There are few things that we, as humans, can absolutely not survive without. Water is one. Air is another. And food makes three. Food plays such an essential part in our lives; when we wake up we seek it, throughout the day we need it, in the evening in some shape or form, we gather around it. It only makes sense that in moments of happiness it’s there (i.e. birthdays and weddings), and it never fails to comfort us during sorrowful times (i.e. the loss of a family member, a bad grade, a breakup). Food is essential to our being, and there’s nothing quite like comfort food.
Whether you’re struggling to get out of bed, constantly hustling to keep your life on track, homesick, or just hungry for good times, these staple comfort foods may be just what you need.
1. Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Honestly, you cannot go wrong with macaroni and cheese. You can either cook it on the stove top or bake it in the oven, whichever way you choose is sure to have you in cheesy, gooey heaven. Scared of eating too much in one sitting? Try portion control by making them into mini mac’n’cheese bites!
2. Cornbread
This dish highly popular in the South of the United States and has quickly grown to be a staple and a top pick for comfort food. Cornbread is a name for bread made with cornmeal. Once you bake it, fry it, or steam it, cornbread becomes far from a generic loaf of bread. The great thing about cornbread is that it can be paired with any soup (i.e. tomato, butternut squash, corn chowder, black bean, etc.).
3. Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken and noodles together are a great example of what a couple should be. The unique qualities each bring to the table complement the other, and that’s why they are a staple comfort food. You can personalize this to your liking by adding any extra vegetables to your soup. On those cold, bleak, and lonely days, whip up this soup and you’ll instantly feel whole again.
4. Chili
A list of comfort foods wouldn’t be complete without the classic chili. Chili has the power to turn any terrible day around. Just like the chicken noodle soup, you can personalize this to your liking—you can even choose to make it just like how your mom used to. This hearty dish can be paired with almost anything, so maybe you’ll decide to use the cornbread from earlier to eat this with!
5. Mashed Potatoes
Ahhh, potatoes. You can dice ‘em, fry ‘em, bake ‘em, boil ‘em, but something magical happens when you mash them. A spoonful of mashed potatoes will take you back to exactly where you want to be—and they’re simple to make. Adding pepper to your mashed potatoes will make them next level, you won’t want to stop cooking it.
Those are just five examples of my go-to staple comfort foods. I know that sometimes (most times) comfort food is what mom, grandma, dad, grandpa or whoever else in your life used to cook, but try out these five suggestions the next time you’re down and out. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll do the trick as well.
If you want to try even more comfort foods (of the southern variety), check out this website and have fun eating!