Let’s talk comfort food.
You know, food that reminds you of home. Food that you eat in your jammies and fuzzy slippers. Food that nurses you through a broken heart and food that you grew up on.
It might be something so simple as a slice of extra cheese pizza, or it might be your great-grandma’s handed down recipe for milk chocolate mousse. Just feeling it melt on your tongue brings you right back…every time.
My favorite comfort food is linguine and clams. Maybe that’s not so typical…I’m not sure. But it’s my absolute favorite meal on earth and the one my mom always made me growing up. I always asked for extra clams and loved the way they squeaked between my teeth. You could get all fancy with live clams but I always preferred canned.
Gosh, I can’t even tell you how many times linguine and clams has aided in my survival. Like the time my first ever boyfriend broke up with me when I was fifteen (he’s actually a blog reader and we are actually friends now….awkward) or the first time I moved out on my own and nothing tasted right. There’s just something about this dish that will always taste like home to me, no matter how far away I am or how old I get.
There’s no recipe, really; it’s just a little of this and a little of that. Even though the name is “linguine” and clams, I usually use angel hair because it’s my favorite.
Oh! another amazing thing about your favorite comfort food is that you get to make the rules!
I usually just saute up some garlic and shallot in a little olive oil and butter and then add the clams, a pinch of red pepper flakes, a little lemon juice and a quarter cup of clam juice. When the pasta’s done, I toss it all together and grate a nice blanket of Parmesan cheese on top.
Of course it’s nothing like mom’s….but what comfort food is?
It still does the trick though, every time, and after I eat it I’ll waddle away in my fuzzy leopard print slippers and over-sized sweatshirt and draw a hot bubble bath. I’ll read the latest issue of Food & Wine while I soak and the next morning the world is right again.
It always works!
What’s your favorite comfort food?
{ 117 comments… read them below or add one }
mac & cheese
tomato soup and grilled cheese!
My favorite is probably mac and cheese (with bacon of course!) but the most memorable is pot roast with mashed potatoes and egg noodles and gravy. I love that. Tastes like my youth!
I know it won’t be your “comfort dish” anymore- but add a little bacon to that and you’ve got yourself an even bigger winner
I’m in love with this suggestion!
oh- and my comfort dish is Ichiban Noodles (ramen to Americans I think…but the brand I always had growing up was Ichiban)
The classic spaghetti with my mom’s homemade red sauce. She used to start making the sauce first thing in the morning and then it would simmer all. day. long. The smell is incredible!
My dad’s cheeseburgers, his chow mein and macaroni and cheese in general. Yum, I want all of those things right now. I sure do miss my dad’s cooking, I miss living at home with my parents!
Salmon croquettes, lima beans and mac ‘n cheese. Best mom dinner ever!
Salty smoky ham with white beans in a savory broth..plus a dried apple “snitz” half-moon pie topped with cheese!!!
I grew up in Pennsylvania Dutch Country (central PA)…and my Mom made this anytime we had leftover ham…I still make it today..and yes, it epitomizes “home” and “comfort” to me.and now it’s my Mister’s favorite food too!
love,
cathy B. @ brightbakes
My dad’s roast with mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted carrots and onions. Every time I went home during college I requested it. Mmm. I might have to call him up and invite myself to dinner and ask him to make it, now that I’m thinking about it.
Some of my favorite comfort foods are anything with enchilada in the title, meatloaf, spaghetti, roasted chicken, chicken soup with home made stock… and I think that about covers it.. OH, and garlic mashed ‘taters! Links are provided for those that agree with me
– Mary
http://whatscookinwithmary.blogspot.com/2010/10/black-bean-sweet-potato-enchilada.html
http://whatscookinwithmary.blogspot.com/2010/08/mini-meatloafs-la-florentine.html
http://whatscookinwithmary.blogspot.com/2010/07/mini-southwestern-meatloafs.html
http://whatscookinwithmary.blogspot.com/2010/09/cabernet-meat-sauce.html
http://whatscookinwithmary.blogspot.com/2010/05/thyme-sage-roasted-chicken.html
http://whatscookinwithmary.blogspot.com/2010/05/chicken-noodle-soup.html
Meal that my mom made me: Pot roast with vegetables. I love it.
Food from the grocery store freezer: Coconut Milk’s Purely Decadent Mocha Almond Fudge.
