With winter in full swing, there’s nothing better than a warm, homemade dinner. These 30 cozy winter dinner ideas are perfect for chilly nights and busy evenings, featuring everything from chicken pot pie and cornbread casserole to fresh salads, and more.
If you find yourself in a cooking rut during the long, cold winter months—you’re not alone! More time inside means more time experimenting in the kitchen. While my team and I primarily share baking recipes, we can’t subsist on cookies alone. We always look forward to this time of year to work on satisfying, wholesome dinner recipes for our readers.
Here are 30 Cozy Winter Dinner Ideas to help inspire you in the kitchen this season.
If there’s one type of meal I gravitate toward all winter long, it’s soup. Whether served on its own, tucked into a bread bowl, or paired with homemade breadsticks, nothing beats a cozy bowl of soup. This creamy chicken noodle soup is one of the most-made recipes on my site every winter, and tomato soup and minestrone are vegetarian favorites.
Winter is also a prime slow cooker season. I lean hard on a handful of low-effort, high-reward dinners that practically cook themselves, like turkey sweet potato chili and BBQ meatballs. They’re comforting, crowd-pleasing, and even better the next day.
Many of my soup recipes work beautifully in the slow cooker, too, including this creamy chicken and corn soup.
Or if you’re craving some vegetables, try this warm Brussels sprouts salad or this maple-roasted squash and kale salad. They each highlight seasonal produce and lots of texture in every bite.
What’s your favorite meal to make during the winter? I hope you’ll bookmark this list for the next chilly night when the big question is… what’s for dinner?
30 Cozy Winter Dinner Ideas
Tomato Soup
The kind of classic recipe you will make again and again! It’s made with canned tomatoes, which provide peak ripe tomato flavor as well as year-round convenience.
Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Corn Soup
Lightened up, yet still wonderfully rich and hearty thanks to its thyme-infused broth and generous mix of root vegetables, chicken, and sweet corn.
Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad with Bacon and Apple
A bounty of flavors and textures comes together in one colorful salad, and it’s dressed with an easy homemade maple citrus vinaigrette.
Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Recipe
This flavorful, mildly spiced, creamy slow cooker chicken chili is a favorite dinner recipe. It’ freezes well, is super customizable, and leftovers keep for days. It’s a complete set-it-and-forget it meal.
Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup
Flavorful and satisfying, a warm bowl of this creamy cauliflower potato soup is deliciously comforting on a cold day. Enjoy as-is or garnish with crunchy, flavorful toppings like homemade croutons and crispy bacon.
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie (Hearty & Flavorful)
Loaded with vegetables, white beans, and tons of savory flavors, this hearty gluten-free casserole is topped with a blanket of cheesy mashed potatoes.
Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs
This is my simple and classic family recipe for slow cooker turkey meatballs in marinara sauce. They’re easy to prep, extra tender, and seasoned just right.
Maple-Roasted Squash & Kale Salad
We all LOVE this hearty, satisfying salad. Full of fall and winter’s best produce, seasoned toasted chickpeas, and tossed with a maple cider vinaigrette, this will be your new favorite too.
Turkey Sweet Potato Chili
This is smoky and spiced sweet potato turkey chili comes together in the slow cooker with ground turkey, sweet potatoes, beans, a very generous dose of seasoning, and a little jalapeño heat.
Unbelievable Walnut-Crusted Chicken
This walnut crusted chicken served with honey mustard glaze is altogether wholesome and savory, crisp and saucy, and very easy to make.
Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs
Juicy, flavorful, and so easy—these slow cooker BBQ meatballs simmer in a tangy-sweet sauce and are perfect for weeknight dinners, meal prep, or game day appetizers!
Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
If you’re craving comfort food, this completely from scratch homemade chicken pot pie features a flaky double crust and will undoubtedly warm the whole family up.
Thick & Hearty Minestrone Soup
Brimming with colorful vegetables, hearty beans, and aromatic herbs, this thick minestrone soup is deeply flavorful, satisfying, and wonderfully textured.
Creamy Garlic Chicken & Vegetables
Creamy garlic chicken and vegetables is a family favorite dinner, not only because it’s bursting with flavor, but because it’s quick and easy—on the table in just 45 minutes!
Easy Baked Chicken Meatballs
Simple, versatile, and fabulous with pasta, in soup, or all on their own. No pre-cooking—just mix, shape, and bake.
Cornbread Chili Casserole
This hearty and satisfying cornbread chili casserole comes together easily, is customizable to your favorite flavors and spice-levels, and if you have an oven-safe skillet, it can go from the stove to oven in 1 pan.
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
This is, by far, my favorite homemade chicken noodle soup recipe. It’s creamy yet light and it’s simply the perfect mix of easy, wholesome, and satisfying.
Honey Garlic Soy Glazed Salmon
A quick and easy dinner that delivers, this is honey garlic soy salmon, a dish made from just 6 ingredients in under 35 minutes.
Biscuit & Vegetable Pot Pie
This casserole is filled with wholesome savory flavor and plenty of vegetables (customizable to your liking), and the simple homemade biscuit topping is made from only 5 simple ingredients.
Sausage Stuffed Peppers
A fun twist on the original beef version, my easy stuffed peppers recipe uses sausage as its base, plus flavorful seasonings and your favorite cheese to top.
How to Make Homemade Stromboli
Create homemade stromboli using my favorite from-scratch pizza dough. The recipe is enough for 2 strombolis and I include plenty of filling ideas that you can customize.
Calzones
This is a recipe in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101. It also uses my go-to pizza dough. The result is a creamy filling featuring herbed ricotta cheese, sausage, and peppers all tucked inside a crisp and chewy crust.
Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili
This vegetarian pumpkin chili is filled with flavor, texture, and just enough spice. (It’s actually vegan and gluten free, too!)
Company-Worthy Mac and Cheese
If you’re searching for a creamy macaroni and cheese recipe that satisfies and impresses, look no further.
Homemade Alphabet Vegetable Soup
This alphabet vegetable soup recipe is easy, has great flavor, is packed with vegetables, freezes wonderfully, and keeps perfectly for lunches all week.
Slow Cooker Honey Teriyaki Chicken
This is tender and extra saucy honey teriyaki chicken, an extremely simple and versatile dish made in the slow cooker. Serve with rice and vegetables or sandwich-style on a hearty roll.
Quick & Healthy Dinner: 20 Minute Honey Garlic Shrimp
A reader-favorite recipe for many years, this honey garlic shrimp is extra quick (just 20 minutes!), very simple, and delivers big on flavor.
Easy Maple Sesame Salmon
If you’re looking for a quick and nutritious meal, this maple sesame salmon checks the boxes. The rich, sweet, and savory glaze is the perfect finishing touch and tastes wonderful on brown rice and green beans.
Homemade Ham & Cheese Pockets
Adults and kids alike go crazy for these freezer-friendly homemade ham and cheese pockets. I include details for chicken & broccoli and pepperoni pizza versions, too.
Creamy Lemon Thyme Chicken
One skillet is the only pan you need to cook this creamy, cozy lemon thyme chicken.
