Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes

We all need inspiration for easy weeknight dinner recipes and this collection has it all. From 15 minute chicken to sheet pan dinners that can feed a crowd, you’re going to love our easy weeknight dinners.

When cooking weeknight dinners, there are three things I consider:

1. How long it takes to prep,
2. What the cooking time is and
3. Which ingredients are necessary.

A weeknight is not the time for finicky ingredients that aren’t readily available in my pantry, fridge or freezer and I’m definitely not standing around prepping for more than 10 minutes.

I don’t always mind if a dish takes a little longer to cook if the prep is fast and the oven or the air fryer does all the work for me.

Easy Chicken Dinners

Chicken (and particularly chicken breasts) is my go-to protein when I need dinner on the table fast. Having a pantry stocked with seasonings and spices is crucial to making the most of chicken and I often turn to the air fryer to make sure the chicken is perfectly juicy and tender once cooked.

1. Baked Chicken Breast
2. The Juiciest Air Fryer Chicken Breast
3. Easy Baked Chicken Legs
4. Air Fried Chicken Thighs
5. 30-minute easy grilled chicken and vegetables
6. Easy BBQ Chicken
7. Marry Me Chicken
8. Creamy Paprika Chicken
9. Easy Chicken Curry
10. Easy Teriyaki Chicken
11. Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
12. Easy One-Pan Creamy Garlic Chicken
13. Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken
14. Easy Smothered Chicken
15. Marry Me Chicken Meatballs

Easy Pasta Dinners

Easy pasta dinners means the sauce cooks while the pasta water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks. That is my only rule. I don’t want sauces that require long simmering or lots of chopping on weeknights. Quick, easy and delicious is the name of the game. And who can resist a pasta dinner with a side of garlic bread?

1. Easy Tomato Basil Pasta
2. Creamy lemon garlic shrimp pasta
3. Easy tomato cream rigatoni
4. Chicken Spaghetti
5. Creamy salmon pasta
6. Pasta with basil cream sauce
7. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
8. Creamy bacon corn pasta
9. Marry Me Chicken Pasta
10. Cacio e pepe

Easy and Healthy Weeknight Dinners

These recipes are easy AND healthy. What more could you want? They are packed with vegetables and/or high in protein and most are gluten-free and dairy-free or can very easily be modified to suit your dietary needs.

1. Easy Lemon Shrimp Salad
2. Masala baked fish with Turmeric Rice
3. Easy healthy vegetable soup
4. One pan lemon chicken spinach and beans
5. Easy spicy garlic chicken broth
6. Tandoori sweet potato rice bowl with crispy chickpeas
7. Easy Pan Seared Salmon
8. Miso chicken noodle salad
9. Easy Butter Chickpea Curry
10. Easy Chipotle Steak with Corn Slaw

Low-Carb Weeknight Dinners

These recipes are all suitable for a low-carb or keto diet. Packed with protein and flavor, you’re going to love these easy recipes.

1. Easy Steak Tagliata
2. Air Fryer Whole Chicken
3. Grilled sirloin steak with caper herb sauce
4. Garlic Rosemary Grilled Lamb Chops
5. Easy lemon butter baked fish
6. Easy Air Fryer Steak
7. Oven Baked Pork Chops
8. Garlic butter Fish en Papillote
9. Easy Grilled Pork Chops
10. White wine garlic salmon
11. Eggplant involtini
12. Air Fryer Bone In Pork Chops

Quick Weeknight Dinner Recipes

These recipes all take less than 20 minutes from prep to plate. As most of them are proteins, I usually just throw together a quick green salad to serve alongside if we’re really low on time.

1. Seared Fish in Puttanesca Sauce
2. 20-minute Shrimp Stir Fry
3. Pan Fried Chicken Breast
4. 20-minute peanut noodles
5. Easy Cajun Air Fryer Fish
6. 20-minute Honey Garlic Salmon
7. Easy Cajun Shrimp
8. 20-minute Cherry Tomato Pasta
9. Garlic butter Air Fryer Salmon
10. 20-minute Broccoli Pasta al Limone
11. Easy Air Fryer Meatballs
12. Air Fryer Lamb Chops

Sheet Pan Dinners

We love sheet pan dinners because the prep time is minimal and the oven does all of the work. It’s a great way to cook chicken thighs in particular as they are hard to over-cook and take a little longer cooking time in the oven.

1. Easy Greek Sheet Pan Chicken with Potatoes
2. Lemon Garlic Sheet Pan Salmon
3. Easy sheet pan Margherita pizza
4. Sweet Chilli Sheet Pan Chicken
5. Creamy Mushroom Sheet Pan Chicken
6. Easy Mustard Sheet Pan Chicken

Easy Side Dishes

These side dishes are mostly veggie-based. They are great options to make while the protein is cooking and require minimal prep and cooking time.

1. Easy Air Fryer Broccoli
2. Garlic bacon sauteed green beans
3. Air Fryer Asparagus
4. Easy Sautéed Zucchini
5. The Best Vegetable Salad
6. Easy Garlic Butter Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
7. 10-minute lemon garlic sautéed broccolini
8. Easy cucumber tomato onion salad
9. Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sautéed Mushrooms
10. Easy garlic lemon sugar snap peas
11. Chopped Salad
12. Air Fryer Carrots