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25 Winter Comfort Food Recipes That Are Cozier Than a Fuzzy Blanket

Bye-bye, blues

winter comfort food recipes: sheet pan pierogi, french onion grilled cheese, instant pot chicken and dumplings, side by side
Katherine Gillen

It’s easy to fall into a rut when the sun sets at 4:30 p.m. and you’re constantly freezing. But winter doesn’t have to be a drag, especially if you fill your days (and plates) with cozy, hearty meals that feel like a warm hug. Behold: 25 winter comfort food recipes that are eager for a permanent spot in your weekly rotation.

From old faves, like chicken and dumplings, to new classics, like sheet pan pierogi, these easy comfort meals are sure to hit the spot—and make you feel better in no time. More importantly, they’re all essentially as foolproof as they are cozy, and many are great for feeding a crowd (or cooking on a busy weeknight).

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1. Sheet Pan Pierogi with Caramelized Cabbage, Onions and Dill

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: sheet pan recipes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
  • Serves: 4

You love the toss-everything-on-a-pan-and-bake formula, but your go-to meals are tasting a bit...boring. "This recipe has the same weeknight-friendly vibe, but with a bit more interest," former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen explains. "As an added bonus, it only takes about 30 minutes to make from start to finish, and with less than ten ingredients."

2. Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 6

This plant-based twist on a nostalgic classic is more satisfying than you may realize. "The protein-packed lentil is the key to making these vegetarian sloppy Joes," Gillen says. "They're just as quick-cooking and convenient for weeknight dinners, and even kids won’t miss the ground beef." Serve with coleslaw on sesame seed buns for good measure.

3. Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: Instant Pot recipe, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 4 to 6

If you look up "winter comfort food" in an encyclopedia, you'll find this soup/stew hybrid. "One shortcut I wholeheartedly approve of is using an Instant Pot," Gillen admits, "which yields the same delicious flavor and does most of the work for you." Sounds like a weeknight dream.

4. 3-Cheese Pumpkin Pasta Casserole with Spinach

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
  • Serves: 6

Pasta bakes are all about the four C’s—creamy, comforting, crowd-pleasing and cheesy—and this one is far from low-brow or expected. "It’s big enough to feed a crowd but still feels modern, thanks to dollops of ricotta and plenty of spinach," Gillen says.

5. Slow Cooker Bolognese

  • Time Commitment: 6 hours and 45 minutes
  • Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 4

"This recipe for slow cooker Bolognese is a set-it-and-forget-it number that tastes rich and hearty without much effort on your end," Gillen writes. (Seriously—I'm betting even Nonna would be impressed.) Freeze half of the sauce as a favor to your future self.

6. 30-Minute Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Orecchiette

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: one pot, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 4

Consider this pasta your antidote to the winter blues. "It’s salty from the bacon, savory from shallot, garlic and those sprouts, plus it has a bit of tang from a secret ingredient," Gillen teases. "Spoiler: It’s apple cider vinegar." That's already in your pantry, no?

7. French Onion Grilled Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
  • Serves: 4

"Oui, French onion is one of my all-time favorite soups, and grilled cheese is up there in my sandwich rankings. Why not combine the two into the coziest combination imaginable?" Gillen inquires. Don't skip the swipe of tangy Dijon mustard—it's the secret ingredient that cuts through all that rich flavor.

8. Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 4

Not only am I a sucker for pasta; I also can’t turn down a rich, creamy tomato sauce. "Aside from helping to loosen up the flavorful brown bits at the bottom of the pan (the cheffy term is fond), vodka also adds a little heat and tames the sweetness of the tomato," Gillen explains. Substitute a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of white wine if you don’t have it at home.

9. Buckwheat Gnocchi with Cabbage, Potatoes and Fontina

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 6

I'll be eating this homemade pasta dish every day until winter is over, thank you very much. The pillowy dumplings are shockingly easy to make and don’t require any special equipment (or skill). “It’s a fabulous dish because all the other ingredients get boiled in the same pot together, then you sauté everything with lots of butter, garlic and fontina cheese,” recipe developer Erin McDowell explains.

10. Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: one pan, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 6

On nights when you’re too lazy to make gnocchi from scratch (it happens), break out a package of the store-bought kind and make this single-skillet number. It’ll take 30 minutes, tops.

11. Mac and Cheese with Crispy Parmesan-Phyllo Crust

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
  • Serves: 10

While I'll always have a soft spot for the boxed stuff, this elevated mac and cheese is proof that it’s often worth the extra effort to make it yourself. Just look at those flaky phyllo rosettes. (If you want to skip the extra work, simply lay the sheets of phyllo over the top and bake.)

12. Sausage, Corn and Poblano Chowder

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: one pot, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 8

Your soup collection is already robust, but I know you always have room for another recipe. With chunks of potato and sweet bits of corn, this spicy warmer will quickly become a new favorite. P.S.: "This soup also freezes really well, for up to three months in an airtight container," McDowell asserts.

