Winter meals don't have to mean hours of prep or complicated techniques. The beauty of savoury baking lies in its simplicity – toss your ingredients together, slide the dish into the oven, and let the heat do its job.

The next time winter calls for comfort, remember that your oven is your ally. Preheat, layer, bake and watch as simple ingredients are transformed into meals that warm both body and soul.

1. Sausage-and-tomato bake with smoky bean salad 

This quick sausage-and-tomato bake with smoky bean salad takes just 30 minutes to make. A hearty recipe featuring lamb sausages in a rich tomato sauce, this is an easy comfort food recipe for any night of the week.

sausage and tomato bake with smoky bean salad recipe

2. Tenderstem broccoli-and-ricotta pasta bake 

This hearty pasta bake combines Tenderstem broccoli, ricotta, conchiglie pasta, Parmesan and cherry tomatoes and will easily serve a family of six to eight. It's great for a weeknight family dinner, or you could meal prep for the week ahead and freeze it for when you need it.

tenderstem broccoli-and-ricotta pasta bake recipe

3. Cape Malay chicken biryani casserole

This Cape Malay chicken biryani casserole is an aromatic combination of spices, bone-in chicken, basmati rice and lentils. But don't be alarmed by the word "biryani"! This is a cheat's oven-baked version that still offers the traditional South African flavours you love in an hour.

Cape Malay chicken biryani casserole recipe

4. Baked breakfast omelette

A baked breakfast omelette with crispy bacon, sausages, cherry tomatoes and oven-baked eggs – what more could you ask for? How about the fact that it takes just 30 minutes to make this fully loaded breakfast dish?

baked breakfast omelette recipe

5. Spiced tortilla bake 

In the mood for Mexican-inspired comfort food? This boldly spiced tortilla bake with seasoned beef, Mexican spices and melted cheese is everything  you need when it's chilly outside.

spiced tortilla bake recipe

6. The OG lasagne

This list would be incomplete without a classic lasagne! Beef and pork mince, home-made cheese sauce, sundried tomatoes – this is the ultimate comfort food.

the og lasagne recipe

7. Boerewors pie with carrot pickle 

A South African-inspired boerewors pie with tangy carrot pickle, how could you go wrong? This flavourful pie is perfect for lazy dinners indoors.

boerewors pie with carrot pickle recipe

8. Goat's cheese-and-spinach bake

Creamy goat's cheese and spinach with fresh lasagne, tomato sauce and pecorino makes for a vegetarian bake everyone will love.

goat's cheese and spinach bake recipe

Find more savoury bakes recipes here.

This content was created with AI assistance. However, it was fact-checked, edited and ideated by actual human beings at TASTE.