20 Simple but Satisfying Dishes From Around the Globe

Posted: October 14, 2021 11:51 am

For many fans of cooking, discovering the joys of preparing a new dish can be a life-changing experience for the better. These 20 meals from around the globe offer today’s foodies the chance to discover some of the best comfort recipes currently making waves on the culinary scene. Whether you’re a fan of traditional Italian, Thai, or New Orleans-style cooking, you’re sure to find some new favorites among these delicious meals!

1. Gnocchi Florentine

This classic Tuscan dish is quick and easy to make and full of rich and savory flavors. Featuring sweet Italian sausage, potato dumplings, and a cheesy mozzarella sauce, this is a perfect meal to enjoy on chilly autumn or winter nights. This is a great meal to bring the Tuscan countryside right to your doorstep.

2. Classic British Cottage Pie

A favorite dish in the United Kingdom for generations, cottage pie is cozy cooking at its British best. Featuring ground beef, vegetables, and mashed potatoes cooked together, cottage pie is a warming meal with a lot of heart and a taste to match! British comfort food doesn’t get much better or more classic than this!

3. Oxtail

For adventurous fans of cooking, oxtail is an out-of-the-way meat option that can produce big results and some truly astonishing flavors. This unorthodox cut of beef is taken from the tail of a cow; celebrated in Latin America for years as a wonderful comfort dish, oxtail is now revered by forward-looking chefs around the globe for its culinary possibilities. However you slice it, eating oxtail will be a memorable experience that can truly change the way you look at cuisine.

4. Peanut Butter Bread

Popular during the Great Depression, peanut butter bread is making a big comeback with food aficionados because of its rich flavors and wonderful textures. As you might expect, this recipe is as nutritious as it is filling; in autumn, peanut butter bread is a perfect comfort dessert to enjoy with coffee or tea.

5. Thai Beef Curry

Combining sweet and savory flavors thanks to its rich coconut milk broth and rich beef taste, this classic Thai cuisine staple has become a comfort food favorite across the globe in recent years. Moreover, it’s a wonderfully simple dish to make on the go and is filling to boot!

6. Ragù alla Bolognese

A classic pasta dish made in a rich meat-and-vegetable sauce, ragù alla Bolognese is a wonderfully filling meal with a lot of soul. Fun and easy to make, classic Italian cooking rarely gets as satisfying or as meaningful as this!

7. French Onion Soup

Undoubtedly, classic French onion soup is cozy home cooking at its best. Even beginners will find a lot to love about putting this wonderful recipe to good use. Get your ovens ready, because there’s nothing like a fall or winter night spent relaxing with a cup of French onion soup and a good friend. And for truly outstanding flavor, don’t forget to caramelize the onions!

8. Steak Tartare

If culinary adventures are your thing, steak tartare might just win you over: Legend has it that this remarkable dish was adapted from the cuisine of Mongol warriors! The idea of eating raw steak served with egg yolk is anathema to some, and this remarkably tender and tasty dish certainly has its fair share of critics, but those in the know tend to swear by steak tartare as one of the most interesting and historical comfort cuisines currently available on the market.

9. Chicken Tikka Masala

Originally created by Indian immigrants living in the United Kingdom, chicken tikka masala is a wonderfully cosmopolitain dish featuring remarkably vibrant flavors. A favorite comfort food in countries like England and Scotland, chicken tikka masala can be surprisingly easy to make. Even if you’re new to the cooking scene, it might be worth giving this lovely recipe a try.

10. Cajun Gumbo

To really get a sense of the subtle art of Southern cooking, every chef should make a classic cajun gumbo at least once. There are a million ways to make a great gumbo; for a traditional cajun stew that will really knock your socks off, however, be sure to cook up some sausage with a bit of okra and roux! Although it’s seemingly perfect on chilly winter nights, cajun gumbo is also surprisingly cooling during hot summer evenings thanks to its spicy flavors.

11. Sweet Potato Hummus

To get really creative this fall, try making a delicious sweet potato hummus for your next get-together. This healthy and low-calorie treat proves that you don’t have to sacrifice a sense of flavor to make a comfort meal that is actually quite good for you! Sweet potato hummus is also remarkably easy to make!

12. Viennese Sachertorte

Next to the music of Beethoven and Mozart and the writings of Sigmund Freud, Sachertorte chocolate cake is probably Vienna’s most famous export. This classic dessert was first created at one of the city’s most famous luxury hotels; it remains an important culinary staple in Vienna’s thriving coffee house scene. To add a touch of European sophistication to your next get-together, it’s hard to go wrong with this truly comforting recipe!

13. Cheese and Broccoli Soup

Although it has a sophisticated look and feel and is perfect for get-togethers, cheese and broccoli soup is actually remarkably easy to make and wonderfully soothing and filling on cold days. If you want a simple meal that doesn’t break the bank or take ages of time to cook, it’s hard to go wrong with this sumptuous dish!

14. Swedish Meatballs

Known as “köttbullar” in Sweden, Swedish meatballs continue to be one of the most popular cuisines exported from Scandinavia. Seemingly designed to provide a cozy antidote to harsh winter nights, these wonderful dumplings make for truly wonderful comfort foods. And if you’re strapped for time, they’re also remarkably easy to cook up in a jiffy! They also go great with traditional Swedish gravy.

15. Bangers and Mash

Like cottage pie, bangers and mash is a classic dish from the UK that is as delicious as it is heartwarming. Perfect for autumn evenings, this simple sausage-and-potatoes recipe is both soothing and filling; it also tastes absolutely wonderful with a bit of Worcestershire sauce!

16. Apple Strudel

As the historic Austrian winter dessert par excellence, there is a lot to love about a classic apple strudel. These dishes are fun to make and are extraordinarily delicious when served with coffee or tea on cold winter nights; still incredibly popular throughout Western and Central Europe, the apple strudel has a history stretching back hundreds of years.

17. Classic Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

Southern comfort cooking doesn’t get more simple or more satisfying than red beans and rice. A staple for generations in New Orleans, this cozy meal packs a real punch; yet the simplicity of its ingredients also makes for a surprisingly inexpensive and easy-to-make comfort food. If you’re short on time but are craving first-rate Southern cuisine for dinner tonight, red beans and rice should definitely be on your radar.

18. Classic Russian Borscht

While most of us are unaccustomed to the delights of cold Russian soup, borscht is a classic and easy-to-make dish that can inspire even the most jaded chefs to cook outside their comfort zone. Although this traditional beet-and-potato soup is usually made when summer days are at their hottest in Russia, borscht also makes for a hearty winter meal to share with friends. Add a bit of sour cream to the final result and you’ll be in for a real treat!

19. Scotch Eggs

Occupying the northernmost territories of the United Kingdom, it’s no secret that the people of Scotland like their food hearty, hale, and hardy. And Scotch eggs are a great example of Scottish comfort eating at its best: These sausage-and-egg combos are wonderfully easy to make and incredibly savory; truly, it’s hard to go wrong with Scotch eggs!

20. Thai Coconut Chicken Curry

Although it’s incredibly easy to make, Thai coconut chicken curry is a fantastically multifaceted dish full of rich and complex flavors and incredible textures. This is sure to become one of your favorite comfort recipes if you give it a try.