43 Winter Dinner Ideas to Warm You Through the Cold
Embrace the chilly season and turn your kitchen into a cozy haven with our best winter dinner ideas. Before you dive into those seasonal baking projects, take a moment to focus on dinner tonight. Delight in the rich, velvety goodness of butternut squash soup, which is sure to ward off the winter chill. Craving a wholesome dinner that’ll feed you for seven nights straight? Dive into the layers of flavor in our lentil lasagna, a hearty twist on a perennial cold weather favorite. Hosting for the holidays? Elevate your festive table with a succulent roast leg of lamb. Each of these winter recipes celebrates the season’s bounty, bringing warmth and joy to your table.
When you’re done with dinner, pop over to our roundup of winter desserts.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Mira Evnine1/43Weeknight Pasta With Stuffing Crumbs
This winter dinner idea makes the most of the boxed stuffing you have left over from Thanksgiving. Instead of breadcrumbs, toasted stuffing mix brings garlicky crunch to this pasta dish with Tuscan kale and herby Italian sausage.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne2/43One-Pot Chicken and Biscuits
No need for puff pastry: Buttery drop biscuits make an excellent topping for this savory, satisfying riff on chicken pot pie.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova3/43Baked Salmon With Lemon and Thyme
Simple and delicious, this baked salmon will become a weeknight staple. Herby lemon butter lets the delicate flavors shine, keeping it light and amenable to countless sides.
Photo by Aubrie Pick5/43Chermoula Pork Chops With Labneh and Charred Shallots
Middle Eastern chermoula—a tangy sauce of herbs, spices, and preserved lemon—is a perfect accompaniment to pork chops, but would also be great with grilled fish or chicken.
Photo by Evan Sung8/43One-Pan Crispy Braised Chicken and Fennel Pasta
Every bite of this pasta is coated in an herbaceous sauce, made with chicken stock, white wine, lemon juice, and the fond rendered from braising the chicken. The best part? It all comes together in under 30 minutes in a single pan.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton11/43Instant Pot Lamb Haleem
Pull-apart-tender lamb, aromatic spices, and a medley of grains combine in this Pakistani stew you’ll want to make again and again.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton12/43Simple Turkey Chili With All the Toppings
Few foods feed the soul quite like a steaming bowl of chili. Ground turkey makes this a lighter but no less filling dish. Complete the meal with a skillet of cornbread and a full slate of toppings (because we all know toppings are the best part).
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Erika Joyce13/43Matzo Ball Soup
Liven up a schmaltz-y broth with dill and tender, made-from-scratch matzo balls for the perfect cold weather soup or simple Hanukkah dish.
Photo by Jennifer Chase14/43Chicken Satsivi (Chicken in Walnut Sauce)
Transform walnuts into a richly spiced sauce to blanket tender poached chicken in this Georgian dish. Top with fresh pomegranate seeds to make this main extra festive.
