45+ Easy Dinner Ideas

These easy dinner ideas solve the question of what to make for dinner tonight. Whether you are looking for a recipe with chicken or steak, to serve with rice or that is family friendly each dish contains simple ingredients and will satisfy any craving.

The Best Easy Recipes for Dinner

If you have ever walked in the door after a long day and been faced with the age old question “what’s for dinner?”, this list is here to help you! With flavorful ingredients and simple directions, dinner time is saved and everyone is happy.

Whether it’s a comforting pasta recipe, a healthy sheet pan meal or a vegetarian main there is a recipe to curb any craving or mood. You might even find a few new meals to add to your regular menu rotation!

Keep this list of easy dinner ideas handy whenever you are not sure what to make. It has came to my rescue time and time again and I hope it does the same for your family. Easy dinners for the win!

Dinner Ideas Everyone Will Love

While the dinner ideas below are perfect when you need something quick and easy, sometimes you need just one part of the meal to build upon! That is why I love these family dinner ideas for simple proteins, grains or sauces.

Sometimes I even use them to make a DIY nacho bar or potato bar!

• Taco meat: Use in tacos, nachos, quesadillas or salad.
• How to cook quinoa: A plant based protein perfect for adding to any salad.
• Marinara sauce: Just add your favorite pasta and enjoy!
• Shredded beef: Transform your shredded beef into a sandwich, use in burritos or add to stroganoff just to name a few.
• Shredded chicken: Toss with BBQ sauce, add to a salad, use on a pizza, add to pasta, there are so many ways to use shredded chicken.

Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas

Flavorful and quick these easy dinner recipes come together in 30 minutes and are perfect for any weeknight!

• Parmesan Crusted Chicken. Made on the stovetop and ready in less than 20 minutes, it will be new family favorite.
• Easy 3-Ingredient Chili. The easiest chili recipe you ever met! All you need is ground beef, chili beans and chili ready tomatoes for this hearty dinner.
• Bean and Cheese Burritos. Ready in only 15 minutes, no one ever turns down one of these burritos!
• Sheet Pan Gnocchi. Crispy gnocchi and roasted vegetables all come together on one pan in only 30 minutes.
• Roasted Pork Tenderloin. A simple stove-to-oven method means this is ready in less than 30 minutes with a beautiful sear outside and tender juicy meat inside.

Easy Healthy Dinner Ideas

Healthy never tasted so good and these easy dinner ideas don’t skimp on taste! Everyone in your family will love these familiar foods that are just a bit better for them.

• Baked Tilapia Recipe. Oven baked with crispy, flaky results make this tender white fish a favorite.
• Sheet Pan Salmon. An all in one meal with salmon, potatoes and asparagus and a baking time of only 30 minutes!
• Healthy Turkey Chili. Prep this in 15 minutes then simmer on the stovetop for a hearty meal. No one will miss the beef!
• Healthy Pizza. Loaded with veggies, lean chicken and cheese on a whole wheat crust, this meal is ready in only 20 minutes.
• Spaghetti Pesto. Fresh bold flavors, familiar spaghetti noodles and a vegan pesto will make this a new favorite.
• Lemon chicken. Only 7 ingredients are needed for this delicious one pan lemon butter chicken that’s ready in 30 minutes.

Easy Family Dinner Ideas

Tried and true family favorites are not only great for kids but adults, too! Make these easy dinner ideas when you need a proven winner that everyone will enjoy.

• Easy Sheet Pan Quesadillas. A giant quesadilla guarantees smiles all around at the dinner table when this is on the menu.
• One Pot Burrito Bowl Recipe. Everything you love about a burrito but without the work of piling it into a tortilla. Instead, serve with some tortilla chips and call it a day!
• Homemade Mac and Cheese. There is no better comfort meal than homemade mac!
• Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs. Tender and juicy chicken thighs with a colorful medley of vegetables will be a new favorite in only 30 minutes.
• Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies. Colorful, flavorful and delicious smoked sausage with broccoli, potatoes and peppers has something for everyone.
• Egg Skillet. Everyone will love it when breakfast is served for dinner!

