Whether you had a long day or you’re missing home, comfort food is a necessity. Good comfort food is like a hug in a bowl, a blanket on a plate. It makes you feel cozy and, typically, very full. But that’s what we love about comfort food, and if it’s been a while since you’ve had a meal that makes you feel that way, you need some inspiration. We’ve gathered some of our top comfort foods that are perfect for rainy days or chasing away the blues, so check them out below, get cooking and get comfy.
What Is Comfort Food?
From cheat days to throwback meals, comfort food takes many forms. In essence, comfort food is a meal that’s both filling and makes you feel good. Maybe it’s an old family recipe that helps connect you to your cultural heritage. Often, it’s a meal packed with carbs and calories, but at the end of a long week, you aren’t focusing on the nutrition facts. Whatever comfort food you indulge in, you get a psychological and emotional benefit when you eat it.
Comfort meals are also often simple to make: Throw something together, stick it in the oven, then enjoy a hot meal. Comfort food is different for everyone, but casseroles, soups and stews, mac and cheese and other indulgent meals are some of the top comfort food options out there.
The Best Comfort Food Recipes
Ready to get cooking with some of the best comfort food recipes? You’ll find cheese and carbs galore in these meals, so save them for a cheat day — or week, we don’t judge — or any night you need something comforting. These Premio Sausage recipes take nostalgic classics and hearty favorites and give them a tasty spin with sweet, spicy and flavor-packed sausage. Remember for all of these recipes to cook sausage to a minimum of 160 degrees Fahrenheit if it’s pork, 165 degrees Fahrenheit if it’s chicken. Now, let’s get into some of the best comfort food recipes.
1. Premio Comfort Mac and Sausage Bake
Gooey cheese under a crispy, cheesy top — is there anything better than some baked mac and cheese? What about mac and cheese with a boost of flavor from delicious sausage and other ingredients? That’s just what we’ve made with this Premio Comfort Mac and Sausage Bake, which you can create yourself for the ultimate comfort food.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, then spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Cook 16 ounces of elbow macaroni for six minutes until firm. It will continue baking in the oven, so be sure not to cook it completely.
- Grill half a pound of Premio Hot Italian Sausage and half a pound of Premio Sweet Italian Sausage. Slice into one-inch pieces and add to the pasta along with one cup of cooked, chopped spinach and 20 ounces of canned stewed tomatoes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine two cups of milk, two eggs, one cup of crumbled feta cheese, one cup of shredded Mexican-blend cheese and a quarter-cup of Pecorino Romano cheese.
- Spread the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish, then top with the milk and cheese mixture, stirring a bit to incorporate.
- Top with an additional quarter-cup of Pecorino Romano cheese and two cups of seasoned panko bread crumbs.
- Bake for 45 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a bit before serving.
2. Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza
Pizza might be the best comfort food, but when you add even more cheese and crust, you get a deep-dish pizza that’s sure to fill you up. Add sausage and mix in your other favorite toppings for a personalized, comforting meal. Here’s how you make it.
- Make dough from scratch if you have the time, or go with store-bought pizza dough for a simple option.
- Oil two 10-inch round cake pans, make two nine-inch rounds of pizza dough, add one each to the bottom of the pans and let them rest for about 10 minutes.
- Once the dough rests, it’ll be easier to shape it and pull up the edges to form a wall of crust, which you can make about an inch high.
- Poke the dough several times with a fork to prevent rising in the oven and pre-bake for about 10 minutes or it until it’s dry and lightly browned.
- While the dough is pre-baking, remove 16 ounces of Premio Sweet Italian Sausage from the casings, brown and crumble. You only need to cook the sausage partially, since it will continue cooking in the oven, but pre-cooking it will help eliminate some grease.
- After pre-baking the dough, take it out and layer mozzarella cheese, the sausage and either pizza sauce or canned San Marzano tomatoes, crushed with your hands and drained of their liquid.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, then move to a top rack for five to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is golden.
- Cut into wedges and serve with Parmesan or red pepper flakes.
