Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes

Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas is the name of the game with these delicious recipes. Get dinner on the table fast with these easy dinner recipes for your family. Each of these family friendly recipes is simple, and either ready in around 30 minutes or a simple slow cooker meal.

Easy Dinner Ideas

Let’s face it, whether you have a big family or a small one, you have to cook dinner. Each night I look at my kids and think, “They want me to feed them AGAIN?!” I don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen every night. Quick and easy dinner ideas that my kids will actually WANT to eat, are a must have in my cooking arsenal.

So to help me out I’ve put together a list of some of our favorite deliciously simple dinner recipes and I’m going to share them with YOU! Most of them take 30 minutes or less to prepare (QUICK) and have 10 ingredients or less (EASY)! Did I mention I like easy?

Each of these recipes assume that you have things like water, butter, oil, salt and pepper on hand so those staples do not count towards the number of ingredients.

I’ve broken down these easy dinner recipes into three blocks of images and links. We got chicken and turkey dinners and main dishes, beef and then pork & seafood.  There is a variety of different dishes, styles and techniques, but what they have in common is that I have personally tried nearly ever single one, and can attest that they are simple, quick, delicious and totally family friendly.

Easy Chicken Dinners

I love chicken for dinner. Whether it’s our incredibly popular Baked Chicken or a simple Chicken Chowder, poultry is delicious, healthy and easily takes on a variety of flavors.

Simple Chicken Dinners

• Healthy Chicken Fajita Bowls with Rice – Healthy chicken dinners are always on my list of wants – this one’s got beans and veggies and is packed with flavor.
• 15 Minute Chicken Stir Fry – Chicken, veggies and noodles in a quick and savory stir fry sauce.
• Baked Ranch Chicken – Everyone loves this easy dinner idea – chicken topped with a tasty bacon ranch sauce. Only FIVE ingredients!
• Baked Ranch Parmesan Crusted Chicken – Buttery Crackers, savory Ranch and Parmesan Cheese blend together to create the most juicy and delicious chicken you’ve ever tasted.
• One Pan Pineapple Chicken and Rice – Sweet and savory and all in one pan – this is one amazing dinner recipe!
• Brown Sugar & Garlic Chicken – Brown Sugar & Garlic adds a subtle sweet and savory flavor to the chicken that is truly unique and so delicious.
• Savory Broiled Garlic Chicken Thighs – Simple flavors brushed onto skinless chicken thighs and broiled to perfection.
• Oven Baked Chicken Breasts – done in just 20 minutes, this recipe puts an end to dry chicken!
• Easy Chicken Teriyaki – Simple and delicious homemade take-out.

Soup & Pasta

• Chicken Tortilla Soup – Simple and quick soup with tons of Mexican flavors.
• Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta – Spicy, cheesy, creamy…this is one chicken pasta dish the whole family will love.
• Bruschetta Chicken Pasta – What do you get when you combine classic Italian flavors with some well seasoned chicken breast? The best chicken pasta you’ll ever eat!
• Italian Chicken Soup – Chicken soup gets an Italian inspired update with tomatoes, fresh zucchini and white beans.
• Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta with Chicken – Serve this creamy pasta dish alongside with a crisp green salad and your easy dinner is served!
• White Chicken Chili Recipe – Super creamy and rich soup full of beans and chicken with a hint of heat.
• One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles – A classic comfort food dish that will take you back to your childhood in under 30 minutes.

Sandwiches & Salads

• Shredded Chicken Parmesan Sandwich – Shredded chicken smothered in a rich tomato sauce and topped with cheese, all sandwiched between crispy crunchy Texas Toast Garlic Bread!
• Ground Turkey Teriyaki Rice Bowl – A healthy recipe that tastes great layered on a bed of steamed rice or wrapped in lettuce cups.
• Creamy Chicken and Veggie Pasta Salad – Perfect for busy weeknights and incredibly refreshing for summer.
• Crescent Roll Chicken Bundles – Shredded chicken mixed with cream cheese, Italian dressing mix, and cream Of chicken rolled into buttery crescent dough – a tried and true family favorite!
• Barbecue Chicken Pizza Pinwheels – Another unique pizza recipe for the win! Barbecue chicken, onions, cilantro and cheese…yummy!
• Chicken Naan Wraps – A 15 minute quick & healthy dinner or lunch featuring simple ingredients like shredded chicken, hummus and fresh veggies on flatbread.

