Had a crazy busy day, and now somehow it’s already dinnertime and you’ve got NO plan for what to eat? If you’ve got more important things easy and fast dinner think about than what’s for dinner, let us help take some of those decisions off your plate. The best thing about these recipes is that they can be made for any occasion, any night of the week.
Making a quick, casual meal before heading out for the evening? When everything cooks together, everyone wins. The chicken finishes cooking in the sauce with the gnocchi, making it the easiest comfort meal ever. Get the Caprese Chicken Saltimbocca recipe. In our attempt to copy the fan favorite from PF. Get the Copycat Chicken Lettuce Wraps recipe. A longtime favorite of Delish readers, this savory-sweet salmon never disappoints.
Hot tip: Let the fillets cook undisturbed for a few minutes. That and super high heat is how you get that delicious crust here. Get the Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon recipe. We love a classic lasagna, but it can be a lot of work. This easy skillet version has everything we love about the original—including the frilly-edged long noodles—but without the confusing layering steps!
Get the Tricolore Skillet Lasagna recipe. Obviously roasting a block of feta with bursting tomatoes is going to be amazing. It’s genius—super easy, but fancy enough for date night. Get the Baked Feta Pasta recipe. This dinner is the perfect fix for a busy weeknight. Only 5 ingredients and 1 skillet and you’re on your way! Allowing the shrimp some time to marinate adds an extra layer of flavor to really make those 5 ingredients stretch.
But DON’T let that stop the imagination from flowing—just like you can swap the ingredients, you can add more as well. Though typically made using beef, we subbed in seitan to create a deliciously filling vegan meal. Get the Seitan Lomo Saltado recipe. When it comes to chicken breast recipes, it’s hard to beat this one. The sauce is simple, but so flavorful, thanks to garlic, tomatoes, and most importantly, cream. It’s a great fall dinner whether you’re craving comfort food or need something to serve to guests. Get the Creamy Tuscan Chicken recipe.
Absolutely necessary for our recipe, though: fish sauce. It’s easy to find at nearly every grocery store, and it adds an unbeatable punch of umami goodness. For best results use extra-firm tofu that has been frozen so it can absorb flavors more readily, and simmer the tofu in salted water briefly to make it hardier and less likely to crumble when jostled in the pan. It is an extra step, but trust us, it’s worth it. A dish this easy and good doesn’t come along everyday. It’s creamy and spicy with all of the comfort and ease you crave for a weeknight dinner. Get the One-Pan Cajun Orzo with Sausage recipe.
Making a whole recipe on one sheet pan is perfect for meal prepping. Get the Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas recipe. What’s better than a tray of nachos? Don’t worry, though, a couple cans of chopped green chiles cut the richness of all that cheese. Get the Sheet-Pan Green Chile Chicken Nachos recipe.
When we crave steak, this dish is always at the top of our list. It comes together quickly and is so full of flavor, plus the steak makes it feel extra special. Get the Creamy Steak Fettuccine recipe. Get the Sheet Pan Pineapple Shrimp Tacos recipe. Get the Shrimp Scampi Pasta recipe. There’s definitely more than one way to make a chicken salad sandwich, but this is our favorite— green apple, red onion, and celery add crunch, while mustard, mayo, and red wine vinegar add creaminess with the perfect amount of tang. Get the Chicken Salad Sandwich recipe.
These two ingredients are usually thought of as small components to a dish but in this pasta recipe, they take center stage. Get the Cacio e Pepe recipe. All the spicy, garlicky flavors of your favorite falafel sandwich get deconstructed and stuffed inside bell peppers. Get the Falafel Chickpea Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers recipe. Oh, chicken alfredo: It’s the classic pseudo-Italian pasta we just can’t seem to get enough of.
Get the One-Pot Chicken Alfredo recipe. This is the best creamy and bright vodka sauce any of us in the test kitchen have ever had. Tomato paste has a more concentrated flavor, and texture-wise, it makes for a smoother, almost velvety sauce. BTW, you can swap penne for other similarly shaped pastas, like the rigatoni shown here. Get the Penne Alla Vodka recipe.
The beauty about grain bowls is that they’re infinitely adaptable. And this is certainly true for Buddha bowls! You can roast just about any veggie, use any number of toppings and it’ll taste amazing in this recipe. The only thing we might insist you must keep on the bowl is the peanut dressing—it’s truly incredible.