I know there are those who say food should never be used to comfort. But I submit that those people have never been on the working end of an out-of-sorts teenager who comes home from school or practice or rehearsal and finds warm chocolate-chip cookies waiting for them.
Of course, when food is used to cover deeper, long-term emotional issues, it loses its power to authentically comfort. But when otherwise healthy minds and bodies are involved, it truly can soothe and restore. Back in the day when my little family used to eat dinner together on a regular basis, I can’t tell you how many times I watched four people with varying degrees of rough days behind them gather at a table and unload burdens.
And if there’s one thing that can make comfort food even more comforting, it’s when it doesn’t take a lot of effort to pull it together. Enter THE MIX. Boxes and bags of everything from seasoning to main ingredients put you at least two or three steps ahead in the comfort-food game and get you a lot closer to your goal of eating, conversing and unwinding together. Here are six comfort-food recipes that avail themselves of some convenience products without losing their culinary warm-blanket appeal.
Cheesy Sausage Egg Bake
Serves 6
Ingredients
¾ cup cheese garlic biscuit mix (I used part of a 7.75-ounce bag of Bisquick cheese garlic mix and saved the rest for future use)
1½ cups milk
3 eggs
1 pound uncooked bulk sausage (I use ½ pound turkey sausage and ½ pound chorizo, but you could use any kind of pork sausage or Italian sausage)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shredded cheese (such as Monterey Jack, pepper jack, Colby-jack or cheddar), divided
Optional garnishes: sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced fresh avocado, chopped fresh tomato, lime wedges
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a 10-inch oven-safe skillet, cook sausage until no more pink remains. Drain off excess grease. Reserve 3/4 cup black beans; stir remaining beans into sausage mixture in the skillet, along with 1 cup of the cheese.
In a medium bowl, stir together the biscuit mix, milk and eggs until no more dry biscuit mix remains. Pour over sausage mixture in the skillet. Bake for 20 minutes, then top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake 5–10 minutes longer, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm topped with reserved black beans and optional garnishes if desired.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Serves 4 (as main dish)
Ingredients
2 (4 ounces each) packages instant mashed potatoes (I used Idahoan Buttery Homestyle)
3 cups reduced sodium or salt-free chicken broth, divided, plus additional as needed for desired consistency
2 cups water
1 cup whole or 2 percent milk, plus additional as needed for desired consistency
Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese; cooked bacon, crumbled, OR bacon bits; sliced green onion; sour cream
Directions
In a large pot or microwave-safe dish, bring 2 cups broth and 2 cups water to a boil. Off the heat or out of the microwave, add both packages mashed potatoes and stir with a fork until no dry potato mix remains. Let stand 1 minute. Mixture will be thick. Add remaining 1 cup broth or stock and 1 cup milk and stir until incorporated. If a thinner consistency is desired, stir in additional broth or milk. If soup has cooled too much, cover and return to microwave or burner to warm through, about a minute. (Stir constantly if on the stovetop.) Serve warm topped with cheese, bacon, green onion and sour cream.