28 Fresh Takes on Comfort Food Favorites

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28 Fresh Takes on Comfort Food Favorites

If you’re like most of us, your curated list of personal comfort food favorites is rooted in nostalgia that dates back to childhood — but that doesn’t necessarily mean our adult palates demand the same exact dishes we loved at age eight. Enter this collection of comfort food recipes, reimagined through a modern lens. Use a fresh set of ingredients to upgrade the classics, like adding Frenched onions to gooey mac and cheese or boosting fried chicken with hot honey. Turn beloved flavor combinations into entirely new experiences, such as PB&J-inspired blondies, and create mashups out of familiar dishes for fun hybrids such as Spinach and Artichoke Dip Potato Crust Quiche. Because after all, when it comes to comfort food, there’s no such thing as too cozy.

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Dirty Martini Baked Potatoes

Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

Taking cues from the classic savory cocktail, we add gin-soaked olives and sharp blue cheese to twice-baked russet potatoes for a side that stands out.

Crispy Rice Omelet

Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

Upgrade a classic Denver omelet by including fresh sweet corn and giving it a satisfying crispy rice crust. Serve it with hot sauce and a shower of green onions.

Marry Me Chicken Noodle Soup

Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This flavorful soup created by Marianne Williams in the Food & Wine Test Kitchen is a cross between Marry Me Chicken and chicken noodle soup. The savory broth — enriched with sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, and heavy cream — is packed with juicy chicken thighs and egg noodles.

PB&J Blondies with Raspberry Swirl

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

These nostalgic treats from April McGreger upgrade a chewy, caramel-y blondie base with creamy peanut butter and tangy raspberry jam.

Coq au Vin Blanc Meatballs

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

Capture the flavors of the classic French stew in this cozy weeknight-friendly meatball dish featuring white wine, mushrooms, onions, and bacon.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Alex Lau / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by JILLIAN KNOX

This take on classic tuna noodle casserole is greater than the sum of its delicious parts. Egg noodles, tuna, pimientos, and peas are blanketed in bright, briny tonnato sauce, then topped with Parmesan and crunchy potato chips before hitting the oven.

Cola-Braised Short Ribs with Risotto

Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Marianne Williams makes the braising liquid in this stew sweet and more complex with a cola soft drink, after being inspired by one made in The Bear. Readers say it’s worth the time and effort for special occasions, with one commenting: “I have made this many times, definitely one of my bests for a dinner party, absolutely delicious.”

Chili Crisp Shrimp Scampi

Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Jasmine Smith / Prop Styling by Tucker Vines

Everyone loves chili crisp, and everyone loves shrimp scampi. Enter this easy weeknight dinner, packed with garlicky shrimp and topped with spicy chili crisp and crunchy fried shallots.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Halvah

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Shell Royster

2022 F&W Best New Chef Warda Bouguettaya folds nutty, rich crumbles of halvah into the dough to give her chocolate chunk cookies a toasty, earthy flavor.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Potato Crust Quiche

Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Stylist by Josh Hoggle

This cozy smashed potato crust quiche showcases all the flavors of spinach artichoke dip: marinated artichoke hearts, two types of cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano and Monterey), and lots of cream.

French Onion Mac and Cheese

Chris Simpson / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by AUDREY DAVIS

F&W food editor Paige Grandjean upgrades mac and cheese by stirring Frenched onions into the mix, then topping it with buttered, torn sourdough bread right before baking.

Fried Shrimp and Grits

Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall

Use up leftover grits with Top Chef alum Tiffany Derry’s recipe for cheesy, gooey grits with the texture of crunchy panko breadcrumbs and complexity of smoky, meaty tomato sauce.

Ground Beef Bulgogi Sloppy Joes with Fiery Napa Slaw

Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This amped-up version of the quick-cooking American classic is saucy, sweet, and salty thanks to the flavors of Korean barbecue. Top it with spicy, creamy slaw to offset the sandwich’s sweet notes.

