Southern Soul Food is some of the most comforting cuisines in the US. We’ve collected 17 Best Soul Food Recipes that will bring delicious comfort to your dinner table – from Baked Mac and Cheese to all-time favorite Southern Fried Chicken! And have you ever tried a Soul Bowl? What about Sweet Potato Pie?
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What is Soul Food Exactly?
Typically prepared by African Americans, soul food is an ethnic cuisine that originated in the Southern states. The staples of soul food are beans, greens, cornmeal, fried chicken, and pork – which has an unlimited amount of uses in soul food dishes. The best part about soul food is that many of the dishes are the perfect comfort food! So be sure to read on for some quick, simple, and hearty soul food dishes!
Soul Food Dinner Ideas
Low Country Boil
This Southern favorite will surely please any crowd! Consisting of tender shrimp cooked with hearty potatoes, smoked sausage, sweet corn, and oh so delicious old bay seasoning. You may be surprised that this recipe is also known as Frogmore Stew.
Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
This Southern Baked Mac and Cheese is creamy, cheesy, and perfectly seasoned! With three types of cheese, it’s the perfect soul food with delicious Southern flavors.
Southern Fried Chicken
Get ready to make and taste a mouthwatering piece of Southern fried chicken! It has a flavorful crispy breading on the outside with a tender and moist center – easy finger-licking-good comfort food that everyone will love! Be sure to serve it with your favorite sides!
Bourbon Pecan Stuffing for Thanksgiving
Yes, there’s actually bourbon in this stuffing! Definitely not your traditional stuffing recipe or your grandma’s recipe, but you will easily enjoy the flavor of the pears and pecans that seep into the thick bread bites. This aromatic recipe may just become your new Thanksgiving stuffing tradition.
Southern Fried Catfish
The classic southern Fried Catfish recipe is completely covered in seasoned and spiced cornmeal breading. The fish is then fried until tender on the inside and crispy golden brown on the outside!! Be sure to serve it up with a side of lemon, tartar sauce, ranch sauce, fries, or crunchy coleslaw.
Vegan Soul Food Recipes
Vegan Collard Greens
Using smoked paprika, tamari, tomato, and plenty of garlic, you will have the best vegan-friendly collard greens you have ever tasted! With just about 10 minutes of prep time, this recipe will easily become your new summer favorite!
Sous Vide Brussels Sprouts
A no-fuss and fail-proof recipe, these sous vide Brussel sprouts are the perfect side dish. Flavorful and evenly cooked edge-to-edge, the sous vide cooking will be followed by a quick sear in the pan that yields a tender inside and a caramelized and crispy outside.
Vegan Southern Soul Bowl
This Vegan Southern Soul Bowl is plant-based and ready in just under 30 minutes! It’s comfort food at its finest! Full of cheesy pasta, garlicky apple cider-doused collard greens, fluffy cornbread, and sticky-sweet baked BBQ tofu cubes, all combined perfectly together in one bowl!
Soul Food Dessert Recipes
Southern Sweet Potato Pie
A recipe made completely from scratch, sweet potato pie may just become your new favorite dessert, and not just on holidays! It’s the baked sweet potatoes that give this recipe a rich flavor, paired perfectly with a buttery, flakey pie crust.
Buttermilk Biscuits
A fan of Popeyes biscuits? Then you’ll love these copycat Popeyes Biscuits!! They’re made with buttermilk and are flaky, buttery, crispy, and oh so good!! Ditch the fast food and opt for homemade! You definitely won’t be disappointed.
Soul Food Peach Cobbler
Quick, foolproof, and full of flavor, this soulful peach cobbler is the perfect last-minute dessert! You can easily use store-bought pie dough, and canned peaches in a heavy syrup, but be sure to use cobbler juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to spice up the cobbler – if you’re not a fan of ginger, you can leave it out.
Other Popular Southern Recipes
Southern Cornbread
Savory Southern cornbread that is just asking to be dipped in a bowl of chili or a plate of ribs! Simply made with all cornmeal, buttermilk, and no extra sugar in a cast-iron skillet, this cornbread is an easy dinner side dish.
Seafood Boil Sauce with Garlic Butter
Rich, spicy, and buttery, this seafood sauce is so flavorful and perfect for a seafood boil, crab boil, and crawfish boil.
Hush Puppies
With crispy edges and tender on the inside, these hush puppies may be the best ones you’ve tried yet! Simple to mix together and even easier to fry up, they make the perfect treat by themselves or dipped into Southern comeback sauce.
Soul Food Thanksgiving Roast Turkey
Thanksgiving Roast Turkey – perhaps the perfect soul food. We’ll use foil here to keep the turkey from drying out, and another interesting ingredient you likely have tried with your turkey – lemon!
Black Eyed Peas
A hearty and warm soul food, black-eyed peas is a traditional Southern dish served on New Years’. This recipe is smokey, spicy, and has the perfect amount of bacon flavor, but if you’re looking to keep it vegan just simply omit the meat and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Grits Breakfast Bowls
Restaurant-worthy food made right in your home. Made with cheddar grits, an egg, salsa, pepper, and green onions, grits breakfast bowls are an easy indulgent breakfast. With just 10 minutes of prep time, you can scale this recipe up or down depending on how many people you are serving.
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Easy Southern Soul Food Mac n Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni (3 cups dry)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 cups Colby cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch rectangular baking dish and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and add the pasta. Cook according to until al dente (1 minute less than the package directions). Drain the pasta
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, heavy cream, eggs, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Then stir in 2 cups of cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Colby cheese.
- Add the cooked pasta to the prepared pan. Pour the milk and cheese mixture on top and stir to distribute evenly.
- Sprinkle 2 cups of cheddar cheese evenly across the surface.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven. Cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before serving.
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