Dark, cosy nights are best spent with some of these easy winter recipes.
The days are starting to get colder, and the nights are beginning to draw in, so it’s time to tuck into delicious, warm comfort food. So we’ve put together five tasty winter dinner recipes for you to try. All of these recipes can be adjusted to suit your needs by swapping ingredients for non-dairy and meat-free alternatives.
Cheesy pasta bake
Pasta will always be a staple of the student diet. This gooey dish of cheesy goodness is the ultimate comfort food. Plus, it’s fantastic if you don’t want to chop or wash up a lot!
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 32g butter (or plant-based butter)
- 25g flour
- 350ml milk (or non-dairy alternative)
- 30g Cheddar cheese (plus extra to top)
- 30g Parmesan cheese (or Vegan cheese)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 150g macaroni
Method
- Heat butter in a pan. Then sprinkle in the flour and roast until slightly brown.
- Gradually add the milk, and whisk until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Stir in the Cheddar and Parmesan.
- Then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the sauce has thickened, remove the pan from the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Cook the pasta to the packet instructions, and drain and fold the pasta into the sauce.
- Pour the mixture into a baking dish and top with Cheddar. Bake for 10 minutes.
Hearty vegetable stew
It wouldn’t be Winter without a stew! The great thing about this stew is that it’s really versatile, so you can add any veg you like, or you could even add meat.
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 leek, thickly sliced
- ¼ swede, diced
- 75g pearl barley
- 1tsp fresh thyme (dried is fine)
- 1 bay leaf
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 2 carrots, diced
Method
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add the leeks, swede, and carrots. Add the barley to the pan, stock, bay leaf, thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Put the lid on the pan and bring to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes until the veg and pearl barley are tender.
Stir the pan occasionally to stop the stew from catching the bottom of the pan. Serve with bread or potatoes.
Indian Chickpea Sweet Potato Curry
If you want something spicy, then this is the recipe for you. This dish is also great for batch-cooking/ freezing. It’s also vegan and gluten-free!
Serves 2
Ingredients
- ¾ tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1 tsp garlic and ginger paste (or you can use fresh ingredients, minced)
- 1tsp garam masala
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1sp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 50g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 50g fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (or sunflower oil)
- 1 tin of diced tomatoes
- 350ml vegetable stock
- Serve with white rice or naan bread
Method
In a deep non-stick frying pan, heat oil, and once hot, add cumin seeds until they start to jump around the pan and smell aromatic.
Heat the coconut oil in the same pan and once it’s melted, add the onions. Cook for 5 minutes, occasionally stirring until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for 2 minutes until the ginger smells aromatic.
Add the ground spices, then add the chickpeas. Stir the mixture, so the chickpeas are coated in the spices. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring once every few minutes until the chickpeas are slightly browned.
Pour in a ladle of water and add the chopped tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and salt. Stir, then bring the curry to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
The sweet potato will be tender once it’s cooked, and the curry will have thickened. Stir in the coriander and lemon juice. Serve with mint and rice or naan.
Sweet Potato Soup
This tasty aromatic soup makes a fantastic lunch. You can make several portions and freeze it so you don’t have to worry about making lunch during busy periods.
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- ¼ tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- ½ lime, juiced
- 230ml milk or cream (or a non-dairy alternative)
- 230ml chicken or vegetable stock
Method
Add the potatoes and ginger to a large pan. Pour in the stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes have softened.
Puree the potatoes with a hand blender, or you can leave them slightly lumpier. Pour the soup back into the saucepan and stir in milk or cream, and heat until warmed through.
Quick Nutella Brownies
Makes 6 large brownies
If you fancy a sweet treat, these Nutella brownies only contain three ingredients and are really easy to make.
- 132g Nutella
- 2 large eggs
- 64g all-purpose flour
Method
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9x9 metal baking pan.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until the batter is smooth (no one like lumpy brownies!). Pour the mixture into the baking pan then smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake the brownies for 15 minutes.
To know if they’re cooked, the cocktail stick or metal skewer should come out clean when you insert it. Once baked, remove the brownies from the oven and leave them to cool before cutting and serving.
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