Cooler weather calls for dishes that feel like a thick blanket – slow-cooked, deeply flavoured, and satisfying down to the last spoonful. These winter recipes offer variety for season-long inspiration. Feel free to riff – swap proteins, use local greens, or play with your spice rack to make these your own.
The classic cosy Japanese hotpot dish is given a quick and easy makeover by Adam Liaw – simply pan-fry the steak before simmering in an umami-rich sauce. It's the perfect winter dinner dish.
Credit: Jiwon Kim
Dark stout tenderises chuck beef, while building deep flavour in this Irish one-pot comfort food wonder. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the every drop of the rich sauce.
Credit: Donal's Meals in Minutes
Rehydrate dried porcini, then use their aromatic liquor to bring extra flavour to this meaty-tasting vegetarian risotto. Stir through butter and parmesan right at the end for a silky, well-rounded result.
Credit: Jiwon Kim
Simple, nutritional and able to be made in large batches, tonjiru is a Japanese comfort food staple. The base is miso soup, which is built out with thin slices of pork belly and a variety of root vegetables.
This vegetarian take on the classic Greek lamb moussaka gets its charred eggplant is cooked into a thyme-tinged tomato and lentil ragù, then topped with a layer of velvety ricotta and baked until bubbly.
Pillowy potato gnocchi meets slow-cooked rosemary-scented tomato-beef ragù that cling to the gnocchi like winter gloves. The sauce can be made ahead to spread out the preparation time.
Tomato and chickpea pasta soup. Credit: Donal's Real Time Recipes
Roasted pumpkin purée and toasted walnuts fill pasta tubes under sage-scented béchamel—creamy, crunchy, utterly comforting.
Pumpkin walnut cannelloni. Credit: Mary Makes It Easy / Geoff George
“Muqalqal” means quick in Abrabic—browned with vinegar to speed up the tenderising process, then layered with spices, vegetables chilli and fresh herbs for a fast but boldy flavoured dish. A final squeeze of lime brightens each bite.
Muqalqal (Yemeni lamb stew) Credit: Adam Liaw
Invented to sell more Reblochon cheese, tartiflette layers sautéed potatoes, lardons and onions beneath a molten wheel—après-ski without leaving home. If you can't get Reblochon, you can use brie, beaufort, tomme (a nuttier taste), raclette or fontina.
Tartiflette. Credit: Everyday Gourmet with Justine Schofield
Cures brisket overnight in treacle lends a note of molasses spice and intrigue. Slice the roast beef and serve alongside towering Yorkshire puddings, golden potatoes and buttery spinach for Sunday roast supremacy. Remember, scorching-hot fat guarantees Yorkshire puddings that rise like top hats.
Credit: Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food
Although more commonly made with chicken or other meats like rabbit or wild game, mushrooms delver an earthy richness. Frying the mushrooms whole first before baking in the sauce while ensures a for meaty chew. Serve with silky polenta to soak up every last drop.
Mushroom cacciatore with polenta Credit: Jiwon Kim
Enjoy comforting British pub food at home with this winter show-stopper. A hot water crust ensures a study, crisp pastry that can hold the heaviness of the stew. You can make this dough up to 1 day in advance and store it in the fridge, and the filling can also be made in advance and chilled or frozen.
Credit: Mary Makes It Easy
Three types of cheese, aromatics like ground mustard and smoked paprika, and a cornflour hack come together to create a mac and cheese baked to bronzed perfection.
Baked mac and cheese Credit: Kitti Gould
French bistro meets Italian nonna! In this take on the classic French dish, chicken marylands cook with speck (or bacon lardons), mushrooms and red wine then popped into the oven to cook until tender. Little “ears” of orecchiette cook right in the pot for a one-pot winter warmer.
Coq au vin with orecchiette Credit: Andy Baker
Here, the flavours of pasta alla Norma are stacked instead of stirred. Layers of passata, fresh basil, fried eggplant and creamy ricotta sit between lasagne sheets, giving you a nourishing vegetarian meal that can feed a crowd. Frying the eggplant first helps the rounds to keep their shape.
Lasagne alla norma Credit: Kitti Gould
This Florentine classic is believed to date back to Renaissance-era kiln workers, who tucked pepper-coated beef into clay ovens with Chianti. Hours of cooking reduces the wine into a rich sauce and the fall-apart meat for a simple, warming meal with minimal fuss.
