"The Ultimate Minimal-Effort Meal": 31 Recipes To Jumpstart Your New Year, From Set-It-And-Forget-It Stews To Batched Breakfasts
Cooking can feel like a chore, but in the winter, when life slows down, it can transform into something soothing and satisfying. This January, whether you’re recovering from the post-holiday blues or committing to a resolution to order less takeout, there’s nothing quite like a warm, comforting meal to lift your spirits. To keep things simple and stress-free, we’ve put together a collection of easy, delicious recipes that highlight the best of winter’s seasonal bounty (yes, even in winter, there’s plenty of fresh inspiration to be found!).
Make a big batch of this taco meat and serve it in everything from burrito bowls and salads to quesadillas.
Recipe: Crock Pot Chicken Taco Meat
This hearty and flavorful soup is packed with veggies, and it's oh-so warm and comforting on a cold January night. Garnish with some shredded cheese or a thick slice of toasty bread, and dig in!
Recipe: Italian Lentil Soup
3.Baked Gnocchi With Kale And Sausage
You only need one pot and 30 minutes to make this cozy dinner. Swap the sausage for your favorite plant-based alternative, or just omit it altogether for a meatless version that's just as satisfying.
4.Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Green Tahini
Pinch of Yum / Via pinchofyum.com
No meat, no problem. These vegetarian bowls still pack serious flavor, and they'll keep you feeling nourished.
Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Green Tahini
Calling all savory breakfast lovers! This egg bite recipe comes together in half an hour and will last you the whole workweek; you can portion them ahead of time and store them in the fridge to reheat in the microwave each morning. A hot breakfast every morning is a good way to start the day, but a hot breakfast with zero cleanup? That's perfection.
Recipe: Egg Bites
6.Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma
Slices of this warmly spiced, tender chicken are just begging to be wrapped in a warm pita and finished with a swoop of hummus for good measure. For the ultimate minimal-effort meal, find time to combine the chicken with its marinade and zip everything up tightly in a freezer-safe plastic bag. Your perfectly marinated chicken will be ready to grab from the freezer whenever you need a mindless sheet pan meal.
Recipe: Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma
A lemony, dilly dressing gives this orzo salad the freshness of summer, while the charred cauliflower locks in those hearty winter flavors. Serve it as a side, eat it on its own, or add your favorite protein for a primarily hands-off dinner that's ready in 25 minutes flat.
Recipe: Charred Cauliflower Orzo
8.White Bean Pumpkin Turkey Chili
Toss the ingredients for this warming, seasonal chili into your slow cooker (or Instant Pot) for a nutritious, cozy meal that feels like a big bear hug. Pro tip: Double the recipe and freeze the leftovers in quart containers for a heat-and-eat meal you will be thankful for, even months later.
Recipe: White Bean Pumpkin Turkey Chili
9.Brussel Sprout Hash with Soft Poached Eggs and Aleppo Chili Pepper
Feasting At Home / Via feastingathome.com
Switching up the classic potato hash with this brussel sprout and bacon hash that is wintery in all the right ways. While the poached eggs are beautiful (especially when sprinkled with bright red Aleppo chili pepper), recipe author Sylvia Fountaine assures cooks you can fry the eggs instead if poaching feels intimidating.
Recipe: Brussel Sprout Hash with Soft Poached Eggs and Aleppo Chili Pepper
This quick and easy soup is also highly customizable. You can make your meatballs, grab some pre-made from the store, or use a meat substitute like Impossible brand meatballs.
Recipe: Meatball Soup
11.Quick And Easy Vegetarian Ramen
Fresh ginger adds an extra kick to this quick, easy ramen that comes together in about 25 minutes. The recipe calls for veggies like spinach and mushrooms, but it will be just as good with whatever you've got. This is the perfect recipe for your meatless Monday.
Recipe: Quick And Easy Vegetarian Ramen
12.Zucchini Baked Oatmeal Cups with Chocolate
The First Mess / Via thefirstmess.com
These mini-baked oatmeal bites are ideal if you are a sweet breakfast fan but still want to sneak some veggies into your morning. A baked oatmeal casserole is great for breakfast for a crowd, but for meal prep, having a big casserole in your fridge throughout the week can be a hassle. This recipe takes care of that by pre-portioning the baked oatmeal into muffin tins.
Recipe: Zucchini Baked Oatmeal Cups with Chocolate
13.Meal-Prep Korean Beef Bowls
At the base of these bowls are brown rice, Korean-inspired ground beef, sautéed garlic spinach, and eggs, but you can always throw in additional veggies like bell pepper, cucumber, or kimchi.
Recipe: Meal-Prep Korean Beef Bowls
14.Crispy Bean And Cheese Tacos With Chipotle Sauce
Home Cooking Collective / Via homecookingcollective.com
We know you're already thinking about that Taco Bell run after what feels like two straight months of cooking, so give these super easy bean and cheese tacos a chance at satisfying the craving. Crispy tortillas, melty cheese, and a slightly spicy sauce will soon have you forgetting about your late-night fast food trip.
