53 Easy Dinner Ideas for Simple, Satisfying Meals
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There are nights when a big, involved recipe can bring joy—when digging in and cooking through can help you relax after a long day. These easy dinner ideas are for every other night. Featuring pantry staples, easy-cooking proteins, and short prep times, these are the recipes you need when time is short and your motivation is low.
Our go-to easy recipes are jam-packed with one-pot meals like cozy Mapo Chili Mac and Gochujang Sloppy Joes. If the oven is more your speed, sheet-pan dinners provide blissful hands-off simplicity with weeknight meal ideas like sheet-pan salmon and potatoes. You’ll also find sushi- and taco-inspired rice bowls, speedy pastas (featuring mushrooms, lemons, and more), and satisfying dinner salads that double as meal-prep winners. This list has all the inspiration you need to get dinner on the table fast. So whether you’re overworked, really hungry, or both: Welcome. Your path to a quick and easy dinner starts here. Let’s get you through to the other side.
Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Christina Allen1/53Basil Fried Rice
Photograph by Peden + Munk, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic2/53Easy Chicken Al Pastor
For the best chicken al pastor, you’d need to hit the road in search of slowly spinning barrels of chile-rubbed, pineapple-juice-marinated meat. But on a Thursday night, this streamlined version—with fast-cooking chicken thighs and convenient canned chipotles—more than satisfyingly approximates the street food classic.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua4/53Cozy and Quick White Chicken Chili
This quick, cozy white chicken chili was one of our favorite recipes of 2023 (and we haven’t stopped liking it yet!). We highly recommend loading up on the toppings: crushed tortilla chips, sliced scallions, and hunks of avocado.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser6/53No-Fail Roast Chicken With Lemon and Garlic
Making life simpler for future you is definitely part of the easy-dinners ethos. Roast a chicken tonight, then turn it into (1) fajitas tomorrow, (2) fried rice the next night, and (3) a pesto-coated pasta dish the next.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie7/53Gochujang Sloppy Joes
Stock up on napkins because these sloppy joes are, well, not the tidiest dinner around. A scoop of gochujang adds umami and a touch of heat to this after-school classic.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni9/53Warm Chicken Piccata Salad
Winner, winner, chicken dinner salad. We’ve transformed the classic lemon and caper piccata sauce into a warm vinaigrette the whole family will love. And if they don’t, leave ’em, sis. (Kidding, kidding.)
Photograph by Heami Lee, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Nicole Louie10/53Spiced Beef Taco Bowls
Prefer homemade spice mix? More power to you, but this recipe was designed to save time by leveling up a store-bought taco seasoning.
Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht11/53Crispy Tofu With Peanut Sauce
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Christina Allen13/53Quick Pita Lahmacun
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht14/53Sour-Cream-and-Onion Tortilla Española
Photography by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen15/53Golden Chicken With Mustard and Shallots
Bathe skinless, boneless chicken breasts in a luxe mustardy cream sauce for this approachable yet impressive-looking meal; sop up the sauce with rice or toasted bread.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua16/53Grated Tomato and Miso-Butter Pasta
Put your knife back in the block—this recipe doesn’t require any chopping or slicing. Grate ripe tomatoes into an almost-no-cook sauce, and mix with miso and fish sauce for a deeply flavorful pasta sauce that only takes minutes to prep.
Photograph by Travis Rainey, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley17/53Divorce Salad
Senior commerce editor Emily Farris leaned hard on this easy salad recipe—buffed up with marinated beans and Parmesan—during a major life transition.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman19/53Bangladeshi Spiced Shrimp and Green Bean Stir-Fry
This staple of Bangladeshi home cooking is packed with flavor and comes together quickly on a busy night. Cook the shrimp toward the latter half of the process, and they’ll stay tender and ever-so-lightly spiced.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks21/53Adobo Mushroom Tacos
The ingredient list may look long for what we’re dubbing an easy dinner, but that’s only because you want all of those spices to deepen the flavor of the mushrooms. The cooking method is simple as can be. Use any leftovers for vegetarian enchiladas.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni22/53Potato and Pea Chowder
This soup recipe is a great excuse to break out the potato masher. You use it only to mash some potatoes into smaller pieces, i.e., just enough to work out some aggression without exhausting your forearms.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi23/53Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets
If your therapist keeps telling you to “unleash your inner child,” start by making these tofu nuggets for dinner. Maybe unwind with a coloring book while they bake.