I have to say pot roast with gravy and rice or seafood gumbo. Now that I can make them for myself like you I do so and it makes me happy.
Linguine and clams sound great!
My favorite comfort food is mashed potatoes with canned peas. Sounds kinda odd but in the winter this is my go-to meal when I need to warm up. I like to add protein and fiber by sneaking pureed cannelini or garbanzo beans into the mashed potatoes.
I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is my mother’s idea of comfort food. She would eat it every night if she cooked that much.
For me, you just can’t go wrong with a baked potato and ground beef cooked with onions and peppers and tomato sauce
oh man. Do I have to pick just one?
Anything peanut butter or chocolate (obviously) but my mom’s cooking…anything really. My grandma’s pumpkin chiffon pie, melting moments cookies (like heaven, I swear), or my mom’s chicken/ham and bell pepper lasagna.
to.die.for.
I love Love LOVE pumpkin chiffon pie!
oooh yes – what a beautiful dish!
My favorite is definitely mac & cheese (which my mom made from my grandma’s recipe), linguine and clams is a close second since that was the one meal my dad always made for me and my brother when he was left to feed us.
My comfort food is a big gooey grilled cheese sandwich. Love.
Nachos!!! Well, among other things. But there is something comforting about their salty and cheesy deliciousness. In fact, I may have some lunch plans involving nachos tomorrow.
lol, mac ‘n cheese with applesauce ON TOP. (I know, but believe me it’s amazing).
or buttered noodles with cottage cheese ALSO on top.
I was a weird child, but it’s tasty, and i love it
I love comfort food. I’m not sure that I have a fav childhood one, but nowadays it’s meatloaf, or anything with mashed potatoes!
This tomato stew my mother made growing up. I was a vegetarian so I got my own stew without the meat. It was mustardy and delicious.
I love that you use canned clams instead of getting all “fancy”.
My favorite comfort food? A tie between soup (especially paste e fagioli) and zucchini and potatoes, both done the way my nana does it.
My mom’s meatballs, ziti, chicken parm. She makes the best Italian food and it reminds me of home!
Aw what a sweet story. I love gnocchi, stew, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, chili, minestrone soup, grilled cheese with tuna, bread with mayo and cheese…anything my grandma or mom cooked me as a child.
yes! linguine and clams is my fav too but only fresh clams. i love picking through the shells and dipping ciabatta bread into the broth. i will eat canned clams in chowder but don’t put them on my linguine. i will not eat them weird i am.
Chinese steamed egg with soy sauce, sesame oil and scallions over rice… the rice just soaks up the soy sauce broth. It’s heavenly.
Chicken mirabella and served with buttered rice.
Hands down… Chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes!!
Pancit Palabok, a Filipino noodle dish, with waaaay too much soy and lemon.
Well…I eat my comfort foods everyday…for sure…but if were talking real “comfort” I’d think back to meals my Mom made really – like a “ShipWreck” (basically a layered casserole of rice, veggies, tomato sauce, ground meat on top and ketchup dumped on it
)…pizza and classic chocolate-chip is a given 
Never had clams…
those are the exact same clams my mom uses in her white clam sauce! its def one of my fave comfort foods, thin spaghetti, asparagus, hot cherry peppers, olive oil, and loads of clams! so freakin goooood.
Comfort food on a cold winter day……nothing better. Chili and cornbread with honey butter of course!
Mine would have to be mashed potatoes and peas! Either that or this amazing smoked salmon creamy pasta that my mum always used to make…mmm I think I may make this for dinner now! Just hide the salmon from the husband
Tuna noodle casserole – my mom made it all the time! I hardly ever have it now, because my husband can’t stand the smell of canned tuna. But I do want to figure out a way to replace the icky processed cream of mushroom/celery soup. Also, her mashed potatoes. And every once in a great while, I just have to have mac & cheese from the blue box.
what a crime to put cheese on clams!
My favorite comfort food is “celery chicken.” My mom used to fry chicken, then drop that in a crockpot with cream of celery soup, potatoes and carrots. Served with biscuits. OMG. Loved it.
My favorite comfort food is Seafood Gumbo the way my MawMaw used to make it
I absolutely agree. Louisiana has the best food, especially when you MawMaw makes it.
My comfort food is grilled cheese. All the way
Yummy!
