It doesn’t matter whether you meal prep or not: The question of what to cook for dinner persists night after night, and week after week. Sometimes the answer is easy and obvious, while other nights, despite a full fridge and pantry, you are completely and utterly stumped on what to make.
To offer some fresh inspiration, we rounded up more than 70 tried-and-true weeknight dinner ideas we find ourselves coming back to again and again. Whether you’re looking for an easy dinner to make tonight, a kid-approved meal everyone will enjoy, something that feels healthy, a recipe to put that pack of chicken to work, or a meat-free main, there’s a recipe for every dinnertime situation.
Quick Dinner Ideas for Two
Since most recipes are written to serve at least four people, it can feel tricky when you’re cooking for two — especially if you’re not into leftovers. Each of these dinners makes just enough for two people or uses a technique that makes it easy to scale down the recipe.
1 / 10
Herbed Gnocchi and Mushrooms
A generous splash of white wine creates a light sauce for this herb-flecked pasta — while the bottle’s open, you might as well pour two glasses to enjoy.
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2 / 10
Michael Natkin’s Spicy Stir-Fried Zucchini
Served over a bowl of rice or noodles, this saucy stir-fry makes a nice, light dinner for two. I like to bulk it up with some cubes of crispy tofu, browned ground meat, or shredded rotisserie chicken.
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3 / 10
Pork and Broccoli Rice Bowls
Opting for Broccolini instead of broccoli is a great choice for these rice bowls, as it usually comes in a smaller bunch that’s perfectly sized for two.
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4 / 10
Chicken Parm and Pasta Skillet
Store-bought conveniences are often the secret to success when cooking just for two. Here, frozen breaded chicken breast saves you the hassle of frying up cutlets to make a downsized version of comforting chicken Parm.
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5 / 10
Honey Garlic Shrimp
This fresh, bright stir-fry is sweet and aromatic but definitely fiery, thanks to a generous pinch of red pepper flakes. Serve it over cooked rice or quinoa to make it a complete meal.
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6 / 10
Skillet Cod with Lemon and Capers
This simple skillet fish dinner is easy to halve to serve two. It’s one of those meals that feels fancy yet happens to be pretty much effortless.
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7 / 10
Creamy Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll-Ups
Take all the creamy, rich goodness of chicken Alfredo, roll it into lasagna noodles, and you have a dinner that will cure just about anything the day brought. It makes lasagna possible for two people without a giant baking dish’s worth of leftovers — and on a weeknight, at that.
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8 / 10
Stovetop Skillet Pizza
This skillet pizza is sized to serve two people perfectly. Pair it with a simple salad, red wine, and your favorite show on Netflix.
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10 / 10
Lemon Thyme Chicken Thighs
This is more technique than recipe, which means you can cook as many or as few chicken thighs as you need and things will turn out great.
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Healthy Dinner Ideas
No matter what healthy means to you, this lineup of feel-good dinners has a little something for everyone. And best of all, they’re easy enough to pull off on a weeknight.
3 / 13
Parmesan Chicken and Kale Sauté
This one-skillet dinner feels both wholesome and special, and is quick and easy enough to pull off any night of the week.
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9 / 13
Easy Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
From a cilantro-lime yogurt topping to smoky roasted veggies, this naturally gluten-free meal is a lighter take on hearty enchiladas.
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10 / 13
Easy Juicy Turkey-Veggie Meatloaf
This turkey meatloaf is packed with good-for-you veggies that ensure it doesn’t cook up dry. Get ready for a crowd-pleaser the whole family will love.
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12 / 13
The Best Chicken Zoodle Soup
This one-pot wonder brings chicken soup together with fresh zucchini and carrot noodles for a soothing yet fresh take on the classic.
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Family Dinner Ideas
Not only are these weeknight favorites quick and easy to bring to the table, but also big and little eaters alike will gobble them up.
1 / 13
Broccoli Pasta
This quick 5-ingredient pasta dinner is filled with broccoli, Greek yogurt, and cheese that’s made in just one pot.
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3 / 13
Slow Cooker Veggie Burrito Bowls
Veggie burrito bowls are a one-stop shop, delivering the best part of a burrito — the filling! — with tender brown rice, smoky pinto beans, and fresh veggies, all topped with a dollop of citrusy sour cream.
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4 / 13
5-Ingredient Baked Potato Soup
Spoiler: No baked potatoes are required for this soup. Just one freezer shortcut will get you from done to devoured in less than 30 minutes!
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5 / 13
Open-Faced Pizza Burgers
Big and little eaters alike will adore this beefed-up riff on English muffin pizzas.
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6 / 13
Chickpea Nuggets
These meatless nuggets are guaranteed to surprise both you and your kids.
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7 / 13
Rainbow Pizza
Let your kids have fun making the rainbow for this veggie-packed pizza.
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10 / 13
Broccoli and Cheese Risotto
This one-pot dinner feels a bit special for the adults, but it’s also satisfying for the kids.
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12 / 13
Huevos Rancheros Tacos
Pile cheesy scrambled eggs, roasted red peppers, and black beans and you’ve got a kid-friendly dinner made in minutes.
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Dinner Ideas with Chicken
I know how it goes: You’ve got a pack of chicken breasts or thighs sitting in the fridge that need to be cooked tonight, and you’re totally stumped on what to make. These recipes are the inspiration you need to solve your dinner dilemma.
1 / 11
Life-Changing Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
These chicken thighs are impossibly juicy thanks to a stovetop-to-oven cooking method and a garlic butter drizzle. Plus they boast the crispiest, crackliest skin. Bonus: you only need five ingredients to make them.