24/53One-Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
Speaking of comfort food: chicken pot pie. What ingredients make this one fall under “easy recipes for dinner” as well? Store-bought rotisserie chicken and frozen puff pastry.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman25/53Big Italian Sub Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Catherine Campbell Pearson26/53Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
A slow cooker, a can of cola, a boneless pork shoulder, and store-bought BBQ sauce come together to make beautiful, meaty, salty, tangy music while you enjoy a glass of your favorite drink.
Photo by Marcus Nilsson, Food Styling by Frances Boswell, Prop Styling by Amy Wilson27/53Creamy Mushroom Pasta
The secret to taking this recipe from good to great is using several types of mushrooms, like maitakes, criminis, and shiitakes, to change up the flavors and textures of each bite.
Photography by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen28/53Beefy Cheesy Sweet Potatoes With Kimchi
If loaded nachos are your idea of a good time, try treating sweet potato wedges with the same love and care you give tortilla chips.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Micah Morton30/53Creamy Spinach and Chickpeas
Pantry MVPs canned chickpeas, giardiniera, and pickled cherry peppers mix and mingle with freezer VIP frozen spinach for a satisfying—and satisfyingly spicy—weeknight dish.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime31/53Chicken and Corn Stir-Fry
Weeknight dinners don’t get easier than this riffable stir-fry. If corn is out of season, substitute bell peppers, peas, mushrooms, or summer squash. Or opt for frozen corn—it’s good all year long.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Taneka Morris, prop styling by Tim Ferro32/53One-Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Sophie Strangio33/53Salmon Tacos With Pineapple-Chile Salsa
Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio34/53Black Pepper Beef and Celery Stir-Fry
The secret to stir-fry success? Have all your ingredients prepped and ready; this dish takes just minutes to come together in the pan.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Emma Ringness35/53Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Got a can of pumpkin purée hiding in your pantry? The aspirational baker in you might have envisioned homemade pumpkin bread or muffins—but if current-you couldn’t care less, this creamy pumpkin pasta is a dinnertime winner.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Micah Morton36/53Turmeric Caramel Cod
If you’ve ever found whitefish too plain or bland, this sticky savory-sweet caramel sauce is your new best friend. It’s got loads of turmeric in it, so spring for a good one. We like Diaspora Co.’s.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Sean Dooley, prop styling by Gerri Williams37/53Spinach-Artichoke-Dip Pasta
Turn everyone’s favorite party appetizer—spinach-artichoke dip, obviously—into a family-friendly baked pasta dish.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Sophie Strangio38/53Cheesy Tomato Beans With Broccoli Rabe
We love pizza beans—a combination of gigantes plaki (Greek beans in tomato sauce baked under a blanket of cheese) and baked ziti—and this skillet dinner can be considered pizza beans with a dose of greens.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, styling by Molly Baz39/53Use-It-Up Frittata
Leftover gnocchi? Frittata it. Slow-cooker pork? Frittata it. Whatever grains, proteins, cooked or frozen vegetables you have, frittata them, and dinner will be ready in minutes.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown, Props by Meilen Ceramics41/53Corn & Chickpea Bowl With Miso-Jalapeño Tahini
You can make your own za’atar or buy our favorite online for this hearty salad bowl—either way the tangy, herbal sesame spice blend brings big flavor to whatever it touches.
Photo by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kat Boystova, prop styling by Allie Wist42/53Thai Basil Sauce Noodles With Jammy Eggs
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones44/53One-Pan Chicken Thighs With Burst Tomatoes, Harissa, and Feta
This recipe requires you to chop a grand total of zero vegetables. What’s the shortcut? Harissa, a North African pepper sauce that brings the flavor (so you don’t have to).
Alex Lau45/53Gochujang-Marinated Skirt Steak
Stuff slices of this saucy, quick-cooking steak into buns or tortillas with a swipe of mayo and plenty of cilantro, or pile it over mashed potatoes or stewy black beans.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones46/53Air Fryer Sesame-Coconut Chicken Tenders
All the giddy deliciousness of crispy chicken tenders, all the convenience of air-frying in one easy, crowd-pleasing recipe. Plus, spicy peanut sauce on the side. Score.
Photograph by Paola + Murray, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Sophia Pappas47/53Roast Salmon With Citrus and Coconut-Chile Crunch
It’s hard to resist this bright, beautiful dish with its shades of pink and orange—and why would you? Made of citrus fruits, roasted salmon, coconut flakes, and peanuts, it’s flavorful and healthy.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones52/53Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts With Crunchy Radish Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni53/53Pork and Asparagus Soba
If this ingredient list looks unusual to you—chili crisp and soy sauce with tahini?—just trust us. The Middle Eastern sesame paste lends a nuttiness and creaminess to the sauce for this easy dinner recipe.
