Enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal with your family is one of life's little pleasures. Not only does eating a family meal together provide immediate satisfaction, but studies show meal sharing has positive effects on the well-being of children over the long term.
Making time to sit down and eat as a family on a daily basis is essential for facilitating wellness and healthy lifestyles.
But what should you cook for your family? Comfort food often comes to mind when thinking about what to make for a special dinner. This type of fare not only makes you feel good, but it is typically easy food to make. There are tons of tasty dishes you can whip up in no time.
Best Comfort Food Recipes for Families
There are different conceptions of comfort food. For example, you may think of comfort food as the food you eat that induces nostalgic memories from your youth. Or you may think of comfort food as what you crave after a tough day. Yet others may think of it as a warm, hearty meal on a cold winter night.
Instant Pot Beef and Noodles
If you have a pressure cooker, try this hearty and comforting dish. Because you cook this dish in the Instant Pot, you will enjoy beef that is deliciously tender and perfectly cooked noodles in a rich and flavorful sauce.
Air Fryer Tortilla Pizza
Quick and insanely easy to make, this will be your new 'go-to' comfort food. Tortilla pizza, made in the air fryer, takes minutes, and you can customize it with your favorite toppings. It's perfect for families with picky eaters.
Cheese Cabbage Beef Keto Casserole
This cheesy cabbage beef keto casserole is the easiest and most delicious one-pan recipe to please everyone in your family. Low-carb and gluten-free, this easy comfort food is healthy and filling.
Creamy Chicken Alfredo and Spinach Casserole
What can be more comforting than eating a warm, cheesy chicken alfredo pasta dish with a creamy sauce? Make your alfredo sauce with this recipe or use a store-bought jar for a quick dinner. This baked pasta dish is easy to make and delicious comfort food.
Keto Beef Stew Goulash
This Instant Pot keto beef stew recipe is the perfect comfort food dinner idea when in a hurry. Also known as Hungarian goulash, this low-carb beef stew is hearty, with meat that is so tender that everyone will keep asking for it.
Easy Baked Manicotti
Baked manicotti is a filling dinner of pasta shells stuffed with ricotta and Parmesan cheese. Topping the manicotti with ground beef and an easy marinara sauce makes it extra hearty. It's perfect for your meal prep routine and a favorite family meal.
Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
This delicious slow-cooker Olive Garden chicken pasta features tender, fall-apart chicken that simmers all day in creamy and cheesy sauce! This delicious dinner is perfect for a busy weeknight.
Cheesy Cheese Ramen
This easy cheese ramen is a twist on mac and cheese and uses real cheddar cheese and a pack of ramen (instant noodles) to create a comforting and cozy meal in less than 15 minutes.
Bangers and Mash Deconstructed
A cozy and comforting bangers and mash recipe made with pan-fried bite-sized sausages, stout and onion gravy smothered over garlic mashed potatoes.
Mac and Cheese Without Flour
A macaroni and cheese meal has never been this easy! Ten minutes of prep, dump, and bake; after 45 minutes in the oven, you have the best mac and cheese. With cheddar and gruyere, this is as cheesy and flavor-packed as it gets.
Mustard Chicken
Prepare to fall madly in love with this creamy mustard chicken recipe. It is a classic French dish that will quickly become a family favorite.
Gluten-free Vegan Lasagna
This vegan dish uses gluten-free lasagna noodles in a family-friendly classic. It's loaded with healthy veggies and homemade cashew ricotta, making this a perfect one-dish meal.
Baked Cod With Cream
This traditional Portuguese dish is baked in the oven and made with shredded codfish, potatoes, sauteed onions, and cream for a delicious and comforting meal.
Black Beans and Rice
This dish is a steaming plate of fragrant rice and beans with a combination of herbs and spices anyone would love. Black beans and rice are nourishing, comforting, and easy to make. Who said rice and beans are bland?
Alternatively, if you're looking for something different, you can also fried rice as comfort food like Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam.
Roasted Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
Perfect for dunking into your favorite dipping sauce, air fryer baby potatoes aren't just a quick and easy side dish. Instead, they're perfect for devouring while sitting on the couch under your favorite blanket for a casual dinner or snack.
Easy Yeast Rolls
You only need a handful of essential ingredients to make these tender yeast rolls. The light and fluffy bread is the perfect accompaniment to any warm and cozy meal.
