Table of Contents
Leave a Comment
Posted: 01/16/2026
Cozy chicken soups, all forms of potatoes, warm breakfasts, literally anything steamy and cheesy. That’s my cold weather food vibe! Here are my Favorite Winter Recipes For Your Next Meal Plan – breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas!
You could argue that winter is the best time for make-ahead meals. Dishes like soups and casseroles just naturally work better as leftovers (read more info on what foods make the best leftovers here!). It also lends well to meals that freeze, which means the opportunities to cook once and eat multiples times are plentiful.
Sometimes in the dark of Winter, you need a helping ladle to point you in the right direction: a soup atlas, a casserole compass, a hot food heading. This list is here for just that reason. Welcome!
Here’s what all my Favorite Winter Recipes have in common:
- All of these recipes are served hot – which is my preference in the chilly Winter! Perhaps obvious, but worth saying.
- These are all various levels of comfort food for me. From the brown sugar maple oatmeal to the Jojo Potato Wedges, lots of these recipes remind me of things I ate as a kid!
- All use easy to find ingredients usually with winter inspiration like squash or chicken soup.
Related: You’ll definitely find a main dish idea in this list of 13 Warm Weeknight Dinners Everyone Will Love.
Here are some of my favorite tools for cooking in the Winter:
While the tools used for winter cooking don’t vary all that much from other seasons like Fall, I still wanted to point out the items I go back to most often. HINT: Three of these kitchen items are able to hold soup, so you get the point!
- Instant Pot – My Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 Qt (affiliate link!) was so trusty, I never got the burn signal once! I had it for years and recently gave it to my sister, who is also loving it. The Instant Pot is the best for soups, meaning it’s the perfect Winter food appliance!
- Air Fryer – I use a Cosori XL 5.8 qt Air Fryer (affiliate link!) and I love it! I use it almost daily. This is a larger size which I recommend for households of two or more.
- Dutch Oven – I splurged on a Le Creuset but a Lodge 6 qt Cast Iron Dutch Oven (affiliate link!) will do the trick!
- Souper Cubes – These 2-Cup Souper Cubes Trays (affiliate link!) were sent from the soup gods above to help meal preppers everywhere! I use them constantly. Best for freezing perfect sized portions for later!
How to start meal planning:
The best way to get started with meal planning is to begin with your focus on one meal of the week (such as dinner). For an easy method to get you started with meal planning, check out my article 5 Steps to Help You Make a Meal Plan That Works! Here’s a rundown:
- Set aside time to meal plan before the week starts.
- Think of who you’re meal planning for, and get their input.
- Check the calendar and weather!
- Plan around what needs to be used up in the fridge and pantry.
- Leave room in your meal plan for leftovers or a wildcard night.
The best way to meal plan is a little bit different for everyone – some use a mobile app, some write on a laminated sheet with dry erase marker, some simply keep a note with meals listed in their phone.
The only way to know what works best for yourself is to start and give it a try. If it doesn’t work very well, try another method instead. There are lots of great apps, methods, and websites to try. Don’t skip these tips on how to stick to your weekly meal plan!
Here are some of my Favorite Winter Recipes for Your Next Meal Plan:
This oatmeal brings me back to childhood. The maple and brown sugar flavor combo is just too good! A warm bowl of oatmeal is perfect for Winter mornings.
What I want on a cold morning is a hot, steamy, cheesy, egg breakfast sandwich. And I’ve wanted this every morning for the last 3 weeks or so! After making multiple batches of these sandwiches already in 2022, I can confirm they really hit the spot on a Winter morning.
While I know French toast is appropriate any time of the year, there’s something special about hot fried bread on a cold day. To me, French toast is a decadent dessert/breakfast hybrid that can totally brighten a Winter morning!
I absolutely love my Cosori XL 5.8 qt Air Fryer for this and all my air fryer recipes!
This Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal is full of rolled oats, bananas, applesauce, and other simple ingredients. Get all those warm banana bread flavors in a make-ahead friendly, hearty breakfast version. Best served with chocolate chips and sliced bananas on top.
If you’re looking for a new family friendly casserole to try, may I recommend this Tuna Noodle Casserole? My version is made from scratch with mushrooms, egg noodles and potato chips on top. This is my favorite new Winter recipe this year!
