12 Ultimate Comfort Food Menu Recipes for Groups

What big get together with friends and family isn’t better with good food? Take the hospitality up a notch with this comfort food menu for groups.

Sprinkle your offerings with ingredients that feed the soul and raise spirits. Guests will have fond memories of your event for years to come.

Your Comfort Food Menu Recipes

The beauty of all these recipes is you can make them ahead. Plus, they are scalable. Appropriate for a large reception, intimate holiday party, or other group meal. If you feel you need more dishes to round out the menu, brainstorm with the wedding food ideas on a budget here.

Now let’s get started. And be sure to take note of the make-ahead tips after each.

Comfort Food Appetizers: Cheesy Bites

What better way to set the comfort-food wedding theme than with creamy cheese starters? Ricotta, asiago, mascarpone, and brie all make appearances in these upscale-look appetizers.

Lisa’s Baked Lobster Ravioli. Stuffed with a Cheese Mixture.

Those in many parts of the country have never heard of baked ravioli. Boiling or toasting, if you are St. Louis native like I am, are the go-to options. In this recipe, Lisa bakes filled wontons in the oven. They are sure to be a popular dish for your comfort food wedding menu.

The special touch is the heart shape. After filling, take a heart cutter to form a cute appetizer for your wedding reception.

Lobster may not be in your budget if you are making for a large group. No worries. Substitute crab or imitation crab for the lobster meat.

Make ahead: Form the ravioli and fridge them ahead of time. The shelf life of your cooked seafood will dictate how long you can keep them. Plan accordingly.

Lobster, crab, and imitation crab meat will generally keep up to three days. Check the brand you are buying for their recommendations.

Courtney’s Roasted Balsamic Cranberry and Brie Crostini

These colorful bites look and sound intimidating. Don’t stress! Crostini is toast with topping. That’s all.

The sweetness of this appetizer adds variety and contrast to the savory ravioli, as well as a different spin on the use of cheese.

Make ahead: You can make the sauce three to four days in advance. But Courtney recommends making the toasts no more than 24 hours ahead.

Store them in Ziplock bags or sealed containers to keep them crisp. Then have a helper assemble them on the day of the reception, to serve at room temperature.

Comfort Menu Cocktails

Comfort food menus usually mean a cold-weather wedding near the holiday season. Why not have signature cocktails that reflect the spirit? Red and green are the go-to December party colors. (Because, you know, Christmas.)

Less obvious, but one I love in Winter, is an ice cream drink.

Janette’s Irish Coffee Milkshake Shooters

These shooters are versatile. As a signature drink, provide set-ups at the bar to make on request. Or serve as a dessert, with or without Bailey’s Irish Cream.

Special Equipment: A freezer is necessary to keep the ice cream frozen until ready to serve.

Make ahead: You can construct these ahead of time and keep them frozen. But think about the freezer space needed. That can add a lot of logistics to a simple drink. And it may affect quality.

I would set up a blender and ingredients in a self-serve or staffed station at the event. Or available at the bar.

Jane and Sonja’s Layered Peppermint Shooters

These shooters are ideal if your event has a Christmas flare. Red grenadine and green Creme de Menthe give these drinks their festive appearance.

Don’t miss their tip about how to use a spoon to get the perfect layered look.

Make-Ahead: Making the layered peppermint shooters anywhere but at the venue is impractical. But if you are garnishing the rims, crush and store candy pieces in the weeks ahead.

Soup for the Comfort Food Menu

Nothing creates comfort like a hearty hot soup. And you cannot go wrong with these filling recipes. They work whether you want to rely on a soup station as your main course or complement it with a specialty entree.

Tara’s Sweet potato and Roasted Apple Soup with Croutons

Sweet potatoes and roasted apples. A unique and yummy combination. And the cream drizzle with chive garnish makes this a beautiful dish.

Make ahead: The creamy ingredients in this soup freeze well. Cooked sweet potatoes and apples both keep a good 10-12 months frozen. But I would want to store the soup no more than six months to make sure there’s no freezer burn or flavor loss.

Make the croutons the day before. You could do them at the same time as the previously-mentioned crostini toasts. Seal them, so they stay crunchy.

Anvita & Soniya’s Instant-Pot Minestrone

Because it’s packed full of beans and vegetables, this is a hearty, filling soup.

The instant-pot recipe has a short 6-minute cook time. It is much quicker to make this way than using the stove-top method.

Make ahead: Plan well, and you will finish making this dish well before the big day.

You can freeze this soup if you leave out the pasta. Begin making batches three months ahead of time for thawing and heating the day of the reception.

You may be a diehard minestrone fan. If you feel it must include pasta, cook the shells the day before and add them in when heating the soup.

Comfort Side Dishes

Let’s face it; the “C” in “comfort” is carbs. As a bonus, they are also inexpensive and filling. Why not marry two popular versions: mashed potato bar + macaroni & cheese station?

Mel’s Ultimate Mashed Potato Bar

Versatility and ease are the key benefits of this comfort food station. I’ve categorized it as a side dish, but do this one right, and it could be the main course.

As a side dish, include toppings like chives, sour cream, shredded cheese, and bacon bits. As an entree, add chili, taco meat, steamed vegetables, or any other proteins you can think of to pile on.

Make ahead: You can freeze mashed potatoes up to six months ahead of time. For five ideas on appliances and temperatures to use when reheating yours, take a look at Lisa’s Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes, Reheated Five Ways.

There are a few keys to high quality reheated potatoes.

Use low-starch potatoes. They will remain creamy after freezing. Choose varieties meant for boiling, not baking. In essence, skip the russets and go for the reds.
Make sure you use plenty of butter and cream. Mel and Lisa both have you covered with their recipes.
Freeze flat in bags, without air, for quick reheating.
If the reheated potatoes are watery, revive them with cream cheese or sour cream.

All Recipes has details for freezing and thawing mashed potatoes here.

Cristy’s Homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Keep the carb train rolling. Add macaroni and cheese to your comforting sides station. Cristy’s is a baked version with a homemade multi-cheese sauce. Yum!

The recipe has a crumb topping, which makes for a beautiful presentation. Your guests can add other ingredients on top for a to-die-for experience.

Make ahead: Cristy loves fresh-made macaroni and cheese best, but she also gives tips for making ahead.

Boil the pasta and toss in butter. Make the cheese sauce at the same time, but do not combine. Then store in the fridge.

Assemble and bake when you are ready. She has more tips in her post for assuring the quality of the finished dish.

The Ultimate Comfort: Decadent Desserts

It’s almost redundant to use “comfort food” and “desserts” in the same sentence. What dessert is NOT comforting?

Two ingredients–chocolate and cheese–do make frequent appearances. With that in mind, here are a couple of meal-enders for the sweets station.

Riz’s Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake

Riz uses a unique ingredient to give this cheesecake extra zing. As well as a blueberry compote to boost the beauty factor to the next level.

And if you worry about those cracks? He has several tips for avoiding, fixing, and hiding them in your cheesecakes.

Make ahead: As a rule of thumb, the cheesecake will last five to six days covered in the refrigerator. In the freezer, it will hold its freshness for two to three months.

After the cheesecake cools, carefully remove it from the pan and freeze on a baking sheet. Then store in an air-free Ziplock. Thaw in the refrigerator for several hours up to overnight.

Marci’s Homemade Buckeyes

Marci made these chocolate-dipped peanut butter treats as favors for her wedding. And they are super simple. The no-bake recipe has only five ingredients. You can even roll the balls during downtime while watching TV.

Make ahead: Marci recommends freezing the finished buckeyes in a sealed container for up to three months.

Comforting Beverages Menu

An epic comfort food wedding menu must include a warm drink station. What comes to mind when you think of easy hot beverages? Okay, coffee. But expand your horizons a bit.

Stock the beverage station with hot chocolate and apple cider. These diverse drinks are sure to please most guests looking for a non-alcohol pick me up.

Carissa’s Copycat Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider

Assembling this decadent drink is half the fun. Display cinnamon syrup, caramel sauce, and whipped cream with warmed apple cider. Prop a framed sign with instructions nearby.

Or staff your beverage bar for an entertaining made-to-order presentation.

Make ahead: This is a beverage intended for making by the cup. So there is not a lot of make-ahead involved.

Assemble your ingredients and supplies in a box when your schedule allows. Make sure your helpers grab the whipped cream out of the refrigerator before delivering it to the reception venue.

Lisa’s DIY Hot Chocolate Bar

Your comfort wedding menu must include a hot chocolate bar. Lisa gives you some ideas about the logistics. Her tips will help you make sure the right finishing touches happen at your reception.

A big key to success is your station’s appearance. Look for the link to the pictured labels in Lisa’s post.

If you want a different look, check out Kim’s Hot Chocolate Bar Template. She sells an instant download. (That’s my affiliate link. If you click and buy, I get a commission at no charge to you.) Her design is a snowy scene featuring silhouette evergreen trees.

What is Your Favorite Comfort Food?

This is my version of the ultimate comfort food wedding menu. But the definition of comfort food is different depending on who you are.

Science suggests we may associate comfort with memories. It’s the food we had at celebrations and family gatherings while growing up.

So tell me in the comments. What is your favorite comforting family dish to bring to big events?