winter comfort food

Donal Skehan&#8217;s indulgent Italian-American slow-baked meatballs, with a rich tomato sauce and melting mozzarella, will liven up the week. Make them tonight! Or, try this versatile baked meatballs recipe, with smoke-scented chipotle and polenta. For more of Donal&#8217;s recipes, visit donalskehan.com. &nbsp;

Slow-baked meatballs

For the meatballs

British beef mince

outdoor reared pork mince

pancetta, finely chopped

onion,

garlic cloves, crushed

buttermilk

breadcrumbs

oregano

parsley,

egg,

parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve

For the tomato sauce

Olive oil

garlic cloves,

passata

dry red wine

tsp chilli flakes

mozzarella ball, sliced

You’ll also need

Large ovenproof frying pan

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs. Season with salt and pepper and mix until well combined.

Form golf-ball-size meatballs by rolling the mixture in your hands, then transfer to a large baking tray. Keep a small bowl of cold water to dip your hands in to prevent things from getting too sticky. Repeat with the remaining mixture, cover and leave in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Put the frying pan/casserole over a medium-high heat and add a glug of olive oil. If all the meatballs don’t fit in the pan, fry half the meatballs until browned on all sides (8-10 minutes), then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper. If doing two batches, wipe out the pan with kitchen paper, add another glug of oil and fry the remaining batch.

Heat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/gas 2. For the tomato sauce, drain any excess oil from the pan and put back on a low heat. Add the garlic and slowly simmer for a minute until just golden but not browned.

Pour in the passata and red wine and stir in. Add the dried oregano, chilli flakes and some salt and pepper. Bring to a steady simmer and allow to cook for 5-6 minutes before returning the meatballs to the pan and gently turning to coat them in the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and transfer to the oven.

Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, turn up the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7, dot the meatballs with the mozzarella and a little extra parmesan, then return to the oven.

Serve the baked meatballs with spaghetti cooked in a pan of boiling water until tender but still with some bite, and sprinkle generously with grated parmesan.

Over 50 best comfort food recipes including warm pastas and lasagna, cozy soups and curries, creamy and cheesy dinners, and vegetarian comfort food. One of my favorites is this Meat Lasagna.

50 Best Comfort Food Recipes

dry lasagna noodles

tablespoon olive oil

teaspoon salt

tablespoons olive oil

lb. ground beef

cup onion, finely chopped

tablespoons garlic, minced

cups tomato sauce

tablespoons tomato paste

cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

cups ricotta cheese

+ 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

1 egg, beaten

cup fresh parsley, chopped

Cook the lasagna noodles

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium high heat. Add lasagna noodles, olive oil and salt and cook until al dente (fully cooked but still firm), or according to package directions, about 10 minutes. Rinse the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside in the pot.

Prepare the meat sauce

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven for 2 minutes over medium-high heat until the oil is sizzling hot. Add ground beef and cook for 5-7 minutes until browned. Add onion and garlic. Stir well to combine and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until tender. Pour tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and parsley. Stir well to mix and bring the meat sauce to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes uncovered. Set aside.

Prepare the cheese mixture

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, beaten egg, and parsley. Stir well to combine together.

Assemble the lasagna

Noodles: Place 3 lasagna noodles evenly apart over the meat sauce.

Cheese: Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture evenly over the noodles.

Sauce: Spread 1/2 the remaining meat sauce on top.

Noodles: Top with another layer of 3 lasagna noodles.

Cheese: Spread remaining half of cheese mixture.

Noodles: Top with last 3 pieces of lasagna noodles.

Shredded cheese: Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Bake the lasagna: 

Lightly grease a large piece of aluminum foil and cover the pan with the greased side inside. Greasing the foil prevents the melted cheese from sticking to the foil while baking. Bake the lasagna covered for 45 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes or until the melted cheese turns golden brown and bubbly. Optionally, turn on broiler on high and broil for 3-4 minutes to get a crispy and brown cheesy crust. But keep a close eye on the broiler as things can burn quickly.

Cool down

Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes before serving.

