18 Easy Dinner Recipes To Make Tonight!
A collection of my favorite easy dinner recipes, perfect for busy weeknights when you need something quick and delicious to feed the family! Including sheet pan meals, one pot wonders, and crockpot and slow cooked favorites that everyone round your table will love.
The thing about being an adult is that you have to decide what to make for dinner, every single night, for the rest of your life. As much as I love cooking, it’s exhausting at times, especially when you’re juggling work and kids and everything else. So that’s why I wanted to put together this list of easy dinners for you! These are the recipes that I always return to when I need something fuss free and relatively hands-off. I hope you’ll love them just as much as me and my family do.
One Pot Turkey Meatballs
These one-pot turkey meatballs are a weeknight favorite! Lean ground turkey gets mixed with herbs, garlic, and a touch of Parmesan, then browned until golden before everything simmers together in a rich tomato sauce. Made entirely in one pan, it’s an easy, low-cleanup dinner that feels cozy and satisfying without being heavy.
Easy Buffalo Chicken Tacos
Ready in just 25 minutes! These buffalo chicken tacos are a weeknight win when you want big flavor without a lot of effort. Seasoned chicken cooks quickly in a hot skillet until juicy and tender, then gets shredded and tossed in a creamy buffalo sauce. Piled into warm tortillas and finished with cool, crunchy toppings, they’re great for a super easy taco night.
Stuffed Pepper Casserole (Slow Cooker)
I throw this in slow cooker on busy days and it’s always a hit with my family. Ground beef, rice, bell peppers, and tomatoes cook together until everything is tender and full of savory flavor, making this an easy, comforting weeknight dinner. Finished with a layer of melted cheese, it’s a family-friendly casserole that delivers all the cozy vibes of classic stuffed peppers in a much simpler way.
Tater Tot Nachos
These tater tot nachos are pure weeknight fun and totally kid-approved! Crispy tater tots get loaded up on a sheet pan with seasoned ground beef, plenty of cheese, and all your favorite toppings like salsa, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. It’s an easy, crowd-pleasing dinner that feels a little special without taking much effort.
BBQ Chicken Fried Rice
A fast, one-pan dinner that’s ready in about 20 minutes and totally satisfies those takeout cravings! Using a Japanese-style BBQ sauce gives it a slightly sweet, savory twist that feels fresh and a little different, without requiring any hard-to-find ingredients. It’s an easy weeknight meal with big flavor.
Stuffed Pepper Pasta Bake
With just about 10 minutes of prep, tender rotini, sautéed bell peppers, seasoned ground beef, and rich tomato sauce come together in one cozy dish. Topped with bubbly, melted cheese and baked until hot and golden, it’s an easy, family-friendly meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights and great for leftovers too.
Spaghetti & Meat Sauce (Crockpot)
This spaghetti and meat sauce never fails. Browning the ground beef and Italian sausage adds deep, cozy flavor, then onions, garlic, tomatoes, and herbs go in and the slow cooker takes over from there. It’s seriously that simple! A hands-off, family-friendly that makes plenty for leftovers.
Sheet Pan Salmon & Veggies
Maple-glazed salmon makes this sheet pan dinner feel a little special while still being totally weeknight-friendly. The potatoes get a head start in the oven so they’re tender and golden, then green beans and tomatoes slide onto the pan alongside salmon brushed with a quick maple Dijon glaze. Everything roasts together until the salmon is flaky and caramelized on top, giving you a colorful, balanced dinner with minimal prep and even less cleanup.
Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma
This sheet pan chicken shawarma is an easy way to bring big flavor to a weeknight dinner without a lot of work. Chicken roasts alongside chickpeas and red onions, all coated in warm shawarma spices that soak in as everything cooks. The result is one colorful, wholesome pan that’s full of bold flavor and perfect for serving with wraps, rice, or a simple salad.
Hot Dog Chili
This hot dog chili is all about the sauce. Unlike a chunky, slow-simmered chili, this version is bean-free, cooks quickly, and breaks down finely as the beef browns, turning into a rich, spoonable topping that actually stays put on your hot dogs. Sautéed with onions and garlic, then simmered with tomatoes and spices until perfectly thick, it’s a fun, easy dinner that feels classic, nostalgic, and very weeknight-friendly.
Easy Chicken Ramen
This easy chicken ramen is a go-to for nights when you want something comforting without spending forever in the kitchen. It comes together in under 30 minutes using simple, everyday ingredients, then you can finish it off with whatever toppings you love most. Warm, cozy, and endlessly customizable, it’s the kind of quick dinner everyone can make their own.
Chicken Quesadillas
A fast, stovetop dinner that’s perfect for using up leftover chicken and veggies. Packed with big fajita-style flavor and plenty of melty cheese, they cook up quickly and disappear even faster. It’s one of those easy weeknight meals that always flies off the table and keeps everyone happy.
Honey Pepper Chicken
Juicy chicken bites get pan-seared until golden, then tossed in a sticky-sweet honey and soy glaze with garlic and red bell pepper — all in about 20 minutes. Finished with a sprinkle of scallions, it’s fast, flavorful, and hits that perfect balance of sweet, savory, and fresh that everyone loves.
Ranch Pork Chops (Slow Cooker)
These ranch pork chops are pure comfort food with almost no effort required. Juicy pork chops cook low and slow in a rich, creamy ranch gravy that’s packed with flavor and perfect for spooning over mashed potatoes. It’s a true set-it-and-forget-it dinner, made with mostly store-cupboard staples.
Sheet Pan Kung Pao Pork Chops
This sheet pan kung pao pork chops bring all the bold, saucy flavor of your favorite takeout straight to the dinner table, in about 30 minutes flat. Thick, juicy pork chops get tossed with dried chilies, bell peppers, and roasted peanuts, then coated in a garlicky, gingery soy-honey sauce that caramelizes beautifully as everything roasts and broils. Served over rice and dinner’s done.
Lasagna Soup (Slow Cooker)
Lasagna night, minus all the layers and cleanup. This slow cooker lasagna soup delivers all the cozy, cheesy flavors of the classic without the weeknight effort. It’s completely hands-off until the last stretch — just add the noodles about 30 minutes before the end so they stay perfectly tender — making it an easy, comforting dinner that tastes just as good as the real thing.
Pesto Pasta
This pesto pasta is one of those super simple comfort dinners that always hits the spot. With just a handful of ingredients, it comes together so quickly. It’s perfect for busy weeknights, and just as good the next day, making leftovers an easy win for lunchboxes or quick lunches.
One Pot Ground Beef & Potatoes
The definition of no-nonsense comfort food! Seasoned ground beef is browned first, then onions and garlic get sautéed before diced potatoes cook down until golden and tender. Everything comes back together in the same skillet for an easy, hearty dinner that’s simple, filling, and exactly the kind of meal everyone’s happy to see on a busy weeknight.
I hope these easy dinners make your weeknights a little easier! Add them to your rotation and let me know which ones turn out to be your favorites. Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and be sure to tag me in your pics on Instagram @slimmingviolet and #slimmingviolet.
