30 Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes for Busy Nights


Getting dinner on the table during the week can be a feat even in the best of times. Making that happen when you’re juggling a busy schedule can feel almost impossible. To avoid ordering takeout, eating a bowl of cereal, or grazing through the pantry, I lean on a roster of reliably quick and easy weeknight dinner ideas.

From a lemony tortellini soup to sloppy joes to sheet pan salmon and much more, these 30 recipes are just what you need in your back pocket when you want a satisfying dinner but are short on time and energy.

Vegetarian Dinner Ideas

No meat, no problem! Pasta, tacos, soup, nachos, and stir-fries make all great ideas to put veggies and pantry staples to work for quick and easy dinners.

1 / 10

Instant Pot Lentil Soup

Packed with vegetables and a warm, lightly spiced broth, lentil soup is one of the easiest meals you can make in your Instant Pot.

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2 / 10

Roasted Mushroom and Poblano Tacos

A quick and easy recipe for vegetarian tacos filled with roasted portobello mushrooms and poblano peppers and topped with creamy goat cheese.

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3 / 10

Loaded Black Bean Nachos

This hearty and wholesome take on nachos leans on smashed black beans, tangy Greek yogurt, and guac to make it satisfying enough for dinner time.

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4 / 10

Lemon Caper Pasta

The very best part of this dish might not be the actual pasta (although it’s garlicky and lemony and oh so good), but the crispy, crunchy breadcrumbs that are sprinkled with abandon over the top.

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5 / 10

Miso-Buttered Mushrooms & Noodles

Reach in the back of your fridge for that tub of miso paste, because it will singlehandedly treat you to the best buttered noodles you have ever tasted.

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7 / 10

Herbed Gnocchi and Mushrooms

With only eight ingredients, you’ll have dinner on the table in roughly 30 minutes, and no leftovers to contend with afterwards.

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8 / 10

Red Lentil Soup

This quick and easy recipe for lentil soup puts a hearty vegetarian dinner on the table in just about 30 minutes.

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9 / 10

Lemony Tortellini Spinach Soup

With a 30-minute cook time and the majority of the ingredients already hanging out in your fridge, a fast and fresh dinner never looked better.

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10 / 10

Weeknight Vegetable Stir-Fry

This easy weeknight veggie stir-fry is more template than recipe. Make it once a week to clear out the crisper and ensure you’re eating your veggies!

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Quick Dinner Ideas for Kids

With meals like pizza burgers, sticky glazed salmon, and quick-cooking chicken Parm, the whole table will love these family favorites, not just the kids.

1 / 10

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

For a family of four, you’ll need less than 15 minutes of air frying time before it’s time to plate dinner.

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2 / 10

Buttered Noodles

Turn this simple dish into a flavorful, weeknight dinner crowd-pleaser.

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4 / 10

Chickpea and Cheddar Quesadillas

The best part of these protein-rich quesadillas is that they can be made in advance, and freeze & reheat like a dream.

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5 / 10

Honey-Glazed Salmon

Honey and soy sauce, combined with garlic and lime juice, create a sweet and savory glaze for simple pan-seared fillets that cook up in just 10 minutes.

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6 / 10

Confetti Spaghetti

This miracle meal uses up that bag of broccoli slaw in a way your whole family will love.

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9 / 10

Chicken Teriyaki

Inspired by the take-out classic, this easy chicken teriyaki is made with boneless chicken breast and a simple pantry sauce that comes together in 20 minutes.

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10 / 10

Open-Faced Pizza Burgers

If you grew up eating English muffin pizzas, these cheesy burgers will be right up your alley. They taste like a beefed-up version of the childhood favorite.

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Quick Dinners with Meat and Seafood

Meaty mains and seafood are not out of the question on busy nights — you just need to lean on recipes with quick cooking methods (like broiling) and smart ingredients (like thin chicken cutlets).

1 / 10

Chicken Scallopini

Chicken scallopini is simple, straightforward, and thanks to the bath of buttery lemon-white wine sauce, is far, far greater than the sum of its parts.

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3 / 10

Quick & Easy Sloppy Joes

A family dinner classic, these easy sloppy Joes are ideal for any night of the week.

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5 / 10

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Fennel & Lemon

The simple method of roasting fennel wedges alongside chicken thighs allows the vegetable to absorb the rich juices from the meat while they caramelize on the sheet pan, making them incredibly addictive.

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30 Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes for Busy Nights

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