Food Recipes 31 Hearty Winter Recipes to Put on Repeat Keep weeknight dinners exciting even when you're stuck inside. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 1, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen While comfort food is welcome all year round, in winter, it's the ultimate way to combat darker days and cold weather. We always keep a few winter dinner recipes in our back pocket to pull out when the temperatures drop: A soul-warming bowl of ginger-and-turmeric noodle soup, a stick-to-your-ribs pot roast, or a creamy, rich macaroni and cheese practically bubbling over the casserole dish. We also seek out seasonal ingredients to make the most of winter produce — think citrus and root vegetables — for fresh dishes like Puntarelle-Citrus Salad with Roasted Beets. Here are our favorite winter dinner recipes to update your rotation. 01 of 31 Winter Squash-and-Shallot Tart Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas This elegant tart is just the thing to serve for dinner on a chilly night. The rich, cheesy filling is packed with sweet cubes of butternut squash and savory shallots, and lightened by the acidity of the sherry vinegar and brightness of the lemon zest. Get the Recipe 02 of 31 Mac and Corn Cheese Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Enlivened with snappy kernels of sweet corn, pungent onion, and fruity jalapeño, Eric Kim's gooey pasta dish gets extra richness from mayonnaise and a pinch of sugar. Get the Recipe 03 of 31 Buttery Sautéed Mushrooms with Fresh Herbs Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell This succulent, umami-rich, versatile batch of mushrooms can be served as a side dish, spooned over steak, or stirred into hot pasta for an easy dinner. Get the Recipe 04 of 31 Tonkotsu Ramen Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen A slow-simmered, rich and savory tonkotsu broth is the base for this ramen that is rich from the meltingly tender chashu pork and soft-boiled egg and brightened by pickled mushrooms. Get the Recipe 05 of 31 Citrus and Fennel Chicken with Olives and Calabrian Chiles Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen A mix of citrus, buttery olives, and spicy, oil-packed chiles punches up the flavor of braised chicken leg quarters. Toasted fennel seeds and dry sherry add a pleasant warmth to the sauce. Get the Recipe 06 of 31 Spicy Pot Roast with Oranges, Sweet Potatoes, and Calabrian Chile Gremolata John Kernick Whole orange segments and freshly squeezed orange juice and zest give this hearty winter braise a burst of fresh citrus flavor. Creamy sweet potatoes and celery root along with tender beef chuck fill out this satisfyingly hearty meal. Get the Recipe 07 of 31 Leg of Lamb with Fingerling Potatoes and Leeks Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford / Food Styling by Ali Ramee Incredibly easy to prepare, this bone-in leg of lamb is coated with an herby, pleasantly salty crust before marinating in the refrigerator for about eight hours. The dry brine results in a juicy, tender, and deliciously garlicky lamb roast. Get the Recipe 08 of 31 Restorative Ginger-and-Turmeric Noodle Soup Jennifer Causey "During the winter months, this bowl of noodle soup is like a hug," cookbook author Hetty McKinnon writes. "The garlic oil adds an extra layer of aromatic flavor, a great way to bring cohesiveness to this curative bowl of soup. It's bolstered by a robust ginger and turmeric base, which offers deep, earthy flavors along with anti-inflammatory prowess." Get the Recipe 09 of 31 One-Pot White Wine Pasta with Mushrooms and Leeks Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland This creamy, savory one-pot pasta dish comes together without the need to boil the pasta separately. Savory sautéed mushrooms and gently sweet leeks combine with cream, lemon juice, and white wine to create the rich sauce. Feel free to switch up the flavor by adding tarragon instead of dill. Get the Recipe 10 of 31 Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup Cara Cormack A few simple ingredients make a sumptuous soup. Be sure to use a high-quality cheddar; it's crucial to the dish's flavor. Choose a yellow cheese for the richest color. For a chunkier soup, skip the pureeing and just break up some of the potato with a spoon. Get the Recipe 11 of 31 Chicken Spaghetti Lo Mein Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Lan Samantha Chang's family adds even more savory flavor to their favorite lo mein recipe with dried shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine. Get the Recipe 12 of 31 Opulent Grilled Cheese Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Inspired by former Food & Wine editor Margaret Eby's love of Zabar's in New York City, the combination of creamy, silky Taleggio and nutty aged Gruyère cheeses in these small but satisfying sandwiches results in the perfect melt, with plenty of flavor. Pops of fresh salinity from lightly smashed capers stirred into sweet, jammy strawberries balance the richness. Get the Recipe 13 of 31 Red Wine Venison Stew Victor Protasio Made with venison, this stew is intensely flavored and has a silky, thick sauce that clings to the vegetables and meat as they slowly cook together. Beef chuck roast works very well here, too. Get the Recipe 14 of 31 Raclette-Gruyère Mac and Cheese with Pickled Shallots Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Inspired by älplermagronen, Alpine farmers' macaroni, this Swiss twist on a Thanksgiving classic gets rich flavor from Gruyère and a lush creaminess from Raclette. Traditional versions of this dish are served with applesauce; as a nod to that flavor play, we've added some shallots that are quickly pickled in apple cider vinegar to balance the cheesy richness. Get the Recipe 15 of 31 Classic Beef Chili Caitlin Bensel This is