There’s nothing like a hot meal to stick to your ribs on a cold winter night. If you’re a busy parent or career person, however, you might not have time to fix elaborate meals. Here are just a few easy winter recipes that will taste great without requiring hours of prep!

Beef Stew

This classic stew recipe takes anywhere from 3-5 hours in a slow cooker, but with a big pot and a willingness to multitask, you can get it done in just 30 minutes. The meat will make it a hearty meal; the veggies will check off another box on the food pyramid; the spices will make your toes curl.

Spaghetti Pie

Delight your kids with a spaghetti pie that tastes like the real thing but only has a fraction of the spill factor. Baked and cut like a casserole, it will serve as a filling winter meal without the dangers of little Gwen deciding that her brother needs a noodle hat!

Gouda and Broccoli Soup

Broccoli and cheese is a time-honoured combination, and putting them together in a thick, creamy soup is a stroke of pure genius. This recipe calls for Gouda, but you can easily swap it with the cheese of your choice. Cheddar is recommended as a particularly tasty alternative.

Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes

If this chicken chili doesn’t warm you up, nothing will! Made with cumin, onion and bell pepper, it’s sure to give you a kick with every bite. The use of chicken instead of ground beef means that you can justify it as a healthy dinner option, too.

Sausage Bake with Potatoes and Gravy

One of those easy dishes you throw together and bake in the oven, this sausage bake is sure to please. And because it’s made in one pan, you get some extra flavours in the gravy! Toss up the veggies, put them into the pan, add your sausages and cover with gravy. 

Mushroom and Onion Pot Pie

There’s a certain kind of joy in cutting open a hot, steaming pot pie while it’s freezing outside. That’s not even getting into the delicious taste of the mushroom-and-onion filling oozing out from the brown crust. Doesn’t it make you hungry just thinking about it?

Creamy Beef and Potato Casserole

Perfect for any ingredients that you have just lying around, this beef and potato casserole can be prepared with everything from hash browns to frozen tater tots. It’s admittedly not the healthiest recipe on this list, but everyone has nights when they just crave comfort food.

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

Do you need to use the last of the fall apples before they go bad? Try this recipe for caramel apple pork chops. With a yummy blend of butter, nutmeg and brown sugar, it strikes a nice balance between sweet and savoury. You can even throw in some pecans for an added crunch.

Herbed Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Not everything goes out of season just because there’s ice on the ground, and you can take advantage of these winter veggies by roasting them up with some good old-fashioned herb chicken. This particular recipe calls for cauliflower and brussel sprouts, but you can experiment with things like spinach as well.

Ravioli Lasagna

This decadent pasta dish tastes like it takes hours to make but it’s so much easier than that. Simply cook up the beef, drain and then layer the rest of the ingredients into a casserole dish. Then all you have to do is cover it and toss it in the oven! Just like that, dinner is done and it tastes delicious. Check out the comments for some yummy additions.

You don’t need fancy tools and hours of prep time to create simple, hearty meals. These easy winter recipes should be enough to stave off at least some of the chill, and what’s more, they can be whipped up quickly!

Related article: Healthy Christmas Cookies to Try This Season

Originally posted Jan 25, 2018; updated Nov 25, 2022

Author: Sereena S.

Mom of two, wife to one, and a dog lover. Although cats can be okay too, but only sometimes...