35 Quick and Easy Dinners You Can Make This Winter

In this healthy weeknight dinner, thyme and arugula keep the sweetness of the grapes in balance. Nearly all the cooking is done on a single baking sheet.

“Fab, fuss-free dinners are my holy grail,” says Michelle Tam (nomnompaleo.com, @nomnompaleo) about sheet pan meals. This one is adapted from her and husband Henry Fong’s Nom Nom Paleo cookbook, Ready or Not! “Sheet pan suppers allow me to maximize the amount of veggies for dinner,” she says. “And cleanup is a breeze.”

Warm and comforting, this chowder combines the smoky richness of black cod with hearty potatoes, tender kale, and a hint of vermouth. The addition of tomatoes and a square of kelp or kombu deepens the flavors, creating a nourishing and satisfying soup.

Middle Eastern kofta kebabs (spiced ground lamb or beef shaped around skewers) are delicious, but a bit of a project. Here, a similar spice blend flavors a weeknight-friendly burger.

At the community garden where she tended a plot, Olympic Peninsula cookbook author Kate McDermott often helped create a budget-friendly communal “stone soup” of produce contributed by her fellow gardeners. Like the soup in the folktale, this recipe can be made with whatever bounty of vegetables comes your way. It’s from the author’s second cookbook, Home Cooking with Kate McDermott.

Welcome to our easy version of this Sichuan street-food classic, with ground chicken instead of pork, and fresh vegetables rather than preserved Chinese ones. A dan-dan is the pole, balanced on the shoulder, that vendors use to tote containers of noodles and sauce.

The mix of apricots, spices, and tomatoes is surprising but makes for an interesting and delicious twist to chicken dinner.

For pho, a rich-tasting broth is crucial. But how do you produce one quickly? The answer: Simmer whole pieces of chicken in chicken broth. Leftover poached meat can be mixed with mayonnaise, chopped celery, and a pinch of curry powder for chicken salad.

Meaty and less expensive than lamb loin chops, shoulder chops need to cook a little longer to soften. They’re slightly gamey (in a good way!), which makes them a great match for the bold, Moroccan-style flavors here. Serve with fluffy couscous to soak up the sauce.

Light, lively green garlic and a little cream make this a perfect winter-into-spring pasta dish. The thin noodles soak up the sauce fast, so serve it immediately.

In our favorite new weeknight meal, kasha and a poached egg rev up greens and smoky pork.

Pounded thin, chicken thighs cook fast and stay moist. The lemony sauce is great with a side of asparagus.

Traditionally made with red snapper (huachinango), which is now endangered, this dish is delicious with plentiful rock cod—aka Pacific snapper—instead. Serve with rice (start it before the fish).

Pan-searing sliced tofu gives it a meatiness that’s deliciously offset by crunchy vegetables and a drizzle of black bean sauce (pour on a little less if you’re salt-sensitive). The Asian ingredients can be found in any large grocery store.

Savoy cabbage is mild and tender even when raw, making it ideal for this light accompaniment to rich sablefish. The recipe is also excellent with 4 boned trout fillets, and the slaw tastes good with chicken or pork too.

Scared to try a veggie burger? This one will make you a believer. Packed with lentils and healthy veggies, we promise you will never even miss the meat.

Combine two Indian classics—tandoori chicken and naan—in a flavorful sandwich topped with mint, cilantro, onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese. Look for the naan bread in Indian markets or in the bakery section of the grocery store.

Tiny florets of cauliflower mimic rice in this rich, creamy dish. Golden cauliflower adds appealing color, but the recipe works just as well with the white variety. Try it with pan-roasted brussels sprouts.

Lamb makes for an interesting flavor break from beef. If you prefer less spice, just reduce the amount of chipotle powder.

Roasted vegetables are just what we crave in cooler weather. For a next-level dinner, San Francisco recipe developer Julia Lee spoons them over creamy polenta with a lemony salsa verde. If you’re not familiar with broccoli romanesco (sometimes simply called “romanesco”), it’s related to cauliflower but looks far more exotic, with its chartreuse color and dense spirals—and tastes milder and sweeter. Look for it at grocery stores and farmers’ markets.

Dustin Harder, chef, cookbook author, and host of the weekly podcast Keep On Cookin’, shared this veggie chili recipe from his book, Epic Vegan. Packed full of veggies and vegan meat alternatives, this chili is hearty enough to fill up a crowd.

Quesadillas get an upgrade with shrimp and bacon in this quick recipe.

A flavorful dinner ready in less than 30 minutes, this Sitr-Fried Eggplant and Tofu dish will have your family raving. Serve over rice with a simple green salad for a complete meal.

For an easy vegetarian version of this hearty main dish, omit the bacon and add a little more olive oil when you sauté the shallot mixture.

Reader Christine Datian, of Las Vegas, likes to use lots of spices in this soup recipe. Our version is medium-hot, but if you like it a little spicier, use the higher amount of serrano chile and a pinch more cayenne.

Reader Tom Trapani, of Millbrae, California, likes to make this sandwich when fresh Dungeness crab is in season and less expensive. He also serves it on toasted French bread with a slice of tomato.

This simple one-pot recipe is easy and quick enough for a weeknight dinner. Feel free to substitute ground beef for the lamb, and in season, try fresh peas for frozen, cooking them a little less time.

Roasting the chicken and vegetables in the same pot makes for a rich, sweet-tart dish. Serve with crusty bread to sop up the juices.

One large dumpling per diner tastes just as good as many smaller ones, but it’s faster to make and looks more dramatic.

We left the soup chunky with a clear broth, but you could easily purée it to create a smooth soup. Just don’t skip the avocado mixture, as it makes a refreshing contrast to the beans and spice.

Here’s a recipe to add to your go-to list: easy enough to pull off for a Tuesday night dinner but special enough to serve to guests.

Chinese long beans (or regular green beans) and plenty of fresh herbs turn this Thai-inspired dish into a whole meal.

Who doesn’t love burritos? Bonus: It’s easy to customize toppings or spice-level for pickier eaters.

We are big fans of frozen peas because they’re often better than fresh—and they take no time to cook. Thaw them right before you need them so they don’t get wrinkly.

Packaged cooked lentils can be a real time-saver and are becoming more available. If you can’t find them in your area, use regular lentils cooked according to the package directions.