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Be the weeknight dinner hero with this extensive list of quick dinner ideas. There is plenty of variety to make every night deliciously successful, and hassle-free!
More Collections: Breakfast For Dinner, Beef Dinner Ideas, Chicken Dinner Ideas
We Love Easy Meals!
Soups, salads, and sandwiches are go-to quick dinner ideas in our home. It doesn’t take much to figure out why we love quick dinners:
- Quick prep. These tasty dinners don’t take much time to put together making them perfect for busy nights.
- Freezer meals. Most of these meals make great freezer meals! Double the recipe when you have time and save one for when you don’t.
- Make ahead of time. Along the same lines, we love dinners that can be made in the morning and are ready when it’s time to eat (think crockpot!)
Plan Ahead
Menu planning has a lot of great benefits:
- Prep ahead of time. When the meals are planned for the week, ingredients can be prepped ahead of time.
- Save time and money. Instead of running to the grocery store several times a week, make a list of what you’ll need for the weekly menu, and only go once.
- Flexibility. Having all needed ingredients for a week of meals allows you to adjust your daily plan. If something unexpected pops up, simply switch that day’s meal with a quicker one planned for later that week.
- Variety. Planning ahead allows for more variety and healthier eating. No more hasty trips to pick up fast food.
Pro Tip!
Leftovers can be a lifesaver on a busy night.
Use Crock Pot Roast to make Green Chile Burritos, Beef Chili to make loaded nachos or chili dogs, or leftover BBQ Chicken on top of a salad.
Keep it quick!
These tips will help on those busy days.
- 30 minutes or less. Collect 30-minute meal recipes to have quick options on hand. As an added tip, keep all needed pantry staples on hand for recipes you make often.
- Chicken. Have cooked meat on hand that’s ready to throw into pasta, soup, or even enchiladas. Shredded chicken is perfect to be kept in the freezer.
- Freezer meals. Double the recipe and save the extras in the freezer, for later. Thaw the dish in the fridge overnight and heat it for dinner the next day!
- Instant pot. This is especially helpful when I forget to thaw my meat. Unlike the crock pot, you can quickly cook completely frozen meat in an instant pot.
Quick Dinner Ideas With Chicken
All are simple, all are delicious, and all of these recipes utilize chicken!! Chicken is a versatile ingredients that can take on so many tasty flavor profiles. There is no shortage of goodness here!
1 Honey Mustard Chicken Recipe
2 Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe
3 Chicken Flautas Recipe
4 Chicken Tacos Recipe
5 Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe
6 Quesadilla Recipe
7 Baked Chicken Chimichanga Recipe
8 Huli Huli Chicken
9 Baked Chicken Wings Recipe
10 Popcorn Chicken Recipe
11 Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry Recipe
12 Lemon Pepper Chicken Recipe
13 Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
14 Fried Chicken Breast Recipe
15 Baked BBQ Chicken Recipe
Quick Dinner Recipes With Beef and Pork
These hearty dishes feature beef and pork. They are filling, and still crazy quick! They are perfect for any night of the week.
16 Hamburger Helper Recipe
17 Walking Tacos Recipe
18 Beef Lo Mein Recipe
19 Ground Beef Enchiladas Recipe
20 Ranch Burger Recipe
21 Easy Meatball Recipe
22 Sweet and Sour Meatballs
23 Beef and Broccoli Recipe
24 Flautas
25 Taco Pizza Recipe
26 Italian Pork Chops Recipe
27 Sloppy Joe Recipe
28 Taco Pie Recipe
29 Fajita Recipe
30 Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe
31 Stuffed Sweet Potato Recipe
32 Pork and Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe
33 Fried Pork Chops Recipe
34 Teriyaki Pork Chop recipe
Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas
I love to keep a collection of easy dinner recipes that I can pull out on those days when I’m stumped, especially ones that utilize pantry staples! You’ll love these simple ideas.
Quick Dinner Ideas For Family
Feeding a family (especially a big one) can seem overwhelming at times. Casseroles and pasta recipes are always a success, but you’ll also love any of these tasty dishes.
Quick Healthy Dinner Ideas
Fast doesn’t need to mean unhealthy! These healthy options are perfect to have on hand. It will help you get dinner on the table quickly and avoid a hasty trip to pick up fast food.
Quick Chicken Dinner Ideas
All are simple, all are delicious, and all of these recipes utilize chicken!! Chicken is a versatile ingredient that can take on so many tasty flavor profiles. There is no shortage of goodness here!
Quick Dinners!
There are so many delicious meals to choose from that you can have ready in a flash! You’re sure to come back to this list again and again – which are you choosing for dinner tonight?!
Be sure to check out all of our Main Dish Recipes!
More Collections: Easy Dinner Ideas, Sunday Dinner Ideas, Healthy Dinner Ideas
I made walking taco for the first time and two great things happened. The Fritos, which are always left untouched in the chip box, got eaten and my kids asked me to make them again this week. I hope the other easy recipes on the list are as well received.
Best ideas ever! The variety is simply amazing. Who doesn’t like quick and easy?
The word caught my attention!! I am all about fast & easy!! That’s exactly what these recipes are! And, they taste so good! We’ve never been disappointed!