Warm and familiar

Comfort Food

Mac and cheese, pot pie, soups, and bakes that belong in a deep bowl.

Comfort food here means a soft texture and a savory sauce, not a pound of cheese by default. You still get mac and cheese. You also get soup you can eat on a Monday.

Several of these reheat well. The storage note on each recipe tells you how to bring the sauce back without breaking it.

Time

Difficulty

Meal

Cooking method

Dietary

High protein means the estimate is about 30g or more per serving. Vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, and lower-carb are applied only when the recipe is written to meet them.

Budget

13 recipes

Comfort Food

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Egg noodles, tuna, peas, and a simple cream-of-mushroom style sauce bake under a crumb until the edges bubble. It is the weeknight casserole, written with real amounts.

45 min · Easy

View recipe

Comfort Food

Beef Pot Pie

A beef and vegetable filling, already simmered until thick, bakes under a sheet of puff pastry until the lid is deep gold. It is not the chicken pot pie skillet.

1 hr · Easy

View recipe

Baking dish of gnocchi in tomato cream sauce with melted mozzarella

Comfort Food

Creamy Tomato Gnocchi Bake

Shelf-stable gnocchi bakes in a tomato-cream sauce under mozzarella until the edges brown. It is a baked dish, not the speedy skillet gnocchi already on the site.

32 min · Easy

View recipe

Comfort Food

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Rice, broccoli, and a simple cheddar sauce bake until the top is browned and the broccoli is tender. It is a side that can be dinner with a salad.

45 min · Easy

View recipe

Comfort Food

Sloppy Joe Casserole

A tangy beef sloppy-joe filling is spread between two layers of biscuit pieces and baked until the top is brown. It is the sandwich, turned into a pan.

40 min · Easy

View recipe

Roasted chicken thighs on herbed stuffing in a baking dish

Comfort Food

Baked Chicken and Stuffing

Chicken thighs sit on a pan of herbed stuffing that soaks up the juices as the chicken roasts. It is a Sunday plate on a Tuesday clock.

50 min · Easy

View recipe

Comfort Food

Tomato Basil Soup

Canned tomatoes simmered with onion, garlic, broth, and basil, then blended smooth. A grilled cheese on the side is optional. The soup stands alone.

35 min · Easy

View recipe

A baked dish of meatballs, pasta shells, marinara, and melted cheese.

Comfort Food

Meatball Marinara Bake

Shells, beef meatballs, marinara, and mozzarella baked in one dish. It is not spaghetti and meatballs. The pasta and meat cook together under cheese.

55 min · Easy

View recipe

A bowl of creamy potato soup topped with cheddar, bacon, and chives.

Comfort Food

Baked Potato Soup

Potatoes simmered in broth and milk, then blended partly so it stays a little chunky. Cheddar, bacon, and chives go on at the end.

45 min · Easy

View recipe

Baking dish of elbow macaroni in cheddar sauce with a breadcrumb top.

Comfort Food

Classic Mac and Cheese

Elbow pasta is coated in a cheddar sauce that starts with a cooked butter-and-flour roux and milk. A breadcrumb layer can go under the broiler or into the oven, or you can stop at the pot.

45 min · Easy

View recipe

Skillet chicken pot pie with a golden puff pastry lid and a creamy filling.

Comfort Food

Chicken Pot Pie Skillet

Chicken, carrots, peas, and onion simmer in a milk-and-broth sauce, then a puff pastry lid bakes on the skillet. The chicken should already read 165°F before the pastry goes on.

1 hr 5 min · Medium

View recipe