Pozole rojo is a classic Mexican soup built on pork, hominy and guajillo chiles. A slow simmer draws flavour from shoulder and ribs, while lettuce, radish and lime added at the table keep each bowl fresh.
Polenta al sugo hails from northern Italy, the heartland of polenta. 'Al sugo' means 'with sauce'—in this case, a luxurious tomato sauce made with passata, garlic and olive oil. Spoon the tomato sugo over creamy soft polenta and finish with plenty of parmesan—or, if you want to keep it vegan—nutritional yeast flakes or vegan parmesan.
Credit: A Vegan Summer in Southern Italy
From the popular Ottolenghi's Test Kitchen cookbook, cauliflower cheese takes on new form in this filo pie. Roasted florets sit in a curry powder-tinged cheddar and mustard béchamel, encased by flaky filo pastry. The result is crisp edged-pie with a soft oozy centre—easy enough for a weeknight, generous enough for guests.
Credit: Ottolenghi Test Kitchen
A complete roast dinner is made easier with a tray and simple hacks—a DIY butter infused with garlic, fresh herbs and woody dried herbs is rubbed under the chicken skin, vegetables arranged beneath, and everything roasted in a single pan. While the chicken rests, the same pan turns its drippings into a quick stovetop gravy.
Credit: Mary Makes It Easy
Varieties of ramen are endless throughout Japan, but fall largely into four categories based on their broth—soy sauce, salt, tonkotsu (pork) and miso. Inspired by the ramen classic of Sapporo, the capital of Japan's northernmost island, this bowl starts with a homemade miso-doubanjiang tare, thinned with a light stock made from corn cobs and soaked shiitake. Ladle the broth over fresh noodles, then finish with sweet corn kernels, cured egg and a pat of butter.
Corn miso ramen Credit: Kitti Gould
Chicken, potatoes and green olives braise in a saffron-spiked chermoula, while preserved-lemon wedges lend a clean citrus note. If time allows, make this Moroccan staple a day ahead to allow the flavours to develop overnight. If you're entertaining, you can even prepare the aromatic chermoula marinade for the chicken up to 7 days ahead.
Chicken tagine with preserved lemons Credit: Benito Martin
Spicy and tangy, this robust Korean favourite pairs perfectly with plain rice. This is a short-cut meat-free version, but you can add thinly sliced pork belly at the end if a heartier edge takes your fancy.
Credit: Billy Law
This sturdy oven dish inspired by a favourite sauce from a small Tuscan restaurant. Mixed mushrooms replace meat in a slow-cooked ragù, providing deep flavour without heaviness, and dried red chillies bring a warming kick.
Credit: Ebury Press
True to its name—“reboiled”—ribollita starts as a simple vegetable soup. When reheated with crusty bread, the bread absorbs the liquid, turning the mix of beans, cabbage and tomato into a rustic stew that only improves over time, thickening into broth into a filling meal.
Credit: Alan Benson
To kick of the flavour base for this stew, chorizo is browned in oil, infusing the oil with meaty richness. Into this oil go the chicken legs, tomatoes and stock, then cannellini bean at the end to give body. The result is a one-pot stew that delivers gentle heat and a rich broth for dipping, so serve with plenty of crusty bread.
Credit: Donal's Kitchen Hero
This version of sticky date pudding folds in native Australian ground wattleseed for a mild coffee-nut flavour. Baked until springy, it’s served warm with a simple butterscotch sauce for a easy crowd-pleasing sweet treat.
Credit: Adam & Poh's Great Australian Bites
Chef Matthew Evans adds saffron to a classic baked rice pudding, combining it with milk, cream, orange zest and cardamom to infuse slowly in the oven. The result is a gently spiced, gold-tinted dessert that pairs well with poached fruit.
Credit: Jiwon Kim
These budini sit between pudding and lava cake: a simple batter of chocolate, cocoa and a splash of espresso bakes to a soft centre. Serve warm from the ramekin with vanilla or toasted-marshmallow ice cream for temperature contrast and moreish-ness.
Credit: Bake With Anna Olson
This British dessert is beloved for its warmth and clever simplicity—golden syrup, lemon juice and breadcrumbs added to before the batter to the bottom of the pudding basin turns into a sauce during two hours of gentle cooking. A jug of custard provides the traditional finishing touch.
