Cozy Inside: Best Meals for Rainy Days

We have more spring thunderstorms in our forecast, and after making our Rainy Day Rigatoni, we've been meditating on more meals that would be good for gray and drizzly weather. The comfort factor is big, of course. As is flexibility, since we'd like to avoid a trip to the store in the rain. What do you suggest?

• Spaghetti with Marscarpone, Lemon, Spinach, and Hazelnuts - Pasta is always comforting to us, and we love the idea of adding bright lemon flavors on a dreary day.

• A Pot of Chili - When the rain brings a drop in temperature, this is what we crave. We thaw some meat, open a few cans of beans, and let this simmer on the stove until dinner.

• Bún Chay - Vietnamese Noodle Salad - Conversely, when a rainy day just feels hotter and stickier, we love making this simple noodle salad. The clean flavors and fresh ingredients hit the spot.

• Creamy Eggs on Toast - Sometimes simple is best. These slow-cooked eggs would be even better with some avocado and a slice of prosciutto.

• Meyer Lemon Grain Salad with Asparagus, Almonds, and Goat Cheese - Good warm or straight from the fridge. This is one of our favorite versions, but any combination of grains, greens, and any extras we have lying around works for us!

What are your favorite rainy day meals?

(Image: Flickr member laffy4k licensed under Creative Commons, see linked posts for full image credits)

Comments (15)

Maple baked beans and cornbread!

Yum... would have been perfect when I was living in London with all the rain! My favorite's eggplant lasagna (http://sprng.me/uq8) - warm, tasty and easy - perfect for eating while watching the rain fall outside!

Risotto! Perfect comfort food. Polenta is also good for the comfort-factor.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup

I have to agree with the grilled cheese/tomato soup combo!

Also, macaroni and cheese.

It's definitely trickier when it's hot and sticky and rainy. Going to try the Vietnamese recipe this week!

Yeah, hot-sticky-humid-thunderstorm rainy cooking is a far cry from its November counterpart! In that case, I go with cold sesame noodles, especially if I have cucumber to go with it.

I don't have a balcony in my apartment, but the BEST thing to do with a summer rainstorm is sit and watch from the porch/balcony with a gin and tonic in hand. Followed by a tipsy grilled cheese/tomato soup preparation if you didn't get the noodles started before you started drinking.

Grilled cheese (with bacon) and tomato soup

Open faced grilled cheese, with thick slices of tomato and sauteed bell pepper cut into chunky pieces.

Mac and cheese.

Tomato soup (when is it not good?).

Homemade pizza topped with black and green olives and bell pepper.

Brownies.

Today was a total rain day. I just finished making, now it is cooling, Chef Michael Smith's Mac N' Cheese from his new book, Chef at Home. Oh it smells so good! My Fiancé Katherine is on her way home from work, I know she'll love it! Another dinner success story.

I love having a big pot of soup or stew on the stove. We just help ourselves to little bowls of it as the day goes on. The flavour just keeps betting better and better.

It's POURING outside here in the Boston area....I plan to make breakfast for supper. Can't beat it on a rainy (although I think a better description is violently stormy) night.