Soul Food Dinner Recipes

A traditional soul food dinner includes pork chops, fried fish, chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas, cornbread, and candied yams.

Some of our favorite old fashioned soul food dinner recipes are collard greens with ham hocks, smothered pork chops, red beans and rice, butter beans, and smothered oxtails!

Popular Soul Food Dinner Recipes

Southern Smothered Pork Chops Recipe

Southern Smothered Chicken Thighs with Gravy and Rice

Southern Oxtail Recipe (Authentic Soul Food)

Southern Fried Chicken Recipe (Without Buttermilk)

How to Make Salmon Croquettes (Old Fashioned Recipe)

Fried Ribs Recipe (Crispy, Deep Fried, Seasoned)

southern fried catfish

Southern Fried Fish

Hamburger Steaks with Onion Gravy

Classic Soul Food Side Dishes

soul food collard greens

Soul Food Collard Greens

Southern Baked Mac and Cheese (with Egg and Evaporated Milk)

Baked Candied Yams Recipe

Southern Cornbread Recipe

Creamy Butter Beans Recipe (Southern Soul Food)

Southern Fried Cabbage

Southern Cabbage Recipe (Boiled Cabbage)

Green Beans and Potatoes (Southern Recipe)

Soul Food Chicken Dinners

Southern Fried Chicken Recipe (Without Buttermilk)

Southern Style Chicken and Waffles

Southern Fried Chicken Wings Recipe (Without Buttermilk)

Southern Smothered Chicken Thighs with Gravy and Rice

Easy Grilled Barbecue Chicken Quarters Recipe

Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich

Crispy Smoke Fried Wings

Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

Delicious Pork Recipes

Pork Neck Bones Recipe (Southern Soul Food Style)

deep fried pork chops with cabbage and sweet potato

Deep Fried Pork Chops

Best Smoked Pulled Pork Recipe

Smoked Ham Hocks

Easy Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs Recipe (Spare Ribs)

Rib Tips

Southern Smothered Pork Chops Recipe

Oven Fried Pork Chops (Healthy Soul Food Recipe)

Creole & Cajun Food

louisiana red beans and rice in a bowl

New Orleans Red Beans and Rice Recipe

Louisiana Seafood Boil Recipe with Cajun Butter Sauce

Catfish Po Boy Recipe

How to Make Chicken Jambalaya

New Orleans Red Beans and Rice Recipe on a light background.

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice Recipe

Crab Cake Egg Rolls

Cajun Boudin Egg Rolls

A close-up of several Cajun boudin balls on a light background.

Cajun Boudin Balls Recipe (How to Make From Scratch)

Crawfish Etouffee Recipe

Dinner Ideas for Family

fish and spaghetti

Fried Fish and Spaghetti Recipe

Oven Fried Pork Chops (Healthy Soul Food Recipe)

Blackstone Smash Burgers

Easy Salmon Fish Finger Recipe (Homemade Fish Sticks)

What’s the Difference Between Soul Food and Southern Food?

  • Soul food is a style of cooking that comes from African Americans in the United States. This type of cooking started with enslaved Africans in the South who had to make the most of the little food they were given, like cheap cuts of meat and basic vegetables. They made delicious, filling dishes from what was available. Over time, these recipes were passed down through generations and became an essential part of Black culture in America.
  • Soul food is known for being full of flavor, using a lot of seasoning, like salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and cayenne pepper. Many dishes are also flavored with smoked meats, hot sauce, and vinegar to make them taste even better.
  • Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, candied yams, cornbread, barbecue, gumbo, and sweet potato pie all qualify as soul food.
  • Southern food includes some of the same dishes as soul food, but it covers a wider range of cooking styles from all over the South, for example, Lowcountry cuisine from South Carolina, Creole and Cajun cooking from Louisiana, and barbecue from places like Texas, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
  • Not all Southern food is soul food, and not all soul food is Southern!

Explore Our

Recipe Index

Here you’ll find a growing collection of our favorite comfort food recipes – updated weekly! We’ve got soul food, Southern barbecue, and Creole and Cajun dishes. There’s something here for everyone, so pull up a chair and welcome!

More Dinner Ideas

These dinner ideas are perfect for Sunday dinners, busy weeknights, holidays, and other special occasions. For a Friday night, try our Southern fried catfish. Craving a Southern classic? Grab some sweet potatoes for candied yams. We can’t forget about Southern collard greens with smoked ham hocks for soul food Sunday.

18 Soul Food Thanksgiving Side Dishes

18 Soul Food Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Chicken and Cornbread Dressing

Chicken and Cornbread Dressing

Sous Vide Beef Short Ribs Recipe (Boneless Ribs)

Sous Vide Beef Short Ribs Recipe (Boneless Ribs)

Oven Fried Pork Chops (Healthy Soul Food Recipe)

Oven Fried Pork Chops (Healthy Soul Food Recipe)

Surf and Turf Burger Recipe with Fried Crawfish

Surf and Turf Burger Recipe with Fried Crawfish

Southwest Chicken Chili Recipe

Southwest Chicken Chili Recipe

Reverse Sear Steak Traeger Recipe (Ribeye Steaks)

Reverse Sear Steak Traeger Recipe (Ribeye Steaks)

Southern Broccoli Rice Casserole Recipe

Southern Broccoli Rice Casserole Recipe

Best Southern Baked Chicken Recipe

Best Southern Baked Chicken Recipe

Smoked Turkey Breast (On the Pellet Grill)

Smoked Turkey Breast (On the Pellet Grill)

Crispy Smoke Fried Wings

Crispy Smoke Fried Wings