Feel-Good Dinners Just Like Mama Made

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These recipes bring back the kind of comfort that comes from mom’s kitchen, grandma’s table, or that one neighbor who always cooked like every meal was a Sunday feast. From Chicken and Dumplings to Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes and Oven Fried Chicken Drumsticks, this roundup is packed with warm, cheesy, creamy, and golden-baked dishes that taste like home. Whether it’s Stovetop Mac and Cheese, Creamy One-Pot French Onion Rigatoni, or Ham Gravy and Biscuits, each recipe serves up a heaping helping of nostalgic goodness you’ll want to revisit again and again.

Creamy One-Pot French Onion Rigatoni

A bowl of rigatoni pasta coated in a creamy sauce, topped with black pepper and chopped fresh herbs, with a fork placed inside the dish.
Image Credit: Not Entirely Average

All the cozy warmth of a French onion soup—slow-cooked onions, rich beef broth, and melty Gruyère—tangled up in rigatoni and tucked into one creamy, one-pot wonder. It’s the kind of comfort that tastes like it’s been simmering all afternoon.

Get the recipe: Creamy One-Pot French Onion Rigatoni

Chicken and Dumplings

Biscuits on a plate, topped with creamy chicken and mixed vegetables in gravy, garnished with chopped parsley.
The Best Homemade Chicken and Dumplings. Image Credit: Not Entirely Average

Need a quick and comforting weeknight meal that satisfies everyone? Look no further than this chicken and dumplings recipe! This Southern-style classic features tender chicken simmering in a flavorful broth, topped with fluffy drop dumplings made from simple ingredients.

Get the recipe: Chicken and Dumplings

Stovetop Mac and Cheese

A close up of macaroni and cheese, garnish with fresh herbs.
Image Credit: Jacqueline Piper for PiperCooks

Rich, creamy, and loaded with melty cheese, this stovetop mac tastes like the one you grew up with—only better. Stir in sweet corn, caramelized onions, or a little jalapeño heat to make it your own.

Get the recipe: Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Chicken-Fried Chicken with Creamy Country Gravy

A piece of chicken fried chicken topped with gravy sits on a mound of mashed potatoes on a patterned plate, accompanied by a gold fork and knife.
Image Credit: Not Entirely Average

Crispy, golden, and smothered in creamy country gravy—this Southern classic delivers the kind of stick-to-your-ribs comfort that tastes like Sunday supper at Grandma’s.

Get the recipe: Chicken-Fried Chicken with Creamy Country Gravy

Oven Fried Chicken Drumsticks

Several baked chicken drumsticks with browned, crispy edges are arranged on a metal baking sheet.
Image Credit: Not Entirely Average

Golden, crackly, and straight from the oven, these drumsticks bring all the crispy comfort of fried chicken—no hot oil, no mess, just pure Southern-style satisfaction.

Get the recipe: Oven Fried Chicken Drumsticks

Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes

A bowl of browned butter mashed potatoes garnished with herbs and drizzled with melted butter rests on a wooden table, beside a patterned plate and a plaid napkin.
Image Credit: Not Entirely Average

Creamy mashed potatoes meet nutty, golden browned butter for a side dish that feels like an upgrade from Sunday dinner—but still tastes like home. ️

Get the recipe: Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

A casserole dish with tomatoes, peppers and rice, topped with parsley, melted cheese and a drizzle of sauce.
Image Credit: Jacqueline Piper for PiperCooks

All the cozy flavors of classic stuffed peppers, minus the fuss—this one-pan casserole skips the boiling and delivers a hearty, oven-baked version that feels like weeknight magic.

Get the recipe: Stuffed Pepper Casserole

The Original Monte Cristo Sandwich

A plate of Monte Cristo sandwiches filled with ham and cheese, a glass of red sauce, grapes, cherries, and melon slices.
Image Credit: Not Entirely Average

Stacked with ham, turkey, and melty cheese, then battered and fried to golden perfection, this crispy classic turns nostalgic comfort into something downright legendary.

Get the recipe: The Original Monte Cristo Sandwich

Ham Gravy and Biscuits

A plate with biscuits topped with scrambled eggs and a thick sauce.
Image Credit: Jenny DeRemer for Not Entirely Average

Southern breakfast isn’t complete without a comforting combo of flavors, and smoky southern ham gravy plays the lead role! This rich and savory sauce is the perfect complement to fluffy, cheesy biscuits and soft scrambled eggs. Every decadent bite is a tribute to Southern comfort food at its finest.

Get the recipe: Ham Gravy and Biscuits

Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake

A casserole dish with pasta, meatballs, red sauce, and melted cheese.
Image Credit: Jacqueline Piper for PiperCooks

Tender meatballs, gooey cheese, and pasta all baked into one bubbling dish—it’s the kind of dinner that fills the house with comfort and the table with happy faces.

Get the recipe: Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake

Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

A stacked halved toasted sandwich filled with melty white cheese.
Image Credit: Jacqueline Piper for PiperCooks

Golden, melty, and ready in five—this grilled cheese is your shortcut to that childhood favorite, all crisped up with sourdough and Havarti for a grown-up upgrade.

Get the recipe: Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

Best Creamy and Easy Squash Casserole

A glass baking dish filled with baked squash casserole.
Photo credit: Not Entirely Average.

A stuffing-lovers dream come true, this nostalgic squash casserole is a Southern supper staple, creamy and topped with a buttery crunch—and the kind of dish Grandma always doubled and froze for later.

Get the recipe: Best Creamy and Easy Squash Casserole

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Chicken

A plate of pasta with tomato-based sauce, topped with sliced grilled chicken and garnished with chopped parsley. A fork rests on the plate's edge.
Image Credit: Jacqueline Piper for PiperCooks

This creamy tomato pasta brings serious comfort, packed with tender chicken and spinach in a rich sauce that clings to every twirl of linguine—weeknight pasta, just like Mom used to make.

Get the recipe: Creamy Tomato Pasta with Chicken

Suppertime Skillet Creamy Corn

white bowl with creamed corn
Image Credit: Not Entirely Average

Sweet, salty, and just the right kind of tangy, this creamy corn cooks up fast in a skillet—perfect for prepping while the grill heats and guaranteed to vanish at any potluck. Kid-friendly, too!

Get the recipe: Suppertime Skillet Creamy Corn

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About Jenny deRemer

I am a Charleston, South Carolina-based culinary novice, an ardent authority on all things travel, a designer by trade, and the creator of Not Entirely Average. I have a weakness for farmers' markets, delight in adventures way off the beaten path, enjoy documenting my many moods through photography, and have been known to conquer the occasional yard sale with gusto!

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