During the week one of my biggest stressors everyday is figuring out what we are going to eat for dinner. Sometimes I am in the mood and have time to make a dinner that has a lot of prep, but most of the time this isn’t the case. I know as moms we are usually juggling the kids after school schedule, work, chores and preparing for the next day. It is so much easier to pick up some take out or fast food, but I want to help you save a little and be healthier. These 6 easy weeknight dinner ideas are some of the most popular on the site. Bonus they won’t have you taking a lot of time in the kitchen.
Pasta Primavera Easy Weeknight Dinner
It is spring time, so this easy weeknight dinner is perfect for those fresh vegetables you have in your fridge or garden. Traditional pasta primavera recipe uses angel hair pasta, peas, roma tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. In my pasta primavera recipe I skipped the peas and substituted the angel hair pasta for tricolor rotini. The idea is to make it hearty without a protein, so lots of vegetables, including, broccoli, squash, zuchinni, sweet peppers, onions and shallots. If you can’t go without the meat, feel free to include chicken or shrimp or even a plant based meat.
Shrimp Scampi Pasta
Sticking with the pasta theme, because we love pasta in my family. I move on to shrimp scampi pasta with vegetables of course. You will see it is a theme that I incorporate some kind of vegetables in my dishes because it is very important. I made the scampi sauce myself with butter and garlic, but you can always buy the pre-made sauce from the store. Also in the post you will see I offer suggestions of how to make it without the pasta but still an easy weeknight dinner. Feel free to put your own twist on this recipe.
Easy Weeknight Chicken Wings
If you and your family are meat eaters then I know you like chicken wings. I put these herb and spice chicken wings in the oven so all I have to do is season and flip. I call them herb and spice because I seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, meat rub and oregano. Even better I used already cut frozen, thawed out, chicken wings. For this meal you can easily make a steam bag of vegetables in the microwave for a side, and boil in bag rice.
Sheet Pan Roasted Sausage and Veggies
This easy weeknight dinner only takes about 10 minutes of prep which is great. For the sheet pan roasted sausage and veggies the oven does most of the work for you. We are not pork eaters in this house so I used turkey sausage but I think I might make it again with chicken sausage. Use whatever meat you like. To make it even simpler I use frozen vegetables, 1 fresh zucchini and gold potatoes. All you have to do is slice the sausage, put it in a bowl with the vegetables, season them and put them in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Done, plus it is an easy clean up.
Easy Weeknight Dinner: Chili
On this blog I have two chili recipes. A vegan chili recipe made with Beyond meat and a turkey chili recipe. Now most people consider chili to be a good food for the colder months, but I promise you can eat it year round. In my opinion it is like macaroni and cheese, (which is a good side for chili), a feel good food. For both of these recipes I used some of the same ingredients. Among those were canned corn, garlic, chili beans, crushed tomatoes, peppers and seasonings. The main difference is the meat. With the vegan one I simmered it in the pot on the stove with the turkey one I used the slow cooker. I think both ways work for both recipes. It is an easy weeknight dinner that just requires cooking the meat then dumping everything in to blend.
Beyond Burger
Making a burger and fries at home will save you a lot more money and be healthier than picking up one from your favorite fast food spot or restaurant. Beyond Burgers are a pretty good meat alternative and are not soy based. I elevate the Beyond Burger in this recipe using delicious seasonings and good toppings. The thing that makes this an easy weeknight dinner is that the burger already comes formed and ready to place on the grill or pan. If you aren’t into plant-based meats then I suggest buying a pre-formed meat burger and trying the same seasonings and toppings on them.
4 thoughts on “6 Easy Weeknight Dinner Ideas”
Thank you for the suggestions. I cooked pasta with pesto and vegetables. The simplicity made me feel a sense of accomplishment. Check by that…dinner is done!
Yes, pasta is always a go to for quick and easy. Thanks for sharing!