3. Premio Three-Meat Chili
The kick of spice in chili makes this comfort dish warm in more ways than one. Premio Three-Meat Chili takes it to another level with three types of meat for a truly hearty meal. Cook ground beef, Premio Sweet Italian Sausage and kielbasa, each on their own, draining the grease between cooking each meat.
Add the cooked meat back to a Dutch oven or large pot. Top with your favorite chili sauce recipe or use garlic, onions, green peppers, canned tomato sauce, sweet honey barbecue sauce, brown sugar and spices to make our version. Make sure it has enough liquid to come to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer for one to three hours. Stir occasionally to prevent burning and serve with sour cream and shredded cheese.
4. Easy Sausage Stew
“Easy” and “stew” should be two clues that this meal is some serious comfort food. We recommend making it in a slow cooker so you can toss everything in and come back to a delicious meal. Create an easy sausage stew with these ingredients.
- One and a half pounds of Premio Italian Sausage with Tomato, Garlic & Rosemary, sliced
- One onion, chopped
- Two carrots, chopped
- Four potatoes, cubed
- Two turnips or rutabagas, chopped
- Three cups of green beans
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Two cups of stewed tomatoes
- Two cups of peas
Thanks to the flavors in this variety of sausage, you don’t need to add extra herbs or spices, but feel free to jazz up this flexible comfort food however you like. Just add the sliced sausage to the slow cooker, top with all the vegetables except the peas, season with salt and pepper, then add the canned tomatoes. Add a bit of water or broth if needed, then let it cook for four hours on low. Half an hour before taking it off the heat, add the undrained peas.
5. One-Pot Lasagna Soup
This recipe combines all the best qualities of comfort foods. It’s a simple one-pot lasagna dish full of pasta and cheese that you can serve for a warming, comforting and filling meal. With a 16-ounce package of Premio Sweet Italian sausage, garlic, onion, broth, Italian seasonings, lasagna noodles and a mix of cheese you’d find in lasagna, you can make this comfort meal a reality.
Remember that you only need one pot to cook this delicious recipe. Start by sauteeing the onion and garlic, remove the sausage from its casing and add it to the pot. Break it apart as you cook it and drain excess grease.
Then, add your broth, canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Season it up, then stir everything and let it come to a boil. Add some broken lasagna noodles and let it cook for 10 minutes, or until the pasta softens. Add Parmesan and mozzarella, let it melt and serve with an optional dollop of ricotta for a bowl of hearty comfort food.
6. Premio Grilled Cheese
Kick this childhood classic up a notch for a meal that’s as comforting as it is flavorful. Our Premio grilled cheese gives you a nostalgic treat that’s filling enough for lunch or dinner, so make it with:
- One package of Premio Sweet Italian Sausage
- Four ciabatta rolls, split
- One tablespoon of butter
- Eight sharp cheddar cheese slices or your favorite cheese
- One tomato, sliced
- Two cups of fresh spinach leaves
Those ingredients are enough to make two sandwiches, so use half the ingredients if you only want to make one grilled cheese. Cook or grill the sausage, following package instructions, then cut into quarter-inch slices. Butter one side of your bread, place it butter-side-down and layer two slices of cheese, a handful of spinach, tomato slices, sausage, two more slices of cheese and a buttered slice of bread butter-side-up.
You can cook your grilled cheese in a pan, panini or sandwich press for about five minutes on one side. Flip, then cook for another three minutes or until the bread is golden and the cheese has melted. For a tangy, spicy sauce that you can either spread on the bread or dip your sandwich in, combine:
- Three-quarters of a cup of mayonnaise
- Two tablespoons of spicy brown mustard
- One-quarter tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
Make Your Favorite Comfort Meal With Premio Sausage
If you’re ready to curl up with one of these recipes or get inspired with your own, use Premio Sausage to take it to the next level. We craft our variety of chicken and pork sausages from tradition — the way sausage should be. With Premio, you get fresh flavors that pair perfectly with comfort dishes and no fillers, so you give yourself and your family the best.
Order your Premio Sausage today or find us in a store near you, and let us know your favorite comfort meal in the comments!
