5 Easy & Delicious Comfort Food Recipes Your Sweetheart Will Love

Raise your hand if you LOVE cooking for your Mr. or Mrs.! Now raise your hand if you’d love to but you’re no Martha Stewart in the kitchen if you know what I mean (um… guilty.) Well, don’t let that stop you from treating your loved one to a tasty, home-cooked meal from time to time made by yours truly. With the help of our friends at Cuisinart, we’re sharing a bunch of super easy and super delicious comfort food recipes that anyone will love - whether your S.O. is salty or sweet! Keep on reading for 5 simple-to-make dishes that are perfect for any occasion, from a wedding anniversary to a birthday… or for no reason at all!

 

WAFFLES

You can’t go wrong with a breakfast comfort food classic! Want to whip up some Pinterest-worthy waffles for your S.O. but have no clue where to start? Easy – Cuisinart’s Round Classic Waffle Maker does the job for you! Get those perfectly round and golden waffles every time without fail, guaranteed. We’ll have your hub thinkin’ you’re the Barefoot Contessa in no time.

Adapted from: This recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs


• 2 cups all-purpose flour


• 1 3/4 cups milk


• 1/2 cup vegetable oil


• 2 tablespoons white sugar


• 4 teaspoons baking powder


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract


• Maple syrup


• 8 oz heavy whipping cream


• Fresh blueberries (optional)

Instructions:

Chill the bowl & whisk attachment of the Cuisinart Stand Mixer in the freezer for 15 minutes while you assemble breakfast ingredients.

Place the bowl & whisk on the Stand Mixer. Pour in the whipping cream & 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Whisk the cream on high until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Set whipped cream aside.

Preheat Cuisinart waffle iron.

Beat eggs in large bowl with whisk until fluffy.

Stir in flour, milk, vegetable oil, 1 tbs sugar, baking powder, salt and extract, just until smooth.

Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron & cook until golden brown.

Serve waffles hot with a scoop of whipped cream & drizzled with maple syrup and blueberries.

CHICKEN POT PIE

Ahh, chicken pot pie – an American household staple! It’s hard to beat a homemade pot pie with creamy filling and a flaky crust… it’s a dish that brings you straight back to childhood. It might look intimidating at first, but it’s actually much easier than you think! And with Cuisinart’s state-of-the-art food processor on hand, it’s going to make things a piece of cake… or dare we say, easy as pie ;)

Adapted from: This recipe!

Ingredients:

• For the biscuits:


• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour


• 1 1/2 tablespoon baking powder


• 1/3 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar


• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes


• 6 ounces cream cheese, cold and cut into thick slices


• 1 1/8 cup buttermilk, cold

For the filling:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided


• 1 medium yellow onion, diced


• 2 garlic cloves, minced


• 1½ cups thinly diced carrots


• 1 cup diced celery


• 1½ cups frozen peas, thawed


• ½ cup all-purpose flour


• 2 cups chicken broth


• 1 cup whole milk


• ½ cup cream


• Salt and pepper to taste


• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice


• ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg


• 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken

Instructions:

Make the biscuits: whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, and sugar in a medium bowl.

Pour the dry mixture into the Cuisinart food processor. Add the butter and cream cheese and pulse them into the flour mixture until it is unevenly crumbly.

Add the buttermilk and mix it into the dry ingredients until it forms a shaggy dough.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly-floured cutting board. Knead lightly until it comes together and then press it into a flat circle about 1½ inches thick.

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Use a biscuit cutter to cut biscuit shapes, placing each on a cookie sheet. Press together the dough scraps and repeat until no dough remains. Set biscuits aside in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Make the filling: in a medium saucepan, melt 2 tbs of butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they start to soften, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the garlic and continue cooking an additional minute. Add the carrots, celery and peas and cook for another 3 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a medium bowl and set aside.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in the same saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and chicken broth. Once no bits of flour remain, turn the heat to medium-low and whisk in the milk and cream.

Add the chicken, lemon and nutmeg. Stir in the vegetables and cook together for several minutes.

Pour filling into a large skillet or baking dish. Place the biscuits on top of the filling until it is completely covered.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the biscuits are golden and the filling along the sides of the dish is bubbling. Let cool slightly before serving.

MAC & CHEESE

No, we’re not talking microwavable mac and cheese here, folks – we’re talking delicious, creamy, gourmet mac & cheese that’s about to be your new go-to as a main or side dish for any occasion. Kids and adults alike will love this cozy meal.

Adapted from: This recipe! 

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni


• 4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese


• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese


• 3 cups whole milk


• 1 cup heavy cream


• 1/2 cup butter


• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour


• 4 tablespoons butter


• 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs


• ¼ tsp paprika

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain into a colander and then put into a large casserole dish.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in enough flour to make a roux. Add milk and cream to roux slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in the cheeses, and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and the sauce is a little thick.

Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and stir well.

Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Add the panko crumbs and brown. Spread over the macaroni and cheese until fully covered. Sprinkle with a little paprika.

Bake for 30 minutes and serve!

SOUP & GRILLED CHEESE

Let’s face it - grilled cheese is basically the comfort food champion of life! It’s also ridiculously easy to master, so we couldn’t help but add it to our list (twice!) Want to take this classic dish one step further? Use Cuisinart’s Griddler like we did for major style points. It’s super easy to use with user-friendly digital controls, an LCD display and 5-in-1 cooking options. The floating cover and reversible plates are easily removable, so you have a grill and a griddle all in one! For a delicious pair, we’re serving up a side of Creamy Tomato Soup to go along with this delicious pressed grilled cheese sandwich.

Adapted from: This recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil


• 1 yellow onion, chopped


• 2 cloves garlic, chopped


• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes, with juice


• 16 oz chicken stock


• 1 cup heavy cream, warmed


• Salt and pepper


• Fresh basil

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

Add garlic and cook about 1 minute.

Stir in flour and blend, cook about 1 minute.

Add stock and tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil.

Turn the heat down to low and use and use an immersion blender to puree until smooth (or transfer in batches to a blender to puree).

Stir in cream and cook 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh basil, serve hot.

PESTO GRILLED CHEESE

Grilled cheese is just so good and easy to me make that it deserved two spots on our list. To put a fun spin on this simple classic - just add pesto! It’s so surprisingly delicious you’ll be wondering what you’ve been doing all these years without it.

Adapted from: This recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2 slices Italian bread


• 1 tablespoon softened butter


• 1 tablespoon prepared pesto sauce


• 3 slices provolone cheese


• 3 slices fresh mozzarella

Instructions:

Heat up your Cuisinart griddler to 400°F on the grill setting.

Spread one side of a slice of bread with butter, and place it buttered side down on the griddler.

Layer the provolone cheese and mozzarella cheese atop the slice of bread. Lightly spread the pesto on top of the mozzarella layer.

Butter a second slice of bread and place atop the sandwich. Press down the griddler and cook for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and bread is crisp and lightly browned.

We hope you enjoy these delicious, easy-to-make comfort food dishes with your spouse or soon-to-be! We exclusively used Cuisinart's amazing products to cook each of these meals, and all of their products are available to add to your wedding registry - how exciting is that!? There are so many different products to choose from to help you fill your dream kitchen with everything you'll need, from appliances to cookware to bakeware! The options are truly endless. Happy cooking!