Last Updated on January 15, 2025 by Stacy Averette
If you long for simple and delicious food on long winter days, I have a few recipes you should add to the list. These are tried and true one-pot meals perfect for a quiet night at home or a small family gathering.
Each recipe can be prepared and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to cook and serve. If you have any, the leftovers are even better the next day!
5 COZY COMFORT FOOD RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE THIS WINTER
1. Pioneer Woman’s Lasagna
Ree Drummond, aka Pioneer Woman, named this “The Best Lasagna Ever,” she’s not wrong. Over the years, I’ve eaten lots of lasagnas and made many pans for my hungry family, and I must agree that this is “the best lasagna ever.”
Recently, Eric and I visited our youngest son, daughter-in-law, and their new baby boy. I knew I wanted to make a simple, home-cooked meal for us all to enjoy while we took turns holding little Henry. Pioneer Woman’s lasagna was the perfect make-ahead dish that travels easily and heats quickly. A crispy salad, warm loaf of bread, and dessert made for the perfect family meal.
2. Sausage and Potato Soup
Is there any food more comforting on a cold winter night than a pot of soup? This sausage and potato soup recipe checks all the boxes for a simple weeknight meal. It’s a delicious, one-pot dish (2 if you count the crockpot) with a short list of “flexible ingredients”. You can use your favorite type of sausage (Cajun andouille is our favorite), and I substituted fresh spinach for kale. Just add a warm loaf of bread, and supper’s ready!
I made this soup twice last week for hungry people, and they all gave it five stars!
After a freezing football game (our team won!), a bowl of warm soup by the fire was just what we needed!
3. Creamy Tuscan Dip
Creamy Tuscan Dip is a nice twist on warm spinach dip. I served this with baguette slices, and we snacked on it for several days. Some dishes seem better on the second day, or is it just me? I loved going to the fridge for a snack and finding this—30 seconds in the microwave and it was creamy and more flavorful than the day I made it.
4. Creamy Cabbage and Sausage
Here’s another one-pot meal that’s quick and easy comfort food. The recipe says it makes six servings, but double the recipe if your family’s appetite is like ours. You may have leftovers, but I promise they won’t be wasted. Like the other comfort-food dishes I’ve shared, this one’s even better on the second day!
This dish is better if you cook the cabbage until it’s tender but still bright green—the way cabbage should be. (I grew up eating boiled cabbage, which was colorless and mushy.) The spicy sausage with the lightly crunchy cabbage is a winner in this dish!
5. Blueberry Coffee Cake
A cozy, comfort food recipe list wouldn’t be complete without dessert! This blueberry coffee cake recipe has been a family favorite for years, so I wasn’t surprised when my son (the one with the new baby boy) requested that I make it this week. You won’t believe how simple the ingredients are (Hello, canned biscuits and frozen blueberries)!
The Paula Deen original recipe calls for quick cooking rolled oats, and I’ve made it that way for years, but I always thought the oats “dried out” an otherwise soft, buttery coffee cake. I used 2-3 packets of Quaker Maple and Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal this time. My son noticed the difference, so I gave away “my secret.” Everyone agreed that the rolled oats were too dry!
Doubling this recipe is easy and usually necessary, but after eating “the best lasagna ever” with endless bread and salad, most of us were satisfied with a single serving.
I made the dessert the night before our visit and stored it in the fridge. Before reheating, I added a little melted butter for extra moisture.
Blueberry coffee cake is a great dessert, and if you have any leftovers, it’s excellent for breakfast!
Winter in the South
Winter in the South, even northeast Alabama, where I live, is relatively short. However, I do not like cold weather, and by cold, I mean any temperature below 60 degrees! On chilly days, I’d be happy just staying home, puttering around the house, reading by the fire, and dreaming of Spring.
Alas, life requires more of me, so I do my best to dress warm (lots of layers since winter weather here is so fickle) and feed my body and soul lots of good, cozy, comfort food.
These 5 Simple and Delicious Recipes will be “on repeat” in my kitchen this winter, and I’m sure I’ll add more to the list. Which recipe is your favorite?