AARP Hearing Center
5 Comfort Food Recipes, With a Healthy Twist
Whip up Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, Rice and Peas, and One-Skillet Apple Pie
These comfort food recipes, including Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, are primed to become new favorites.
Hugh Forte
Cozy feel-good meals are in season all year long, but “comfort food” doesn’t have to equal less-than-healthy. Each of these delicious dishes manages to incorporate good-for-you ingredients, plus even experienced home cooks will find new techniques to add to their repertoire — from substituting natural sweeteners for refined sugar to cooking lentils in creamy coconut milk to amp up the flavor. Whether you’re craving something hearty and satisfying, or yearning for a taste of nostalgia from family meals past, these tasty recipes fill the bill.
More Ways to Benefit
- Related Benefit 1
- Related Benefit 2
- Related Benefit 3
- Related Benefit 4
- Related Benefit 5
Rice and Peas develops its deep, delicious flavor with coconut milk, allspice berries, Scotch bonnet chiles and thyme.
Lauren Vied Allen
Rice and Peas
Emmy Award-winning documentarian and food historian Von Diaz was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Atlanta, and she’s made it her life’s work to highlight the intersection of food, identity and culture. In her latest book, Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking, Diaz shares 125 recipes from the islands dotted across the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, weaving the powerful stories of how the dishes came to be into the book’s narrative. With colorful photographs and engaging prose, she teaches readers time-honored techniques such as pickling, braising and smoking, so even the most seasoned home cook will have something to learn. Her version of Rice and Peas — a dish that generations of island families have found comfort in making — develops its deep, delicious flavor with coconut milk, allspice berries, Scotch bonnet chiles and thyme.
Get recipe: Rice and Peas
Dressed-Up Tinned Fish leverages quality fish, green tomatoes, hazelnuts and fresh parsley.
Chris Bernabeo
Dressed-Up Tinned Fish
Los Angeles-based business partners Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson are the chefs behind the popular eateries Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie, and now they share their signature Mediterranean-meets-California fare in Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes. With more than 100 veggie-forward recipes, the duo incorporates fresh flavors and colorful ingredients that pack a powerful nutrient-dense punch. It’s a delightful way to find comfort in the beauty of seasonal produce. In their recipe for Dressed-Up Tinned Fish, Kramer tells the story of how, when she was living out of hotel rooms as a teenage musical theater performer, she fell in love with protein in the form of fish out of a can. This “dressed-up” version of her nostalgic favorite leverages quality fish, green tomatoes, hazelnuts and fresh parsley. Pile it on top of toast for an elegant, comforting appetizer, or enjoy it as a lunch all for yourself.
Get recipe: Dressed-Up Tinned Fish
One-Skillet Apple Pie uses no refined sugar, calling for maple syrup and naturally sweet dates.
Israel Palacio
One-Skillet Apple Pie
Dan Churchill has coached athletes and ultra-fit celebrities such as Alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn and actor Chris Hemsworth (who wrote the book’s foreword) and considers himself a “performance chef.” He believes in packing your diet with wholesome food that tastes great and helps you feel your best. In his new book Eat Like a Legend: Delicious, Super Easy Recipes to Perform at Your Peak, he shares hearty, satisfying recipes that incorporate good-for-you ingredients without sacrificing flavor. If you’re craving a classic comforting dessert, make his One-Skillet Apple Pie. It uses no refined sugar (instead it calls for maple syrup and naturally sweet dates) and packs in plenty of fiber, so you can feel good about a sweet ending to a meal.
Get recipe: One-Skillet Apple Pie
Braised Sausage, Lentils and Fennel combines fiber-packed lentils and fennel and whatever sausage you prefer.
Laura Edwards
Braised Sausage, Lentils and Fennel
London-based cook, food writer and stylist Georgina Hayden fell in love with cooking at her grandparents’ Greek Cypriot taverna as a child. Those classic comfort-filled dishes helped inspire her on her path to a career in food. Now, in her fourth book, Greekish: Everyday Recipes with Greek Roots, she shares 120 recipes made with fresh, flavorful ingredients from the Mediterranean — many of which are key elements of the healthy diet for which the region is known. Her Braised Sausage, Lentils and Fennel recipe combines fiber-packed lentils and fennel and whatever sausage you prefer (chicken sausage is a lower-fat alternative to pork sausage) to create a hearty dish you’ll crave.
Get recipe: Braised Sausage, Lentils and Fennel
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are packed with protein and served over pillowy polenta with rainbow chard.
Hugh Forte
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Often, the most comforting element of any meal — even above the food on the table — is the people you’re sharing it with. With that in mind, Sara Forte’s third cookbook, Around Our Table: Wholesome Recipes to Feed Your Family & Friends, is an ode to the simple pleasure of gathering with loved ones around delicious food. Fans love her popular Sprouted Kitchen blog, and many of her most beloved recipes have found their way into this gorgeous book, illustrated with lush personal images shot by her husband, photographer Hugh Forte. Try your hand at hearty Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, a protein-packed entree that comes together in a cast iron skillet. Served over pillowy polenta with rainbow chard (a green that’s packed with vitamin K, known to help protect against cardiovascular disease), it’s a meal in itself. And it’s easy to repurpose any leftover meatballs with pasta or tucked into a baguette as a sandwich the next day.
Get recipe: Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
AARP Membership
Join AARP for only $15 per year with automatic renewal. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of benefits, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP The Magazine.
More From AARP