I am excited to share with you my family recipe for traditional Bigos, a hearty and flavourful Polish Hunter’s Stew fit for royalty.

Bigos - Polish Hunters Stew Recipe 

Stewing Beef

Kielbasa

Lardons

Sauerkraut

White Cabbage

Large Onion

Apple

Mushrooms

Water

glass Dry Red Wine

Prune

Bay Leaves

Allspice Berries

1tsp Marjoram

1tsp Caraway

Honey

Salt

1tsp Ground Black Pepper

Nutmeg

1tbsp Tomato Puree

Rehydrate Mushrooms

Begin by hydrating the dried mushrooms in 1 L of boiling water for around 15 minutes. When ready, remove the mushrooms and strain the water through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any grit or sand. Transfer the mushroom water to a slow cooker dish, leaving behind the last 50 ml (1/4 cup) of water that may contain sediment.

Brown Pork

In a frying pan, sear the lardons and sausage over high heat until browned. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker, leaving the fat in the pan.

Brown Onions

In the same pan, brown the diced onions until softened and lightly browned. Transfer them to the slow cooker.

Brown Beef

Next, brown the diced beef in two batches until browned on all sides. Transfer it to the slow cooker.

Combine Ingredients

Add all the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, including the hydrated mushrooms, and stir well to combine. Cover with a lid and set the slow cooker to high heat for 5 hours. After the first hour, give it a good stir and repeat every hour or so to distribute the flavours.

Enjoy!

When the Bigos is ready, remove the bay leaves and serve hot with sourdough bread or boiled potatoes. Bigos tastes better with time, so you can store it in the fridge for up to three days, freeze it, or store it in jars if you make a bigger batch. Reheat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving. Enjoy!

This hearty soup is filled with vegetables and amazing traditional flavors. Traditional Sarma, or cabbage rolls, are deconstructed and made into a rich and filling soup. It is so much less work than rolling cabbage rolls!

Sarma {Cabbage Roll} Soup

butter

celery,

carrots,

red bell peppers,

beef

pork

chili

salt

paprika

pepper

seasoning salt,

can diced tomatoes

tomato sauce

water

rice

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven...

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Place the onion, carrots, celery, and bell peppers inside, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. 

Add in the cabbage, and cook for an...

Add in the cabbage, and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cabbage has started to soften and become pliable.

In a separate pan, put the ground beef,...

In a separate pan, put the ground beef, ground pork, chili flakes, salt, pepper, oregano, seasoning salt, and paprika. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is cooked through. Drain off any excess grease, and place the meat into the dutch oven. 

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water...

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water to the pot. This is going to completely fill a 6 quart pot. If you have a 7 or 8 quart, I'd recommend using it! If you need to add a little less water, feel free. 

Reduce heat to low or medium low. Just...

Reduce heat to low or medium low. Just enough to keep the soup at a simmer.

Cook until the vegetables are tender. Serve with...

Cook until the vegetables are tender. Serve with steamed rice on the side.

We love this delicious soup that is filled with vegetables, Italian Sausage, and peppers!

Italian Sausage and Cabbage Soup

mild Italian sausage

chili flakes (I used Korean Gochugaru)

In a separate pan, put the ground beef, Italian sausage, chili flakes, salt, pepper, oregano, seasoning salt, and paprika.

Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is cooked...

Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is cooked through. Drain off any excess grease, and place the meat into the dutch oven. 

Top 5 winter comfort food recipes from across the web

The most viewed winter comfort food recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Slow-baked meatballs

50 Best Comfort Food Recipes

Bigos - Polish Hunters Stew Recipe

Sarma {Cabbage Roll} Soup

Italian Sausage and Cabbage Soup

Top 5 winter comfort food recipes from across the web

The most viewed winter comfort food recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Slow-baked meatballs

50 Best Comfort Food Recipes

Bigos - Polish Hunters Stew Recipe

Sarma {Cabbage Roll} Soup

Italian Sausage and Cabbage Soup

The most viewed winter comfort food recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine