{"id":16939,"date":"2026-01-18T11:26:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T11:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/?p=16939"},"modified":"2026-01-30T16:43:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T16:43:39","slug":"comfort-food-fast-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/winter-2026\/comfort-food-fast-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"Comfort Food\u2014Fast & Healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Carolyn Worthington<\/p><\/p>\n

W<\/span>hether you\u2019re an empty nester, living in a multigenerational household (like I am these days), or cooking for one, chances are recipes that come together in under an hour are already part of your regular rotation. They have to be. Life is busy, appetites are real, and no one wants to sacrifice flavor\u2014or nutrition\u2014just to get dinner on the table.<\/p>\n

For someone like me, who cut her teeth in the 1980s on The New York Times 60-Minute Gourmet and has been chasing that elusive trifecta ever since\u2014impressive, healthy, and fast\u2014two recent cookbooks feel especially well-timed. They deliver comfort food in the best sense of the word: familiar, satisfying, and deeply enjoyable, without requiring an afternoon in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Big, Comforting Flavors\u2014Without the Wait<\/h3>\n

Big Bites: Time to Eat!<\/em> by Kat Ashmore caught my attention immediately\u2014not just because every recipe cooks in an hour or less, but because the food feels comforting and generous rather than restrictive or fussy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Why Kat Ashmore\u2019s Approach Works So Well<\/h3>\n

Part of what makes Big Bites: Time to Eat!<\/em><\/a> so successful is Kat Ashmore herself. Ashmore isn\u2019t just a talented home cook who went viral\u2014she is a professionally trained chef with deep roots in food media and recipe development. A graduate of New York\u2019s Institute of Culinary Education, she went on to work under the Martha Stewart brand, where precision, clarity, and reliability are non-negotiable. That experience shows on every page.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Ashmore has built a remarkably loyal following through her Kat Can Cook platform by meeting home cooks exactly where they are\u2014busy, hungry, and eager to eat well without overthinking it. Her recipes are known for being practical yet polished, indulgent without being over-the-top, and flexible enough for real life. She doesn\u2019t chase food trends or preach restriction. Instead, her guiding question is refreshingly simple: What can we add to the plate to make this meal more nourishing, more satisfying, and more enjoyable?<\/em><\/p>\n

That philosophy carries through Time to Eat!<\/em> Unlike many \u201chealthy\u201d cookbooks that quietly ask you to compromise on flavor or comfort, Ashmore reframes healthy cooking as abundant and inclusive. Nearly all of the recipes are gluten-free\u2014not as a selling point, but as a natural extension of how she cooks\u2014making the book especially welcoming for mixed households and shared tables. She also builds in smart shortcuts for busy cooks, proving that efficiency doesn\u2019t have to come at the expense of depth or taste.<\/p>\n

What stands out most is her emphasis on hospitality. These are meals meant to be shared\u2014big, generous flavors designed to bring people to the table and keep them there. Whether it\u2019s a weeknight pork chop with a swoon-worthy sauce or a vegetable-forward dish that looks far more complicated than it is, Ashmore\u2019s cooking reflects confidence, warmth, and a genuine understanding of how we live and eat now.<\/p>\n

This is the kind of cookbook you want to live with. She hopes it’s one that gets splattered, dog-eared, and annotated (in my case, always with the date, who I cooked for, and their reaction). The photography is gorgeous, the recipes are approachable, and there\u2019s a clear sense that Ashmore wants this book to become a trusted kitchen companion.<\/p>\n

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Proposal Pork Chops<\/p><\/div>\n

My hands-down favorite? Proposal Pork Chops.<\/em> The name nods to the now-famous \u201cmarry-me chicken\u201d genre\u2014those creamy, swoon-worthy dishes rumored to inspire lifelong commitment. This version features pork chops seared in a cast-iron skillet and finished with a rich, indulgent sauce built from saut\u00e9ed onion, garlic, tomato paste, stock, cream\u2014and the surprise ingredient that takes it over the top\u2014cream cheese, along with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. It\u2019s outrageous in the best possible way. I\u2019ve made it three times already, each to enthusiastic reviews. No second proposal, but my husband declared the sauce unforgettable\u2014and that counts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Hasselback Butternut Squash with Maple Sage Butter Pepitas<\/p><\/div>\n

Two other standouts quickly earned repeat status in my kitchen. Hasselback Butternut Squash<\/em> with Maple Sage Butter Pepitas<\/em> is a true stunner\u2014visually impressive yet surprisingly simple. (For the uninitiated, \u201cHasselback\u201d refers to a technique that originated in Sweden, where vegetables are thinly sliced partway through so they fan beautifully while roasting.) Applied to butternut squash, the effect is dramatic and perfect for a winter meal.<\/p>\n

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Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad with Grapes<\/p><\/div>\n

Then there\u2019s the Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad with Grapes<\/em>. Ashmore herself asks, \u201cIs it a salad if everything is cooked?\u201d I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d call it a salad either\u2014but I will call it one of the most delicious sheet-pan vegetable dishes I\u2019ve made. Carrots, delicata squash, fennel, red grapes (yes, grapes), shallots, and garlic roast together for about 40 minutes, emerging caramelized, colorful, and deeply satisfying.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also earmarked plenty more to try: Miso Sesame Kale Salad<\/em>, Broccoli and Farro Salad with Manchego<\/em>, Pistachios, and Golden Raisins, One-Pan Lemon Pepper Chicken with White Beans<\/em> and Swiss Chard,<\/em> and even Creamed Corn with Coconut and Lime<\/em>. These are the kinds of recipes that make \u201chealthy\u201d feel abundant, not austere.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Food, Family, and the Joy of the Table<\/h3>\n

My second recommendation leans just as heavily into comfort, but from a slightly different angle. Phil\u2019s Favorites: Recipes from Friends and Family to Make At Home,<\/em> by Phil Rosenthal with Jenn Garbee, is as much about connection as it is about cooking.<\/p>\n

Fans of Somebody Feed Phil<\/em> will recognize the tone immediately: warm, enthusiastic, and deeply human. What I love most about this book\u2014beyond the recipes themselves\u2014are the heartfelt notes about eating together, sharing meals, and honoring family traditions. Food here isn\u2019t just fuel; it\u2019s memory, celebration, and love.<\/p>\n

Rosenthal\u2019s own family plays a central role, and that sense of togetherness carries through every page. The recipes come from friends, relatives, and chefs around the world, each accompanied by a story that explains why the dish matters. From La Casa del Abuelo\u2019s Gambas al Ajillo<\/em> to Debra Barone\u2019s Braciole,<\/em> these are dishes meant to be cooked, shared, and talked about long after the plates are cleared.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

La Casa del Abuelo\u2019s Gambas al Ajillo<\/p><\/div>\n

La Casa del Abuelo\u2019s Gambas al Ajillo<\/em> was inspired by a dinner at a restaurant in Madrid with his crew while he was filming and is a classic seafood dish of Madrid. He recommends preparing this garlicy shrimp recipe in cazuelas, glazed clay cooking dishes which can be found online.<\/p>\n

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Debra Barone\u2019s Braciole<\/p><\/div>\n

Debra Barone\u2019s Braciole,<\/em> is from the episode, \u201cDebra Makes Something Good<\/em>\u201d from Everybody Loves Raymond. Top or bottom round or flank steaks are pounded and filled with prosciutto, provolone cheese and a bread mixture which includes pine nuts, garlic and dried black currents. The rolls are browned and then cooked in a tomato sauce for 1 to 1 \u00bd hours. This is not one of those you make in less than an hour but most of the time is for the braising.<\/p>\n

Like Ashmore\u2019s book, Phil\u2019s Favorites<\/em> reminds us that comfort food doesn\u2019t have to be complicated\u2014and that some of the healthiest meals we make are the ones that bring people together around the table.<\/p>\n

The Takeaway<\/h3>\n

Comfort food has evolved. Today, it\u2019s less about excess and more about balance\u2014big flavor, smart shortcuts, nourishing ingredients, and the simple pleasure of sitting down to a good meal. Whether you\u2019re cooking for family, friends, or just yourself, these two cookbooks make it easier\u2014and more enjoyable\u2014to put something truly satisfying on the table in under an hour.<\/p>\n

And that, to me, is comfort food at its best.<\/p>\n

Recipes from BIG BITES: TIME TO EAT!<\/em><\/a> By Kat Ashmore. Copyright \u00a9 2026 by Kat Ashmore. Used by permission of Rodale Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. All Right reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Photo: Christine Han<\/h5>\n
Recipes excerpted from Phil\u2019s Favorites: Recipes from Friends and Family to Make at Home.<\/em> Copyright \u00a9 2025, Phil Rosenthal and Jenn Garbee. Photography Copyright \u00a9 2025 by Andrea D\u2019Agosto and Richard Rosenthal. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved. Photo: Andrea D\u2019Agosto<\/h5>\n
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