Here Are Some Of The Best Low-Maintenance Comfort Meals Submitted By People On The Internet

Some people treat comfort food like a hobby, but the internet treats it like a survival skill. One minute you’re scrolling, the next minute you’re craving sourdough grilled cheese with sharp cheddar and Kerrygold butter, like it just got personally delivered to your kitchen.

And then it turns into a whole parade of low-maintenance meals that basically run on pantry logic. Fresh summer tomatoes, mayo, and sliced bread. Carrots tossed into a foil packet with olive oil and ginger, sealed up, baked until they go sweet and savory, even if you accidentally leave them for 45 minutes. Baked potatoes with butter and shredded cheddar. Cinnamon toast that hits like nostalgia on toast mode.

By the time fried rice and quesadillas show up, it feels like everyone has the same secret plan: feed yourself without turning dinner into a project.

We all love a grilled cheese sandwich.

A classic grilled cheese sandwich made with sourdough bread, sharp cheddar, and Kerrygold salted butter.

Darwin343

I know so many people who swear by this, and it does sound good.

A tomato sandwich. All you need is a tomato, mayonnaise, and sliced bread. I have this most summer days when fresh local tomatoes are at their peak. It's probably the meal I eat most often.

flouronmypjs

Carrots can be dressed in so many different ways.

I love to cut up a carrot or two and throw them in a foil packet with some olive oil and ginger. Salt to taste, seal up the packet, and bake until you can smell it.

Usually 20-30 minutes, but I’ve left them for 45 minutes before, and they just get more caramelized. They end up sweet and savory, and I can eat a whole bowl of them with nothing else added.

Maybe some freshly ground pepper, but not always. The ginger adds a great *something* to it.

mlledufarge

We love a good baked potato; you really can't go wrong.

Baked potato with butter and shredded cheddar.

Ok_Initial_2063

Cinnamon toast is nostalgic, and it is something I still eat too.

Cinnamon toast.

rrroller

Bread is the perfect snack or meal.

A toasted slice of crusty Italian bread dipped in good, flavored olive oil. Add something like salt, pepper, garlic, or grated Parmesan if you're feeling ambitious.

ItalnStalln

You can't go wrong with simple toast.

Simple toast. Preferably with decent bread, at least Italian or sourdough. Toast it until it's really toasted, not just warm bread, and slather it with Irish butter. Toast is one of my top five favorite foods.

just-kath

Quesadillas are the ultimate easy meal.

A tortilla filled with sharp cheddar and jalapeños, crisped up with oil in a frying pan.

Or better known as a cheese and jalapeño quesadilla.

BelliAmie

Well, this is simple enough.

ngkasp

Now we know a few who consume this daily.

rourobouros

A caprese salad actually sounds fantastic now.

puddlespuddled

Fried rice is the best, and it can be a whole meal on its own.

Fried rice.

All you need is rice, an egg, shallot or onion, and some meat (optional). I’m not counting salt, pepper, etc. here, though.

It’s easy and quick to make, and it's always my go-to food when I’m feeling sad.

kftsang

I might want to try this one.

Hummus mixed with a good hot sauce on naan. It might sound like a weird combo, but it's pretty spectacular in practice.

pan567

Ramen noodles will always be a go-to meal.

Ramen noodles with sesame oil and chopped scallion.

No_Virus_7704

This is similar to the Reddit debate where a friend kept requesting a secret family recipe, and hurt feelings followed.

I've never thought of this, but it sounds good.

Fried cabbage with bacon and onions or leeks, or the same with butter and parsley. With salt and pepper, and maybe a fried egg and some toast, it's food fit for the gods at any meal.

legendary_mushroom

This is yet another meal that you can't go wrong with.

Good old-fashioned PB&J sandwich.

nottheredbaron123

Sounds very good and filling to us.

Mujadara…caramelized onions, rice, and lentils. Yum!

doggymomwalking

Some of us have lived off boxed macaroni and cheese.

Boxed macaroni and cheese.

-UncleFarty-

Popcorn is such a good snack that I feel people forget about.

LeoMarius

Rice with soy sauce is a hit.

My favorite comfort food of all time is hot steamed white rice, a pat of butter, and tamari or soy sauce. It is simple perfection.

actuallyboa

Another one that I'll have to try, but it sounds good.

whatluck61

I don't know about this one, but it looks interesting.

Spam musubi: Spam, Japanese short-grain white rice, and nori.

Darwin343

Egg drop soup is good, and I didn't realize it was that easy.

Egg drop soup is made with chicken broth, eggs, soy sauce, and green onions. That's four, but close enough. Add sesame oil optionally.

broncosandwrestling

Boxed rice is never a bad idea, especially with beans.

Goya boxed yellow rice with a can of black beans and diced raw onion. It costs about three-fifty, is filling, and brain-dead easy to make. Remarkably tasty, and the raw onion adds a crunchy texture that makes the dish work.

MN_Shamalamadingdong

Now this commenter gave us the whole recipe.

Tomato Bread

1. Cut the best tomato you can find in half and grate it against the large holes of a box grater into a bowl with a paper towel folded at the bottom of the bowl. Add salt and stir.

2. A slice of sourdough goes in the toaster.

3. Peel a garlic clove. You have a little time to clean the box grater, knife, and cutting board.

4. Remove the paper towel; the tomato will have released a lot of water from the salt. At this point, add a dash of nice olive oil and a couple of turns of black pepper.

You can squeeze out the paper towel into something if you really want, but the tomato water should be too salty to drink if salted properly, and you need the salt in there initially to draw out the moisture. It’s a small loss.

5. Immediately when the toaster pops up, grate the garlic lightly on the surface of the bread, the residual heat “cooking” the garlic ever so slightly. This is not garlic bread, so use a light touch.

6. Spoon the oily seasoned tomato mixture on the bread liberally so it soaks into the bread but still retains some crunch and does not fall apart. Serve immediately while still slightly warm.

If you have basic pantry ingredients and you freeze your sourdough bread, you can literally make this anytime you have a tomato on hand. It’s delicious enough to impress anyone for breakfast or dinner, and it amazes me every time I have it how delicious something so simple can be if you put a little love and care into it.

peelfoam

Chia pudding isn't my favorite, but to each their own.

When I was in school, I'd often eat this incredible chia pudding. The only ingredients you need are chia seeds, coconut milk, and maple syrup.

Wormspike

Oatmeal is so good because it can be dressed up in different ways.

Oatmeal with peanut butter and a chopped apple stirred into it. For true comfort food, I just want to replicate a fancy version of those instant oatmeal packets from childhood.

ttrockwood

Noodles and pasta are go-to easy dishes all the time.

Hanover02339

Pastina is a great winter weather food.

Pastina: mini star-shaped pasta (Pastina), chicken bouillon, butter, and Parmesan if you want.

devieous

Now this is one that my mom used to make growing up.

vyletteriot

That’s when the sourdough grilled cheese crowd starts sounding way more serious than they probably meant to.

Meanwhile, the tomato-mayo-sliced-bread people are out there acting like summer is a scheduled meal, not a season.

Then the foil-packet carrot story drops, and suddenly everyone’s baking carrots until they caramelize harder than intended.

After that, quesadillas with cheddar and jalapeños and pan-crisp fried rice make it clear nobody wants to spend the evening chopping onions for fun.

Some people have some pretty interesting food combinations that they eat, but we are surely going to try a few of these when we are hungry but just want something simple to eat. What do you think about these, and do you have any to add to this list that isn't mentioned?

After this list, nobody’s pretending they “don’t have time” to eat well.

Before you bring that secret lasagna to the potluck, see why an aunt pushed back hard.