Winter Comfort Food Your Family Will LOVE: 7 Favorite Dishes

As our kids get older, life gets busier and more hectic. Even now, as many of us are spending more time at home, online work and school schedules can make it difficult for us to come together as a family. Yet, as winter approaches, the days are getting shorter and colder and our big kids are returning home from college. It’s a time of year that many of us crave coziness and family time more than ever. That’s why it’s the perfect time for comfort foods!

Whether you love spending hours in the kitchen making your grandmother’s signature recipe from scratch, or you barely have time to throw a few ingredients together, here are three takes–homemade, shortcut, and slow cooker–on favorite comfort foods to help you nurture your family body and soul all winter long. 

Here are the comfort foods that your family will love to eat this winter. (Twenty20 @mister_pretty_pictures)

Comfort food to cook for your family this winter

Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings are a southern staple, but even if you aren’t from the South, your family will love this hearty and soothing comfort food. 

  • If you want to try your hand at a from-scratch version of this dish, Southern Living’s recipe is easy and delicious. 
  • If you want the taste of homemade chicken and dumplings but are looking for a shortcut, try this Betty Crocker recipe which uses Bisquick.
  • If you want to use your slow cooker, try this  super easy recipe that uses canned biscuits or this one which relies on homemade dumplings. 

Pot Roast

I’m pretty sure all my friends are tired of hearing how the Pioneer Woman (unbeknownst to her) is my nemesis. It’s a long story, but basically she’s leading my life. After all, I live in the middle of nowhere with a handsome husband, four kids, and a bunch of dogs, and I love to cook. Where’s my Food Network show and adorable line of cookware? 

Casseroles

I love how I can throw almost any mixture of ingredients into a 9×13 pan, bake it at 350 for half an hour, and call it a casserole. Once when my kids were young, and I desperately wanted to avoid a trip to the store, I mixed leftover mashed potatoes with leftover taco meat, and cheese. I called it Cheesy Potato Taco Bake, and they devoured it. 

Mac and Cheese

As a side dish or as a meal by itself, nothing is more comforting than a hot, gooey bowl of macaroni and cheese. 

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

When it comes to a quick and easy comfort food meal, there’s nothing that beats a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. Still, even this classic dish comes in a lot of variations.

Breakfast for Dinner

I admit that when I think of breakfast for dinner, I’m thinking scrambled eggs and toast, but these recipes have me thinking I could up my game. 

Paella 

Okay, so maybe paella isn’t on everyone’s favorite comfort foods list, but my family loves it. 

Nothing brings a busy family together like a good meal–the kind of meal you linger over, using a recipe you’ll pass on to your children. Still, it isn’t the time spent cooking or the quality of the ingredients that matters most. Because when it comes to comfort foods, maybe the comfort isn’t in the food, but in the love of the family sharing a meal together. 

What is your favorite meal to share with your family? 

More Reading:

This Year I’m Replacing Holiday Excess With These Five Things, Instead

About Laura Hanby Hudgens

Laura Hanby Hudgens is a part-time high school teacher and a freelance writer living with her husband and children in the Arkansas Ozarks. Her work has appeared in The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, Grown and Flown, Parent.co and elsewhere. You can learn more about her at Charming Farming, where she occasionally blogs about faith, food, education, and family life.

Read more posts by Laura

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