50 Winter Dinner Ideas Guaranteed to Keep You Warm

RX_1909_Winter Dinner Ideas_White Lightning Chicken Chili

Becky Luigart Stayner

When the days are shorter, the temperatures are lower, and holiday plans are making things a bit more hectic than usual, we look to our winter dinner staples to keep our families warm and full. The minute our coats come out of the closet, soups, stews, and casseroles are fair game (as if we haven’t been making casseroles all summer, anyway!). Even if there’s likely to be a heat wave at some point mid-December, we all love to see our most comforting recipes awaken from their summer hiatus. Southerners are ready for winter cooking regardless of the forecast.

With our slow cookers working full force and our go-to soup recipes warn out, it’s always nice to find a few quick, new recipes to add to the cold-weather rotation. From cheesy pasta bakes, like our Extra-Easy Lasagna or our Creamy Chicken Alfredo Casserole, to fresh Instant Pot options, like our Instant Pot Beef-and-Barley Soup with Mushrooms or our Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast, we’ve pulled together some hearty winter dinner ideas the whole family will enjoy. Don’t worry, we didn’t leave casseroles, soups, or slow cooker recipes off the table either. Browse our list of winter dinner meal ideas for 50 recipes that are simple enough to serve tonight.

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Beef Stroganoff

Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Beef Stroganoff

It may sound like special-occasion food, but our Beef Stroganoff is best paired with a cold weeknight and a glass of wine.

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Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese

Victor Protasio

Recipe: Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese

Roasted in all the right ways, this recipe is prime for your favorite grilled cheese.

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Old-Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings

Classic Chicken and Dumplings, chicken and dumplings recipe

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Old-Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings

No matter which dumpling style you prefer–soft drop-biscuit dumplings that float or small strips of pastry dropped into the bubbling pot and cut like noodles–this dish delivers the essential comfort and flavor you expect from chicken and dumplings.

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Chicken-and-Wild Rice Skillet Casserole

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Chicken-and-Wild Rice Skillet Casserole

Flavored with country ham and mushrooms, this winter dish puts a new spin on the classic chicken-and-rice number.

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Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

Call us old-fashioned, but we always prefer homemade. One bite of this warm pot pie, and you'll agree. Frozen options just can't keep up.

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Sloppy Joe Casserole

Southern Living

Recipe: Sloppy Joe Casserole

We can't guarantee it'll be mess-free, but we can promise this warm winter casserole will be step up from the classic school cafeteria version from yesteryear.

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Quick Beef Chili

Becky Luigart Stayner

Recipe: Quick Beef Chili

A warm bowl of chili in under an hour? If that's not comforting, we're not sure what is.

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Soulful Chicken Soup

Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Soulful Chicken Soup

Cooked low and slow, this slow-cooker chicken soup is the ultimate bowl of comfort.

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Instant Pot Beef-and-Barley Soup with Mushrooms

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Instant Pot Beef-and-Barley Soup with Mushrooms

When we say instant, we mean it. Ready in under an hour, this soup is a filling, hands-free weeknight option. Plus, if you don't have an Instant Pot, you can prepare it with a Dutch oven instead.

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King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Recipe: King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese

The South’s ultimate staples, king ranch chicken and macaroni-and-cheese, collide in a skillet dinner that's ready in just 45 minutes.

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Easy Taco Casserole

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero

Recipe: Easy Taco Casserole

Bring the warmth of a summer fiesta to the dinner table, regardless of the temperatures outside, with this classic casserole featuring fire-roasted tomatoes.

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Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole

Southern Living

Recipe: Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole

An egg noodle base and warm, four-cheese topping sandwich together a hearty ground beef mix in this easy dinner recipe.

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Cowboy Casserole

Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Cowboy Casserole

Meet the ultimate dump and bake dinner recipe. Plus, with tots on top, we can guarantee the kids won't put up a fight.

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Extra-Easy Lasagna

Photo: Lee Harrelson

Recipe: Extra-Easy Lasagna

We don't call this recipe extra-easy for nothing. Satisfying and speedy, it's sure to land on your go-to winter dinner recipe rotation.

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Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero

Recipe: Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

A new spin on the Delta classic, this pot roast is shockingly fast thanks to our favorite multicooker. No Instant Pot? No problem. This roast comes together beautifully in a slow cooker too.

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Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Bacon

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Bacon

Leave your plain-Jane lentil soup recipe in the dust. We've spiced things up with sweet potatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, and bacon.

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Classic Patty Melt

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero

Recipe: Classic Patty Melt

Pair with a side of soup, and these patty melts on sourdough are dinner-ready.

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Slow Cooker Goulash

Jennifer Causey

Recipe: Slow Cooker Goulash

Warm up the kitchen with this long-simmered, aromatic dish. Be sure to pick a roast with good marbling to make sure your sauce is just right.

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One-Pan Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Mushrooms, and Collards

Greg DuPree

Recipe: One-Pan Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Mushrooms, and Collards

Though this recipe calls for penne, you can dress it up with any shape pasta you'd like, and it will still be ready in under 30 minutes.

