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Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes
36
items Quick dinners for busy evenings, gathered in one place: chicken dinners, one-pan and sheet pan meals, quick pastas, rice and noodle bowls, beef and family favorites, and lighter vegetarian dinners. This list contains affiliate links. Browse a section...
Sections
6
Easy Chicken Dinners
One-Pan & Sheet Pan Dinners
Quick Pasta Dinners
Rice & Noodle Bowls
Beef & Family Favorites
Lighter & Vegetarian Dinners
Easy Chicken Dinners
Chicken-led dinners for nights when you want something familiar and filling, from lemon-roasted breasts to quick burgers. Check cooking times on each recipe page, since ovens vary.
For a low-effort evening meal, this lemon and herb chicken breast bakes in the oven with simple seasoning. Skip it on nights when dinner must be ready in 20 minutes.
Oven Baked Lemon Chicken Breast
When dinner should feel a little special without taking all evening, this lemony chicken in a buttery caper sauce fits. Skip it if capers are not to your taste.
Chicken Piccata
A good pick for a filling chicken dinner, with mustard adding sharpness to stuffed chicken breasts. Check the recipe page for timings, since thicker breasts need longer cooking.
Mustard-Stuffed Chicken
For the fastest burger night, this chicken and halloumi burger is listed at 15 minutes. Skip it if you want a lighter dinner, since halloumi is salty and rich.
15-Minute Chicken & Halloumi Burgers
When you want sweet-savory flavor fast, this teriyaki chicken uses a simple sauce over chicken. Watch the sauce closely, since sugary glazes can burn quickly.
Easy Teriyaki Chicken
A practical wrap-style dinner, with chicken and fresh fillings rolled into burritos for an easy handheld meal. Skip extra cheese if you want to keep it lighter.
Healthy Chicken Burritos
One-Pan & Sheet Pan Dinners
Dinners that cook in one pan or tray, so washing up stays small after a busy day. Line trays, since sticky sauces can be hard to scrub.
For a comforting no-fuss dinner, chicken and rice cook together in a single pot. Stir occasionally if your pot runs hot, since rice can catch at the base.
One-Pot Chicken & Rice
A lighter tray dinner pairing salmon with roast asparagus, cooked together in one pan. Skip it if asparagus is out of season near you, since quality varies.
One-Pan Salmon & Roast Asparagus
When you want bold flavor with little effort, chicken, chorizo, rice and peppers cook together here. Skip it if you avoid pork, since chorizo is the main seasoning.
Chicken & Chorizo One-Pan
A shortlisted traybake pairing spiced salmon with sag aloo, potatoes and greens in one dish. Check the spice level first if cooking for children.
Spiced Salmon Traybaked Sag Aloo
For a tray dinner with heat, piri-piri chicken roasts with smashed sweet potatoes and broccoli. Tone down the chilli if you prefer a milder evening meal.
Piri-Piri Chicken & Sweet Potato Traybake
A fast fajita night option, with shrimp and peppers roasted together on a sheet pan. Skip it if shellfish is off the menu, since shrimp is the star here.
Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
Quick Pasta Dinners
Pasta dishes for evenings when a bowl of something warm and quick sounds right. Salt the pasta water well, and check the recipe page for sauce timings.
A quick pasta pairing salmon with peas for a light but satisfying dinner bowl. Skip it if fish is not wanted tonight, since salmon carries the dish.
Pasta with Salmon & Peas
For a fresh-tasting pasta night, lemon and greens lift a pesto pasta into something bright. Add the greens at the end so they stay vivid, not soggy.
Lemon & Greens Pesto Pasta
When the cupboard is nearly bare, this cheese and pepper pasta needs very few ingredients. Work quickly with the sauce, since it can clump if it cools.
Cacio e Pepe
A richer pasta option, with shrimp folded through a creamy sauce for a weekend-feeling weeknight dinner. Skip it for a lighter meal, since cream makes it heavy.
Creamy Shrimp Pasta
A good pick for a timed dinner, pairing chicken with tarragon in a pasta ready in about 30 minutes. Skip tarragon if its aniseed note is not for you.
