My Favorite Dinner Recipes for Winter (2024)

I’ve got the perfect recipes for your busy weeknights! Between the sun setting earlier and the rush of the holiday season, dinnertime sneaks up on us this time of year. Thankfully there are plenty of delicious, hearty dinner recipes for winter to whip together in a pinch.

One of my favorite things about winter recipes? Soups are totally acceptable now! I am a soup girl all year round, but when it’s 110 degrees outside, some find that hot soup for dinner is, well not very appetizing. I totally get it. But when the temps drop? Soup for dinner three days in a row suddenly sounds divine. I love making big batches on Sundays and savoring the leftovers for the entire week. You can’t make an easier weeknight meal plan than that!

Keep reading for some of the quick and easy dinner Recipes for winter we’ve been loving lately.

Joshua McFadden’s Rigatoni with Broccoli and Sausage

This is one of those fast easy winter dinner recipes that you can throw together in a pinch. It’s so tasty and decadent that the kiddos may not even notice the broccoli! With all the richness of an alfredo but without the heavy cream, this dish gets its creaminess from whipped ricotta, parmesan, and pasta water.

For a lighter vegetarian option, skip the sausage and add pan-roasted mushrooms. For a time-saving shortcut, skip the whipped ricotta and use it straight out of the package. Belgioioso ricotta is a must if you do this – it’s ultra-smooth and rich!

P.s. If you haven’t picked up a copy of Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons, you need it in your kitchen! It’s become one of my most treasured cookbooks. Every recipe is perfection, and the book itself is beautiful.

Farro and Mustard Green Salad with Maple-Roasted Squash

Quick and easy salads are some of the best winter weeknight dinners, but when there’s a chill in the air a basic cold salad doesn’t sound quite as appealing to me! I love warm hearty grain salads in the wintertime – they’re filling, nutritious, and still feel decadent.

This simply dressed salad calls for farro and roasted acorn squash, but you can also use barley or quinoa for your grain base, and swap the acorn squash for butternut or delicata if you prefer. Mustard greens can be tough to find – swap with kale if they’re not available at your local grocer or farmers market. This salad is great on its own, or as a lovely side dish paired with roasted chicken or grilled salmon.

Chorizo and Potato Stew

Smokey Spanish paprika is a delicious versatile spice that gives this stew its flavorful punch. If you haven’t yet had Schreiner’s chorizo, this is the perfect dish to give it a try! I also like to substitute the bacon for even tastier diced pancetta that I find at Trader Joe’s. Make a big batch at the start of the week and enjoy all week long!

Creamy-ish of Mushroom Stew

This easy sandwich is a great recipe for picky kids. Slice the chicken thin, add a slice of American Cheese, and I promise they’ll love

Another favorite soup option, but this one is vegan! Cashews add so much body and creaminess to this soup that you won’t even notice it’s missing butter and cream. I love including as many varieties of mushrooms as possible in this soup, and I’ll usually pick up some dehydrated morel mushrooms from Safeway for this recipe.

Serve with thick slices of toasted crusty Noble bread. For weeknight leftovers, I also like making some brown rice to mix in for an even more filling stew.
A note: this recipe calls for water as the soup base – be sure to substitute veggie broth instead, or (something I learned in culinary school) add Better Than Bouillon’s mushroom base. It’s much more flavorful and makes for a more complex, rich soup.

Even More Easy Weeknight Recipes for Winter

Vegetarian Moroccan Stew

Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Black Beans, Lentils, and Brown Rice

Coq au Vin

Looking for more delicious but healthy dinner options? Check out my guide for healthy weeknight meals for inspiration, tips, and recipes!