January can sometimes be a hard month to get through. The holidays are over, it’s usually cold, there’s sickness in the air, etc. Below are some Comfort Food Menu Ideas sure to comfort you when you need it most.
Comfort food means many things to many people. When asked what a person’s favorite comfort food is, he might respond with a favorite Italian dish, Mexican food, or maybe even hamburgers.
For me, comfort food means a dish that simmers on the stove for many hours, or a recipe that includes mashed potatoes and gravy. Something that is warm, creamy, and possibly that involves egg noodles.
It might also be a food to eat when we are sick with a cold or flu. And certainly, it includes hearty breads and delicious desserts–maybe those that involve chocolate.
Comfort Food Menu Ideas – Main Dishes
Beef Dishes
Lets begin with my favorite beef dishes. This might be a beef roast or simply ground beef, but always slow cooked or roasted. Simple, savory, and so good.
1
Roast Beef and Noodles
There are few things better than to walk in from the cold to the savory scent of Roast Beef and Noodles cooking on the stove. I love Dutch Oven Cooking, and this is Comfort Food Deluxe. From the tender roast beef to the toothy, flavorful egg noodles and gravy poured over mashed potatoes.
Check out this recipe
2
Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy
You can’t get more down-home cooking than Chicken Fried Steak. Perfect for hearty, Meat-and-Potato food lovers. Comfort food deluxe!
Check out this recipe
3
Ragu Bolognese with Homemade Pappardelle
I love trying new recipes especially classic Italian and French dishes. Here's my take on Ragu Bolognese with Homemade Pappardelle. This dish simmers on the stove for hours, cooking down to a dense, flavor-intense sauce, that's simply wonderful. Comfort Food, Italian-style.
Check out this recipe
4
Savory Pot Roast with Vegetables
The secret to making a Savory Pot Roast is searing in the juices at the very beginning. Once that's done, let is simmer slowly on the stove. Then use the yummy juices to season the vegetables for roasting in the oven. So good.
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5
Salisbury Steak and Gravy
This easy Salisbury Steak and Gravy recipe is a wonderful meal to serve your family when you’re in need of some quick comfort food.
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6
Sunday Meatloaf
Here's a good old-fashioned recipe for Sunday Meatloaf, with saltine crackers to make it moist and a catsup glaze that is probably my favorite part. I've been making this recipe for years. Ever since my husband and I married, which is now 35 years.
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7
Swiss Steak
I made Swiss Steak for the first time in my first year of marriage. As I’ve mentioned before, my husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. So, as a new bride, I was always looking for recipes to make him smile.
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Chicken Dishes
Next we’ll turn to some of my favorite chicken dishes. This could be a whole chicken, chicken thighs or maybe chicken breasts. Again, these are slow cooked and served with potatoes or other vegetables. Yum!
8
Chicken Pot Pie
I enjoy making Chicken Pot Pie when days turn cold. Our family loves it. Perfect Comfort Food. Tender, flaky crust. Juicy chunks of chicken. Potatoes, carrots, and peas in a succulent gravy. So good.
Check out this recipe
9
Chicken and Noodles over Mashed Potatoes
Serve Chicken and Noodles over Mashed Potatoes when you're in need of comfort. Stewed chicken in a pot of soothing homemade broth with carrots, celery, onion, and herbs. Thickened with tender egg noodles and ladled over creamy potatoes.
Check out this recipe
10
Creamy Garlic Chicken
Some nights I just want something creamy and easy for supper. This Creamy Garlic Chicken Recipe hits the spot with butter, garlic, and heavy cream, plus Parmesan cheese. So, yummy.
Check out this recipe
11
Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole
Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole is a simple recipe to make for your family when you're craving some comfort food. Our youngest grandson really likes this dish, as I'm sure our other grandchildren would, too.
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Comfort Food When We’re Sick
It must be said that when we’re sick with a cold or flu, we are certainly in need of comfort food. Chicken and a nice broth with noodles or rice will certainly do the job.
