I don’t know about you all, but during the winter months I love to eat my favorite comfort foods! It doesn’t hurt that they are all cold-weather foods. But either way, comfort foods just hit so differently during winter, and so I wanted to share my top five comfort foods that are delicious to eat (and fun to make) during the winter months!
Almost all of the recipes I’ve listed use the Instant Pot. If you have never heard of it, an Instapot is a pressure cooker that cooks your food in minutes! In my opinion, an Instapot is an essential “first kitchen” purchase for a first apartment. Beyond the recipes I’ve included in this article, there are endless options that pop up when you google your favorite food alongside the word “Instant Pot.”
Without further ado, my top five favorite winter comfort foods!
- Chili
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Chili is a classic, and I feel like you can never go wrong with a good chili. It’s also a great source of protein, between the beans and the ground beef, and you can even make it vegetarian or vegan by not adding in the meat! The recipe I’ve included for this chili is called “Instant Pot Chili” and honestly tastes so good.
- Potato Bacon Soup
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This filling and delicious soup is so easy to make. It’s a classic flavor combination that hits the spot on a cold winter night. This Simple Potato Soup recipe is foolproof: toss chopped potatoes, bacon, onions and celery into the Instant Pot along with some other yummy ingredients that make up the creamy base, wait a few minutes, and you’ve got soup!
- Mashed Potatoes
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I’m not going to lie, sometimes during finals season in the fall semester I will make myself instant mashed potatoes from the packets you can buy at Walmart and eat the whole thing. But even better than instant mashed potatoes is homemade mashed potatoes! Making mashed potatoes is more than just taking a masher to some potatoes. This recipe tells you everything you need to know about making mashed potatoes from scratch!
- Mac n’ Cheese
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The Holy Grail of all comfort foods is mac n’ cheese. Sometimes the bright orange cheese from Kraft boxes is just what you need to curb your craving, but if you want to make your own, you can do that in the Instant Pot! This recipe makes the creamiest, most delicious mac n’ cheese that you’ve ever tasted. My best tip: shells are the superior noodle to use in mac n’ cheese.
- Ramen
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I couldn’t call myself a college student if I didn’t add this all star meal to this list. Everyone knows that ramen is a budget friendly comfort food that you can make anywhere and with practically anything (I’ve made cup ramen with hot water from my Keurig more times than I’ve made it with hot water from a microwave). But did you know that you can use the noodles from the instant ramen packages and make authentic tasting ramen noodles by adding other flavoring ingredients? This Instant Pot recipe gives a twist on instant ramen by using the noodles as a base to a stir fry!
I hope you found inspiration from this article to cook your own comfort foods. The best form of self care is to get cozy with your favorite winter comfort food, a blanket, and your most recent Netflix binge! Happy eating!