September Comfort Foods

September Comfort Foods: Casseroles, Soups & Slow Cooker Favorites

September just feels like comfort food season, doesn’t it? The evenings are a little cooler, the days are a little shorter, and nothing hits the spot like a hearty casserole, a bowl of soup, or something bubbling away in the slow cooker. These are the meals that make the whole house smell amazing and bring everybody to the table.

Here are some of my favorite go-to comfort foods (plus a couple of fun fall drinks) that are perfect for this month:

🌮 Taco Soup

This is the easiest weeknight dinner ever—and the leftovers taste even better the next day.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 can corn (drained)
• 1 can black beans (drained & rinsed)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel (for a little kick)
• 3 cups beef broth

How to: Brown the meat, toss in the rest, and let it simmer. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. Done!

🥔 Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

This one is so creamy and cheesy, it’s always the first thing gone at potlucks.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag frozen hash browns (thawed)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup melted butter
• Salt & pepper to taste

How to: Mix everything together, spread in a 9x13 dish, and bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes until bubbly and golden.

🧀 Dorito Casserole

If you’ve never had Doritos baked into a casserole, you’re missing out. Crunchy, cheesy, and kid-approved!

Ingredients:

   •   1 lb ground beef

   •   1 packet taco seasoning

   •   1 can Rotel

   •   1 can cream of chicken soup

   •   1 cup sour cream

   •   2 cups shredded cheese

   •   1 large bag Nacho Cheese Doritos

How to: Crush half the Doritos into the bottom of a dish. Layer meat mixture + cheese. Repeat, topping with more crushed Doritos. Bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes.

🍗 Slow Cooker Chicken & Rice

Throw it in before work, and dinner is ready when you walk in the door.

Ingredients:

   •   2–3 chicken breasts

   •   1 cup uncooked rice

   •   1 can cream of mushroom soup

   •   1 can cream of chicken soup

   •   2 cups chicken broth

   •   1 cup mixed veggies

   •   Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

How to: Add everything to the slow cooker and cook on low 6–7 hours. Shred chicken before serving.

🥣 Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This one feels like a warm hug in a bowl.

Ingredients:

• 4–5 large russet potatoes (peeled & diced)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk or cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• ½ cup sour cream
• 4 slices bacon (cooked & crumbled)
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

How to: Boil potatoes in broth until tender. Mash a little for creaminess, stir in milk, cheese, and sour cream. Top with bacon

☕🍎 Cozy Non-Alcoholic Fall Drinks

Because you can’t have comfort food without something warm to sip on!

🍏 Hot Caramel Apple Cider

So simple and so good.

• Warm up apple cider in a saucepan with 1–2 cinnamon sticks.
• Stir in a drizzle of caramel syrup.
• Top with whipped cream and more caramel if you’re feeling fancy.

🍫 Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

A fall twist on classic hot cocoa.

• Make your favorite hot chocolate.
• Stir in 2 tbsp pumpkin purée + ½ tsp pumpkin spice.
• Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

✨ These recipes are hearty, filling, and guaranteed to warm you up as the season changes. Whether you’re craving something cheesy, crunchy, slow-cooked, or sweet, September is the month for comfort food favorites

Baked Beans Crockpot Style

Sweet and spicy crockpot, baked beans

 At our house, we’re always on the lookout for easy recipes-Especially ones that make mealtime feel special without a lot of fuss. Mr. C recently watched a YouTube video on baked beans, and of course, we had to give it a try. Baked beans are a staple around here whenever we fire up the grill or make ribs so finding new-to-us recipes is always a treat. 

The best part about this dish is how simple it is to toss together with ingredient we usually have on hand. Plus, it’s a crockpot recipe, which makes it even better-you just set it and let it do the work. We ended up tweaking the original recipe to suit our tastes, because that’s the beauty of cooking at home: You get to make it your own. around here, we like a little kick of spices, so that’s exactly what we added.

Baked bean recipe

Ingredients

Two cans, bush baked beans, drained

1 pound of ground beef, browned

1/2 pound of smoked sausage

One large white onion

One Bell pepper, diced

One cup of brown sugar

1/3 bottle of brown sugar, honey, habanero sauce

2/3 cup of sweet barbecue sauce

Directions 

Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain

Diced onion and green

Combine all ingredients in crockpot

Cook on 3 to 4 hours until flavors are well blended.

What comes out is a sweet, slightly spicy baked bean dish that pairs perfectly with grilled meats, ribs, or even just a slice of cornbread. It’s hearty enough to be a meal on its own, and tasty enough to become a new family favorite. 

So next time you’re grilling out, give these baked beans a try-you may just find yourself going back for seconds ( or thirds!)