We all need comforting dinners when the sun sets early and the nights get chilly. Think of a stick-to-your-ribs casserole or the kind of hearty meal that bubbles on the stove all day, ready to be ladled out and sopped up with bread. These chilis, stews, roasts, and bakes might be good for weekend projects, but between holiday parties, extracurricular activities, and school events, busy winter weeknights demand something quicker. During the bustle that goes with the winter holidays, we especially love quick dinner recipes that come together with only a handful of minutes and ingredients—and even fewer dishes. From a sheet pan dinner to a luxurious pasta bake, this collection of quick dinner recipes doubles down on the comfort but eases up on the effort.
Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo Rings
Spaghetti squash is more than just a noodle replacement served with your favorite pasta sauce. It’s a savvy cook’s secret weapon for healthy and quick weeknight dinners. The squash is microwaved whole for easier slicing, then cut into rings for faster roasting. The rings are perfect for adding a filling of your choice. Here, rotisserie chicken, alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese, and ready-to-microwave spinach come together for a deceptively simple, warming, and decadent dinner.
Get the recipe: Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo Rings
Weeknight Pasta Fagioli
A flavorful and hearty soup made from scratch in less than 15 minutes? Yes, please. Winter weeknights beg for exactly this kind of recipe, which will not only make you feel cozy, but spare you from washing more than one pot. Create a classic base in no time with pre-cut veggies, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and canned Italian-style tomatoes. Cannellini beans add heft, not to mention protein and fiber, and ramen noodles—minus the flavoring packets—cook right in the soup itself. Finish with torn basil leaves right before you bring steaming bowls of homemade soup to the table.
Get the recipe: Weeknight Pasta Fagioli
Easy Braised Cod with Vegetables
Seafood is a superstar when it comes to quick, healthy weeknight dinners. Fajita blend vegetables, grape tomatoes, spinach, and kale are cooked down with a little water and sweet paprika to become a robust braising liquid for the fish. The seasoned cod braises quickly in the mixture—no need for an extra pan. It’s great as a 15-minute dish on its own, or you can serve it over quinoa for an even heartier comfort meal.
Get the recipe: Easy Braised Cod with Vegetables
Hasselback Kielbasa with Potatoes
Start this hearty sausage and potatoes dish by cutting the turkey kielbasa accordion style. This Hasselback pattern helps the decadent sauce soak in and creates more crispy edges. A two-ingredient honey mustard sauce delivers maximum flavor with minimum effort, perfect for glazing the sausage and serving alongside the finished dish for dipping.
Get the recipe: Hasselback Kielbasa with Potatoes
One Pot Shrimp and Coconut Rice
You don’t need to tell your friends and family that this vibrant, aromatic dish came together with one pot in under 30 minutes. Coconut milk and peas add dimension and depth to a simple pot of long-grain rice, while prepared chili sauce does the same for quick-cooking shrimp. Together they create a sweet and spicy island vibe, perfect for perking up cold, gray evenings. Add green onion, fresh herbs, or a squeeze of lime to jazz up the dish even further.
Get the recipe: One Pot Shrimp and Coconut Rice
Slow Cooker Chicken Pozole Verde
Pozole is a bright and hearty Mexican stew enriched with hominy, a form of whole-kernel dried corn that becomes soft and starchy when stewed. If hominy isn’t on your regular grocery list, it certainly will be after trying this dish. It imparts such a filling, comforting texture, perfect for cold winter nights. This stew is enlivened with such bold flavors as poblano chili, salsa verde, and lime, you’ll hardly notice it’s also a stick-to-your-ribs kind of dinner. Ten minutes of morning prep, and this slow cooker stunner will await you when you walk in the door.
Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Pozole Verde
Pork and Spinach Stir Fry
Stir fries are some of our favorite easy weeknight meals. This pork and spinach version comes together quickly with minimal chopping required. Pork tenderloin is cut into strips for a quick-cooking alternative to chicken. The prepared stir-fry sauce and fresh spinach add complexity and a vegetable boost. Best of all? The whole aromatic preparation comes together in about as much time as it takes to steam the rice.
Get the recipe: Pork and Spinach Stir Fry
Rigatoni with Spicy Beef
What’s better than a comforting rigatoni dinner on a winter weeknight? A spicy rigatoni dinner that looks familiar but delivers delicious surprises. Cumin and harissa bring a Middle Eastern sensibility to the robust tomato and meat sauce, and with it, the ability to warm you from the inside out. A sprinkle of fresh mint to garnish provides a pop of color and a reminder that spring is just around the corner.
Get the recipe: Rigatoni with Spicy Beef
Easy Chicken Soup with Bok Choy and Rice Noodles
Chicken noodle soup may be winter’s signature comfort food, but that doesn’t mean it must come from a can or take hours to prepare. When the weeknight hustle means you can’t make stock from scratch, you can create a quick and easy depth of flavor with sautéed chicken thighs and chicken broth, enhanced with ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. Rice noodles aptly stand in for the traditional egg noodles, and crunchy Bok choy brings a welcome touch of green to this 25-minute meal.
