Food News and Trends Trends 25 Top-Rated Dinner Ideas Guaranteed to Save Your Weeknights Find an easy answer to "What's for dinner?" By Diana Moutsopoulos Diana Moutsopoulos Diana Moutsopoulos is a food writer, recipe developer, Greek cuisine expert, and an Editorial Director at Allrecipes. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Published on November 15, 2023 Close Photo: DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS We've all had those evenings: It's 5pm and someone asks, "What's for dinner?" — it could even be you asking yourself in your head! It shouldn't be such a hard question to answer, but we all know that there are those times where your mind draws a complete blank. That's why we've rounded up 25 no-fuss, crowd-pleasing dinner ideas to save yourself that mental labor any night of the week! These top-rated recipes are all guaranteed delicious and have the reviews to prove it. 01 of 25 Quick and Easy Chicken Spaghetti View Recipe Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "Delicious!! A nice twist to chicken spaghetti! I added mushrooms, onions, garlic and cilantro as my veggies, used skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead chicken breast and Mexican blend Monterrey shredded cheese instead of the process cheese. It turned really creamy and delicious." —Evelyn Cordero 02 of 25 Stuffed Pepper Soup View Recipe DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS "Great recipe without all the work. And flavors you can add or subtract. I added kale, garlic and carrots... And tonight I’m serving rice on the side... This is my go to recipe year round. Delish!" —Livin the dream 03 of 25 Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs View Recipe naples34102 "Simple and super savory! I've never made ribs before, so I love it when my first try is a success. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Norah!" —Candaceabc Best Vinegar Coleslaw 04 of 25 Simple Beef Stroganoff View Recipe DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS "I've cooked this recipe twice now. The first time, it needed more seasoning. This time, I added a packet of onion soup mix. My whole family is in love! I have three meat eaters and one pescatarian. I made his exactly same way (with exception of the ground beef). Instead I used a 1 lb block of [plant based] beef. He especially went crazy over it. I've never seen a plate stacked so high with food. HE ATE EVERY BITE!" —Heather J Tedrick 05 of 25 Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos View Recipe Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "This is the easiest way imaginable to make moist, flavorful shredded chicken. I forgot to thaw the meat, so I tossed in frozen chicken instead, and it still turned out perfectly. This is my new go-to for taco night!" —Lori Bennett Homemade Flour Tortillas 06 of 25 Italian Wedding Soup View Recipe DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS "Made this tonight and it was WONDERFUL! The broth had a great flavor and the soup itself was nice and light." —Pat-Perry Baked Sweet Potatoes 07 of 25 Homemade Beef Stew View Recipe humblepieliving "Excellent recipe that you can easily tweak based on your tastes. The second time I made it I added some chopped peppers that went together well with all the other ingredients. Thanks for the recipe." —Loren Buttered Noodles 08 of 25 Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto View Recipe DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS "Simple, easy recipe that delivers a delicious result. I followed everything except I used sprigs of thyme instead of rosemary because that's what I had. This is definitely a keeper, thank you for this great labor saving and delicious recipe." —codemasterg Butternut Squash Risotto 09 of 25 Rosemary Braised Lamb Shanks View Recipe patrick "Restaurant quality!! Everyone was blown away by how delicious this was. The only thing I did differently was add a little cornstarch slurry to the pot at the end to help thicken the sauce." —Patty Preston Anderson Basic Mashed Potatoes 10 of 25 Million Dollar Spaghetti View Recipe Baking Nana "I love making baked spaghetti and am always looking for different recipes to enhance the flavors. This is spot on! The cream cheese brings out a rich and creamy flavor while the pasta sauce gives it a real zing! One thing I did differently is that I mixed my pasta noodles in with the cream cheese, cottage cheese & sour cream. This is a delightful dish that can feed a small family or a large gathering!" —Lucky 11 of 25 Oven Fried Chicken View Recipe DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS "This has been in the regular winter dinner rotation at my house for a few years now. I use a combo of drumsticks and thighs and sometimes add a little more spice, but the chicken always comes out juicy and delicious!" —JamieCooks Green Beans Almondine 12 of 25 Air Fryer Meatloaf View Recipe "It was quick and easy to make. I had all the requested ingredients for it and it came out great. Meatloaf is one of my husband’s favorite things to eat and I love anything that I can do in our air fryer." —Iamj0eysgurl Baked Sweet Potatoes 13 of 25 Chicken and Stuffing Casserole View Recipe DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS "I’ve made this a couple of times following the recipe exactly. This is a well written recipe and the measurements are perfect for my taste. This is pure comfort food - nothing fancy, and it tastes great. Pretty easy to throw this baby together too, rotisserie chicken, canned soup and boxed stuffing." —ibscarry 14 of 25 Cheeseburger Soup View Recipe DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS "I've been making this recipe for years and it's one of my family's favorites. I make it as written with the exception of beef broth instead of chicken broth. Love it!" —teacher2 Wisconsin Native's Beer Cheese Soup 15 of 25 Chicken Milanese View Recipe naples34102 "Super simple recipe! I used panko instead of regular bread crumbs and served it [with] arugula on top with balsamic vinaigrette and shaved Parmesan! Delicious." —drbrn Easy Arugula Salad 16 of 25 Juicy Roasted Chicken View Recipe Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "Made this recipe as written and the chicken was moist and delicious. This recipe was a keeper. I made mashed potatoes to go with and I used the juices from the chicken to make the mashed potatoes! Delicious!" —L Jackson Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup 17 of 25 Perfect Flat Iron Steak View Recipe mommyluvs2cook "I'm a Texas boy and I've eaten nothing but grilled steaks my whole life. I was really unsure about the marinade and pan frying a steak but decided to take a gamble. Boy, was I surprised, the steaks turned out tender and juicy with the perfect flavor to accent the great taste of the meat... If you are looking for a restaurant quality steak without having to own a grill, this is it. 5 stars all the way." —Robb M. 18 of 25 White Bean Chicken Chili View Recipe DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS "Hubs and I loved this for an easy dinner. I used canned chicken breast. Don't skip the tomatillios. They make the dish. I also topped with fresh avocado. Delish!" —Young45 Easy White Chicken Chili 19 of 25 Grandma's Hamburger Casserole View Recipe Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "Just like my grandmother use to make. I changed nothing in the recipe and the family loved it. Thank you for sharing this recipe and bringing back so many memories of my grandparents. Was a go to when we stayed overnight with them." —KonaDog 20 of 25 Perfect Ten Baked Cod View Recipe DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS "My husband and I both give this one a thumbs up! I made it exactly as per the recipe and cooked it as instructed. It is delicious and easy to prepare. I served it with risotto and a Caesar salad and it was a really nice dinner." —Mary Cedar Planked Salmon 21 of 25 Baked Potato Soup View Recipe westsidesaint "Followed the recipe to a tee, only addition was 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Absolutely the best!" —tedd5474 22 of 25 Homemade Smash Burgers View Recipe Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "Excellent! From now on, this will be the only way I'll make burgers! Smashing is definitely the best way to do burgers!" —BILL Baked Sweet Potato Fries 23 of 25 Chicken Marbella View Recipe Allrecipes Magazine "This dish is delicious and will definitely be on heavy rotation! It looks and smells amazing, and will impress your guests. The best part is that it looks like you spent all day cooking, but is really easy to make (don't even have to chop anything)." —Moraa Andima 24 of 25 Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole View Recipe "My family loved it! I'll be making this again. Followed advice and just stirred pasta and ingredients together and threw into baking dish." —Debbie Homemade Ranch Dressing 25 of 25 Classic Minestrone Soup View Recipe "I was in the U.S. Navy and lived in Italy for a total of 5 years. Minestrone is a staple and I learned that you can put just about anything in it. I omitted the beans and pasta but added sliced Italian sweet sausage (cooked and sliced, of course) and baby spinach. Fresh sliced mushrooms, too. Served with hunks of sourdough bread. Mmmm. Just like being in Italy." —johnbentz Super Fluffy Breadsticks More Dinner Inspiration 20 Easy 5-Ingredient Casseroles to Save Time and Money 18 Easy One-Pot Meals Ready in Less Than an Hour Browse and save more recipes Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit