Cozy Winter Meals

Lately the winter weather has inspired me to make some cozy, hearty meals. Here are some of the new recipes I've tried in the past couple of weeks.

Pasta and Veggie Casserole

This was a casserole idea that I got from Leslie's blog. It's very simple to make- just a mixture of cooked pasta, corn, lima beans, tomatoes, cheese, and some seasonings. The end result was really yummy. A hearty casserole without being too heavy, it has a nice flavor and a surprising creaminess considering that comes from just the cheese, no other kind of sauce.


Rigatoni and Broccoli with Ricotta

This was another easy recipe that I saw made on the Rachael Ray show. I was a little bit disappointed by the fact that the ricotta didn't turn out as creamy as I would have hoped, but it still had a nice flavor to it.

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

This is my favorite new recipe! It's originally from Vegetarian Magazine, but I got it by way of one of my daily blog reads, JenLovesKev. It was a bit labor intensive in that you have to peel, chop, and sautee a lot of veggies for the filling:

And you have to boil and mash some sweet potatoes for the topping:

But the end result is completely worth it. It's delicious and satisfying but incredibly healthy too. You can see the full recipe here. It makes enough to reheat for a few days, so I would definitely recommend trying it on a cold day when you have time to stay in and cook.