When you need to feed the family or kids, these are the easy dinner ideas you can turn to time and time again.

Some nights you need dinner on the table ASAP. We’ve got quick dinner recipes that use easy ingredients and smart time-saving ideas, and we’ve included plenty of family-friendly dinner ideas, healthy dinner ideas, vegetarian dinner ideas, easy pasta dinner ideas, slow cooker dinner ideas and sheet pan dinner ideas.

These recipes are perfect for busy nights when you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. With lots of healthy, quick, easy, weight loss and budget-friendly ideas, there’s something to suit everyone depending on your needs.

So if you are asking yourself what to make for dinner tonight, then you have come to the right place. Plus, there is such a variety of flavours in these recipes, so you are sure to find something for you.

BEST QUICK AND EASY DINNER IDEAS

Beef and Broccoli Low Mein. Melt in your mouth tender beef with broccoli, carrots, noodles and sauce adds such amazing flavour to this incredibly easy meal!

One Pot Taco Casserole. The easiest one pot mexican dinner idea and it is loaded with flavour from the taco seasoning, green chiles, and enchilada sauce.

Chorizo Mozzarella Gnocchi Bake. Cheesy tomato gnocchi with chorizo and mozzarella for a comforting bake that makes an excellent midweek meal.

Easy Beef Hot Pot. This hearty dish IS perfect eaten straight from the bowl with a spoon and some crusty bread on a cold winter’s night.

Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon. Sticky and sweet, this easy honey garlic glazed salmon is one of the easiest salmon recipes to add to your weeknight dinner rotation. The best part is it’s ready in under 25 minutes

Parmesan Crusted Baked Fish with Potatoes. Baked fish with a parmesan crust, a tasty and healthier dinner idea

Cheesy Broccoli Calzone. These super easy veggie calzones are packed with with tender broccoli and creamy ricotta.

EASY FAMILY DINNER IDEAS

Five Spice Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner. With cabbage and chicken thighs flavoured with Chinese spice.

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. Everybody loves mac and cheese! This homemade instant pot mac and cheese, is rich and creamy and full of flavour.

Chicken Enchiladas. Easy baked chicken enchiladas brings the taste of authentic Mexican food into your kitchen — saucy, spicy, and savoury. Perfect for a Mexican fiesta.

Easy Baked Spaghetti. The easy hearty dinner recipe consists of spaghetti noodles and meat sauce layered with creamy ricotta and melty mozzarella cheese.

Chicken and Broad Bean Fricassee. This budget-friendly creamy chicken and broad bean dinner is easy and delicious.

Shake and Bake Quiche. This tasty quiche is so quick and easy to throw together. You simple throw it all together and the crust forms on it own.

One Pot Sausage Casserole. Quick, easy and very tasty, this Easy One Pot Sausage Casserole is a comfort food classic.

Creamy Quesadilla. This quesadilla recipe is creamy and cheesy and simple to make.

Pepperoni Pizza Pasta. All the flavours of a pepperoni pizza in a quick and easy one pot pasta dish! Delicious, comforting and very family friendly.

EASY PASTA DINNER IDEAS

Creamy Beef and Shells. A quick and easy beef pasta recipe, this is a dish that will be on your dinner table all week long! So creamy and so comforting!

Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti. You can make this easy spaghetti recipe in about 15 minutes, using just 5 ingredients!

Quick and Easy Basil Avocado Pasta. Healthy and delicious. So simple and creamy and only 15 minutes to throw together.

Cheesy Tortellini and Sausage Bake. This quick and easy, cheesy tortellini and sausage bake recipe is a delicious dinner packed with flavour. Perfect comfort food for busy weeknights that only takes 30 minutes.

Easy Shrimp Spaghetti. In this recipe, shrimp is coated in a simple but delicious seasoning. This is mixed with spaghetti tossed in a creamy bang bang sauce that is full of spice

One Pot Cajun Pasta. This One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is very easy to make, so it’s perfect for weeknight dinners.

EASY SHEET PAN DINNER IDEAS

Tandoori Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner. In under 30 minutes you can easily create this intensely flavourful tandoori chicken sheet pan dinner loaded with vegetables.

Caprese Sheet Pan Gnocchi. Bring the classic taste of Italian caprese together with gnocchi in the easy sheet pan dinner.

Honey Chilli Chicken. Juicy chicken thighs are roasted in a spicy sweet marinaded. Serve with a side of sweet bell peppers and rice or bulgur.

Sheet Pan Sausages and Potatoes. Ready in about 30 minutes! This is a filling and delicious meal that is perfect for busy nights when you don’t want to cook.

Greek Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner. In this greek sheet pan dinner, succulent chicken is combined with vibrant, caramelised vegetables.

Garlic Butter Salmon. Flavourful garlic butter salmon. Only 10 minutes prep time and 25 minutes cooking time.

Sheet Pan Crispy Cheddar Pork. Crispy and cheesy coated pork chops cook to tender perfection with roasted potatoes and brussell sprouts.

