185 comforting recipes

Cream chicken soup with rivels and rice in a rich broth of whole milk, heavy cream, and chicken stock. An old-fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch-style comfort bowl.

Simple chickpea soup made from dried garbanzo beans simmered with onion and olive oil. Finished with lemon juice or vinegar for a bright, comforting Mediterranean-style broth.

Chestnut and lentil soup: roasted chestnuts and green lentils simmered with carrot, celery, and garlic. Half pureed for body, half left whole for texture. Vegan autumn comfort.

Three-ingredient kielbasa, kidney beans, and pasta shells. The kind of dorm-room or hunting-cabin dinner that delivers protein and comfort fast. Ready in 30 minutes.

Southern-style dried lima beans slow-simmered with smoked ham hock skin, bacon drippings, and a pinch of sugar until creamy and tender. Simple, smoky, old-fashioned comfort food.

Whole rye berry porridge simmered with cinnamon, caraway, and vanilla, finished with plump raisins. A chewy, nutty Scandinavian breakfast topped with ricotta. Slow-cooked comfort in a bowl.

Cinnamon bread pudding with raisins and a warm whiskey-yogurt sauce. A lighter take on the Southern classic using skim milk and egg whites without losing any comfort.

Chinese-style corn soup with browned pork and silky egg ribbons swirled through creamed corn broth. Just five ingredients and 35 minutes for a bowl of pure comfort.

Chicken thighs marinate in a pureed sauce of tomatoes, garam masala, ginger, garlic, and chili, then roast until tender and caramelized. Indian-spiced comfort with a citrusy kick.

Marmaliga is a Romanian cornmeal porridge cooked in milk and water until thick and creamy, served with cottage cheese and sour cream. A simple, comforting Eastern European staple.

Hearty vegan split pea and lentil soup with eggplant, zucchini, hibiscus leaves, and fresh basil, simmered until tender and pureed silky smooth. Plant-powered comfort in a bowl.

Stuffed summer squash halves filled with scooped squash flesh mixed with diced cheese and cream, topped with buttered bread crumbs and baked until golden. Simple, seasonal comfort food.

Golden vegetable noodle soup: a turmeric-tinted vegan broth with split peas, noodles, carrots, and nutritional yeast for cheesy umami. Fat-free, plant-based comfort in one bowl.

Rabbit cake is an old-fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch comfort bake: tender deboned rabbit layered with creamy potato filling and a simple stock gravy, then baked until golden and bubbling. Frugal, deeply savory.

Spinach moong dal: tender yellow split mung beans simmered with spinach, tamarind and turmeric, finished with a sizzling tadka of mustard seeds, fenugreek and dried chiles. South Indian comfort food.

Pacific pot roast studded with whole garlic cloves, braised low and slow in a Dutch oven, then served with a tomato-spiked flour gravy over rice. Simple, old-school comfort.