47 Easy Weeknight Dinners You Can Make With Your Eyes Closed
When it comes to feeding our families at home, we—food editors who cook for work all day long—need easy weeknight dinner ideas more than you can possibly imagine. Meatballs we don’t have to sear on the stovetop, for example, tomatoey shelf-stable gnocchi roasted on a sheet pan, or five-ingredient soups dreamed up by some of our colleagues in New York.
Are these low-investment, high-reward dinner ideas magical? Maybe, but more importantly, they’re strategic. So, no, you won’t find mashed potatoes here, nor will we ask you to dust off your slow cooker. And while a stir-fry is the ultimate easy dinner, you won’t see that in this list of easy weeknight dinners, either, because we already devoted an entire gallery to stir-fry recipes. What you will find below are easy recipes that you can lean on when you need a quick dinner—just like we do.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley1/47Lemony Grilled Scallops and Blistered Long Beans
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen2/47Smoky Chicken and Avocado Kale Salad
What a brilliant way to end up with a creamy dressing without really having to make one: Scoop avocado flesh into a big bowl containing thinly sliced kale, add some lime juice and oil, and then, using your hands, squeeze and mash the avocado, massaging it into the kale. That’s it. There’s your meal-worthy salad base.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Christina Allen3/47Roast Cod With Chorizo Crisp
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua4/47Steak With Preserved-Lemon-Marinated Tomatoes
Toss peak heirloom tomatoes in a simple preserved lemon, soy sauce, and chile marinade while you sear off a nice, well-marbled steak for a dinner for two in no time.
Photography by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen5/47Melted Fennel Pasta
“I doubted this recipe at first,” writes LasagnaQueen from Portland, Oregon, whose honesty we appreciate. But she ended up trusting it and found “it delivered a soft, silky, and deeply flavorful sauce with much less effort” than other preparations she’s tried. It’s true: This caramelized fennel method is a revelation.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht6/47Spicy Salmon Roll Bowl
Using your broiler for this salmon recipe keeps the cooking time low—and eliminates the need to seek out pricey sushi-grade fish.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni7/47Cheesy Chickpea Salad Toast
This open-faced sandwich of humble canned chickpeas and melted sharp cheddar gives us an opportunity to talk about hot sauce. It’s important, both for this weeknight dinner and in general, and Frank’s RedHot is the way to go here.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Christina Allen8/47Shabu-Shabu Noodle Soup
Instant dashi and shaved beef provide both ease and deep flavor in this weeknight dinner idea, a spin on Japanese-style hot pot.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro9/47Easy-to-Love Chicken Thighs and Couscous
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Emma Fishman10/47Panini Alla Norma
Don’t tell anyone, but we prefer this sandwich version of pasta alla norma to eggplant parm. The only two steps to complete before you start building it are making the spread and frying off the eggplant. (And if you want a little meat in the mix, sliced turkey might be a good match.)