Easy Recipes for Dinner with Steak

Quick and easy dinners that are carnivore approved, yes please! For all the steak lovers out there, these dinner recipes are simple enough to pull off on a weeknight.

• Steak and Potatoes. Hearty, comforting and sure to satisfy, crispy potatoes with tender bites of steak will be a hit.
• Steak Tacos. After a short marinade time, these tacos come together in 12 minutes!
• Steak Fajitas. Sizzling fajitas will bring a smile to everyone at the table; serve with all the toppings for an easy feast.
• How to Cook Steak in the Oven. No matter the weather outside, this steak turns out perfectly cooked inside!
• Chimichurri Steak. With a flavorful sauce, your classic grilled flank steak just got a simple yet flavorful upgrade.

Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas

Winner, winner chicken dinner may be cliche, but it’s true! These easy dinner ideas with chicken are versatile, simple and will become staples on your dinner menu.

• Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. Easy and comforting this is the perfect recipe after a long day!
• Greek Chicken Meatballs. Serve in pita or on a salad for a simple dinner with fresh Mediterranean flavors.
• Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos. Easy, creamy and hands off, these taquitos bake in the oven for crispy results.
• Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas. Only 5 ingredients and 30 minutes are all you need to get these restaurant quality fajitas on the table!
• BBQ Chicken Tacos. Ready in 15 minutes, everyone will love this spin on tacos with sweet BBQ sauce.

Easy Dinners to Serve with Rice

Faster than takeout, these stir fry recipes with an Asian flair are easy dinner ideas to make at home and full of delicious flavor!

• Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken. Quicker and better for you than takeout, this chicken and vegetable stir fry can be spicy or mild, your choice.
• Chicken Stir Fry. A simple stir fry always hits the spot and this one will be a new favorite!
• Honey Sesame Chicken. Your family will lick their plate clean when you serve this tender chicken in a sweet sauce.
• Korean Ground Beef Bowl. This dinner idea is budget friendly and ready in 15 minutes!
• PF Changs Mongolian Beef. Skip the high dining out prices and make this copycat recipe at home. It’s flavor, tender and so good.
• Egg Roll in a Bowl. No time to roll? Just put it in a bowl! That’s the method behind this egg roll and everyone will rave about it.

Easy Soup Dinner Ideas

Just add crusty dutch oven bread or homemade french bread and these easy dinner ideas are served! Hearty, warm and satisfying a good bowl of soup can make any meal feel special.

• Easy Lasagna Soup. All the taste, no layering required. Top with ricotta to seal the deal and enjoy this easy soup for dinner!
• Chicken Tortilla Soup. A loaded soup that is a crowd pleaser! Serve with all your favorite toppings and let everyone customize their bowl to taste.
• Taco Soup. A family favorite and for good reason! Full of meat, beans and colorful veggies it tastes like a taco but is a comforting soup.
• Sausage Tortellini Soup. Full of Italian flavor, this soup is husband approved!
• Chicken Noodle Soup. A classic for a reason! Serve this bowl of delicious soup on any day that you need a little boost of comfort.
• Broccoli and Cheese Soup. Better than any takeout from your favorite cafe, this soup is creamy, cheesy and the perfect easy dinner idea.

Easy Vegetarian Dinner Recipes

Perfect for those nights when you want something a little lighter, these easy dinner ideas that contain no meat are healthy, satisfying and make mealtime a colorful affair.

• Buddha Bowls. Customizable bowls of goodness, these will make you feel good from the inside out.
• Three Cheese Manicotti. Impressive yet simple with a bake time of only 25 minutes!
• Pizza Caprese. Easy to make but in only one bite you will feel like you are dining out at an Italian cafe!
• Scrambled Eggs. There is never a wrong time to have scrambled eggs and it’s the perfect protein to serve at dinner with a slice of toast and fresh fruit.
• Black Bean and Sweet Potato Taquitos. Flavorful, nutritious and satisfying with roasted sweet potatoes and creamy black beans, these are sure to be a dinnertime win.
• Mushroom Gnocchi. Simple to put together but elegant in presentation, this dinner makes an easy weeknight dinner seem fancy.

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The Full List of Easy Dinner Ideas

Click on the links below to find the recipes for all of the delicious easy dinner ideas mentioned above.