21 Lightened-Up Comfort Food Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What's your go to comfort food best answer? ›

It's the food you like having to feel good. Could be something like fish and chips, mac and cheese, spaghetti, a hot dog, some noodles, a dosa, or maybe Snickers or some good old paratha.

Fast food like burgers, French fries, and pizza. Homemade meals that your family makes like casseroles, fried chicken and biscuits, pasta, pot pie, and soothing soups and chowders like beef stew, matzo ball soup, and chicken soup. Snacks like chips, pretzels, popcorn, nachos, and munchies that curb snack attacks.

Not the kind you mix from a box but the slow-stirring, melty goodness that reminds you of family dinnertime. That's comfort food. Common types of comfort foods that come to mind include heavy casseroles, stews and breads that tend to be high in both taste and calorie count.

There is a reason why friends, family, and neighbors gravitate toward carb-heavy meals like lasagna, mac n' cheese, pulled pork, and various casseroles for grieving families: they're comforting. Most people are familiar with these dishes, and it reminds them of happier times.

The first is obvious—if you're looking to feel all warm and cozy, go for foods that are (literally!) served piping hot, like soups and stews. We've included some of our favorites, like our lasagna soup, our white bean chicken chili, our beef stew, or our chicken matzo ball soup, but really, any will work.

Some 15 percent of Americans list pizza as their favorite comfort food, nearly double that of any other food choice, according to a study conducted by the Harris Poll, one of the longest running surveys measuring public opinion in the United States. Harris surveyed 2,252 U.S. adults in December for the study.

This is why we may crave certain dishes like carb-heavy pasta or burgers when feeling down or stressed. The emotional connection we have with comfort food is also important.

Lasagna. This Italian classic doesn't require as much explaining as the previous entry. Lasagna hits all the comfort food pleasure points: Pasta, meaty tomato sauce, melty cheese, a crisp layer of cheese on top, all coming together in a rich mouthful that will send you right to the couch after eating.

Is popcorn a comfort food? ›

When we bite into a perfectly popped kernel, the crunch sends signals to our brain, triggering a release of dopamine, the "feel-good" neurotransmitter. This pleasurable response can create positive associations with popcorn, making it an enjoyable and comforting snack.

Buy pre-prepared food: Make eating as easy as possible. This could mean buying pre-chopped vegetables, cooked meat, or even pre-prepared meals. When you're grieving, you're more likely to eat if you can stick something in the microwave rather than having to prepare a whole meal from scratch.

uncountable noun. If you call something comfort food, you mean it is enjoyable to eat and makes you feel happier, although it may not be very good for your health. For me, spaghetti bolognese is the ultimate comfort food.

Comfort food refers to dishes that bring you a sense of well-being. It's often associated with positive memories and emotions and can help deal with stress, anxiety, or when you're feeling under the weather.

Defined as food that gives emotional comfort to the one eating it, these tend to be favorite foods of childhood, or linked to a person, place or time with which the food has a positive association.