I’m going to make dinner to take to a friend-family. They don’t like anything spicy, no tomato sauce, nothing foreign-seeming. They like pasta but have been having a lot of it! I know they just had pot roast from one friend and chicken tetrazzini from another (imagine, with a name like that, but they liked it!) No soup or gravies, as one person has dexterity problems that makes eating those difficult.
What other plain American dishes can you think of that aren’t just plain boring? Thank you so much in advance.
P.S. I’ll be bringing salad, bread, and dessert, too, but it’s the main dish that has me stumped.
Grilled cheese they can reheat in the mwave. Mac and cheese. Ok, that’s pasta, but you asked for “comfort.” Instead of breaded, what about grilled or broiled chicken chunks and veggies, done the same? Toss them in some Italian dressing first and they should be easy. Or just a little O&V and a touch of salt.
@sylvan8798 has a good idea. Most people like pot pie, or at least it seems so. You can buy the already prepared crust-I think Pillsbury makes a decent one, found with their other biscuit/crescent roll products. My D2 makes a really good pot pie. She says don’t forget to brush the crust with egg whites before baking so that the crust comes out really pretty.
This may not qualify as American or non-pasta, but there are various recipes for “white” lasagna replacing marina sauce with a white sauce which is often a mix of cream cheese and milk. Maybe you could tell them it’s American Lasagna.
Sounds like it’s a situation where they need food to last a while? I’d consider making pulled pork which someone else mentioned, or brisket. Those are super-easy to make and yield a ton of food which freezes well. Pair it up with mashed potatoes and roasted veggies and they’d be set for weeks.
Chicken breast can also be basis for all kinds of stuff. I chop it up and add roasted beets for a salad, which I finish either with honey-mustard, vinaigrette, balsamic, or lemon-garlic aioli depending on my mood. If beets are too “exotic” then sub a common veggie like carrots or asparagus. Again you can make a ton and it freezes well.
I like to make a plain cheese quiche. You give it fully cooked and wrapped in tinfoil, and go ahead and put it in ziplock bag as well. Write on tinfoil with sharpie marker date/quiche/instructions for reheating. This gives recipient options for eating now or freezing for later.
Quiche can be eaten most anytime of day, as a main meal or by itself for breakfast. I also bake mini banana muffins to go with it.
How bout a spiral ham, and some kind of vegetable dish? Take a loaf of bread, and they can use the leftovers for lunches. Easy to make, easy to serve, makes great leftovers.
I was also going to suggest quiche. But when I think American, I think hot dogs, so perhaps corn dogs and tater tots for a fun meal…or cornbread muffins with sliced up hot dogs in them? I saw the Pioneer Woman make them and it looked good…maybe not a dinner, but a lunch suggestion.
Quiche is a great idea. And if this is about freezing, you can do it as two halves or even wedges.
But if they resist foreign-sounding, throw some cooked chicken and peas in, maybe celery, and call it Chicken Cream Pie. Or something. Lol, I’ve renamed so many dishes.
