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Looking for the perfect list of meals for dinner ideas to make after a long day? I have you covered with almost 200 different options to inspire you!
Keep this list of meals for dinner forever with a FREE 7 Page Printable Dinner Idea List Booklet!
You know when 5 pm rolls around and the dreaded “what’s for dinner?” question pops up?
Making dinner isn’t even the problem most of the time… Coming up with a dinner plan is the real hard part.
Luckily, this list of meals for dinner is filled easy, delicious, and real crowd-pleaser dinners!
No more scrolling Pinterest for half an hour looking for simple dinner ideas and then deciding to eat a frozen meal anyways (just me?๐). Having a solid list of dinner meal ideas to refer to keeps me from slacking.
Mexican Food, Asian Food, Soups, Pasta, Meat, Burgers, Sandwiches, Salads, Comfort Food: We got it ALL on this dinner meal list!
Spice up your dinner rotation (pun intended) with this list of insanely easy and delicious homemade dinner ideas!
This post is all about the best simple dinner ideas to save time.ย
Quick and Simple Dinner Ideas
This list is a collection of TONS and TONS of different simple dinner ideas. Take some inspiration from here and translate these ideas into your own personal dinner planner!
Almost all of these diinner ideas are ones that you will likely already know how to make OR can find SUPER easily with a simple Google or Pinterest search!
I will duplicate some under multiple different categories too! For example, taco salads could be found when you’re in a Mexican food mood or a salad mood! Best of all worlds!!
Mexican Food:
Taco Tuesday? Why stop there? Taquito Thursday? Fajita Friday? Salsa Saturday? Street taco Sunday? Mojito Monday? I’m here for it.
- Tacos
- Enchiladas
- Tortilla Soup
- Burritos
- Quesadillas
- Fajitas
- Carne Asada
- Chicken Tacos
- Burrito Bowls
- Street Tacos
- Quesadilla Burgers
- Taquitos
- Tamales (my family makes homemade tamales and they’re INCREDIBLE!)
- Taco Lettuce Wraps
- White Chicken Chili
- Fish Tacos
- Taco Stuffed Peppers
- Pozole
- Crockpot Salsa Chicken (can be used in tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, or just served over rice! YUM!)
- Homemade Crunchwraps
- Enchilada Casserole
- Nachos
- Taco Salad
- Santa Fe Chicken Salad
- Taco Soup
- Chili
Asian Food:
Spice up your life by adding these incredible, flavor-filled Asian-inspired meals to your list of things to have for dinner!
- Ramen
- Stir Fry
- Fried Rice
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Pot Stickers
- Sushi
- Chow Mein
- Orange Chicken
- Beef/Chicken and Broccoli
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Pad Thai
- Peanut Noodles
- Wonton Soup
- Chicken/Pork Satay
- Egg Rolls
- Spring Rolls
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Thai Peanut Salad
Soups:
Mmmmm… warm, hearty, and comforting. I love a good soup!
- Chicken Noodle
- Chili
- White Chicken Chili
- Tortilla
- Chicken and Rice
- Clam Chowder
- Broccoli Cheddar
- Potato
- Tomato
- Corn Chowder
- Potato Cheddar
- Minestrone
- Stew
- Zuppa Toscana
- Vegetable Soup
- Chicken and Dumpling
- Italian Style Wedding
- Pasta Fagioli
- Alphabet (super fun if you have kids too… this was a childhood favorite of mine!!)
- Taco
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Lentil
Pasta:
Bow tie, angel hair, penne, spaghetti, rigatoni… the options are endless with pasta! What’s your favorite noodle type? Mine’s definitely angel hair!
- Spaghetti
- Alfredo
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Chicken Parmesan
- Tomato Basil
- Cajun
- Shrimp Scampi
- Lasagna
- Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Ravioli
- Pesto Pasta (SUPER yum with shrimp!)
- Tortellini
- Primavera
- Garlic White Wine
- Caper, Tomato, Olive
- Sausage and Mushroom
- Baked Feta Pasta
- Pasta Carbonara
- Marinara
- Gnocchi
- Goulash (This is my childhood in a dish. My grandparents used to make this for me ALL. THE. TIME. Yum!!!)
- Pomodoro
- Puttanesca
- Buttered Noodles
- 5-Cheese Ziti
- Pasta Fagioli
- Stuffed Shells
Burgers and Sandwiches:
Sometimes you just really need a big, juicy burger and an incredible homemade sandwich. Honestly one of my favorites on my list of meals for dinner!