30-Minute Chicken & Tarragon Pasta
A meat-free pasta built on mushrooms and spinach in a creamy sauce, filling without meat. Check the sauce thickness as it cooks, since cream reduces fast.
Creamy Mushroom & Spinach Pasta
Rice & Noodle Bowls
Rice and noodle bowls for nights when everyone wants to build their own plate. Cook rice ahead when you can, since freshly cooked rice can turn sticky.
A simple bowl dinner with chicken over rice, easy to adapt with whatever vegetables you have. Skip it if you want something saucier, since this one stays plain.
Chicken Rice Bowl
For a storecupboard dinner, egg-fried rice turns leftover rice and eggs into a fast meal. Use cold rice if possible, since warm rice clumps in the pan.
Easy Egg-Fried Rice
A fajita-style bowl with chicken, rice and a burnt lime for a smoky citrus edge. Skip the charred lime step if you are short on time.
Fajita Chicken Rice Bowl, Burnt Lime
A one-pot rice dish with prawns and Spanish-style seasoning, cooked together for easy serving. Skip it if shellfish is off the menu tonight.
Spanish Rice & Prawn One-Pot
A shortlisted quick fried rice, with chicken and vegetables tossed through seasoned rice. Keep the pan hot so the rice fries rather than steams.
Chicken Fried Rice
A noodle dinner with curry-style seasoning, quick to toss together on a busy evening. Check the spice level first, since Singapore noodles can run hot.
Easy Singapore Noodles
Beef & Family Favorites
Hearty meat-led dinners that suit a hungry table, from tacos to keema and meatballs. Brown meat well first, since that step builds most of the flavor.
A comforting meatball dinner served with orzo pasta, good for feeding a family at one table. Allow extra simmering time if the meatballs are large.
Italian Meatballs with Orzo
For a hands-on taco night, seasoned beef fills crisp or soft tacos with your choice of toppings. Set toppings out separately so everyone builds their own.
Tex-Mex Beef Tacos
A spiced minced beef dish with carrots and potatoes, hearty and easy to stretch across servings. Skip it if you want a mild dinner, since keema spices run warm.
Indian Beef Keema, Carrots & Potatoes
A baked enchilada dinner with seasoned beef rolled in tortillas and sauce, filling for a hungry evening. Skip it when you need dinner in 20 minutes, since baking takes time.
Beef Enchiladas
A lighter taco option, with fish and fresh toppings in place of heavier meats. Handle the fish gently so it stays in flakes, not mush.
Fish Tacos
A fast stroganoff-style pasta using sausage for a rich, savory sauce over tagliatelle. Skip it for a lighter meal, since sausage and cream make it rich.
Speedy Sausage Stroganoff Tagliatelle
Lighter & Vegetarian Dinners
Lighter plates and meat-free dinners for nights when heavy food feels like too much. Check protein and portion sizes, since lighter dishes can leave big appetites unsatisfied.
A gently spiced fish curry in coconut sauce, lighter than cream-based curries but still warming. Skip it if coconut flavor is not wanted tonight.
Coconut Fish Curry
A good pick for a fresh-tasting dinner, pairing miso salmon with ginger-seasoned noodles. Watch the salmon closely, since miso glazes darken fast under heat.
Miso Salmon with Ginger Noodles
A lighter gnocchi dish for a quick potato-dumpling dinner without a heavy sauce. Boil gnocchi briefly only, since overcooking turns it soft and sticky.
Healthy Gnocchi
A meat-free dhansak with squash in a coconut-spiced lentil-style sauce, warming and filling. Allow simmering time, since squash needs to soften fully.
Coconut & Squash Dhansak
A one-pan egg dish poached in spiced tomato sauce, simple for a light evening meal. Serve with bread if you want something more filling alongside.
Shakshuka
A shortlisted lentil soup, hearty and simple, good for a quiet night in with bread. Blend only part of it if you prefer some texture left.
Best Lentil Soup