Easy Sausage Traybake. To make this you simply throw everything onto a tray and cook for 45 minutes. Easy, delicious and family friendly.

Italian Style Lamb Traybake. This Italian style lamb sheet pan dinner is flavoured simple balsamic, olive oil and basil.

VEGETARIAN DINNER IDEAS

Moroccan Chickpea Stew. This moroccan chickpea stew is budget friendly, healthy and packed full of protein.

Tomato Lentil Dhal. A warming and filling dinner. Packed with protein, this is vegan and gluten free.

Mushroom Risotto. Easy mushroom risotto, so hearty, full of flavour and super simple too.

Tofu and Chickpea Curry. The coconut sauce is thick and creamy thanks to the ground almonds and coconut milk, while the curry paste adds delicious flavour from the ginger, cumin and coriander.

Smoky Black bean Stew. This is a really easy dinner recipe, so simple but packs such a punch of flavour.

Vegan Stuffed Bell Peppers. These vegan stuffed bell peppers are stuffed with brown rice, mushrooms, veggies, and seasonings. Then simply bake for 40 minutes.

Easy Lentil Bolognese. Packed full of flavour and goodness, this Easy Lentil Bolognese is quick and simple to cook.

Falafels with Tomato Salad and Tzatziki. Dinner in under 20 minutes, with these easy vegetarian falafels.

Pumpkin, Pasta and Spinach Bake. Healthy and full of flavour, this easy pasta dish is ready in no time.

Roasted Cauliflower Tagine. This fragrant spiced tagine has Ras el hanout seasoning that adds a great depth of flavour to the roasted cauliflower and jammy fried veg, with the wholewheat couscous ensuring a well-balanced nutritional meal.

SLOW COOKER DINNER IDEAS

Sausage and Potato Casserole. A heart and cosy comfort dish. This recipe only uses six simple ingredients, so it’s super easy to put together.

Slow Cooker Chilli Mac and Cheese. Delicious, and loaded with beef, cheese and veggies all made in your slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Taco Pasta. Only 10 minutes is needed to prep this recipe. This hearty pasta dish couldn’t be easier or faster to make.

Slow Cooker Beef Curry. Slow cooker beef curry in a rich, spicy tomato sauce. Learn how to make cauliflower rice to make this a low carb meal.

Sausages with Onion Gravy. With only a little effort, sausages are made in a thick onion gravy, perfect served with mash and veg.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff. A healthier rich, beef stroganoff made in the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Turkey Chilli. turkey chilli made healthier and in the slow cooker! Hearty, thick, filling and full of flavour!

CHICKEN DINNER IDEAS

Easy Harissa Chicken. Easy, quick harissa chicken. This recipe is made with a jar of roasted red peppers, plenty of garlic, and smoked paprika.

One Pot Chicken and Rice. This recipe is healthy, budget friendly, requires minimal cleanup and is packed full of flavour.

Chicken Chow Mein. In this recipe, stir fried noodles are cooked with vegetables and chicken in a rich savory sauce. Everything is cooked in one pan and is ready in 30 minutes!

Easy Chicken Parmesan (Parmigiana). This is an easy chicken parmesan made with crispy breaded chicken, tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Comfort food at it’s best.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole. This recipe is loaded with ranch chicken, a homemade alfredo sauce and bacon. So creamy, cheesy and comforting!

Chicken and Mushroom with Wine Sauce. Chicken, mushrooms and wines, makes this easy and quick dinner recipe.

Chicken, Chorizo and Chickpea Stew. Packed full of Spanish flavours. This chicken, chorizo and chickpea stew is quick and easy to make.

STIR FRY DINNER IDEAS

Easy Beef Stir Fry. Juicy strips of beef are stir fried with peppers, broccoli and a spicy sauce that is loaded full of flavour.

Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry. This healthier dinner recipe, is full of chicken, broccoli and carrots. Coated in an easy to make sweet and savoury sauce.

Vegetable Noodle Stir fry. An easy, healthy weeknight dish packed full of veggies that can easily be made and gluten-free.

Chicken Ramen Stir Fry. This easy dinner recipe is made with ground chicken, coleslaw mix, bell peppers and a delicious homemade sauce.

TIPS FOR QUICK AND EASY DINNERS

Putting together a week’s worth of healthy, easy dinner recipes requires a fair amount of planning ahead. Here are some tips to make it simpler.

Make ahead. All of these easy dinners can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Cook grains in large batches. It’s just as easy to make large portions of rice (or pasta or quinoa) as it is one, and it feels like such a gift when you get home and open the fridge to see you have something already prepared in there.
Prep ahead. Pre what you can ahead of time. Chop vegetables and add to meals throughout the week.

MORE DINNER IDEAS

Healthy Dinner Ideas.

DID YOU MAKE ANY OF THESE EASY DINNER IDEAS?

Please leave a comment and rating below, and let me know if you try any of these easy dinner ideas. Be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @nourishyourglow or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.