Cacio e Pepe Gnocchi

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Refrigerated skillet gnocchi are the secret to this quick weeknight meal from F&W recipe developer Liz Mervoish. Broiled with a peppery, cheesy sauce until golden brown, they cook in just 30 minutes.

Caramelized Cream Pancakes

Victor Protasio / FOOD STYLING by JULIAN HENSARLING / PROP STYLING by PRISCILLA MONTIEL

Chef Craig Wilmer toasts heavy cream to impart classic pancakes with an intense and complex nutty flavor. “The medium of a pancake itself, because it’s flour and milk, is a neutral canvas that allows the concentrated flavors of the ‘super brown butter’ to open up,” says Wilmer.

King Ranch Casserole

Alex Lau / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox

Salsa macha verde and creamy avocado take our version of this hearty Tex-Mex classic to new heights. Filled with shredded rotisserie chicken, corn tortillas, melty cheese, and chiles, it has all the flavors of enchiladas but made even easier.

Shakshuka Deviled Eggs

Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Give crowd-pleasing deviled eggs the shakshuka treatment by spooning smoky, garlicky harissa-spiked tomato jam onto each egg half. The velvety yolk filling includes tangy yogurt along with the usual mayo to balance the flavors.

Cornflake-Crusted Fried Chicken Drumettes

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Super crispy on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside, these meaty chicken wing drumettes are drizzled in mildly spicy hot honey to really make the dish sing.

Lobster Eggs Benedict

Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Breanna Ghazali

Elevate an already luxurious breakfast by adding fresh lobster to eggs Benedict. We like to use toast here to accommodate all the lobster in a single layer.

Chicken Potpie with Mushrooms and Brie

Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Priscilla Montiel

Wild mushrooms and an entire wheel of double crème Brie cheese boost fan-favorite chicken potpie to a new level of deliciousness. We use store-bought refrigerated pie dough to keep things simple, but feel free to make your own pastry.

Harissa Mashed Potatoes

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

For these spicy mashed potatoes, F&W recipe developer Ali Ramee doubles down on smoky harissa flavor by adding it to both the mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and the compound butter that crowns them. Rich and creamy labneh provides a cooling component to the fiery harissa.

Italian Wedding Lasagna Soup

Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox

It doesn’t get much cozier than this mashup dinner of Italian pork sausage meatballs and lasagna noodles in a rich, creamy broth from F&W recipe developer Melissa Gray-Streett.

Lemon Lavender Nectarine Cobbler

Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Served with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, this spicy, sweet, and tart cobbler features nectarines in all their juicy glory. Of course, if peaches are what you have on hand, feel free to make the swap.

Bacon Fat Fried Rice

Food & Wine / Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

“Frying rice in bacon fat is my favorite trick for taking rice that’s a day past its prime and turning it into a meal worthy of sharing with friends,” says chef Rocco DiSpirito of this pineapple- and bacon-studded dish.

Braised Brisket Potato Tot Casserole

Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Inspired by Minnesota hot dish, beer-braised brisket and caramelized brussels sprouts are combined with a mushroom béchamel, then topped with frozen potato tots tossed with Parmesan and truffle oil and baked to perfection.

Banana Pudding Tiramisu

Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

This clever hybrid dessert layers bananas with tangy mascarpone cream, vanilla wafer cookies, and espresso- and bourbon-soaked ladyfingers.

Chocolate Puddings with Miso Caramel

Photo by Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Pastry chef Clarice Lam intensifies the deep, chocolaty flavor of these silky puddings by enriching caramel with red miso.

Grilled Cheese with Corn and Calabrian Chile

Photo by Tara Donne / Food Styling by Chris Lanier / Prop Styling by Raina Kattelson

Nancy Silverton’s sensational Italian-inspired grilled cheese features fresh charred corn kernels embedded in a cheesy blend of nutty English cheddar, sharp caciocavallo, and mayonnaise. Calabrian chiles are tucked inside for a subtle heat.

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