60 Easy Dinner Ideas List (What to eat for dinner)

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When you don't know what to eat for dinner, here's a complete list of delicious and easy family dinner recipes you can make right at home any day of the week!

Check out my 40 Date Night Dinner Recipes next!

cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole in white skillet with serving utensil

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Table of Contents hide

1) Why you'll love these dinner ideas

2) Tips to help decide what to eat for dinner

3) How this dinner list is organized

Why you'll love these dinner ideas

Finding time to prepare nourishing meals can be challenging, but even more so when you don't know what to eat for dinner. It's OK if you often don't know what to cook. We have you covered!

I've rounded up 60 delicious and easy dinner ideas to give you options for when you need to make something good to eat, be it on short notice or when you're planning ahead. You'll find plenty of recipes here suited to your dinner interests and tastes, even if cooking isn't your strength.

You'll also love that every recipe on this list uses fresh ingredients and pantry staples available in regular grocery stores. So you don't have to go out of your way!

Tips to help decide what to eat for dinner

As you read through this dinner ideas list, here my tips. Figuring out what to cook for dinner is a skill that develops over time, much like cooking itself.

Look for recipes that get you excited to make them!
My recipes use common grocery items, but it's a good idea to make sure key ingredients are available. These days, you can do this online with your favorite grocery store.
Read through the instructions before deciding on the recipe to make sure it suits your cooking interest.
Observe the total time required to make sure the recipe fits into your schedule.
Read through the recipe tips section for learning opportunities and recipe variations for ideas to modify.
Visit the recipe comments to hear about other's experience with the recipe. Also, kindly leave your own review.

How this dinner list is organized

I've hand-picked my best dinner ideas, written from decades of food experience, and organized them into categories by food type. Categories include pasta, one-pot dinners, meat entrees, bowl recipes, soup and chili, casseroles, and portable foods.

Pasta

These pasta dinners are a wonderful option for busy weeknights and relaxing weekends. Pasta is quick and easy to prepare, which saves you valuable time in the kitchen, and it can be budget-friendly, which saves you money. These comforting pasta dinners are filling and satisfying – and they taste even better the next day!

beef stroganoff in skillet with wooden serving spoon — Beef Stroganoff

One pot dinners

These one pot dinners are well-rounded entrees that involve preparing whole meals in one pan or skillet. This means less steps and less dishes. They're perfect for family dinner and they make delicious leftovers.

Meat entrees

Nothing answers the what's for dinner question like perfectly cooked chicken, pork, or beef. You can find the best method below that suits your interest and cooking tools. These proteins are also naturally flavorful and most are minimally seasoned. Pair them with salads and side dishes for complete meal.

broiled salmon fillet next to asparagus and pasta noodles on white plate — Broiled Salmon with Easy Roasted Asparagus and pasta Alfredo

Bowl recipes

This dinner idea goes by a few names but we're sticking with bowl recipes here. These are essentially meals in a bowl that aren't your typical soup, stew, or chili and have any array of fresh or cooked vegetables, or beans, cheese, or various sauces.

taco bowl ingredients in white bowl — Taco Bowl Recipe

Soup and Chili

Nothing beats the comfort and convenience of soup or chili. They both make a great dinner idea for any cooking level because they're quite versatile and relatively easy to make. They also get better by the day and most varieties will freeze well. The hardest part of this dinner quest will be deciding if you'll make my easy yeast rolls, French Bread or a classic cornbread recipe to accompany your selection.

Ham and beans in white bowl with spoon — Ham and Bean Soup

Casseroles

Casseroles are always a winner of an idea, especially for family dinners because you can get a whole meal of ingredients into one pan. They can be budget-friendly, especially when you combine leftovers, simple vegetables, grains, and other pantry staples. They can be made ahead, and even frozen, which works great for those busy days.

serving of Instant Pot tuna casserole in white bowl next to fork — Instant Pot Tuna Casserole

Portable foods

Sometimes the heart just wants what it wants for dinner, which looks more like party food. These are mostly classic super bowl foods and, dare I say, there's zero shame in this game.

tater tot nachos on white serving platter — Totchos Tater Tot Nachos

I'd love to hear what recipes you're planning to make in the comments below. Or feel free to ask me any questions and I'll personally respond! Enjoy these dinner ideas and happy cooking!

Comments

We love recipe feedback... Cancel reply

Carol says

May 19, 2020 at 9:49 am

This caught my eye this morning and as I read through it, it’s just what I needed and have been looking for. I’m trying the taco pasta tonight. The ingredients are simple, but the instructions are thorough. Yes, I’ve been afraid of my instapot, too! Only cooked hard boiled eggs. The thorough instructions make this doable for me. Thank you! Can’t wait to try some if your other recipes.

- The Kitchen Girl says
  
  May 19, 2020 at 10:34 am
  
  Awww yay! I'm so glad you find the instructions clear and easy to follow. That's my goal with all of my recipes 🙂 Please let me know if you ever have any questions. You can post them in the comments section under the recipe just like you did here. Enjoy!