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Looking for some new dinner ideas? When you’ve made the same meals one too many times, sometimes you just need a few ideas to get out of the dinner rut.
Here are more than 25 quick and easy family dinner ideas ranging from chicken and beef to pasta, pizza-inspired dinners and seafood. Some are perfect for busy weeknights, and quite a few are great for using up leftovers.
Quick Chicken Dinners
BBQ Chicken Flatbread
These BBQ chicken flatbreads come together in about 20 minutes and are an easy way to use leftover grilled chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken. Add red onion, BBQ sauce and a little hot honey and dinner is handled.
Chicken Burritos
Shredded chicken, corn, kidney beans, avocado and melted cheddar tucked inside a soft flour tortilla makes an easy Mexican-inspired dinner and another good use for leftover chicken.
Cast Iron Chicken
A cast iron skillet is one of our favorite ways to get a good sear on chicken. This version is ready in under 30 minutes, making it an easy option when dinner needs to happen fast.
Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Sauce
For something lighter, this Thai chicken salad is packed with vegetables and chicken and finished with a creamy peanut dressing. It’s crunchy, creamy, sweet and savory all at once.
Baked Chicken Pinwheels
These baked chicken pinwheels are an easy dinner to serve alongside soup or chili. They’re especially good for dipping into a creamy soup.
Chicken Korma
If you’re tired of the same old chicken dinner, chicken korma brings plenty of flavor and a creamy sauce to the table.
Easy Dinner Recipes Made with Beef
Mediterranean Meatballs
Meatballs don’t always have to mean spaghetti. Serve these on their own, tuck them into a sandwich or add rice and vegetables for an easy dinner.
One Pot Goulash
Sometimes you just need a big bowl of comfort food. Our Instant Pot Goulash gives you beef, pasta and plenty of flavor in an easy meal-in-one dinner.
Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
Chuck roast and a handful of simple ingredients turn into a hearty pot roast without spending all afternoon tending it.
Cheeseburger Hand Pies
Ground beef, gooey cheese and a flaky shell give you cheeseburger flavor in a fun handheld dinner.
Classic Meatloaf
There’s nothing fancy about a good meatloaf, and that’s exactly why we love it. Our classic version has that sweet sauce on top and usually leaves enough for a meatloaf sandwich the next day.
Ground Beef Pinwheels
These ground beef pinwheels are another good leftover trick. Taco meat, meatloaf or leftover meatballs can all become tomorrow night’s dinner.
Pizza-Inspired Dinners
Tomato Galette
Is it technically pizza? Nope. Does it satisfy that same craving for a crispy crust covered with something delicious? Absolutely. Think of a galette as pizza’s slightly fancier French cousin.
Zucchini Pizza
Zucchini and plenty of cheese make this a fun way to work more vegetables into pizza night.
Air Fryer Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
Skip the drive-thru and make a Mexican pizza at home in the air fryer. It’s quick, inexpensive and easy to customize.
Thai Chicken Flatbread Pizza
Naan or flatbread topped with chicken, peanut sauce, mozzarella and shredded carrots gives pizza night a completely different spin.
Chicken Spinach Parmesan Calzones
Shredded chicken, spinach and Parmesan tucked into dough makes an easy calzone-style dinner and another way to use cooked chicken.
Recipes With Noodles
Mexican Manicotti
Italian pasta meets Mexican flavors in this fun mash-up. Manicotti gets stuffed with seasoned beef and beans, covered with cheese and baked until bubbly.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta
Chicken Cordon Bleu flavors meet pasta for a filling family dinner with plenty of comfort-food appeal.
Cheesy Ramen Noodles
Ramen doesn’t have to stay in its college-dinner era. A few simple ingredients and plenty of cheese turn inexpensive noodles into something much more interesting.
Mediterranean Tuna Spaghetti
Tuna, garlic, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil and lemon turn spaghetti into an easy pantry-friendly dinner.
Bruschetta One Pot Pasta
Our Bruschetta One Pot Pasta is especially good when tomatoes are plentiful. It’s lighter than a heavy cream-based pasta and, even better, you only need one pot.
Chicken Chow Mein
Chicken, chow mein noodles and vegetables come together for an easy takeout-style dinner at home.
One-Pot Pesto Orzo with Green Beans, Bell Pepper and Zucchini
Got vegetables that need to be used? Toss them into our pesto orzo. It’s an easy one-pot meal and a good refrigerator clean-out dinner.
Smoked Salmon & Zucchini Cavatappi Pasta
Smoked salmon, zucchini, tomatoes and pasta turn into an easy dinner that’s particularly good for using leftover salmon. Fresh or canned salmon works too.
Instant Pot Creamy Tortellini
Creamy tortellini makes an easy Instant Pot dinner, and you can switch up the vegetables depending on what you have.
Easy Seafood Meals
Old Fashioned Salmon Patties
A can of salmon, breadcrumbs, eggs and seasoning can turn into one of the easiest pantry dinners around. Get those patties crispy in a skillet and dinner is handled.
Fish with Lemon Garlic Sauce
Fish doesn’t need much to make it good. Lemon, garlic and a quick sauce turn it into an easy dinner that still feels a little fancy.
Shrimp Tacos with Sweet Chili Sauce
Shrimp cooks ridiculously fast, which makes tacos a great last-minute dinner. These get plenty of flavor from sweet chili, garlic and lime.
Mexican Shrimp Tacos
Seasoned shrimp tucked into warm corn tortillas with fresh lime makes another quick taco-night option that doesn’t require much time in the kitchen.
Don’t Overthink Dinner
Not every family dinner needs to be a whole production. Keep a few easy recipes in your back pocket, use what you’ve already got, and don’t be afraid to turn tonight’s leftovers into tomorrow night’s dinner.
For even more ideas, check out all of our dinner recipes.
