8 Easy Recipes for Cold Weather Weeknight Meals


Has 4 or 5 o'clock ever rolled around you find you've found yourself wondering, "What should I make for dinner tonight"? Me too, me too. Meal planning can be a pain, so I thought I would share a few of my go-to dinners with you. I made all of these recipes while living in Paris and would cycle through many of them throughout the long fall and winter season. Each of them is a nice, warming meal, but more importantly, an easy meal.

1. Chicken Enchiladas by Gwyneth Paltrow

From Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, It's All Easy, this is one of my favorite, easy recipes for a weeknight meal. You can enjoy it with Roasted Tomato Salsa if you feel like being extra that night. I linked to both recipes above. 

2. Congee by Pickled Plum


Congee has become a weekly staple during the fall and winter months for us. It takes little effort to put together and is also a great recipe for one of those "oh noo what am I going to cook tonight?!" nights. With a few spices, a couple boxes of chicken broth and less than a cup of rice, you'll have a satisfying and healthy dinner ready in about an hour (most of that time is allowing the soup to simmer on the stovetop). I like to fry up a little shredded chicken in olive oil for a salty, almost crunchy topping.

3. Spiced Chickpea Stew by Alison Roman


If you haven't heard of #thestew yet, take a quick look on instagram, and then go make it.

4. Crispy Polenta from All Recipes.com


You can find a basic polenta recipe like THIS one, and add in some rosemary, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and minced garlic. Pour it all into a pan and allow it to come to room temperature. Before serving, slice it, and fry it in a little olive oil to make it crispy; alternatively, try baking it in a convection oven. Top it with tomato sauce and call it a meal! This also goes well with soups (like the following) or topped with sautéed mushrooms.

5. White Bean Kale Soup by Picky Eater Blog


My sister-in-law pinned this recipe for me before I got married and I've made it almost every year since then. It goes really well with crispy polenta, which tastes nice with some sliced goat cheese baked on top.

6. Lentil & Sausage Soup on Food52


I came across this recipe in the Food52 Cookbook a few years ago and have made it several time since then. Luckily, the recipe is also available online. The book version says to fry the sausage in 2 Tbs of bacon grease instead of oil, so if you happen to have a couple extra tablespoons of bacon fat in the fridge...use it.

7. Sundried Tomato Chicken Skillet by the Tolerant Tummy


Even my kids loved this, and they seem to hate anything that's not made out of magic...or sugar anway.

8. One Skillet Chicken with Garlicky Mushroom Cream Sauce by Little Spice Jar


We like this one so much it's actually made it to recipe card status.


I hope some of these recipes come in handy for you! Let me know some of your recent faves or your general go-tos in the comments below. I will always take help putting together next week's meal plan.

Happy cooking!

Katrina

2 comments

  1. aaaaaah these look amazing--thanks for this!

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome! Let me know if you end up trying out/liking any of them! <3

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