Get the recipe: Easy Chicken Soup with Bok Choy and Rice Noodles
Salmon and Couscous Salad
Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you can’t have salad for dinner, especially when it’s served warm and includes a substantial grain such as couscous studded with ribbons of tender spinach. This 20-minute recipe is equally perfect for busy weeknights as it is for entertaining. A fig balsamic vinaigrette is a not-so-secret ingredient that elevates the dish to something greater than the sum of its parts, seasoning the broiled salmon as well as dressing the cooked couscous. Slices of ripe avocado complete the elegant look.
Get the recipe: Salmon and Couscous Salad
Broccoli and Mozzarella Stromboli
The power of refrigerated pizza dough knows no bounds, especially when it comes to getting your family to eat their vegetables. Stromboli is basically pizza in burrito form that can encase whatever meats, cheeses, and veggies you have on hand. Here, frozen broccoli florets and shredded mozzarella let you get right to assembly, a project even small hands can help with. Parmesan cheese and garlic powder add an extra boost of flavor. Once sliced, the stromboli is perfect for dipping in warmed marinara sauce.
Get the recipe: Broccoli and Mozzarella Stromboli
Instant Pot® Black Bean Chili
Chili is the winter weeknight gift that keeps on giving: Make a big batch and enjoy it over several days with numerous variations. Pressurized cooking in your Instant Pot® gives you deep flavor from dried beans, corn, diced peppers, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and fire-roasted tomatoes in less than an hour for a chili that tastes like it simmered all day. Serve in bowls or add to tostadas, burritos, nachos, or as a topping for spaghetti squash. You can also garnish to your liking with salsa, sour cream, cilantro, shredded cheese, and scallions.
Get the recipe: Instant Pot® Black Bean Chili
Creamed Spinach Gnocchi Bake
This simple bake is weeknight-worthy and uses only five ingredients for an ultimate cold-weather comfort meal. A sauce of half-and-half and reduced-fat cream cheese covers cooked gnocchi and spinach in a baking dish. Shredded mozzarella binds it all together so that it emerges from the oven bubbly and browned, instantly summoning everyone to the table for a warming, weeknight feast.
Get the recipe: Creamed Spinach Gnocchi Bake
Cowboy Casserole
This Tex-Mex play on a classic Midwestern casserole combines an enchilada-inspired filling with the requisite tater tot topping. Quickly cook the ground beef with frozen onions and peppers (a store-bought hack we love) and use prepared enchilada sauce as the base. Layer everything in a baking pan, then top with corn and black beans, tater tots, and a generous sprinkle of shredded taco cheese blend. You’ll have the skillet washed and put away before the bake comes out of the oven, meaning you and yours can linger longer at the table.
Get the recipe: Cowboy Casserole
Pizza Beans
Instead of defaulting to pizza delivery on a busy weeknight, consider this dish instead. Creamy butter beans get the pizza treatment here with prepared chopped vegetables, garlic, crushed tomatoes with basil, and Italian seasoning. It’s topped with the requisite mozzarella cheese and pepperoni that melt and crisp in the oven. Serve with a crusty baguette for dipping. Who would even miss the traditional crust?
Get the recipe: Pizza Beans
Sheet Pan Pork Chops with Brussels Sprouts
Sheet pan dinners are a saving grace on hectic weeknights when it comes to balanced meals with simple prep and minimal dishes. You may think of pork chops as something more suited for the skillet or grill, but they work just as well in the oven, baked at a high heat to get a nice caramelization and a zingy lemon pepper seasoning. Brussels sprouts can also hold up to the high heat, becoming tender and browned alongside the pork chops. A quartered lemon goes on the sheet pan as well, adding brightness during the bake.
Get the recipe: Sheet Pan Pork Chops with Brussels Sprouts
Christmas Eve Pasta with Grape Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Whether you save this pasta for Christmas Eve or serve on any night of the year, it’ll surely become a family favorite. Mozzarella pearls and grape tomatoes are the “ornaments” on this speedy dinner, which otherwise takes its flavor from prepared pesto and a generous dose of chopped garlic. Chili flakes add a little heat to your liking, and fresh basil adds another festive touch for garnish. The dish is ready in 15 minutes flat so you can get back to the festivities.
Get the recipe: Christmas Eve Pasta with Grape Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Chicken with Peas and Mushrooms
Chicken is a staple protein for easy weeknight dinners, but that doesn’t mean it has to be predictable. Here, chicken breast cutlets are seasoned and dredged in flour, then sautéed for a golden brown coating. The flavor left in the pan, along with mushrooms, garlic, and chicken broth, becomes a rich gravy that thickens in a matter of minutes. Frozen peas add a pop of color and more veggies. With only a skillet required, in 15 minutes you can have a crowd-pleasing chicken dinner that has all-day flavor.
Get the recipe: Chicken with Peas and Mushrooms
Green Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo
Known as avgolemono, this lemony Greek soup is both rich and vibrant and surprisingly easy to make at home. Only six ingredients and 30 minutes are required to put this bright, comforting favorite on your table. Orzo cooks directly in the chicken broth, which is then brightened with lemon juice and enriched with eggs to achieve its creamy texture. Shredded chicken is added as a last step for a soup that is a hearty weeknight meal unto itself.
Get the recipe: Greek Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo
