71 Weeknight Dinner Ideas to Keep in Your Back Pocket
Saturdays and Sundays are good for cozy cooking projects, but the best weeknight dinner ideas deliver maximum flavor for every single minute of prep. We’re talking sheet-pan meals, speedy and flavorful stir-fries, hearty salads, and foolproof, hands-off fish dishes. And because part of what’s exhausting about meal planning is figuring out what you want to eat and finding new easy dinners to cook, we’ve gathered a list of 71 weeknight-friendly favorites below. Scroll down for quick vegetarian options, low-fuss pastas, comforting chicken dinners, and simple soups. Save your favorites in the Epi iOS app and get cooking.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell1/71Double-the-Mustard Chicken With Potatoes and Greens
There’s no rule that chicken dinner recipes need to be boring. Meet your new favorite: whole chicken legs marinated with zippy Dijon mustard and honey and paired with roasted potatoes and crisp greens. It’s one of those weeknight dinner ideas that you'll find yourself coming back to every time you’re trying to plan ahead.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton2/71Simple Turkey Chili With All the Toppings
This easy chili skips the ground beef and uses ground turkey instead, which helps the flavors of cumin, coriander, jalapeño, and smoked paprika come through clearly. Top with creamy avocado, sour cream, and cilantro, or just crumbled tortilla chips and lime wedges.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert3/71Chicken Fajitas
The quick citrusy marinade here doesn't require much time. Just be sure to pat your meat dry before you cook it.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson4/71Sheet-Pan Chicken With Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell5/71Pasta With 15-Minute Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce
This pasta dish is a perpetual favorite of Epicurious readers—in fact, it's one of our most popular pasta recipes of all time. All you need is a pound of pasta, some olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, ground bllack pepper, Parmesan, fresh basil leaves, and a pinch of sugar to balance the sauce.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich6/71Pulled Mushroom Tacos With Salsa Guille
Taco night just got better. These vegetarian tacos feature crispy pulled mushrooms, creamy, savory peanut butter and serrano salsa. Active prep time is just 30 minutes.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne8/71Easy Fried Rice
Where would we be without fried rice? This takeout staple is a great way to use up any little bits of vegetables or meat that you have in your fridge. It's a 30-minute meal that always tastes great.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton9/71Three-Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)
This beloved Taiwanese classic gets its name from generous amounts of soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine. You'll want to cook some rice to eat with the chicken.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich10/71Double-Stack Mushroom and Chicken Cheeseburgers
For juicy, flavorful chicken burgers, mix the ground chicken with mushrooms for added earthy flavor and moisture. Grill and finish them off with gooey Muenster, shredded lettuce, sweet pickles, and curry mustard.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson11/71Sheet-Pan Old Bay Trout and Succotash
Change up your sheet-pan dinner game with this easy one-pan supper. Just steam a mixture of corn, green beans, and tomatoes in a foil pouch alongside butterflied trout that's been seasoned with Old Bay.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Dana Bonagura15/71Oven Risotto With Crispy Roasted Mushrooms
Yes, risotto can absolutely be a weeknight meal. Just use this oven method, which is much less labor-intensive than standing over the stove.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell17/71Instant Pot Brothy Farro With Sausage and Leeks
Want to put your Instant Pot to work? Use it to brown some slices of spicy Italian sausage, then add leeks and scallion, farro, salt, pepper, thyme, and water and let it cook for just 3 minutes under pressure.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton18/71Chickpea-Potato Chaat
Transform a can of chickpeas into this creamy, crunchy, spicy, fresh meal in just half an hour.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell19/71Warm Chicken Salad With Asparagus and Creamy Dill Dressing
To quickly revive dry, cold rotisserie chicken, place slices of it in a steamer basket along with spring vegetables for a satisfying warm salad.
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime, Food Styling by Sue Li23/71Lemony Salmon and Spiced Chickpeas
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell24/71Freeform Chicken Meatballs With Carrots and Yogurt Sauce
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell26/71Winter Salad Hummus Bowls
If you want your weeknight cooking to be much, much easier, whip up a batch of this savory, crunchy topper on the weekend, then sprinkle it over a hearty plate of hummus, salad, and jammy eggs.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton29/71Tacos de Gobernador
Taco night is on, and it's going to be the best ever. There are many variations of Gobernadores, but they typically include shrimp, mild chiles, and cheese. Here, chef David Castro Hussong adds bacon, which gives the dish a surf-and-turf feeling.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou30/71Braised Butternut Squash in Spiced Coconut Gravy
Looking for weeknight-friendly vegan dinners? Here, large pieces of butternut squash get braised in a coconut sauce spiked with chile, cayenne, and turmeric for a low-effort dish that’s full of flavor.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne31/71Honey-Mustard Pork Tenderloin
Pair this juicy pork tenderloin with lemony roasted potatoes or asparagus.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell33/71Crispy Chicken Thighs With Kale, Apricots, and Olives
Photo by Mackenzie Kelley34/71Spinach and Feta Cooked Like Saag Paneer
If you haven't tried this popular dish from Priya Krishna's Indian-ish, don't delay. The feta is tangy and rich and pairs wonderfully with the spiced greens.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Sean Dooley35/71Pasta With No-Cook Zucchini Sauce
Marinated zucchini meets tangy cream cheese in this easy, luxurious pasta dish.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kate Buckens40/71Cheesy Loaded Sweet Potatoes
For an easy 15-minute dinner, steam a batch of sweet potatoes in advance. Then, top them with sour cream, creamy avocado, crunchy radishes, and tangy pickled onions. Looking for more sweet potato topping ideas? We have a whole list.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton42/71Creamy Vegan Red Pepper Pasta With Garlic Bread Breadcrumbs
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell43/71Spring Pea Fish Chowder
This creamy chowder is deeply comforting but still bright from the fresh pea shoots and lemon zest.
Photo by Betty Liu44/71Flowering Chives and Pork Slivers
This quick stir-fry from Betty Liu's My Shanghai is the ideal spring dinner. It calls for just a little bit of pork—loin, belly, or shoulder—because the dish is mostly about the crisp, sweet, garlicky flowering chives.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell45/71Lentil and Chicken Soup With Sweet Potatoes and Escarole
Some soups are long-simmering weekend projects, but this quickie is perfect for a Tuesday night—and it's a great way to use up leftover roast chicken or a rotisserie bird from the store. (We've got more leftover rotisserie chicken recipes, too, in case you aren't craving soup tonight.)
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson46/71Simple One-Skillet Chicken Alfredo Pasta
The chicken, sauce, and pasta for this dish all cook in the same pan, so you won't be stuck doing dishes late at night.
Photo by Quentin Bacon48/71Roasted Salmon With Green Herbs
When you're looking for the best weeknight dinners that are fuss-free but still feel special, turn to this Ina Garten classic. A mix of dill, parsley, and scallions flavors the fish, which cooks quickly in the oven with a little white wine. Add a loaf of bread and a simple salad to round out the meal.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Emma Fishman50/71Tomatoes and Feta With Chickpeas
Photo by Hetty McKinnon52/71Sesame Broccoli With Crumbled Tofu
Salted boiling water seasons the tofu for this vegetarian dinner. Leftovers from this dish make terrific fried rice.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova53/71Baked Salmon With Lemon and Thyme
Everyone needs a go-to way to cook salmon. This low-oven recipe is guaranteed to work every time.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Thu Buser54/71Gorgeous Green Shrimp
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart57/71Sheet-Pan Salmon With Roasted Artichoke Hearts and Leeks
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Gerri Williams58/71Halal Cart Chicken Salad
Photo by Aubrie Pick59/71Lemongrass Tempeh Crumbles
Pile these crispy, citrusy crumbles on top of rice with a side of radish and carrot pickle for a flavorful, easy weeknight dinner.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton60/71Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Asparagus With Mustard-Herb Sauce
Photo by Uyen Luu62/71Tofu and Tomatoes With Spinach and Basil
Spinach and tomatoes are transformed into a hearty meal when cooked with tofu and dressed with a sweet-savory sauce of apple cider vinegar, vegetarian oyster sauce, maple syrup, and soy sauce.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Dana Bonagura63/71Sausage and Greens Sheet-Pan Dinner
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca64/71Herby Sheet-Pan Meatballs With Green Beans
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by Dayna Seman.65/71Gochujang-Sesame Noodles
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime66/71Sheet-Pan Gnocchi
Shelf-stable gnocchi has become a weeknight fixture. Try this one-pan wonder and you'll see why.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell68/71Crispy Chicken Thighs With Spring Vegetables
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell69/71Hot Honey Pork Chops With Escarole and White Beans
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Kate Schmidt70/71Fish Packets With Snap Peas, Tomatoes, and Herb Butter
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton71/71Sheet-Pan Grilled Cheese
Sometimes the simplest weeknight dinner ideas are the ones you need. And maybe this week, that means tomato soup and grilled cheese for everyone.
