Quick Dinners for Busy Weeknights
Do you like to cook, but dislike HAVING to cook? Most nights I want quick, easy, and relatively healthy meals that my kids will eat. If you can relate, you’ll love my top ten easy no-recipe dinner ideas to keep on regular rotation in your kitchen. These are perfect for those nights you’ve got 30 minutes to get dinner on the table, but no idea what to make. Grab a free printable download for the next time you just want someone to tell you what to make for dinner!
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#1: Tacos
I know it’s basic, but there’s a reason we associate tacos with Tuesday. It’s easy, it’s quick, and it’s perfect for your picky eaters. Saute some ground beef, ground turkey, or use shredded beef, pork, or chicken. Heat tortillas. Add toppings: lettuce, beans, onion, shredded cheese, salsa, avocado. If you’ve got a bag of pre-packaged salad, let your family choose between tacos and taco salad. Toss some crumbled tortilla chips on top and you’re done!
#2: Pasta with Pesto & Chicken
It tastes and looks gourmet, but I promise, it’s so easy you don’t need a recipe. Bake, grill or saute chicken and chop up into bite-size pieces. Cook pasta. (My favorite for this dish is penne, but I’ve used rigatoni, bow-tie, spiral, and even spaghetti noodles.) Combine the pasta and chicken with a drizzle of olive oil and enough prepared pesto to lightly coat the noodles. Add some shredded parmesan and pine nuts.
If you want to jazz this up (and your kids aren’t as picky as mine), saute some onion and mushrooms to add to this one-dish meal. Yummmm!
#3: Salmon with Rice & Roasted Veggies
Bake enough salmon for your family, seasoned with salt & pepper. You can add lemon slices directly on top of the salmon if you like a lemony flavor. On a separate baking sheet, spread out chopped or sliced vegetables to roast at the same time as your salmon. Cook your rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop or make it really easy on yourself and use microwavable rice packages. What did we do before these conveniences anyway?!
#4: Sandwiches + Fruit & Veggies
Make a BLT, grilled cheese, or grab a few tortillas to make wraps and you’ve got dinner in a flash. For the grownups, make your grilled cheese with whatever leftover meat you have, some spinach, onion, or bell pepper, and you’re practically gourmet! Use up fresh or canned fruit, add some baby carrots with ranch and you’ve got a meal.
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#5: Burrito Bowls
The perfect meal to suit all the taste buds in your family. It works with chicken, beef, pork, or just beans for a vegetarian option. Start with rice, add meat, beans, cheese, corn, chopped onion and peppers, salsa, avocado, and sour cream as desired. Everyone says YUM!
#6: Baked Potato with Ham & Broccoli (or chili)
Bake a few potatoes in a microwave potato bag. These bags make it possible to cook a baked potato in minutes! Add chopped ham (even deli ham will do), or bacon, broccoli and cheese. Another quick alternative would be to add canned chili and shredded cheese.
#7: Stir Fry w/Chicken & Veggies over Rice
Stir fry whatever veggies you have on hand: mushroom, onion, cabbage, bell pepper, zucchini, snow peas. Most grocery stores carry bagged stir fry mixes next to the salads now and they are super quick and tasty. Use a rotisserie chicken to make it even easier. Serve with rice, or go low-carb and stick with just the veggies and protein.
#8: Tuna Melts + Salad
English muffins are the gold standard here, but any bread will work. Mix canned tuna with some mayo, add chopped celery and red onion if you want to get fancy. Spread tuna mixture on bread, top with a slice of cheese and broil for a few minutes till the cheese is melty and bubbly. Add a bag of pre-mixed salad and you’re done.
#9: Asian Chicken Salad
Grab a bag of asian chicken salad from the product section of your favorite grocer. Add a rotisserie chicken. Chop or shred the chicken and toss in with your salad. You have a meal. If your kids won’t eat it, give them a peanut butter sandwich and enjoy your dinner.
#10: Snack Dinner
Snack dinner is the ultimate no-recipe dinner idea. This is our go-to Sunday night dinner almost every week of the year. Most Sundays they get cheese and crackers, raw veggies, fruit, and popcorn. Some weeks we get fancy with Greek olives, homemade mozzarella bites, finger sandwiches, or meatballs, but snack dinner is always a hit. Here are some options my family has enjoyed for snack dinner:
- veggie plate
- fruit plate
- tortilla pinwheels
- tea party finger sandwiches (cucumber & cream cheese, egg salad, peanut butter & Nutella)
- meatballs w/BBQ dipping sauce
- tater tots w/ranch dipping sauce
- chips & salsa
- nachos: add beans, cheese, whatever leftover chopped or shredded meat you have in the fridge
- baked mozzarella bites: chop string cheese into bite-size pieces, dip in milk and coat with panko, sprinkles with salt & Italian seasoning, then bake at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes. For a real recipe to follow, check out this baked mozzarella bites recipe from Well Plated by Erin.
- bacon-wrapped water chestnuts: cut strips of bacon into quarters, wrap each piece around a water chestnut and secure with a toothpick. Brush with a little maple syrup if desired.
- toasted baguette slices with cheese or spinach artichoke dip
- quesadilla: plain cheese for the really picky eaters, add beans and chicken for the kids ready to expand their horizons, or get fancy with a brie and pear combo for the grownups
- nuts: cashews, almonds, walnuts
- Greek olives
Also, no one said snack dinner has to be on Sunday. You’re the grownup—snack dinner can be any day you want.
No-Recipe Dinner Idea Printable
For easy reference, download this free printable list of easy dinner ideas and put it on the fridge for the next time you have no idea what’s for dinner.
Sunday Popcorn & Movie Night
Sunday night snack dinner usually accompanies popcorn made in our Whirly-Pop and family movie night. We LOVE our Whirly-Pop. After seven years of constant use, the bottom is warping slightly and we will probably replace it soon, but it has been a workhorse of a kitchen tool. I promise you, it is so much better than microwave popcorn and so easy. Add a little oil, popcorn kernels, and stir. Once it’s popped, dump it into a large bowl, add butter and salt to taste, and watch the kiddos gobble it up before you can get a taste.
We’ve tried bulk Winco popcorn, which is fine, and lots of store brands, but by far the best option is Orville Redenbacher’s. You really can taste the difference. Here are some options to try if you’re ready to make Sunday night snack dinner the best meal ever…
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Easy No-Recipe Dinner Ideas
Quick and easy is white I’m about most nights too. Great list of suggestions!
I definitely needed a list to tell me what to make when I can’t think of anything!
This is a great list! We make burrito bowls a lot and they’re so good! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I love it because the kids can all add their favorites and build their own!