a table beautifully and festively set with delicious looking winter comfort foods including a charcuterie board with proscuitto and the idea of a warm gathering of friends and family

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As fall turns to winter, there is nothing I love more than snuggling up under a cozy blanket with a fire in the fireplace and one or more soul-warming winter comfort food recipes simmering away, as the damp and cold mind their own business outside.

The Danes invented hygge to combat harsh winters and increase their happiness. One staple of hygge is comforting food. Excuse my grammar – but I love me some good ole’ comfort food.

The winter comfort food recipes that I collected for you here are perfect on a cold winter day. Perfect when you want the smell of a delicious meal throughout your home. And they’re perfect for anticipating a special time with family or friends. These are all so delicious, and perfect for whipping up during peak hygge season. Enjoy these 20+ Winter Comfort Food Recipes.

a collage of delicious looking winter comfort foods - pastas, casseroles, and soups - implying warmth and comfort

What Is Hygge?

[Hygge] literally only requires consciousness, a certain slowness, and the ability to not just be present – but recognize and enjoy the present. 

Another definition of hygge is “an art of creating intimacy” (either with yourself, friends and your home). While there’s no one English word or simple definition to describe hygge, several can be used interchangeably to describe the idea of hygge such as cosiness, charm, happiness, ‘contentness’, security, familiarity, comfort, reassurance, kinship, and simpleness.

https://hyggehouse.com/hygge
a table beautifully and festively set with delicious looking winter comfort foods and the idea of a warm gathering of friends and family

More Ways To Share Hygge

Food is definitely part of hygge. And there are so many ways to create the feeling of hygge with your family every day. Check out a few of my favorites, add one of the recipes in this post and you’ll find a little slice of heaven!

Click HERE to check out even more ideas for a connected family to cultivate that feeling of hygge.

Cozy Winter Comfort Food Recipes Abound!

What’s on your list of cozy winter comfort food? Slow cooker recipes, casserole recipes, sweet potatoes, grilled cheese, beef stew, Italian sausage, mac and cheese, soup recipes? All of these winter comfort food recipes are here. This list is filled with home cooked crowd pleasers! So invite your friends, and dig in!

Comfort Foods to Inspire Nordic Hygge

How Is Winter Comfort Food Hygge?

Hygge is definitely not about things – but about moments spent appreciating something special about that moment. Confusing? Not really. It’s about presence and awareness.

A few moments to yourself with a cup of warm tea, a book, and the smell of a delicious winter comfort food on the stove. Hygge? You bet.

What about a gathering of friends playing games in front of a fire as they nibble on one of the winter comfort food recipes found in here – maybe meatballs? Yep. That’s hygge too.

So, when you make a warm comforting meal – like one of those listed here – that can definitely conjure some hygge.

Eating delicious winter comfort food with friends and family, a bit of candlelight, and some sparkling conversation is definitely hygge. Or, choose one of the winter comfort food recipes found here and treat yourself to some alone time by the fire with dinner and a good book.

a table beautifully and festively set with delicious looking winter comfort foods and the idea of a warm gathering of friends and family
  • Family Hygge – Why not start a fire, and use low, gentle lighting throughout the room? Plate up some ragu with rigatoni (it’s no lie my love language) and get your groove on for family game night.
  • Gratitude – This would be my choice: make a pot full of chicken and gravy, (the recipe is linked above), and add some rice. Light some beautiful candles around the room. Ok, I’d also add a glass of wine because that’s how I roll – but I’ll leave that to you. Then, I’d check out this list of terrific cozy gifts and I’d choose somebody to give a gift to. Sort of like a random act of kindness – but taking the time to choose somebody who really needs to know that they are appreciated. Whomever that might be…
  • Friends– Invite friends over for some delicious coffee treats and make these delicious blueberry muffins or sweet potato muffins.

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an image of a woman in a warm cozy gray sweater cradling a ceramic bowl of creamy warm delicious looking soup in her hands