I have a few but my most favorite food every that I eat is hummus and carrots. Also, the really super crappy Kraft mac and cheese…..don’t judge me.
my comfort food is SOUP. but only certain kinds of soup. like matzah soup made especially by my mom and grandmother. yumm.
my mom used to always make pasta and clams though!!
My Mamaw’s chicken and dumplings , mashed potatoes with peas, hot biscuits and ice cream are my ultimate comfort foods. Ice cream should probably be at the top of the list with the chicken and dumplings. Also, my mamaw’s pound cake or coconut pound cake. They smell like home to me and make me remember times with all our family together.
My momma’s pasta with her chicken marinara, with a hard boiled egg or two on top, and italian bread dipped in……don’t get no better!
There’s really nothing like comfort food, is there?
That looks delicious. I will stay in with you on a Friday night, eating angel hair pasta and reading Uncle Toms Cabin any night.
I grew up with my Dad, and we used to eat dinner really late because Dads do that. Every now and then, he’d make a big pot of spaghetti with a whole lot of deep, basily marinara sauce and throw in some torn up turkey or roast beef cold cuts. Maybe even a little spinach. I’ll never forget eating those huge bowls of slurpy pasta at 11 pm while watching Dateline or something.
Comfort food is the best. Thanks for bringing back the memories!
Any kind of soup.
And Pizza, made by my Mom
I actually just posted the recipe to my ultimate comfort food on my blog. I am from Sicilian background and my Nonna always makes me Pasta con Patate e Piselli and it equals a big warm hug in my books. Now I make it for my family!
Grits with butter and salt, 2 over easy eggs, and lots of toast to sop it all up.
Mexican food or anything with bread. : )
my mom’s mushroom, linguine and prosciutto pasta with a cream sauce. soo good
pancakes!
Looks delicious! I made a clam pasta dish recently too and it did have a sense of comfort. Comfort food to me is any pasta really. Something really heavy. Or any meal with my family has an element of comfort to it.
Comfort food for me is jambalaya. Even though I grew up in New York, my family’s roots are in the South, and every holiday, every wedding, every wake was punctuated by the silence that resulted from folks shoveling in my paternal great-grandmother’s jambalaya recipe. I still crave the warm spiciness when I’m feeling sick or just want to evoke fond memories.
Jenna
Sorry to switch topics .I stumbled on an incredible movie trailer for a documentary
called May I Be Frank (you should watch it at mayibefrankmovie.com )
It made me think of you because it is about a place called Cafe Gratitude I believe in
Healdsberg (sp?!) where you used to live! Have you been there and do you know about this documentary-it looks like there is a screening there soon at the cafe as well as around the country (I hope it comes up here to Canada!)
Do you know anything about this? Thanks,it looks like a really inspiring film from the clip you can see on website…
This looks really good – my favorite comfort food is my mom’s vegetarian chili.
yum! i just made paella, but clams sounds great!!! 8
“Chicken” Noodle Soup, chili, and brownies are mine.
baked pasta. for sure!
These days ‘my comfort food’ is at the mercy of Google. I have FroYo in Carmel Valley & think ‘this is it’ my new fave. Then Google only to discover it’s full of brain cancer inducing aspartame. Pretty much stick with Whole Foods red organic table wine so know it’s GMO & sulfites free. Even Ben & Jerry’s ‘All Natural’ isn’t. I eat a lot of organic greens–it’s comforting to know those are actually sustaining health. When have the occasional splurge enjoy it guilt free because most the time make healthy choices.
My mums thanksgiving scalloped potatoes and pumpkin pie.
and my bestfriends mum salad dressing.
My mom’s minnestrone soup and tea biscuits!
macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes & really really good tofu.
and mostly anything that tastes like jamaica since i live in new york and it’s home.
Jenna,
I love your blog, and I didn’t see my comfort food mentioned on here. It’s pierogies sauteed in lots of butter, onions, salt, pepper, and eaten with a scoop of sour cream. So good, reminds me of my Baba, Nana, and Great Aunt.
Cheers,
Heather
Tomato soup & grilled cheese or a giant sweet potato!!
Homemade soup is number 1 comfort food. Pasta and pizza are second.
Hands down, my mom’s spaghetti.. never fails to comfort me.
hmm, hard question. For sure all the Fall Meals I make like Soups w a bread or corn bread, Pumpkin Pies, warm brownie sundaes, warm homemade cookies straight out the oven.
I like yours though, Linguine and Clams, never would of thought.
I will have to try it out.
My exchange mom in America used to make Broccoli Burritos and they are just beautiful and remind me of everything I love in the world. And they’re healthy to boot
What is it about fall that makes everyone think of comfort food?
I’ve been thinking a lot about linguine alfredo lately….but I think I’ll have to give yours a try, this looks amazingly yummy!
When I was a kid, my grandmother used to make a stew with veal and dill whenever I spent the night there. I haven’t eaten that in years, but just thinking about it brings me comfort!
My favourite comfort food is a traditional Irish dish called either Poundies (in my home town of Derry) or Champ (most of the rest of Ireland). It is essentially mashed potatoes, butter and scallions (spring onions) all chopped up through it. A load of salt (maybe some cheese through it if you fancy) and you’re good to go. It totally takes me back to my childhood and even now I love it on cold winter days when I really can’t be bothered making anything too elaborate.
Mmm…that looks wonderful.
I’d have to say that my mom’s spaghetti and meatballs is one of my favorite comfort foods of growing up. It was made fresh from scratch at least once a week when I was a kid, and I still have great memories of family dinners and meatballs.
The one thing I miss now that I’m vegetarian: shepherd’s pie – i miss the minced beef the most. Why do I miss the worst cut of meat? Why don’t I miss organic roast chicken or ‘caught the same day’ salmon – why do i miss ground up bits of random cow parts?
Odd.
Hands down my go-to comfort meal when I am needing some love is poached eggs with sticks:) Wednesday was egg day at my house growing up and my father used to make us poached eggs on toast (he cut the sticks around the eggs so that you were left with an egg sitting on a square of toast). There was no need for a for a fork, as the toast spears were used to puncture and sop up the yolk. The best part was the toast square at the end….a soggy, vinegary, yolky masterpiece. Yummmmmmmmmmmm.
so glad you posted this recipe – i have exact can of clams in my pantry that i’ve been looking for the perfect dish to make with – this is the one!
I always run for pasta when I’m in need of comfort food. Not because it has any nostalgia to it, it’s just what I crave!
You may have convienced me to lose my clam virginity…soon..
i had no idea what my comfort food was until i started living overseas and started craving sandwhiches like a mad woman. with hearty, whole grain bread if possible. oh man, i want a sandwhich now.
My mom used to make this dish for a special meal. We used to add a ton of fresh chopped parsely. Even though the clams were canned the flavor always brought me back to summer time in Maine. I need to get me some!
Anything with mashed potatoes = heaven & totally my comfort food
My favorite comfort food in my adult life is probably sheperd’s pie, but the taste of my youth has to be my grandma’s American Chop Suey, which was nothing like the standard version with tomato sauce. Instead, she used a ton of garlic and American cheese. Sounds strange, but it’s amazing and makes me feel as though I’m five years old again.
probably gnocchi. my parents never made it for me growing up but i still consider it a very homey meal
.
Comfort food for me would be a really good pressed panini!
homemade soup and crusty bread!! I could eat it everyday all day! It’s so nourishing and warm! mmm… perfection in everyway.
Make ahead mashed potatoes, gravey, and my mom’s meatballs. YUMO
my family ALWAYS has clam dip at parties, and clam chowder. so i’d have to say those and cheesy potatoes (potatoes with tons and tons of melted cheddar cheese). not exactly the healthiest, but always hits the spot.
Grilled cheese with tomato soup. Or pizza with a thick chewy crust with lots of red sauce. Really anything doughy and cheesy.
After I left for university, when I came home for weekends, my mom would make chicken caesar salad just for me! She makes her caesar dressing from scratch and it is so good! I always loved that she made it just for me because I was home and she loved me.
my mom’s sour cream and chicken enchiladas reminds me of the nights that i would help her put together each enchilada and how much fun i have in the kitchen with my incredible family
Waddle? That’s amazing
My favorite comfort food was my mom’s homemade calzones. So good. She make them for me gluten-free now…but it’s not the same
My favorite comfort food is pizza most definitely!!! Nothing better
My favorite comfort food will always be tomato soup and grilled cheese
Confession: I’ve never had linguine with clams. You always see it served with clams in the shell and it seems like there’s only 3 or 4 in the dish. I am definitely going to try this at home!
I’m with the tomato soup/grilled cheese crew. Macaroni and cheese is total comfort too…and i have to add my mom’s chicken noodle soup. I am going to try your angel hair pasta and clams though-looks fantastic!
I love linguini with clams!!! I make it just the same. My favorite comfort food(s) are enchilada casserole and chicken parmesan- I try to make them healthy though!
I have never had pasta with clams – I’ll have to try it if it’s so easy. In my book, comfort foods are ones I don’t have to slave over, so that would be my mom’s beef vegetable soup, but if I’m looking for a quick, comfy meal, a baked sweet potato with sour cream does it all the time.
My comfort food is definitely breakfast. Anytime I’m feeling down or sick, my husband makes me breakfast – usually in the form of a sandwich. Mom used to make me eggs and cinnamon toast
Your clam recipe sounds wonderful! My mom makes something very similar (with bacon) and I LOVE it!
Like any Louisiana girl…Seafood Gumbo! There is nothing like a big bowl of gumbo!
Man, that looks and sounds so delicious. Think I’ll put it on the rotation of trying new things. Thank you.
My fave comfort meal could be a few things: my granny’s chicken and rice, my Dad’s chicken and yellow rice, or white chicken chili with sour cream, cheese, and avocado on top. Good stuff.
My favorite is probably disney pasta. I was looking at a disney magazine and they had recipes of stuff they had in restaurants at disneyworld and this pasta sounded really good. My mom made it one day and it became my favorite thing ever. It is pasta, a few kinds of cheese, and a whole lot of different kinds of vegetables.
mmm comfort food. Mac and cheese or grilled cheese for sure.
My mom’s concord grape pie. It’s so time and labor intensive but is completely worth it! -I feel the need to say it’s not a grape pie made with jello, because people always assume that’s what it is! Ew!
If anyone wants the recipe, you will NOT be sorry!
My most recent favorite comfort food is Pho! However, I still love my mom’s marinara recipe and her chili and her tacos… Yumm… I better call her
I have to agree with all the comments for meatless or pot roast. I loooove meatloaf. I could eat half a pan in one sitting. I had a meatloaf party this summer, and it was amazing. I don’t make my own pot roast, but I’m pretty much guaranteed to order it if it’s on the menu. My fave place for it is Founding Farmers in DC. Totally worth the trip down there. Of course, it doesnt matter whether it’s meatloaf or mashed potatoes, it must include a HUGE side of potatoes.
Classic, blue box mac and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches are my comfort foods. These remind me of spending days with both my paternal grandparents (mac and cheese) and maternal grandma (grilled cheese) because these would be what I ate for lunch when I was there, every time, and it was stuff I rarely ate anywhere else until college.
Also, gas station hot chocolate. I know, I was a barista at a high end coffee shop for 4 years, but there’s just something about the stuff from the machine. The gas station across from the high school where I student taught knew me well.
Now that I’m an expat living in Asia anything I grew up eating that I can’t find here is comfort food. I carved my first pumpkin in eight years yesterday and roasted the seeds and that was comfort food. The top of my list for fall comfort food is home made crab apple sauce made with apples from my mom’s back yard.
Jenna! This looked too good to pass up! I immediately went to the grocery store and made it. Delicious!
) Thanks for sharing it.
Jenna! This is one of my favorites too and probably the first recipe of my mother’s that I “mastered” on my own. My favorite part is the leftovers when the Parmesan has blended with the clam juice and made a creamy clam sauce for the linguine. (we also use angel hair)
I just tried this and it was deeeelish! I added some fresh parsley, too, which was great!
Oh my gosh. I love linguine and clams! Definitely was a meal that graced our table many a times growing up!! Everytime I make it now it just brings me back!! Yum.
Huge, fresh, doughy, untosted bagels and cream cheese. Hands down. The ultimate comfort food. (Oh, and my Grandmother’s pizza too
)
Thanks for posting this. I guess I always thought a great clam dish had to be not of a can. I was relieved to find a can in this case
Thanks! Love your foodie combinations, well, and, those placemats… BEAUTIFUL!
I’m definitely going to try this recipe out soon. I thought I was allergic to all shellfish but it turns out that I’m only allergic to crustaceans and molluscs are a-okay! There’s nothing like comfort food from your parents. Even when I try to re-create them at my home, they’re just not the same.
Oh that does sound good! As for me, if I need a comfort meal to chow down on, I love Nachos with beef mince mixed in, works every time
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