Need quick dinner ideas? Here are some of my family's top favorite recipes and they are all delicious and easy to make!
One place many moms spend their time is in the kitchen. Three meals need to be made every day and a countless number of snacks.
While I love cooking, I also love recipes that don't require me to be in the kitchen the entire day. I'm a busy mom with many other things on my to-do list! I just don't have time to spend hours upon hours cooking. However, my family needs to eat and I'm the one in charge of the food. Luckily, I have quite a few quick dinner ideas for a busy family like ours that I can turn to on those busy weekdays. I can whip up a home cooked meal in just a matter of minutes!
I want to share some of my favorite quick dinner recipes that I love to make and my family loves to eat. These meals are simple but delicious. There is also a good range of variety among these recipes so you can make them all in a week without ever growing tired of eating the same type of foods.
I know that you will adore these easy meals perfect for those busy weeknights! You will also love how quickly you can make dinner and then get back to your other mom duties!
8 Quick Dinner Ideas
Sheet Pan Chicken with Artichokes and Potatoes
Sheet pan meals are simply amazing. All you need is one rimmed sheet pan to make an entire meal. No mess, no pile of dishes to scrub, just one, simple pan to create an entire dinner. It is like a dream come true.
My sheet pan is made with chicken breasts, marinated artichoke hearts and fingerling potatoes. It is a complete meal with sides and everything! I season the dish with garlic powder, thyme, lemon, salt and pepper. You probably have everything you need to make this meal in your kitchen already! It will only take about 5 minutes to prep and dinner will be in the oven, baking to perfection.
Shrimp and Veggie Foil Packs
Baking shrimp and veggies in foil packs is simple and delicious. Anyone can make this meal, even the most novice chef. However, the amazing blend of flavors will taste like the dinner was made by a professional chef!
Raw shrimp is placed on top of a large piece of foil. Zucchini, squash, green beans, corn, peppers and onions are added to the foil. The mix is seasoned and then everything is sealed inside the foil to bake. The food steams inside the foil, keeping it juicy and tender as it cooks. This is a super healthy, easy meal that is quick to prepare. You'll love this one for sure!
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
I absolutely love using my air fryer. It makes foods crispy without using a lot of oil and cooks quickly. Pop some chicken wings in the air fryer and you will have a drool worthy dinner in just minutes.
I love making my air fryer chicken wings on Friday nights when the long week is finally over. A little garlic powder, some salt and pepper and a touch of oil is all you need! Everyone in my family picks their favorite dipping sauce and we sit down to enjoy a nice, end of the week meal. Add a quick side salad or some air fryer french fries for a complete, simple meal!
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
There is nothing quite as welcoming as a big Italian meal during a busy week. My whole family looks forward to these chicken parmesan meatballs and I don't mind making them! They are easy, tasty and very hearty. No one leaves the table hungry after this dinner!
I use ground chicken, bread crumbs and parmesan cheese to make the meatballs. Some simple Italian seasoning and garlic really makes them taste authentic. I boil some spaghetti while the meatballs cook in my favorite jarred sauce. Easy, delicious and filling is what this Italian dinner is all about.
One Pan Garlic Herb Butter Chicken with Potataoes and Asparagus
Here is another one of my favorite one pan meals. The side dishes and main entree all bake together on a simple sheet pan. Sheet pan meals really are the best for busy weeknight dinners!
This recipe begins with a quick garlic butter herb sauce. The sauce is poured over a sheet pan full of chicken breasts, red potatoes and asparagus. The ingredients simmer in the sauce, growing more and more flavorful as they bake. Add some zucchini to the pan or maybe a few bell peppers to switch it up. This is a dinner you will want to make at least once a week!
Thai Red Chicken Curry
Do you like a little spice in your meal? If you said yes, this Thai red chicken curry is for you. That red curry paste packs a whole lot of heat!
While this dish may be nice and a bit spicy, it is also quite flavorful.The blend of ginger, garlic, brown sugar and curry paste mixes perfectly to create an irresistible chicken dish. I like to serve the curry over white rice to make a complete meal. Cook the rice while the surrey is simmering and you will have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.
Chicken Stir Fry
Skip the take out and make your own chicken stir fry instead. I promise that you can make this stir fry recipe even faster than you could order take out!
Don't be fooled by the long list of ingredients in this recipe. You need a lot of ingredients to get that authentic, stir fry flavor but the recipe itself if super simple. All you need to do is measure and mix! The whole meal cooks in one large saute pan and only takes about 20 minutes. Add some microwaved white rice and you will have a restaurant worthy dinner on the table in no time.