Easy Dinner Ideas for Beef

Beef is budget friendly, easy to prepare and delicious! Whether you’re using ground beef, sliced steaks or roastes or even sausage, these meals are simple and don’t require a lot of ingredients to create incredible flavor.

• Dorito Taco Salad Casserole – Tacos in a casserole, sandwiched between layers of cheesy nacho Doritos. What’s not to love
• Porcupine Skillet – An easy one dish meal with ground beef, rice and tomatoes.
• Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef – Super tender flank steak is bathed in a sweet and savory sauce that will really hit the spot!
• 20 Minute Pork Fried Rice – Super simple and just a few ingredients and so much better than take-out!
• Easy Baked French Dip Sandwiches – The whole family loves this simple and quick easy dinner idea!
• Sloppy Joe French Bread Pizza – This is one easy dinner recipe that my family can easily get behind. Sloppy Joes + Pizza?! Yes please!
• Spicy Cranberry Meatballs – easy to make with pre-cooked, frozen meatballs, or with our easy 15 minute Meatballs recipe, this sweet and spicy recipe is delicious served over a bed or rice with a side of steamed veggies.
• One Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper – A homemade version of the classic favorite Cheeseburger Macaroni that we all know and love. Rich and cheesy and tastes so much better than the boxed version!
• 3 Ingredient Chili – When you’re short on time, a long list of ingredients can make or break your easy dinner idea…so this 3 Ingredient Chili is a no-brainer!
• One Pan Creamy Tortellini and Smoked Sausage – a delicious one pan meal that combines the tender, cheese filled pasta with savory smokey sausage and wraps it all in a creamy cheesy tomato sauce.
• One Pan Cheesy Beef & Tomato Pasta Skillet – All cooked in one pan, this easy weeknight dinner is creamy, beefy and total comfort food.

Seafood & Meatless Dinners

Seafood lovers, have I got some delicious, fast and easy dinners for you! Using favorites like shrimp and salmon, we have a variety of recipes to meet your busy weeknight demands.

If you’re looking for a completely meatless option, we’ve got a few of those too!

• Shrimp Fried Rice – An easy take-out recipe that’s so simple to make at home.
• Skillet Shrimp Fajitas – Perfect for busy weeknights with colorful seasoned bell peppers, onions, and juicy shrimp cooked quickly in a hot skillet and served in a warm tortilla.
• Instant Pot Salmon and Rice – Break out your IP because you have got to try this recipe! Salmon (from frozen!) cooks at the same time as the rice all in your pressure cooker!
• Shrimp Scampi – Seasoned shrimp in a lemony, buttery sauce served with pasta. What’s not to love?
• Salmon Patties – Tender and flaky on the inside, golden and crispy on the outside and made fast and easy with delicious canned salmon and fresh herbs. Serve them with my Tartar Sauce.
• Oven Baked Tostadas – Crispy baked corn tortillas smothered with refried beans, lettuce and cheese.
• Pizza Pancakes – Personalize them with your favorite pizza toppings for a delicious family dinner in under 30 minutes!
• 10 Minute Garlic tomato Pasta – a quick and easy dinner idea when you really don’t feel like cooking, this simple pasta dish takes just minutes to make and is bursting with flavor.
• Baked Ravioli Casserole – Get that cooking-all-day, Sunday-supper-style meal in under an hour. This one is a keeper!
• One Pot Mac and Cheese – A family favorite mac and cheese that’s an easy dinner made all in one pot.
• Walnut Basil Pesto Recipe – A rich and flavorful sauce of fresh basil, Parmesan cheese and crunchy walnuts. Perfect for dipping or for topping pasta.
• Pasta Puttanesca – Light and fresh pasta and veggies in a savory sauce.
• Four Cheese Rigatoni – Tender pasta tossed with a creamy sauce that’s packed full of four different cheeses and topped with garlic breadcrumbs.

Even More Easy Dinner Ideas!

We hope you enjoy these easy weeknight dinners! Check out our collection of Easy Dinner Ideas For Kids and Easy Weeknight Family Dinners.