12
Chicken Soup with Wild Rice
Serve Chicken Soup with Wild Rice when you're craving a hot bowl of rich, brothy soup. Slow-cooked on the stove in a homemade broth that is so delicious, it is sure to heal whatever is aching you.
Check out this recipe
13
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup is the perfect recipe when you need an easy, yet comforting meal. It’s my go-to recipe when one of my loved ones gets sick. A soup with hot herbal chicken broth, flavored with celery, carrots, peas and onion and made easy with my favorite Amish egg noodles.
Check out this recipe
14
Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken and Dumplings make perfect Weeknight Comfort Food. On a Deluxe level! Serve this recipe to your family on a cold winter night. This soup simply translates into all things comfort. Creamy sauce. Homemade dumplings. Juicy chicken pieces. Tender vegetables. Yum!
Check out this recipe
15
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup is wonderfully delicious and easy to make on a cold winter night. Perfect for weeknight dinners, when you don’t feel like doing much in the kitchen but want something hot and soothing. You can make it from start to finish in less than 50 minutes.
Check out this recipe
16
Vegetable Beef Soup
Vegetable Beef Soup is a family favorite at our house every fall and winter. Featuring chuck roast slow braised with herbs and spices, chunks of carrots, potatoes, peas, and tomatoes in a flavorful beef broth. It’s so delicious and hits the spot after a long, cold day.
Check out this recipe
Comfort Food – Homemade Bread
If we’re going to visit about comfort food, we must include a few breads. There are few things more comforting than a loaf of homemade bread, sliced warm from the oven and slathered with butter.
17
Harvest Grain Sandwich Loaf
This Harvest Grain Sandwich Loaf uses King Arthur's Harvest Grains Blend which I love to add to my whole wheat bread recipes. It stays soft and makes perfect breakfast toast or sandwich bread.
Check out this recipe
18
Kansas Sourdough Bread
This bread is dense and hearty, as well as incredibly flavorful and satisfying. It’s quite wonderful and is named after my home state of Kansas with wheat flour, malted wheat flakes, and sunflower seeds.
Check out this recipe
19
Oat Rolls
Oat Rolls are one of our family favorites! They are easy to make and so delicious. Soft, tender, with oatmeal goodness that turns it into a slightly sweet, hearty bread.
Check out this recipe
20
Sourdough Brioche Bread
I’ve been working on this Sourdough Brioche Bread recipe for many months now. This delicious, tender bread is only enhanced by the sourdough and is perfect with butter, or served at brunch. You may even use it to make French Toast.
Check out this recipe
21
Cinnamon Rolls
These Cinnamon Rolls are so delightful, I’m sure you will enjoy them and make them time-and-time again. Pillowy-soft dough that practically melts in your mouth. Cream Cheese Icing. Filled with buttery brown sugar and cinnamon. Pecans and Raisins.
Check out this recipe
Comfort Food – Desserts
To end this post, I wanted to include a few of our favorite desserts that spell comfort to us. Cream Pies, Cakes, and yes, Chocolate.
22
Coconut Cream Pie
Here's a delightful recipe for my husband's favorite pie. A delicious vanilla pudding flavored with sweetened coconut flakes and topped with a fluffy, light-as-clouds meringue. I like making this pie from fall to spring, as it just goes perfectly with other comfort food recipes.
Check out this recipe
23
Chocolate Applesauce Cake
This recipe comes from my Grandma Swiler, and is a family favorite.
Check out this recipe
24
Moist Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Every now and then, I get a hankering for a moist buttery cake. Here’s one you can make from scratch!
Check out this recipe
25
Chocolate Brownie Pudding Cake
This is a great old-fashioned pudding cake recipe, made popular in the 1970's. You can have your cake and pudding all in one!
Check out this recipe
26
Honey Bun Cake
Here’s a Bundt pan recipe for Honey Bun Cake that we enjoy. Made with a cake mix with added cinnamon and spices that are perfect for Autumn.
Check out this recipe
It all looks so delicious! Comfort food for sure!
Thanks Angelyn. 🙂