Recipe: Crispy Bean And Cheese Tacos With Chipotle Sauce
When your post-holiday brain can't be tasked with thinking about dinner, simple, veggie-packed stir-fries are usually the answer. If you can't spot Hokkien noodles at your grocery store, feel free to sub with your favorite noodle type. For dried noodles, make sure to follow Nagi's note to reduce the quantity (since dried noodles gain volume after being cooked).
Recipe: Everyday Hokkien Noodles
16.Happy Blueberry Banana Muffins
These muffins are perfect for baking on a Sunday for the school/work week as a to-go breakfast or midday treat. Or, you can bake a batch of these and freeze most of them, defrosting one in the microwave whenever you need a hearty, sweet pick-me-up.
Recipe: Happy Blueberry Banana Muffins
17.One-Pot Spinach-Artichoke Chicken Pasta
Everyone's favorite dip meets everyone's favorite pasta format (one-pot, of course). Make this one vegetarian by omitting the chicken sausage, or substitute it with your favorite vegetarian-friendly protein.
Carlsbad Cravings / Via carlsbadcravings.com
These Cuban-inspired salmon bowls are easy to make and compile at meal time. They're filling and flavorful, loaded with marinated salmon, rice, black beans, pineapple, plantains, and more veggies.
Recipe: Mojo Salmon Bowls
19.Creamy Thai Carrot Sweet Potato Soup
Rice and roasted almonds make this creamy, curried soup extra filling. It takes about 50 minutes to come together, but the good news is that these flavors get even better when you reheat it the next day (if you somehow have any soup left).
20.Cheesy Broccoli Hashbrown Bake
You can still get your cheesy fix if you're doing Veganuary. This deceptively creamy baked breakfast option contains no cream and is made of blended cashews and vegetables. The potato and broccoli base will keep you full and warm you up even on the coldest of January mornings.
Recipe: Cheesy Broccoli Hashbrown Bake
21.Butter Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Herbs
You say lima bean, I say butter bean, but no matter what you call them, let's agree that this protein- and fiber-packed dinner is perfectly poised for busy nights when you want a minimal-effort, maximum-comfort meal. (Crusty bread is required, of course.)
With ground turkey for a palpable hit of protein and plenty of crunchy veggies like cabbage and carrots, you'll hardly miss the wrapper. The best part is that leftovers keep nicely in the fridge for heat-and-eat lunches throughout the week.
Recipe: Egg Roll In A Bowl
The Mediterranean Dish / Via themediterraneandish.com
This sheet-pan meal is perfect for those nights when you can't be bothered to use three different pans and stir things every few minutes. Just combine everything, set it in the oven, and forget about it.
Recipe: Greek Sheet-Pan Chicken
24.Tuscan Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
It doesn't get much easier than tossing your ingredients into a slow cooker and returning in a few hours for a hot and tasty bowl of stew. If you love a low-effort recipe with Italian flavors, this dish is calling you by name.
Recipe: Tuscan Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
Tofu is the unsung hero of quick and easy weeknight meals; you could disagree with me, but you'd be objectively wrong. Unlike animal-sourced proteins, tofu keeps nicely in the fridge for a while, so you can turn it into crisp, sweet-savory sesame tofu bites whenever your stomach desires it.
Recipe: Crispy Baked Sesame Tofu
26.Besan Chilla (Vegan Chickpea Flour Pancakes)
A popular breakfast staple in North India, these chillas (aka pudlas) are a versatile, plant-based, and protein-rich way to start the day. The recipe author, Richa, notes that you can add fillings for extra veggies or make them more omelette-like in consistency with baking soda/powder. You can cook a batch of these ahead of time in a pan and store them in the fridge, crisping them on the same skillet in the mornings ahead.
27.Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
Jo Cooks / Via jocooks.com
Just as good (and as easy) as takeout, this teriyaki chicken is so comforting. Serve it with rice and broccoli for a hearty and cozy meal.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
28.30-Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup
This tangy and flavorful soup comes together in about the time it takes to watch a new episode of Abbott Elementary, and just like Abbott, it's a serious crowd-pleaser. This is a great recipe to keep in your back pocket for winter weeknights.
Recipe: 30-Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup
29.One Pot Butternut Squash Yellow Curry
Ambitious Kitchen / Via ambitiouskitchen.com
There's nothing quite like a bowl of curry to warm you up on a winter night. This vegan version, packed with veggies and chickpeas, will do just that in only 30 minutes. It's also incredibly versatile: Use it as your curry base and toss in whatever vegetables are sitting in the back of your fridge.
Recipe: One Pot Butternut Squash Yellow Curry
30.Crockpot Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Lasagna Soup
Believe it or not, this slow cooker soup tastes even better as leftovers once the flavors have had time to really mix together. It is the ultimate winter feel-good food.
If you shudder at the thought of gritty, dense protein pancakes, you clearly haven't tried this recipe. With less chalky protein powder and more whole food-powered protein from whole eggs and egg whites, these pancakes are as light and fluffy as they are feel-good. Leftovers freeze nicely in plastic bags and heat up in no time at all in your microwave, air fryer, or toaster oven.
Recipe: Protein Pancakes
What are you cooking up in the new year? Let us know in the comments, and if you try any of these recipes for yourself, let us know what you think!
