30 Easy Dinners for a Busy Weeknight!

Do you need easy dinner recipes to save your busy evening? We know that feeling: 5 p.m. is coming right in your face, and you still don’t know what to cook, let alone shop! That’s when this handy list of easy dinner ideas comes to the rescue. From air-fried chicken and one-pot pastas to quick Instant Pot soups and salmon rice bowls, we have you covered with 30 easy meals that need less than 30 minutes to prep. Enjoy!

by Nina L. Palmer

Nina L. Palmer

Nina Palmer is a recipe developer and editor for Eatwell101 since 2013. She is passionate about food and culture and specializes in sweet recipes, desserts, baking, as well as developing editorial content.

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Updated Sep 30, 2024

1. Smoked Sausage with Sweet Potato Stir-Fry

This smoked sausage and sweet potato stir-fry is a perfect weeknight dinner idea!
Cooking time: 15 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

2. Honey Garlic Chicken Bites

Honey garlic chicken bites is the easiest dinner to throw together! Make it all in one skillet and let the flavors blow your mind!
Cooking time: 12 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

3. Air Fryer Chicken and Vegetables (Healthy Dinner in 15 minutes!)

This air fryer chicken veggies recipe is super easy to make and full of flavor. Air fryer chicken and vegetables make a complete and healthy low-carb or keto meal in under 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

4. Baked Salmon in Foil with Asparagus and Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

This baked salmon and Asparagus in foil with garlic butter sauce makes for an amazingly tasty dinner. The salmon recipe of your dreams!
Cooking time: 10 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

5. Garlic Butter Shrimp with Broccoli Rice

This shrimp and rice recipe with broccoli comes together in less than 30 minutes for a quick, balanced, and healthy meal. Shrimp and broccoli rice is also perfect for meal prepping!
Cooking time: 15 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

6. Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken and Green Beans Skillet

This one-skillet Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken recipe is a snap to fix. The chicken thighs and green beans are cooked with lemon garlic butter sauce in the same pan. So addicting!
Cooking time: 20 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

7. Instant Pot Keto Tuscan Soup

This Instant Pot Tuscan Soup recipe with Italian sausage is creamy and hearty. You'll enjoy every spoonful of this easy keto soup!
Cooking time: 15 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

8. Garlic Butter Steak and Potatoes Skillet

The best steak and potatoes recipe you'll ever have - Easy to prepare, you'll want to make this flavorful dish a regular in your meal rotation.
Cooking time: 15 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

9. Pepper Steak Stir-Fry

This pepper steak stir-fry recipe is a restaurant-quality beef stir-fry you can make in less than 20 minutes, using simple and fresh ingredients.
Cooking time: 10 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

10. Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

This broccoli cauliflower soup recipe is healthy comfort food at its finest!
Cooking time: 15 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

11. Healthy Chicken Pasta Salad with Avocado, Tomato, and Basil 

Healthy chicken pasta salad is packed with flavor, protein and veggies. Try this pasta salad recipe for a quick lunch or a light dinner!
Cooking time: 10 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

12. Creamy Chicken Soup with Pasta and Spinach

This creamy chicken pasta soup is nutritious, easy and big on flavor. Try our chicken pasta soup recipe tonight, it's done in less than 30 minutes!
Cooking time: 25 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

13. Creamy Garlic Chicken with Spinach and Bacon

This Creamy garlic chicken recipe with spinach and bacon is rich, creamy, and hearty - everyone will love it!
Cooking time: 25 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

14. Garlic Butter Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

Quick, Healthy dinner with Garlic Butter chicken and cauliflower rice — The ultimate gluten free/low carb dinner.
Cooking time: 20 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

15. Beef Pasta in Tomato Sauce {Beef Ragu Pasta}

Ground beef pasta recipe is so delicious and so comforting! Everything is cooked in one pot - Everyone will love this easy pasta dish!
Cooking time: 20 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

16. Healthy Avocado Chicken Salad

This avocado chicken salad recipe is light, flavorful, and easy to make - Perfect Healthy salad recipe for your next barbecue or potluck!
Cooking time: 6 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

17. Baked Turkey Meatballs

This Baked Turkey meatball recipe is incredibly simple to make and perfect for family dinners, meal prepping, or feeding a crowd.!
Cooking time: 20 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

18. One Pan Shrimp and Asparagus

Easy and flavorful, buttery garlic-y shrimp and asparagus are ready in 20 minutes. The whole family will beg for seconds on this one!
Cooking time: 10 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

19. Garlic Parmesan Chicken Bake

Our quick and simple garlic parmesan chicken is bursting with delicious flavor and sure to become a new favorite. Try this baked chicken Parmesan recipe for a quick weekday meal!
Cooking time: 15 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

20. Baked Chicken Bites with Asparagus

These oven-baked chicken bites recipe with asparagus are quick to make and don’t require any frying. The chicken bites are so juicy, tender, and delicious you’ll eat them hot right off the sheet pan!
Cooking time: 25 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

21. Garlic Shrimp Skillet

Juicy garlic shrimp is the most easiest and big flavor packed shrimp! Ready in under 15 minutes, garlic shrimp is an extra quick, very simple, to throw together meal that can be served over anything! This healthy shrimp dish is sure to join your weekend dinner rotation.
Cooking time: 10 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

22. Garlic Butter Chicken and Potatoes Skillet

This garlic butter chicken and potatoes skillet is the easiest and tastiest weeknight dinner - One skillet for amazing flavors!
Cooking time: 20 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

23. Tomato Spinach Sausage Pasta Recipe

This sausage pasta dinner recipe is crazy delicious and only 30 minutes or less of work! One of the best sausage pasta recipe ever!
Cooking time: 20 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

24. Butternut Lentil Stew

This butternut lentil Stew in creamy coconut sauce is an excellent plant-based dinner for just about any night of the week!
Cooking time: 25 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

25. Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas

Sheet pan shrimp fajitas make an easy weeknight dinner that tastes amazing. Make this baked shrimp fajita recipe once and you'll make it over and over!
Cooking time: 10 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

26. Tomato Zucchini Shrimp Pasta

This zucchini tomato shrimp pasta recipe is a perfect weeknight dinner. You can make the shrimp pasta in less than 30 minutes and everyone loves it!
Cooking time: 20 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

27. Garlic Butter Chicken Bites with Lemon Asparagus

This chicken bites and asparagus recipe is a winner for dinnertime. So much flavor and so easy to throw together!
Cooking time: 20 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

28. Easy Salmon Rice Bowl

This tasty salmon rice bowl makes for a satisfying lunch or dinner and takes only 5 minutes to put together. It's so good, you'll be making the salmon rice bowl recipe on repeat!
Cooking time: 5 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

29. Baked Zucchini and Cheese

Baked zucchini and cheese is an easy side dish made in 30 minutes. If you're looking for the perfect balance of crispy and cheesy, this cheesy zucchini bake is for you!
Cooking time: 30 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

30. Garlic Butter Air Fryer Salmon

Garlic Butter Air Fryer Salmon is so simple and delicious! Marinated salmon fillets gets super crisp with the air-frying method, and yet gives you that juicy, flaky flesh just like in restaurants.
Cooking time: 10 minView recipe >> Save to recipe box

Have you made any of these dinner recipes? Please share on your social media using our hashtag #eatwell101!