We won’t sugarcoat it: Life often feels like a juggling act. You leave work already thinking about tomorrow’s project, plus you can’t forget about that event on Thursday, and…oh yeah, you need an easy dinner idea for tonight. You also envision the sofa. (It’s so plush, so comfy.)
So what will it be? Crank up the stove when you walk through the door, or let someone else take care of the cooking?
Either is fine—no judgment here—but would your decision change if we told you that we’ve already done the work of finding easy meals for you to make? Below, find 59 family-friendly quick dinners ranging from stir-fries to one-pot pastas, sheet-pan meals to Instant Pot soups. These are the best recipes for when you can only put in so much effort—you just might think twice before reaching for the takeout menu.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by D’mytrek Brown
All A’s Spring Salad With Mahi-Mahi
This recipe is the definition of easy dinner idea. We all hear a lot about the “30-minute meal” as a selling point, but this recipe takes even less time: The Dijon-rubbed fish cooks in 10 minutes, the asparagus in four.
