Dinner ideas: 30 easy recipes for the whole week

Quick dinner ideas for the week

On busy nights, aim for recipes of 30 minutes or less, built on ingredients you always keep in the fridge or pantry: or, even faster, 5-ingredient, 15-minute recipes. Here are ten quick dinner ideas:

• Chicken and vegetable stir-fry, maple-soy sauce, over rice
• Ground beef tacos with lettuce, cheese and salsa
• Pesto pasta, cherry tomatoes and parmesan
• Loaded omelette (spinach, cheese, ham) with toast
• Burrito bowl: rice, black beans, corn, avocado
• Maple-baked salmon and roasted broccoli
• Loaded grilled cheese and a green salad
• Legume meal soup and crusty bread
• Chicken and pepper quesadillas
• Warm meal salad: quinoa, chicken, grilled vegetables

Dinner ideas for the family

To please the whole table, lean on comforting classics that kids eat without a fuss. These family dinner ideas often cook in a single pot or double easily for leftovers:

• Homemade shepherd’s pie
• Baked meat and macaroni
• Spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs
• Homemade pizza, everyone tops their own
• Homemade General Tao chicken over rice
• Beef and vegetable stew
• Homemade fish cakes and mashed potatoes

Healthy dinner ideas

A healthy dinner does not need to be complicated: fill half the plate with vegetables, add a lean protein and a whole grain. A few light, filling ideas:

• White fish bowl, edamame and brown rice
• Roasted marinated tofu, vegetables and soba noodles
• Three-bean vegetarian chili
• Grilled chicken breast, sweet potato and asparagus
• Roasted chickpea salad, feta and cucumber

Dinner ideas for entertaining

When you are hosting, you want a dish that impresses without keeping you in the kitchen all evening. Favour dishes you can prep ahead or that cook on their own in the oven:

• Beef bourguignon stew (made the day before)
• Whole baked salmon, lemon-dill butter
• Homemade lasagna to assemble ahead
• Herb-roasted chicken and market vegetables
• Coconut milk vegetable curry and basmati rice

Cheap dinner ideas for tight weeks

When the budget is stretched, build dinner around the cheapest proteins in the store: eggs, canned legumes, ground meat on special and frozen fish. These dinner ideas feed four for a few dollars a plate:

• Lentil and vegetable soup with grilled cheese
• Fried rice with eggs and frozen vegetables
• Black bean quesadillas with salsa
• Pasta with quick tomato and ground beef sauce
• Baked potato bar: cheese, broccoli, leftover chili

The method so you never hunt for a dinner idea again

The real problem is not a shortage of recipes, but the last-minute decision. The solution: plan the week’s dinners all at once. You choose 4 or 5 meals on Sunday, do a single grocery run, and every evening the question is already settled.

With Olivi, Olive builds your weekly menu based on your tastes, your budget and your cooking time, then generates your grocery list automatically. You can also draw from our recipes to fill out your plan in a few taps. To go further, read our guide on quick weeknight dinner ideas.