Baked Ranch Chicken
Everyone in my family loves ranch seasoning, ranch dressing and really anything ranch flavored and that's how I got the idea to make ranch chicken. Let me tell you, it's always a huge hit in my house!
Chicken breasts are marinated in a homemade, creamy ranch mix. The chicken bakes in a casserole dish for about 25 minutes and then it is ready to enjoy. I like to serve the chicken with veggie fries, roasted potatoes or a simple bowl of creamed corn. Choose your sides but keep that tasty ranch flavor in mind!
Give these quick and easy dinner ideas a try and let me know what you think. I know that at least a few of them will end up in your weekly meal rotation. They are all just so tasty and simple and that is exactly what we busy moms need- easy, yummy meal options that will make our family smile. Let me know which meal you love the best. Enjoy!
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Marysa says
We have been doing a lot of curry lately, since we discovered how easy it is to make! These all sound like great options for busy weeknights.
Sonia Seivwright says
This is perfect for me and my family. I'm saving them.
Danielle says
These are all great and quick recipes for busy families.
vidya says
Love these ideas and I will try them out, except will be substituting the chicken/shrimp with vegetarian options (most likely tofu!)
Charina Rasing says
It's always hard to think of dinner ideas for the family. Thanks to this posts I got some fresh recipes.
Dana says
These recipes look perfect for busy families. I really like how you put the whole meal on one sheet. We're going to try the shrimp and veggies in the foil pack tonight because we just bought some shrimp!
Ashley Thompson says
The spring months are insanely busy for our family with soccer, speech and debate, and plays. I love a great quick meal for crazy nights!
Katie C says
So many good recipes here! I'm going to try that baked ranch chicken!
Mich Ni says
All the recipe listed looked amazing. I want to try the Baked Ranch Chicken for dinner tonight. For sure they'll love it.
Autumn Murray says
All of these recipes look delicious and easy to make. Just pinned them all to make later. Thank you.
Fransic verso says
I would love to try the chicken curry. It taste really good but haven't tried a lot haha.
Neely Moldovan says
You had me at quick! Always need quick, yummy and healthy ideas!
Abida says
These 8 Quick Dinner Recipes & Ideas for Busy Families are looking really delicious. Loved all these ideas
Marysa says
I have been in a meal rut lately and will have to give these a try. Springtime always gets so busy and it is nice to have some ideas.
Beth says
I'll have to share these with my son, he loves chicken!
Brianna says
Such great recipes! I'm saving this because I'm all about easy!
Elizabeth Neas says
So many terrific recipes. I love quick and easy recipes and to have eight to use would be a week and a half worth of recipes I could have all lined up. Thank you!
Millie says
Great quick dinner options! I'll be trying a couple of these recipes this week! First up will be the baked ranch chicken!
April says
All of these look fantastic! I’m definitely going to add the chicken Parmesan meatballs to my grocery list this week!
Richelle Milar says
Wow! These are all really amazing and very deliciously looking recipes! I love all of these!
briannemanzb says
I'm always looking for quick and easy recipes for busy nights. The Chicken Parmesan Meatballs is my favorite.
Claudia says
I'd love to try all these quick and easy recipes! I'm having busy night these days and this is what I need
Alita says
This is so helpful for super busy families. Quick recipes are what we need!
Tweenselmom says
Thanks for this! That curry is really calling me.
Heather says
I'm all about quick dinners, especially during the week. I can't wait to try them all.
Kathy says
These are all amazing recipes. They look delicious. I absolutely love sheet pan recipes. I will have to give that one a try.
Anne Marie says
The shrimp and veggie foil pack would be a great Lenten meal. Thanks for the ideas!
Eileen M Loya says
I like recipes that are quick and easy to make. These dinner recipes will definitely be in my meal plan soon. I would start with that shrimp and veggie foil packs.
Tara Pittman says
Thanks for the ideas for meals. These will be great for busy nights.
Beth says
I'm bookmarking this post. I'm so busy, and getting dinner on the table can sometimes be a hassle. This is great!
Forever My Little Moon says
I love easy and quick recipes! I'll have to try making some of these for dinner!
Tammy says
I adore sheet pan dinners now and make them often. Easy clean up too.
Amber Myers says
Everything looks amazing. I am all about quick recipes. I will keep these in mind.