cozy dinners to make when it’s cold out

there is no season that inspires me more to get in the kitchen and cook a cozy sunday night meal for the family! i have googled “cozy dinner recipes to make in autumn” or “cozy dinners to make in winter” or some variation of that countless times, so i decided a little list of cozy recipes to inspire your cozy cold weather dinners was in order (and as a place i can come back and reference when i’m also in need of inspiration!)

you’ll notice this list has a lot of chicken on it, because – chicken is cozy. duh.
you may also notice a plethora of alison roman recipes, because also duh!

and ps – i made an autumn spotify playlist and a cooking playlist that are perfect music to cook to if i do say so myself!

sausage & butternut squash pasta

this pasta could not be cozier! i’ll forever put fried sage leaves on top of almost every pasta i eat when it’s chilly out.

recipe here

dilly bean stew with cabbage and frizzled onions

one of our go-to’s, it’s easy enough to make on weeknights and the leftovers are just as tasty.
we just love this soup so much, we even refer to autumn as dilly bean stew season!

recipe here

roast chicken

obviously there are a million ways to roast a chicken, i am a sucker forever for one with some roasted carrots, onions and stuffing.

but ever since i made this anchovy butter chicken, i can’t see a scenario where i could make a more delicious chicken using a different recipe! my anchovy hating relatives were literally fighting over the carcass (don’t tell anyone about the anchovy if they’re squeamish! they won’t know!)

anchovy-butter chicken with chicken fat croutons

steamed mussels with white wine

a big vat of mussels with some crusty bread (or fries!)?! what’s cozier than that?! i used to make mussels all the time pre-kids because they’re shockingly easy to make but feels so fancy and festive.

recipe here

chicken pot pie

i mean what is cozier than a warm chicken pot pie!? i am obsessed with (you guessed it) alison romans version where she uses storebought puff pastry – it’s sooo good. i always make pot pie with a rotisserie chicken to save myself the time.

recipe here

chicken with buttered onion rice

so this specific recipe was delicious but i found it a little time consuming, so i’ve started doing it with pre-chopped onions instead to save time. i loooove this rice! it’s like grown up rice-a-roni!

recipe here

turkey chili

i never really make chili often even though i love it (arlo has an aversion to beans!) bu6t this recipe has INCREDIBLE reviews!

recipe here

winter squash soup

i have been making this soup for years – it’s SO easy and always delicious (totally easy enough for a weeknight, especially if you use pre-prepared butternut squash). i love it with crème fraîche, some fried sage leaves and homemade crusty croutons.

recipe here

bolognese

while i loooove a good meaty bolognese, i’ve actually yet to find MY perfect bolognese recipe (i’ve tried a few but still searching for the one). people love this one but if you have one you absolutely love i’d love to know about it.

recipe here

thai meatball soup

this recipe has been on my list forever, hoping i’ll finally try this winter, it looks amazing and is so highly reviewed.

recipe here

shalloty tarragon chicken thighs

another one that’s easy enough to make on a weeknight, it’s so delicious and french and my whole family loves it so much.

recipe here

one pot chicken with caramelized lemons and dates

the first time i ever made this, my husband actually freaked out about how good it was. i love to make it with way extra dates and extra shallots.

recipe here

tangy brisket with fennel and herbs

OOOOOMG. this. brisket. recipe. we couldn’t deal with how good it was. it is absolutely going to be our go-to brisket for every jewish holiday from here on out. it’s incredible! and of course it’s by the one and only alison roman.

recipe here

leek galette

i’ve never met a leek galette i didn’t love, this one looks amaaaazing, trying immediately. (i’ve also made this one a couple times but it’s paywalled now!)