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Mini Meatloaves with Potatoes, Leeks, and Brussels Sprouts

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Mini Meatloaves with Potatoes, Leeks, and Brussels Sprouts

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Sweet-and-Spicy Short Ribs with Egg Noodles

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Sweet-and-Spicy Short Ribs with Egg Noodles

The secret to these fall-off-the-bone short ribs? Brown sugar, spices, and beer.

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Green Chile-Chicken Stew

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Green Chile-Chicken Stew

Family-friendly and crowd-ready, you can freeze cooled, leftover stew in a jumbo muffin pan to create individual portions you can reheat later.

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Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese

When we say quick and easy, we mean it. This full-bodied pasta dish will set you up for success in just 25 minutes.

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French Onion Soup Casserole

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: French Onion Soup Casserole

Who says soup has to be ladled? Complete with layers of baguette slices, this casserole will leave them begging for seconds.

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Easy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero

Recipe: Easy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Put down the take-out menu This beef and broccoli stir fry is restaurant-quality and ready in a fraction of the time (just 20 minutes!).

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Chicken-Mushroom Skillet

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero

Recipe: Chicken-Mushroom Skillet

As tempting as it might be to mess with the mushrooms, be sure to let them sit in the hot pan so that they brown nicely.

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Sausage Calzones

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Sausage Calzones

We're always up for a weeknight recipe that calls for a jar of marinara sauce that's already in the pantry. These stuffed pizza turnovers will be a hit with the whole family.

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Hard Cider-Braised Pork

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Hard-Cider Braised Pork

The only thing hard about this slow-cooked pork shoulder is the apple cider we use in the sauce.

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Brunswick Stew

Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Chicken-and-Brisket Brunswick Stew

Seasoned Southern cooks have all sorts of secret combinations for Brunswick stew, but we can all agree that corn, butter or lima beans, and tomatoes are essential.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore with Spaghetti

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore with Spaghetti

This gorgeous Italian dish is more tender than ever in this hearty, slow-cooker take on the classic recipe.

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Roasted Beef Tenderloin

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling; Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Roasted Beef Tenderloin

This classic dinner party recipe doesn't need a fancy affair. Since it's ready in just 40 minutes, we like serving this main any day of the week.

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Creamy Chicken Alfredo Casserole

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Creamy Chicken Alfredo Casserole

This pasta bake is begging you to take the easy route—we won't tell. Rotisserie chicken and store-bought sauces make warm winter casserole nearly too good to be true.

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Chicken Bog

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Chicken Bog

The classic combination of chicken and rice is sped up in our 30-minute take on this traditional lowcountry dish.

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Winter Vegetables and Gnocchi

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Winter Vegetables and Gnocchi

All of your favorite winter vegetables are the star of the show in this quick recipe that calls for pillowy, store-bought gnocchi.

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Roasted Tomato-Eggplant Soup with Garlic Croutons

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Roasted Tomato-Eggplant Soup with Garlic Croutons

Try a new twist on classic tomato soup with the addition of roasted eggplant, caramelized onions, and carrots.

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Chicken-Mushroom-Sage Casserole

Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Chicken-Mushroom-Sage Casserole

Texture and flavor mingle in this elevated, mid-week chicken that brings the warm flavors of mushrooms, shallots, garlic, sage, and sherry together in one dish.

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Baked Shells and Greens

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Baked Shells and Greens

Easier than your go-to lasagna, this baked pasta uses ground turkey for a lighter take on a cold-weather main.

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Twice-Baked Potatoes

Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Twice-Baked Potatoes

Twice-baked spuds are always crowd-pleasers, but serve them on a cold day, and they're somehow twice as tempting.

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Beefy Butternut Squash Pasta

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero

Recipe: Beefy Butternut Squash Pasta

This fresh take on winter squash requires just one pan, thirty minutes, and a big appetite.

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Chicken Chili Pot Pie Recipe

Jennifer Causey

Recipe: Chicken Chili Pot Pie Recipe

You won't miss the typical crust with cheddar cheese grits on top.

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Beef Stew with Cheddar Biscuits

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Beef Stew with Cheddar Biscuits

Everything's better with biscuits.

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Beef Stew

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Beef Stew

Familiar yet never tiring, this beef stew is prepared in a Dutch oven for the best browned meat base.

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Baked Chicken Thighs with Dressing

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Baked Chicken Thighs with Dressing

A sheet pan supper fit for any kind of feast, this chicken supper features toasty chunks of cornbread.

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50 Winter Dinner Recipes Guaranteed to Keep You Warm

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Beef Stroganoff

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Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese

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Old-Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings

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Chicken-and-Wild Rice Skillet Casserole

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Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

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Sloppy Joe Casserole

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Quick Beef Chili

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Soulful Chicken Soup

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Instant Pot Beef-and-Barley Soup with Mushrooms

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King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese

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Easy Taco Casserole

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Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole

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Cowboy Casserole

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Extra-Easy Lasagna

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Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

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Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Bacon

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Classic Patty Melt

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Slow Cooker Goulash

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One-Pan Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Mushrooms, and Collards

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Mini Meatloaves with Potatoes, Leeks, and Brussels Sprouts

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Sweet-and-Spicy Short Ribs with Egg Noodles

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Green Chile-Chicken Stew

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Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese

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French Onion Soup Casserole

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Easy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

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Chicken-Mushroom Skillet