a great classic chili to keep in your back pocket for game day meals or anytime you want a hearty bowl to warm up on a cool fall or winter day. If you are serving this chili for a crowd, go ahead and set up a buffet of toppings. Serve this chili alongside tortilla chips, cornbread, and bowls of shredded cheddar, slices of fresh jalapeño and radishes, chopped scallions, and sour cream. This way, each person can pick and choose their garnishes and personalize their perfect bowl of chili. Get the Recipe 16 of 31 Tteokguk (Korean Rice Cake Soup) Jennifer Causey Just like American New Year's foods, this is a good-luck dish that carries symbolic significance. The white color of the rice cakes signifies purity, so the soup represents a way to start the year off fresh. Traditionally, when you enjoy your New Year's bowl of rice cake soup, your age increases by one year. Though the soup can be made with chicken, pork, pheasant, or seafood, these days it's typically made with beef. Get the Recipe 17 of 31 Creamy Mashed Potato Soup with Dashi Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Dashi and soy sauce add umami to buttery leftover mashed potatoes in this cozy soup from chef Shota Nakajima. Get the Recipe 18 of 31 Thit Kho (Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly) Anna Stockwell This savory pork braise is beloved across Vietnam. In the north, the dish is usually saltier, says chef Diep Tran, R&D chef for Red Boat Fish Sauce, while in the south, the braise tends to be sweeter. Blanched cabbage is a good accompaniment for the fall and winter months. Get the Recipe 19 of 31 Juicy Lemon-and-Herb Roast Chicken Greg DuPree Pulling off a restaurant-quality roast chicken at home starts with bagging the best bird you can find. Skip the bulked-up mega-market hens and source a smaller, free-range hen from your local butcher or specialty grocery, such as Whole Foods. Get the Recipe 20 of 31 Lazy Chicken-and-Sausage Cassoulet Alison Miksch Molly Stevens' quick cassoulet recipe calls for smoked sausage (such as kielbasa); boneless, skinless chicken thighs; and canned white beans, packing in plenty of protein. Get the Recipe 21 of 31 Trinidadian Pelau Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey The layers of flavor in chef Peter Prime's pelau come from a range of sources: zesty, spicy Green Seasoning, coconut milk, a hit of ketchup, Worcestershire, and an ingenious technique of sauteing both the beef and the rice and pigeon peas in a scorched caramel to create a rich texture and nutty taste. Get the Recipe 22 of 31 Farro Salad with Roasted Root Vegetables David Malosh Crispy roasted root vegetables like parsnips and celery root add an earthy, caramelized depth to this simple grain salad made with tender, chewy farro. To help the vegetables develop the most color, resist the urge to stir them during cooking. Get the Recipe 23 of 31 Olive Brine–Marinated Pork with Roasted Olives and Beans John Kernick Here, we've combined olive brine with sage and lemon to punch up your weeknight pork tenderloin. Get the Recipe 24 of 31 Lentil and Bean Stew with Gremolata David Malosh Lentils add a delicious earthy flavor to the stew; their starchiness helps thicken the broth. Brown lentils work fine in this recipe, but we prefer French green lentils; they hold their shape better. Feel free to cook dried beans especially for this recipe, but any leftover or canned beans—rinsed and drained—will work well. Get the Recipe 25 of 31 Roasted Lamb Chops with Brown Sugar-Rum Glaze Kelly Marshall These savory lamb chops from celebrated chef and cookbook author Alexander Smalls get brightened up with loads of peeled garlic and rubbed sage. A spiced brown sugar glaze adds even more flavor, resulting in a dish that's bold and balanced. Get the Recipe 26 of 31 Kale-Artichoke Stuffed Shells Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Cannellini beans add hearty creaminess to these stuffed shells, while mild heat from Calabrian chiles and earthy sweetness from fennel seeds amp up jarred marinara sauce. Get the Recipe 27 of 31 Puntarelle-Citrus Salad with Roasted Beets Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Puntarelle stays bright and crisp in this salad, while beets bring a tender, earthy sweetness. Puntarelle is a specialty buy—check your local farmers market, or substitute another bitter chicory. Get the Recipe 28 of 31 Banana Leaf-Wrapped Lamb Shank Tamales with Morita Chile Salsa DYLAN + JENI These smoky braised-lamb tamales, a favorite at event producer Paola Briseño González's holiday tamale parties, get a pop of freshness from bright cilantro-onion relish, while a wrapper of banana leaves perfumes the masa with a softly sweet aroma as they steam. The banana leaf wrappers also yield tamales with a dense, custard-like texture. The rich, slow-cooked flavor of lamb shanks is the perfect partner for the intense smokiness of morita chiles; substitute chipotles in a pinch. Get the Recipe 29 of 31 Seared Scallop Stew with Winter Vegetables © Con Poulos Corey Lee's rustic French farmhouse stew is packed with hearty winter vegetables and topped with gorgeous pan-seared scallops. Get the Recipe 30 of 31 Instant Pot Short Ribs with Triple-Cream Mashed Potatoes Jen Causey A bed of extra-creamy potatoes makes the perfect base for these short ribs, but the sleeper hero of this recipe is the simple salad of apple, celery, and toasted hazelnuts, which provides balancing acidity, brightness, and crunch to this exquisitely comforting dish. Get the Recipe 31 of 31 Winter Galette John Kernick The versatile dough for this galette is easy to prepare and shape into a free-form crust. Fresh ricotta, infused with herbs and lemon zest, forms a creamy and aromatic base for the seasonal vegetables that roast on top. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit