Easy recipe ideas: 25 simple everyday meals

What makes a recipe easy?

A recipe is called easy when anyone can pull it off without special technique. In practice, it meets these criteria:

• Few ingredients: 5 to 8, easy to find at the store
• Few steps: ideally fewer than five
• A single pot or sheet pan where possible (less dishwashing)
• A short total time: 30 minutes or less
• Basic techniques: sauté, roast, simmer

Easy chicken recipes

Chicken cooks fast and goes with almost anything. A few easy recipe ideas:

• Chicken and broccoli stir-fry, garlic-soy sauce
• Baked chicken breasts, lemon and herbs
• One-pot chicken and rice
• Chicken wraps, lettuce and spicy yogurt
• Quick chicken curry in coconut milk

Easy ground meat recipes

Cheap and versatile, ground meat (beef, pork, turkey) is the ally of busy nights:

• Beef chow mein (beef, vegetables, soy sauce)
• Quick meatloaf muffins
• Quick spaghetti sauce
• Korean beef rice bowl (simplified bibimbap)
• Ground turkey patties and salad

Easy veggie recipes (tofu, legumes)

Without meat, it stays quick and filling thanks to tofu and legumes, already cooked in the can:

• Crispy baked tofu and roasted vegetables
• 20-minute black bean chili
• Roasted chickpea and spinach pasta
• Red lentil dahl in coconut milk
• Bean and avocado tacos

Easy slow cooker recipes

The slow cooker is the simplest tool there is: drop the ingredients in the morning, dinner is ready in the evening. Ideal on busy days:

• Pulled chicken with taco seasoning
• Beef and root vegetable stew
• Lentil and vegetable meal soup
• Tender slow cooker ribs

Easy and quick desserts

To finish the meal without pulling out the stand mixer:

• Baked cinnamon apples
• Chocolate mug cake (2 minutes in the microwave)
• Yogurt, fruit and granola
• Berry crumble

How to simplify any recipe

A recipe too long? Swap the rare ingredients for pantry classics, skip the decorative steps, and use unapologetic shortcuts: frozen vegetables, canned legumes, store-bought dough.

The simplest of all is not having to search at all: with Olivi, Olive suggests easy recipes suited to your time and your pantry, then builds your grocery list automatically. You can also explore our recipes to find inspiration at a glance, or aim for 5-ingredient, 15-minute recipes on busy nights.