There are few things more warming and calming than a hearty winter meal, but it can sometimes be difficult to decide just what to eat. Here are some easy and tasty winter dinner ideas.

Picture this: you're snuggled up in a cozy blanket and dreaming of something warm and tasty. The problem is, you don't feel like busting out all the stops, yet you're craving something delicious. Don't be concerned, there are plenty of easy winter recipes out there!

In this food guide, TAG24 will take you through some of the best and easiest winter dinner recipes to ever grace your screen. Feeling hungry? Feeling cold? We've got you covered!

Some nights, you just don't want to cook, but that shouldn't dissuade you from preparing a scrumptious meal for your family. Something fresh, warming, nutritious, and easy is the perfect winter meal. Better yet, it's not too hard to achieve.

For many, the fear of having so many choices available is enough to dissuade them from cooking. To help you out, we have compiled a selection of easy and cheap-as-chips recipes.

We have focused on gathering some easy, but not necessarily fast, winter dinner recipes. These are generally healthy options that don't require much work – even if they have to bake or simmer for a few hours – and you can make in large quantities for the whole family. Let's dig in!

Roast chicken is, of course, an absolute classic. It is also wildly easy to make, with most of your time spent waiting for the bird to bake. There's no need for anything fancy like Yorkshire puddings or such, but there's also no need for packaged gravy. That would just be a waste!

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Parsnip
• Peas
• Lemon
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil
• Red wine
• Flour
• 2 cups of water
• Paprika or rosemary (optional)

Instructions:

Step 1: Wash your chicken and season it thoroughly, making sure to apply plenty of salt to the skin so that it crisps up. During this process, apply seasonings like salt, pepper, paprika, and rosemary if you want. Next, simply cut a lemon in half and plop it inside the chicken.

Step 2: After placing some baking paper on your baking tray, create a trivet for the bird to sit on. Simply chop up a few veggies and put them on the base of the pan. Sit the chicken on top and then sprinkle it with olive oil so that it's nice and shiny.

Step 3: Bake at about 350 °F for around an hour and a half, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 175 °F.

Step 4: Repeat the seasoning process with your veggies of choice. What you want to do, though, is chop them into nugget sized pieces (to your discretion) and pop them in a big bowl. Add olive oil and the seasoning you want, and then toss them in the bowl.

Step 5: Bake the vegetables for around an hour and a half in the same oven as the chicken, or until nice and crispy.

Step 6: Once the chicken is getting close to done, drain all the juices from the baking pan into a pot, along with the vegetables your bird is sitting on. Add a pinch of salt, a splash of red wine, a bit of pepper, about two cups of water, and then boil for around 10 minutes.

Step 7: Drain the liquid out so that it is separate from the vegetables and whisk in some flour to thicken it up.

Step 8: Allow your chicken to rest for 5–10 minutes after removing it from the oven, and then proceed to carve. Serve it all up with a healthy dollop of that homemade gravy. Yum!

Stew is a true winter staple, and something that no one should put their nose up at. It's delicious, heartwarming, and a real treat when you've just come in from the cold. Problem is, people get scared by how long it takes. Have no fear, beef or chicken stew is incredibly easy to make and doesn't have that much active time.

In the end, you're basically going to prepare everything and then let it simmer in a pot for a number of hours. It's kind of perfect, really! Simply add everything to a pot, turn on the stove, and watch a movie. Once it's over, dinner's ready and it's time to watch another movie while you eat. What's not to love?

We've already got an extensive beef stew recipe, so we won't go into detail here on how to make it. But believe us – this is an incredibly easy and warming meal for winter!

Pumpkin soup is one of those cooking classics that everyone should learn. It doesn't take long, it's crazy delicious, cheap as heck, healthy, and warming. What's also fantastic is that, with a few ingredient changes, you can make all kinds of soup once you've mastered the basics!

Again, we've already got a pretty great pumpkin soup recipe for you to check out, so we won't give you instructions here, but what we will do is offer you a few suggestions!

Here are some other fantastic soups that you can try out this winter:

• Potato soup
• Chicken and leek soup
• Mushroom soup
• Tomato and basil soup
• Carrot soup
• Sweet potato soup

A true staple of warm winter foods, you truly can't fault good ol' Bangers and Mash. With just the right type of sausages, you are in for an easy, quick, and absolutely delicious meal that'll even keep the kids happy. That being said, it's not that healthy, but you'll have to indulge us this once.

One of the most important things to remember when making our Bangers and Mash recipe is that the sausage is king. Make sure to choose a good one, something with plenty of fat to maximize its flavor, and something good and girthy. Again, you won't regret it.