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7 / 11
Juicy Chicken Meatballs
All the qualities we admire in a classic meatball — the crisp brown exterior, the tender interior, herby and fragrant with garlic — can be found in chicken meatballs, too.
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8 / 11
Sheet Pan Honey-Dijon Chicken and Vegetables
When you smother chopped chicken breast, crispy potatoes, and tender broccoli in a sweet and tangy honey-mustard sauce, you know you’ve got something good on your hands.
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9 / 11
Lemon Pepper Chicken
If it feels like you’re in a chicken rut, pop this 5-ingredient dinner in the oven asap.
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10 / 11
Easy Bruschetta Chicken
Juicy chopped tomatoes, sweet basil, and tangy balsamic are stirred into bruschetta then spooned over seared chicken breast for a quick weeknight dinner.
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11 / 11
Feta-Brined Chicken Breast with Rosemary
Feta cheese does magical things to boneless chicken breast. It not only flavors the meat, but also gives it juiciness, so as it roasts in the oven it still remains full of flavor.
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Dinner Ideas for Tonight
When the clock is ticking and I need to figure out what to cook for dinner in just a few hours, my strategy is sticking with one of the following: recipes with no more than a handful of ingredients, that call for basic pantry staples, that require a minimal amount of cookware, or that come together in 20 minutes or less. Each of these recipes checks at least one of those boxes.
1 / 13
3-Ingredient Baked Caesar Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are smothered in your favorite creamy Caesar dressing and baked until golden, then showered with snowy Parmesan before heading under the broiler to get nice and bubbly.
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2 / 13
5-Ingredient Sausage, Kale, and Sweet Potato Soup
This hearty 5-ingredient soup is a fun way to turn that pack of chicken sausage lingering in the fridge into dinner. The recipe calls for lacinato kale, but any hearty green will do here.
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3 / 13
Sheet Pan Quesadillas
Use a sheet pan and a few store-bought shortcuts to make a large format quesadillas to feed the whole table.
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4 / 13
One-Pot Tomato Chickpeas and Orzo
This is the kind of dinner you make when you get home late and are greeted by a nearly empty fridge. The result is a creamy, one-pot pantry dinner that’s almost reminiscent of risotto yet is firmly its own.
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5 / 13
One-Pot Spicy Sausage and Tomato Pasta
For such a short ingredient list, this 20-minute pasta dish is bursting with bold flavors, thanks to fire-roasted tomatoes and smoky andouille sausage.
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7 / 13
Easy, Creamy Beef and Shells
If you grew up loving Hamburger Helper, you’re going to love this quick and easy from-scratch version of cheesy beef and shells.
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8 / 13
Ground Beef Taco Casserole
This recipe is everything you love about classic ground beef tacos baked into an easy casserole, then topped with lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheddar.
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9 / 13
Rotisserie Chicken Tacos
With the help of a few store-bought shortcuts, taco night comes together in just 15 minutes.
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11 / 13
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
As with all of the best Italian recipes, this one is far, far greater than the sum of its parts.
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12 / 13
One-Skillet Salsa Pork Chops
Pork chops are simmered in chunky salsa that’s punched up with a splash of balsamic, so each bite is just the right balance of sweet, spicy, and tangy.
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13 / 13
10-Minute Black Bean Tacos
Even on the nights you feel like you just don’t have it in you to cook, you can still manage these tacos. Trust me.
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Vegetarian Dinner Ideas
Whether it’s a dinner pasta, something saucy, tacos, a one-bowl meal, or sheet pan dinner you crave, we’ve got a veggie-packed, meat-free dinner idea for you.
1 / 13
Tuscan Sheet Pan Gnocchi
This easy 3-ingredient sheet pan dinner features crispy potato gnocchi, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, and wilted baby spinach.
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2 / 13
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Black beans and brown rice keep these weeknight-friendly stuffed peppers packed with protein, so they’re guaranteed to fill you up.
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3 / 13
Sweet Potato Curry
This quick Thai red curry is filled with sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and baby spinach that’s made creamy with coconut milk.
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4 / 13
Weeknight General Tso’s Tofu
Inspired by the Chinese food favorite, this at-home version packs in a whole lot more veggies for a feel-good meal.
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5 / 13
Vegetarian Kale Taco Salad
There’s so much going on in this taco salad, your fork will have trouble deciding where to go next.
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6 / 13
Roasted Mushroom and Poblano Tacos
This quick and easy recipe for vegetarian tacos is filled with roasted portobello mushrooms and poblano peppers and topped with creamy goat cheese.
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7 / 13
BBQ Tofu Salad Bowls
On the nights I’m craving salad for dinner but also want a meal that’s warm & comforting, these BBQ tofu & roasted vegetable bowls hit the spot.
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9 / 13
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
This vegan mac and “cheese” uses butternut squash as a substitute for cheese. Nutritional yeast also helps it feel more cheesy and it gets a spicy kick from chipotles in adobo.
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10 / 13
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili
Chili is a thick, hearty one-pot meal best cooked low and slow, so put away the Dutch oven and plug in the slow cooker for this vegetarian number.
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12 / 13
One-Pot Eggplant Caponata Pasta
All the tangy, sweet, and savory elements of the classic Sicilian eggplant dish of tomatoes, olives, capers, and more come together in this flavor-packed one-pot pasta.
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13 / 13
Sweet Potatoes with Chickpea Tomato Sauce
Here’s one more reason to bake a couple sweet potatoes at the beginning of the week. Spoon spice-kissed saucy chickpeas over the top, and you’ve got a comforting, wholesome dinner that’s ready in no time.
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Tue May 24 , 2022
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