortillas, then bathe in a flavorful dried-chile salsa for enchiladas tonight. It's the vegan comfort food you've been waiting for.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton74/79Chicken Congee (Gye Joke)
To boost the flavor of this comforting congee, add chicken bones to the pot. Garnish with sliced scallions, ginger matchsticks, and crispy fried shallots.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce79/79White Chicken Chili
Canned white beans, boneless chicken breasts, chicken broth, and fragrant spices make this chili one of our go-to comfort food recipes. Top with shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, and maybe a dollop of sour cream, and make some easy cornbread to serve on the side.