13. Spicy Bucatini Amatriciana

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 6

This pasta dish is as weeknight-friendly as it is dinner party-ready. If you can’t easily source Italian guanciale, substitute pancetta or bacon in a pinch. Bucatini is my favorite pasta shape due to its chewy bite, but spaghetti would work, too.

14. Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

  • Time Commitment: 7 hours and 25 minutes
  • Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, one pot, <10 ingredients
  • Serves: 6

This cheater’s version of the labor-intensive classic cooks for hours on its own—no stirring required. And the results? Ooh la la. Go ahead and crush your HBO watchlist while it simmers; you have plenty of time.

15. Cacio e Pepe Flatbread

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
  • Serves: 4 to 6

It’s technically called a flatbread, but you should know it’s just a very cheesy, impossibly easy white pie. Add it to your list of reasons to keep a ball of store-bought pizza dough on hand.

16. Spicy Lemon-Ginger Chicken Soup

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: one pot, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, gluten free, dairy free
  • Serves: 8

Everyone needs a rendition of chicken soup in their back pocket, and this one is so simple and riffable that it just might take the cake. Use any hardy green in place of the spinach (like kale or Swiss chard), and feel free to add noodles or grains if you so desire.

17. Firecracker Chicken with Rice

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <500 calories, high protein
  • Serves: 4

When you’re not treating yourself to takeout, make this sticky, spicy-sweet chicken as a substitute. It’s just as tasty and way more economical. "It's coated in cornstarch and egg before a quick pan-fry, so it's less messy and greasy than deep-frying," McDowell writes. "And the sauce is a simple combination of condiments you likely already have in your kitchen."

18. Easy One-Pan Baked Ziti

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: one pan, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
  • Serves: 6

This one-pan winter comfort food comes together in an hour and freezes beautifully, so ready thy skillet. I recommend a blend of regular and spicy Italian sausage for balance, but you can easily sub one or the other, or skip it in favor of ground beef, turkey or chicken.

19. Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup

  • Time Commitment: 7 hours and 35 minutes
  • Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
  • Serves: 8

Chicken pot pie is a delicious undertaking. This soup is just as satisfying but starts with a slow cooker and ends with store-bought biscuit dough for convenience. "The whole family will be instantly hooked," McDowell claims.

20. One-Pan Spaghetti and Meatballs

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, one pan, kid-friendly
  • Serves: 8

Do you love meatballs and hate cleaning up after dinner? Same. This skillet spaghetti has your back, and won't leave you with a mountain of dirty dishes to wash after mealtime. (And yes, you can use store-bought sauce if you want.)

21. Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms and Bacon

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, gluten free
  • Serves: 4 to 6

When a dish makes me feel pinkies-out fancy and comes together with just a pot and a sheet pan, you can bet it’s earning a spot in my regular rotation. "To make this a heartier main course, you could top it with a fried egg,” McDowell recommends, "or you could serve it family-style as a side dish alongside a bigger meal like a roast or a braise."

22. Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs

  • Time Commitment: 6 hours and 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, beginner-friendly, high protein, <500 calories
  • Serves: 4

Sit back, relax and allow your slow cooker (and a bit of garam masala) do the heavy lifting. "Give the dish an impressive flourish with a garnish of cilantro and creamy whole-milk Greek yogurt," McDowell suggests.

23. Butternut Squash Risotto with Crispy Leeks

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 35 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegetarian, <500 calories, low sugar, gluten free
  • Serves: 6

Risotto is the ultimate winter comfort food, even when unadorned. Add butternut squash and a crispy leek topping, and I'll be making it all winter long. "Because they're so papery, leeks crisp up faster than onions. It seems time-consuming, like caramelizing onions, but it's actually very quick and they make a great garnish," McDowell says. The more you know.

24. Spinach and Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
  • Serves: 8

Think of these gooey stuffed shells like cheese ravioli without all the work. (There are three types of cheese hiding in there.) "This is a recipe I make whenever friends and family are in town," recipe developer Tieghan Gerard writes. "Everyone always enjoys it. I mean, what’s not to love about cheese-stuffed pasta sitting in delicious tomato sauce?"

25. Cheater’s Sicilian-Style Pizza with Jalapeños and Honey

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
  • Serves: 8

Store-bought dough, a drizzle of honey, two types of cheese and ’roni cups. Can I get an amen? "This pie starts with a focaccia that's baked in an oiled sheet tray so the bottom of the crust gets crisp—like it's fried—while the inside stays chewy," McDowell explains. BRB, drooling.


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Former Senior Food Editor

  • Headed PureWow’s food vertical
  • Contributed original reporting, recipes and food styling
  • Studied English Literature at the University of Notre Dame and Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education

taryn pire

Food Editor

  • Contributes to PureWow's food vertical
  • Spearheads PureWow's recipe vertical and newsletter
  • Studied English and writing at Ithaca College