Take Comfort To The Next Level
There are some dishes that just taste like childhood. Unfortunately, those childhood dishes don't always offer the most nutrition or complex flavors. Luckily, you can enjoy your fave childhood meals with a few easy upgrades!
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1. Buttered Noodles
A favorite of picky eaters and upset tummies everywhere, buttered noodles are about as simple as it gets. The simplicity of this dish is what makes it so comforting. Buttered noodles taste like a hug for your mouth.
2. Walking Tacos
Walking tacos are a great way to dress up an otherwise bland bag of chips. By combining all the ingredients of a taco in an ahead-of-its-time deconstructed format, walking tacos made it fun and easy to eat your veggies. Plus, there was very little clean-up involved.
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3. Meatloaf
Meatloaf has a bit of a bad reputation as cafeteria mystery meat. However, nearly a century after the Great Depression, this simple dish remains a delicious and nutritious way to feed families on a budget. The thick stripe of ketchup is the proverbial cherry on top.
4. Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Joes may not be as popular as they used to be, but they'll live on for forever in our hearts. Whether you were coming in from tobogganing or enjoying a backyard BBQ, Sloppy Joes were the peak of cuisine. The sloppiness was the best part of these Joes.
5. Grilled Cheese
If your mom opened up a can of Campbell's creamy tomato soup, you were in for the best meal of your life. White bread, mayo, and two gooey slices of plasticky American cheese are a recipe for perfection. One bite will bring you back to childhood.
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6. SpaghettiOs
SpaghettiOs were designed as a less messy alternative to traditional spaghetti and meatballs. While we're not entirely sure it worked—messy eaters always find a way—it's certainly tasty. We'll always hold a special place in our hearts for SpaghettiOs and similar canned pastas like Alphaghetti and Chef Boyadee.
7. Chocolate Chip Pancakes
When you're up early for Saturday morning cartoons, there's nothing better than the sweet sizzle of pancake batter hitting the griddle. If those pancakes had chocolate chips in them, you were the luckiest kid on earth. And if those chocolate pancakes had a fruit smiley face? Boy, were you loved.
8. PB&J
A lunchtime staple for a reason, PB&J was been filling that hole in American bellies for over a century. While concern about nut allergies kept PB&Js out of lunchboxes, they were the perfect after-school snack. Uncrustables simply can't compare.
9. Fish Sticks
Fish sticks are a great way to introduce kids to fish. The flakiness of the whitefish is fresh and simple, while the breading made them feel like a treat. Food always tastes better when you can eat it with your hands.
10. Chicken Noodle Soup
When you're feeling under the weather, nothing hits like a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup. It's scientifically proven that chicken soup really does make you feel better by hydrating you and reducing inflammation. And, when you're a kid, the best chicken soup comes from a can or a packet.
Now that we've gone over some iconic childhood comfort meals, let's look at a few ways to level them up.
1. Cacio E Pepe
If you want to dress up your childhood fave and/or impress guests with a fancy-sounding meal, you have to try cacio e pepe. Made with only three ingredients—four if you count the all-important splash of starchy pasta water—this traditional Roman meal is deceptively complex and decidedly delicious.
2. Crispy Beef Tacos
Don't rely overpriced stadium walking tacos or under-seasoned Taco Bell. Tacos are incredibly easy to assemble and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand. While soft-shell tacos may be more nostalgic—after all, they were less sharp on your mouth—you have to go hard-shell to recreate that walking taco crunch.
3. Millionaire's Meatloaf
No longer just a staple of the suburbs, gourmet meatloaves with mint, chorizo, and pine nuts have been taking over social media. However, if you're going to elevate your meatloaf, why not do it in style? Piled high with chili shrimp, David Burke's millionaire's meatloaf is a dish that lives up to its name.
4. Fancy Joes
Traditional Sloppy Joes can be cloyingly sweet with all the sugar in the sauce—great for kids, not great for adult dental bills. You can cut the sugar and improve the flavor with a red wine and brown sugar sauce. What makes these Joes fancy rather than sloppy is serving them on sliders for less mess.
5. Three-Cheese Grilled Cheese
Gourmet grilled cheese had a major moment a few years back, and people still argue over what constitutes a grilled cheese vs a melt (our two cents is that the second you add non-cheese items, it stops being a grilled cheese). To avoid controversy, opt for a classic and indulgent three-cheese. Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack will give you a picture-perfect cheese pull.
6. Anelletti Al Forno
Bet you didn't know that those delicious little rings have a life outside of SpaghettiOs! Baked anelletti, or anelletti al forno, is a classic Sicilian comfort dish. Think of it as a cross between SpaghettiOs and lasagna.
7. Chocolate Pancakes
We're not going to lie to you; one of the best parts of being an adult is choosing what to eat whenever you want. There's nothing stopping you from indulging in double-chocolate pancakes after a hard week. Breakfast for dinner has never tasted better.
8. Almond Butter & Blackberry Jam
There are a million different ways to dress up your average PB&J. The easiest way to do so is switching up your ingredients—for example, almond butter and blackberry jam for a new taste. Cutting the crusts off, however, is non-negotiable.
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9. Fish Tacos
Fish tacos may not seem like the logical next step from fish sticks, but hear us out. You still get that fish stick breading and the fun of finger food, only with the added bonus of vegetables. Use tartar sauce instead of salsa for maximum nostalgia.
10. Chicken Noodle Soup
Sometimes, there's no reason to mess with the classics. When you're sick, you should go easy on your stomach, so we're going to forgo any fancy flavors or expensive upgrades. However, one of the easiest upgrades you can do for chicken soup is making your own stock from leftover meat.