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness11/47Shrimp With Feta and Tomatoes
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen12/47Herby Salmon and Potato Salad
This recipe calls for jarred marinated artichokes, and we have a little secret for you: Don’t toss out the artichoke brine. We have some inventive ways to put it to use.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley13/47Frizzled-Onion Cabbage Salad
Photograph by Peden + Munk, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic14/47Easy Chicken Al Pastor
On a Thursday night when you can’t get to Mexico City or even the local taco truck, this streamlined al pastor—with fast-cooking chicken thighs—does an excellent job of recreating the experience of the more traditional version.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen15/47Mostly Chard Tiny Pasta Salad
Photograph by Peden + Munk, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic16/47Sheet-Pan Spinach Lasagna
Smart shortcuts like store-bought fresh noodles, frozen spinach, and a rimmed baking sheet (instead of a deeper baking dish) deliver big lasagna flavor in under an hour.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua17/47Filipino Spaghetti
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Emma Fishman18/47Scallops and Chorizo in Tomato Sauce
Need proof that salty cured pork and delicate shellfish are a match made in heaven? You’ll find it in this vibrant 20-minute, one-skillet weeknight meal.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley19/47Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad
This is one of the best chicken recipes for a weeknight dinner because the thighs cook in a flash under the broiler. And guess what? If you don’t even want to do that, you can just buy and shred a rotisserie chicken.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua20/47Swordfish With Asparagus and Beans
The vibes: super springy. The meal: super satisfying. The labor: super minimal. The fish cooks in five minutes and the asparagus in four.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Allison Ritchie21/47Curried Steak With Sweet-and-Sour Cucumber Dressing
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley22/47French Onion Tart
Layers of caramelized onions and sharp Gruyère cheese help this tart pack the flavor of French onion soup into every bite. Serve slices alongside a green salad for dinner.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Emma Fishman23/47Tomatoes and Feta With Chickpeas
This easy weeknight dinner has all of the hallmarks of a sheet-pan dinner (quick, simple, very few dishes to clean), plus big slabs of warm, melty feta.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua24/47Chicken-Bacon Smash Burgers
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Sean Dooley, prop styling by Gerri Williams25/47Broccolini and Walnut Pesto Pasta
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro26/47Jerk Shrimp With Pineapple Salad
Turn store-bought Jamaican jerk seasoning paste into a marinade for juicy grilled shrimp in this simple summer dinner. You could serve the skewers as is or tuck everything into tortillas for shrimp tacos. Cook’s choice.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua27/47Lemony Zucchini With Sour Cream and Dill
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Judy Kim.29/47Grilled Pork Chops With Plum Mostarda
These simple grilled pork chops look like they’re the product of considerable labor (they’re not), so we recommend this recipe for those summer nights when a friend drops by for a weeknight dinner. You’ll even have time to toss together this marinated mozzarella dish as an appetizer.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro31/47Steak Fajitas
Our best steak fajitas recipe features thin strips of skirt steak, marinated in citrus and grilled over mesquite, and stuffed into warm flour tortillas. We even included a tip on how to make them sizzle as you bring them to the table.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens32/47Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
An Instant Pot is the key to making this a 30-minute soup recipe. If you’ve never used an Instant Pot, the most important thing to know is that it does all the work without your having to light one burner.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski33/47Enchiladas Divorciadas
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro34/47Pad Thai
Unless there’s a Thai restaurant right next door, there’s a good chance you can make this easy pad thai recipe faster than having it delivered.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Catherine Campbell Pearson35/47Easy Fish Tacos With Spicy Sauce
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen36/47Spiced Lamb and Shaved Carrots
Once you make this topping, which is just thinly shaved raw carrots dressed in lemon juice with herbs and red onion, you’re going to want to put it on all kinds of other meat dishes.
Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou37/47Golden Fried Rice With Salmon and Furikake
Photograph by Jenny Huang, food styling by Tyna Hoang, prop styling by Sophie Strangio38/47Chicken With Schmaltzy Red Pepper Vinaigrette
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks39/47Crispy Air Fryer Potato Wedges With Yogurt-Tahini Sauce
Don’t @ us: We think sometimes, after those really tough days, you get to call a platter of fries and dip dinner. Sweet potato fans, you can do this too.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser40/47Tortellini With Garlicky Brown Butter and Dill
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro41/47Easiest Meatballs
We used the framework from BA’s Best Meatballs and then made things as simple as possible: Heavy-hitting nonnegotiables like ground beef, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and Parmesan are all there, but there’s nothing to chop. Just stir, sear, and simmer in store-bought marinara sauce.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime42/47Sheet-Pan Gnocchi
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen43/47Migas
Bulked up with a scoop of refried beans and a simple tomato salad on the side, these Mexican-style migas are an affordable breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Micah Morton. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks44/47Japanese Curry With Winter Squash and Mushrooms
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Pearl Jones45/47Sesame Tofu With Broccoli
If you’re looking to satisfy a weeknight take-out craving, this vegetarian riff on the Chinese American classic sesame chicken is the move.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie46/47Kimchi Quesadillas
Is there ever a bad time for a quesadilla? No. It can be a snack, it can be a main dish—it can be your savior. This one makes use of the rest of the kimchi and kimchi juice hanging out in that jar in the fridge.
