Recipes Everyday Cooking Quick and Easy Main Dishes 27 Most-Reviewed 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 Updated on November 7, 2024 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 when your mind draws a complete blank. That's why we've rounded up 27 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 27 Sheet Pan Tomato Soup Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "A cozy and easy tomato soup!" —Jasmine Smith Sheet Pan Tomato Soup 02 of 27 Sheet Pan General Tso's Chicken and Broccoli Nicole Russell "This sheet pan General Tso’s chicken and broccoli is for those days when you need a shortcut—chicken nuggets to the rescue! Nuggets and broccoli roast together on a sheet pan, then are tossed with a sweet, spicy, savory sauce. Serve over rice sprinkled with sliced green onions and sesame seeds." —Nicole Russell View Recipe 03 of 27 Quick and Easy Chicken Spaghetti 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 View Recipe 04 of 27 Stuffed Pepper Soup 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 View Recipe 05 of 27 Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs 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 View Recipe 06 of 27 Simple Beef Stroganoff 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 View Recipe 07 of 27 Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos 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 View Recipe 08 of 27 Italian Wedding Soup 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 View Recipe 09 of 27 Homemade Beef Stew 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 View Recipe 10 of 27 Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto 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 View Recipe 11 of 27 Braised Lamb Shanks 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 View Recipe 12 of 27 Million Dollar Spaghetti 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 View Recipe 13 of 27 Oven-Fried Chicken 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 View Recipe 14 of 27 Air Fryer Meatloaf "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 View Recipe 15 of 27 Chicken and Stuffing Casserole 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 View Recipe 16 of 27 Cheeseburger Soup 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 View Recipe 17 of 27 Chicken Milanese 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 View Recipe 18 of 27 Juicy Roasted Chicken 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 View Recipe 19 of 27 Perfect Flat Iron Steak 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. View Recipe 20 of 27 White Bean Chicken Chili 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 View Recipe 21 of 27 Grandma's Hamburger Casserole 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 View Recipe 22 of 27 Perfect Ten Baked Cod 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 View Recipe 23 of 27 Baked Potato Soup westsidesaint "Followed the recipe to a tee, only addition was 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Absolutely the best!" —tedd5474 View Recipe 24 of 27 Smash Burgers 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 Smash Burgers 25 of 27 Chicken Marbella 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 View Recipe 26 of 27 Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole "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 View Recipe 27 of 27 Classic Minestrone Soup "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 View Recipe 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