I would eat this every week!! This cheesy one-pan meal uses a homemade ground turkey sloppy joe base, then it’s baked with cheddar cheese and tater tots. It’s a delightful family-friendly tot casserole meets sloppy joes. Everyone will love it!
This recipe takes a Winter squash and stuffs it with juicy chicken breast, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach greens and my favorite traditional pesto for a delicious cheesy hot spaghetti squash based meal!
Chicken Pot Pie lovers gather ’round. Think creamy homemade pot pie base, covered in buttery browned biscuits instead of the classic flaky crust. Hot and bubbly. Perfect crust to filling ratio. It’s a labor of love, but I think I love this one the most.
Just like soup, casseroles and bakes belong in Winter. This one is creamy, cheesy and packed with pasta and chicken. Feel free to swap with your favorite steamed veggies, or stick with peas.
Truly one of my favorite stovetop soups to make, and it has a special place in my heart because of who I’ve made it for 💗 If you can only make one soup on this list, let it be this one. It’s packed with veggies and full of protein from chicken breast and beans, all in a bright comforting broth. Best served with crusty bread or crackers!
Potatoes are delicious in every form, including this Creamy Potato Onion Soup. Customize this smooth cozy soup for vegetarian diets, or use chicken broth and top with bacon bits for a rich winter meal. It’s truly a one-pot wonder. Everyone will be wanting seconds!
If you’re looking for a cozy chicken soup recipe with potatoes, this Simple Red Potato Chicken Soup will hit the spot! It’s full of juicy chicken breast, mirepoix veggies and red potatoes, plus a lil lesson on what a bouquet garni is 🙂
One of the most popular Winter recipes on Project Meal Plan, this is the place to start if you’re looking for a cozy soup to make on a cold day. Packed full of ginger and garlic, with tons of veggies, shredded chicken breast and brown rice. It currently has nine 5-star reviews!
This hearty Instant Pot No Bean Chicken Chili is a freezer-friendly main dish packed with shredded chicken breast, peppers, onions, green chilis, and bold spices. Make-ahead (the flavor is even better the next day) then serve with your fave toppings during the week!
Tons of veggies, hot steamy cheesy goodness, perfect make-ahead lunch that reheats wonderfully! What more could you ask for in a Winter meal prep lunch?
Here are the 2-Compartment Glass Meal Prep Containers I love!
Serve with carrots from the pan, mashed potatoes, and peas for a meal my household loves on repeat. It’s the perfect Sunday winter dinner recipe, plus you can save all the bones and veggie scraps to make broth in your Instant Pot.
Uhm, can you say irresistible? These Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes are crispy on the outside, perfectly creamy and cheesy on the inside! Stuffed with bacon bits, cheddar cheese, and seasonings in an irresistibly crisp potato skin shell – faster than the oven!
Here’s another one I make all the time, especially when it’s cold. Something about the hot buffalo chicken really hits the spot for me when it’s dark and dreary outside! Anytime I’ve got leftover chicken and flour tortillas, I make these!
Picture beans on toast, but elevated into a filling, higher protein meal, and you’d get this incredibly comforting Sloppy Ground Turkey White Bean Skillet! Serve with toasted bread for an easy family-friendly dinner in 30 minutes.
Things this list of Winter Recipes is missing:
My list of Favorite Winter Recipes is just that – favorites! Yes, I still eat salad and other seasonal foods in the Winter. Here are some Winter recipe ideas from other sites that look amazing:
- Winter Crunch Salad – This is the kind of winter salad I want to try! Kale, brussel sprouts (raw only for me please), apples! Yum.
- Ultimate Creamy Potato Soup – Potatoes + soup + cheese. Now this is winter comfort food at its finest. Sign me up. Seconds please!
- Chicken Marsala – Somehow I’ve never made or had this dish, but it looks so good and I’m adding it to my to-try list!
- Shepherd’s Pie – I don’t have my own recipe for this, but we love any version! I’ve linked my friend Steph’s version made from leftover cooked roast beef!
Have you made any of these Winter recipes?! Let me know your favorites in the comments below! And stay warm out there 🙂