- BLTS
- Grilled Cheese
- Baja Turkey Melt (Basically a grilled cheese with turkey, green chiles, and a special sauce. They used to have this at Red Robin and when they got rid of it, I found this recipe. It’s a favorite!)
- Tuna Salad
- Egg Salad
- Chicken Salad (bonus if this is served on fresh croissants. OMG. *Chefs kiss*)
- Turkey
- Chicken Caesar Wraps
- BBQ Chicken Wraps
- Grilled Veggie Sandwiches
- Apple, Cheddar, Chicken/Turkey Melt
- Pitas or Naan
- Caprese Sandwich
- French Dip
- Ranch Chicken Wraps
- Veggie Hummus Wrap
- Philly Cheesesteak
- Breakfast Sandwiches
- Pulled Pork
- Burgers
- Quesadilla Burgers
- Fish Burgers
- Chicken Burgers
- Turkey Burgers
- Fish Burgers
- Hot Dogs (The age-old question arises… is a hot dog a sandwich?)
- Brats
- Build-Your-Own Sandwich Bar (Super fun AND easy! Lay out all the fixings for a perfect sandwich and let the family build their dream sandwich for themselves. Everyone wins!)
Meaty Meals:
The most standard option of this list of meals for dinner! These are perfect main course ideas when paired with one or two sides! (I will give you a bunch of side ideas soon! Don’t stress!)
- Steak
- Sausage
- Polska
- Burger Patties (Honestly good on their own… don’t knock it ’till you try it!๐)
- Chicken
- Grilled
- Chicken Piccata
- Strips
- Nuggets
- Rotisserie
- Baked
- Roasted
- Marinaded (SO many great options on Pinterest!)
- Fish/Seafood
- Salmon
- Halibut
- Fish Sticks
- Tilapia
- Cod
- Shrimp
- Lobster
- Crab
- Pork
- Corned Beef
- Ham
- Kabobs
Breakfast for Dinner:
Breakfast makes the best quick and easy dinner idea! I’d eat breakfast for all 3 meals if I could… anyone else?!
- Scrambled Eggs
- Omelets
- Breakfast Sandwiches
- Diner Breakfast
- Eggs
- Toast
- Hashbrowns
- Bacon or Sausage
- French Toast
- Pancakes
- Waffles
- Crepes
- Breakfast Burritos
- Huevos Rancheros
- Breakfast Casserole
- Eggs Benedict
- Quiche
- Migas
Miscellaneous Dinners:
These are all the dinners on this list that don’t QUITE fit into a specific category but are still DEFINITELY worth mentioning because, uh, YUM! Total must-haves on your list of meals for dinner.
- Stuffed Peppers
- Homemade Pizza
- Jambalaya
- Casseroles
- Tater Tot
- Chicken/Broccoli
- Freezer Meals (we’ve all been there!)
- Rice Bowls
- Spaghetti Squash
Sides:
When making a list of dinner meal ideas, I like to have a section for sides too so I have the perfect pairing for any dish!
I can’t lie… sometimes sides are the true shining star of a meal. There’s plenty of times that I LOAD my plate up with sides and skimp on the main course (oops!). I mean… when there are potatoes, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?!
- Potatoes
- Mashed
- Scalloped
- Baked
- Roasted
- Fries
- Side Salad
- Caesar
- Green
- Seasonal
- Rice
- Quinoa
- Roasted Veggies
- Steamed Veggies
- Corn on the Cob
- Pasta Salad
- Potato Salad
- Macaroni Salad
YUM! There are TONS of Options on this List of Dinner Ideas!ย
Make sure you never forget these dinner ideas with this FREE printable list of meals for dinner booklet!
With over 180 different options, there is BOUND to be something that sounds good here, right?!
I know that this list can feel a bit crazy and overwhelming. Hopefully breaking it into categories helped out a little bit!
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Brittany says
I love the layout! White chicken chili sounds so good today. I might need to go get some ingredients. ๐
delaneylsmith says
Yum! You picked one of my favorites! Such a good comfort meal!
Meg says
This post is excellent! I just got a new fulltime job, so I’ve been finding it hard to come up with super quick, easy ideas, so I’ll be bookmarking this page! Thanks for sharing!
delaneylsmith says
I’m glad you found it helpful!! Congrats on your new job!!โค๏ธ
svetlana sidlinskaya says
Great list of dinner ideas!
delaneylsmith says
Thank you!! Glad you enjoyed it!โค๏ธ
Zac says
Great ideas, I could eat pancakes all day too๐๐
delaneylsmith says
Breakfast food is the BEST!!!
Celeste says
Omg you really included everything in here! This is super comprehensive. I LOVE enchiladas and they are so easy to make