Here are some of the best bangers for your mash:

• Thick pork sausages
• Irish sausage
• Cumberland sausages
• Bratwurst
• Lincolnshire sausages

This is probably the trickiest of all the recipes we have included here, but it's also one of the most heartwarming and tasty. Again, this might seem a little out of place on account of its difficulty and time consumption, but if you've got a lazy Sunday afternoon ahead of you, then this could be a fantastic activity for the whole family!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of potatoes
• 1 pound of all-purpose flour (have more, in case necessary)
• 1 egg
• 3 pounds ripe tomatoes
• 16 oz passata
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 medium white onions
• 1 medium buffalo mozzarella (8oz)
• Parmigiano reggiano (to garnish)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions:

Step 1: Peel all the potatoes, chop them into slivers, and boil until soft but not too mushy. Drain the potato water and give them a mash.

Step 2: Dust a large, easy-to-wash flat surface with flour and scoop the mashed potatoes onto it. Shape the mash into a volcano-like form and crack an egg into the volcano's "crater".

Step 3: Use a fork to beat the egg a little, so it's combined, and then use your hands to thoroughly mix the egg into the potatoes, along with a pinch of salt. Add your flour and knead until the dough is relatively dry, nice and light, and well-formed. Remember to continuously re-dust the surface and to add more flour to the dough as needed.

Step 4: Chop the dough ball into smaller chunks and roll them out, on the floured surface, until it is a thin "string" along the counter. With a sharp knife, cut them into small gnocchi-shaped pieces. Remember to dust each one before collecting them in a bowl, so that they don't stick together.

Step 5: Chop up your onions and begin to sauté them in a pan with some olive oil. Crush the garlic and add it to the onions once they have begun to sweat. Continue to cook on a medium heat until the onions have gone translucent.

Step 6: Chop up the tomatoes and add them to the onions, turning up the heat and continuously stirring so that the sugars release and everything starts to caramelize. Once the tomatoes have dissolved, add the passata and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 20 minutes on a medium heat or at a simmer.

Step 7: In another pot, bring water to the boil and add a pinch of salt. Put your gnocchi into the water at a rolling boil. They should take only 4ish minutes to cook, but the best way to know they are done is to wait until they have all risen to the surface.

Step 8: Mix the gnocchi into the tomato mixture, preserving some of the pasta water when draining. Chop up the mozzarella, add a spoonful of the water to the mixture, and then fold the cheese into your pasta. This should make it creamy and delicious-looking. Season to taste, serve in a small bowl, and garnish with a scattering of parmigiano reggiano.

Gnocchi is an absolutely wonderful treat for the whole family, and you don't have to make it with the tomato sauce. We would also recommend making a thick pumpkin sauce, similar to pumpkin soup.

Let's end this roller coaster of a ride with something simple, easy, and endlessly delicious. Pair this chili with some corn chips and top with grated cheese to make some absolutely fantastic nachos, or just eat it in a bowl with some bread. It's the perfect warming winter treat – you'll love it!

Ingredients:

• 17 oz passata
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 2 large bell peppers
• 30 oz corn
• 35 oz kidney beans
• 2 lbs minced beef (or double the kidney beans for vegetarians)
• 4 medium onions
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 2 red chilies
• 1 tsp cumin
• 10 oz stock (vegetable or beef)
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions:

Step 1: Chop everything up, don't worry about making it all tiny or precise – it's chili, after all!

Step 2: Sauté the onions with a bit of olive oil in a large pot, adding the garlic after a few minutes, and continuing until translucent.

Step 3: Add the diced bell peppers and chopped chilies, mixing well and allowing to get a little bit of a sear on the bottom. Continue to add in the tomatoes and cook through until thick and caramelized.

Step 4: Toss in the meat/kidney beans, as well as the corn, and mix everything together very thoroughly.

Step 5: Season with salt pepper, add the cumin, and cook on a medium heat until all the meat is cooked through. If cooking with minced meat, allow all the juices to evaporate off.

Step 6: Chuck in your stock of choice and the passata. Mix thoroughly and bring the temperature up to a simmer. Cook for around 45 minutes at this temperature and serve.

Does it really matter what day of the week it is when it comes to comfort? These recipes are either excessively easy, very quick, or both, and will warm your whole family through the chilly season. Try not to worry: winter will end, and you can enjoy yourself with some deliciousness in the meantime!

Remember to combine these recipes with some fantastic winter cocktails, or perhaps just a nice cup of cocoa. Pop a film on, snuggle up on the couch with your loved ones, and enjoy!