37 Easy Dinner Ideas For When You're Not Sure What To Make

This recipe is such a seamless, brilliant way to cook an entire pasta meal in 30 minutes. Try swapping out the sauce ingredients with different herbs, seasonings, and sauces for a new twist every time you make it. Dinner winner, for sure!

Recipe: One-Pot Garlic-Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Ginger, garlic, and brown sugar help create the saucy, savory flavors in this easy dinner. With just 10 minutes of prep time, you can toss everything into your slow cooker, then let it do its thing for just 2 hours. Dinner is a breeze with this one!

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Mongolian Beef

What a throwback to our childhood family dins! This cheesy, beefy pasta is a fun and kid-friendly recipe that takes just around a half-hour to prepare. For a meatless version, swap in veggie stock, tofu crumbles, and tempeh bacon.

Recipe: Cheesy Beef Pasta

Thick and chewy udon noodles make a delightful backdrop to this cheesy, creamy sauce. Pops of sweet and savory shrimp add a wonderful touch of elegance to this delicious 30-minute recipe.

Recipe: Creamy Shrimp Udon

These Easy Fish Tacos are the perfect quick and delicious meal, combining light, flaky fish with fresh and vibrant toppings. Ready in 30 minutes, these tacos are a great go-to for weeknight dinners or casual gatherings, offering a fresh, zesty taste with minimal effort.

Recipe: Easy Fish Tacos

A flavorful plant-based twist on the classic Mexican dish? Yes, please! These tacos deliver a perfect balance of sweet, smoky, and savory flavors in every bite, making them an irresistible and satisfying option for vegans and taco lovers alike.

Recipe: Vegan Butternut Squash Al Pastor Tacos

This asparagus-stuffed chicken breast is an elegant-looking dish that's surprisingly easy to make. Stuffed with fresh asparagus and creamy Provolone cheese, it's perfect for busy nights but tastes like a labor of love! 

Recipe: Asparagus-Stuffed Chicken Breast

These juicy and tender chicken wings the perfect balance of smoky, sweet, and savory, these wings are a crowd-pleaser for game day, parties, or a fun family dinner.

Recipe: Honey BBQ Chicken Wings

Get your greens with this garlicky broccoli shrimp stir-fry! Tender shrimp crisp broccoli is stir-fried with aromatic garlic and ginger for a dish that's wholesome and flavorful. It's perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.

Recipe: Garlic Broccoli Shrimp Stir-Fry

There's no need to stress about weeknight dinner when you've got this One-Pot Creamy Tuscan Pasta recipe is your back pocket. Tender penne pasta is simmered in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce with spinach and Parmesan for a dish that begs for seconds. Plus, leftovers (if there are any!) make a great lunch the next day.

Recipe: One-Pot Creamy Tuscan Pasta

Pan-seared salmon gets a flavor-boost from a tasty marinade of honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. For even more flavor, the marinade is reduced to a sauce for drizzling over the cooked fish. Pair with steamed broccoli and white rice for a balanced meal.

Recipe: Honey Soy-Glazed Salmon

Wrap up a chicken breast and your favorite fajita veggies and seasonings in a parchment packet for fool-proof cooking and easy cleanup. This recipe serves one but can easily be scaled up to feed a crowd or meal prep for the week.

Recipe: Fajita Parchment-Baked Chicken

Let the slow cooker do the work of making dinner while you go about your day. This pot roast is super flavorful, thanks to the addition of a packet of dried onion soup mix. Serve the meat and veggies over egg noodles or rice.

Recipe: The Best-Ever Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

Get your veggies in with this delicious and quick noodle stir-fry. Green onions and garlic pack a flavor punch, while the brown sugar and soy tie everything together in a sweet and savory sauce.

Recipe: Veggie Garlic Noodles

It doesn't get easier than this. Store-bought biscuits, frozen mixed veggies, and rotisserie chicken come together in a warming, hearty dish everyone will love.

Recipe: Chicken & Biscuit Bake 

Just dump and go with this easy taco soup recipe. Don't forget to dress it up with your favorite toppings!

Recipe: Taco Soup

This easy 30-minute pasta recipe transforms ingredients that you already have in your kitchen into a posh seafood dish you’ll want to serve at your next dinner party. And since the whole dish is made in a single pot, cleanup is easy.

Recipe: One-Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Feel free to change up the protein or vegetables depending on what you have in your fridge. The simple sauce packs a flavor punch that will bring the dish together, no matter what. 

Recipe: Chicken & Veggie Stir-Fry

Pizza night is the best night — especially when everyone gets to build their dream slice (or three!). 

Recipe: Oven-Baked French Bread Pizzas

This simplified version of the Indian classic combines chicken, tomato sauce, and a slew of aromatic spices and herbs — all in one pot, for the simplest cleanup. 

Recipe: Easy Butter Chicken

It takes all of five minutes to fry some bacon + an egg. (Plus some green onions if you're feelin' fancy.) 

Recipe: Bacon and Egg Ramen

When you combine butter, garlic, flour, milk, and Parmesan in just the right way, you get a sauce that you'll want to put on everything. 

Recipe: Easy Chicken Alfredo Penne

The only thing better than one super easy dinner is being able to make *four* of them at once. This handy meal prep version means you can stash a few away for future Hungry You. 

Recipe: Meal Prep Pesto Chicken & Veggies

With everything cooked on a single pan, this hassle-free dinner is perfect for busy weeknights, offering a well-balanced combination of protein and veggies in every bite.

Recipe: Sheet Pan Steak And Rainbow Veggies

This outrageously creamy mac and cheese features an ooey, gooey blend of cheddar, mozzarella, feta, Gouda, and provolone cheese. 

Recipe: Five-Cheese Mac And Cheese

Not an asparagus fan? The simple lemon and garlic sauce would work with whatever greens are in your fridge — like spinach, broccoli florets, or zucchini. 

Recipe: One-Pan Lemon Garlic Salmon and Asparagus

You can make these in the oven or on the grill in just about 20 minutes — and thanks to the foil, cleanup is a total breeze.

Recipe: Teriyaki Chicken & Veggie Foil Packets

These go from prep to plate in about 20 minutes. Keep the peppers whole, or slice them into bites (or "boats") to turn them into kid-friendly finger food. 

Recipe: Stuffed Bell Pepper Boats

This budget-friendly version takes pantry staples — like black beans and canned corn — and roasts everything on a sheet pan. 

Recipe: Roasted Veggie & Black Bean Tacos

The easy sauce — which includes soy sauce, garlic, and ginger — comes together quickly and packs a ton of flavor.

Recipe: Instant Pot Cashew Chicken