Soup: The Ultimate Comfort Food
Nothing says comfort food like a steaming bowl of delicious, hearty soup. Homemade soups are so much healthier than canned soups. So, if you are feeling bored with your meal planning, soup is an easy addition to your dinner menu. Plus, it's a fantastic way to use leftovers from other meals, eliminating food waste and saving money.
Creamy Chicken Vegetable Soup
If you are looking for the best soup recipe for a mood lifter, this creamy chicken soup is it. Serve a steaming bowl of deliciousness perfect for those chilly days when you don't feel like being in the kitchen for hours.
Spicy Cabbage Soup
This spicy cabbage soup is comfort food that warms you from the inside. It is also great for using leftover cabbage in your fridge.
Easy Italian Minestrone Soup
The smell of simmering Italian minestrone makes anyone's mouth water. You can make this hearty and delicious soup with just a few simple ingredients in no time.
Tofu Soup
Everyone can enjoy this low-carb, vegetarian soup. This incredibly satisfying soup will leave you feeling nourished and energized!
Easy Hamburger Soup
This hamburger soup is healthy and filling and made with many colorful vegetables. You can make it in 30 minutes, and it lasts perfectly in the fridge for lunch leftovers. There is nothing more ideal for a chilly day.
Best Chili Recipe Ever
This award-winning chili recipe is a showstopper. It is ideal if you are tired of bland recipes or don't enjoy chili that tastes like beef stew. This recipe is comfort food at its finest.
If you're looking for sweet and spicy chili and you don't mind a bit of fruit, you can also try this Sweet and Smoky Pineapple Chipotle Chili, which has a touch of smokiness as well.
Easy Instant Pot Chicken Soup
Your family will love this Instant Pot Chicken Soup. This easy pressure cooker recipe is simple to make with pantry staples making it easy to throw together any night of the week.
Spicy Chicken Soup
This spicy chicken soup is the best when you are craving something cozy. It's flavor-packed, low in carbs, and can be prepared in under an hour. It's a must-add to your winter meal plan.
You can also try Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup) for something different. It's a labor of love, but the complex flavors from the aromatic spices make this cozy soup a must-try.
Roasted Pumpkin Soup
What better way to enjoy a comfort meal in the chilly fall months than roasted pumpkin soup? This soup is delicious, filling, and easy to make.
Love bacon? Then you definitely should also try this Easy Miso Pumpkin Soup, which uses miso as a base with a lot of umami-ness and a lot of bacon blitzed right into the soup!
End Your Meal With Comfort Food: Desserts
If you love ending your meal with something sweet and decadent, these desserts will be the perfect culmination. Try making them on a Sunday for your family to enjoy a delectable treat during the busy week.
Vegan Chocolate Cake
This chocolate cake recipe is so delicious, and it just happens to be vegan! This cake is perfect for any celebration but easy enough to make when you are craving a comfort food dessert any time.
Cinnamon Rolls With Apple Pie Filling
Whether you serve it as breakfast or as a dessert with ice cream, there's nothing quite like sweet, soft, and fluffy cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Espresso Brownies
These vegan brownies are rich and decadent. These are a must-have if you want a fudgy dessert to satisfy your chocolate craving.
Creme Brulee Donuts
Creme brulee donuts are a delicious dessert combining traditional creme brulee with a classic donut. Fry this yeast-based dough, and then top it with a creamy custard filling flavored with vanilla. Serve with powdered sugar and sliced strawberries.
Brownie Muffins
This simple brownie muffin recipe is every brownie lover's dream! Only seven ingredients yield a decadent comfort food, perfect for chocolate cravings. Top them with creamy vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup for a dessert your family will love.
Another comforting and cozy snack that uses a muffin tin is my Hawaiian Butter Mochi recipe. The muffin tins give this bite-sized snack crispy edges and a satisfying chewy center!
Final Thoughts
If you need dinner ideas for tonight, why not try one of these easy comfort food recipes? From easy one-pot meals to quick Instant Pot dinners and healthy air fryer recipes, you will surely find one that fits your needs. Then add one of the decadent desserts to serve your family a satisfying meal to indulge in together.
This article originally appeared on Wealth of Geeks.