15 Quick and easy dinner recipes for busy nights

Delicious meals do not require a 3-hour-long recipe. Sometimes quick and easy dinner recipes hit the right spot after a long day of work. Here are a few dinner recipes you can follow if you are feeling lazy or tired. We have compiled a list of recipes that will not even take 30 minutes to dish up.

1) Chicken rice bowl

For this chicken rice bowl meal, all you need is chicken, rice, broth, onion, bell peppers, your choice of vegetables, and some herbs. All you have to do is cook the rice in the broth according to pack instructions. At the same time sauté the onions and bell peppers on another pan. After three minutes, add the chicken, vegetables, and herbs in the pan. After four to five minutes, add in the rice and stir well.

2) 3-ingredient pasta

For the 3-ingredient pasta, all you need is pasta, a readymade pasta sauce, and some cream cheese. This pasta is a popular recipe on TikTok. To make this meal, boil your pasta and heat your sauce and cream cheese in another pan. When your pasta is ready, mix them together and enjoy.

3) Trader Joe's Mandarin orange chicken

You will need a small onion, garlic, rice vinegar, soy sauce, Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken, water, and vegetable oil. Sauté the onion and garlic on a wok or pan till soft and then add the chicken and stir together. Use the remaining sauce from the Orange Chicken pack and heat it in another pan. Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and water in a small bowl and then pour it over the chicken. After this, you can add in the orange chicken sauce and serve your chicken on hot rice.

4) Lemon Basil Salmon

This dinner recipe will take you less than 15 minutes. All you need is 2 salmon fillets, butter, fresh basil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Place the salmon fillets on a grill on medium heat. Mix the butter, basil, lemon juice, and salt, and then slather it on the fillets. Seal this preparation in a foil and place it over a grill for 10 to 15 minutes.

5) Chicken, rice, and beans

You will need some chicken breasts, beans, rice, corn, salsa, spices, oil, and cilantro. Season the chicken using your preferred spices and fry it in a pan. Mix the corn and beans in a pan and stir-fry them for a few minutes. Serve the chicken on the rice with a side of salsa, rice and beans.

6) Pork fried rice

To make this pork fried rice dinner recipe, you need any cut of pork that you like, cold rice, eggs, oil, soy sauce, and veggies of your choice. Stir fry the veggies in a pan break an egg on the same pan and cook till it is done. Add the cold rice to this mix and keep stirring. Lastly, add in the soy sauce for a bit of color and flavor.

7) Spinach and apple salad

You will need bacon, vinegar, brown sugar, baby spinach, and apples. First, you need to cook the bacon until it is crispy. Keep them aside and use a little bit of the fat to bring the brown sugar and vinegar to a boil. Mix the spinach and the apples in another bowl and pour the warm dressing on your salad.

8) Ramen

You can use any ramen brand that you like for this dinner recipe. Boil the ramen in a pot of water according to the packet instructions. Add the seasonings and sauces, according to your liking. You can even add a boiled or poached egg to your ramen along with your favorite garnishes.

9) Tuna salad

To make this tuna salad dinner recipe, you will need drained and flaked tuna, red onion, parsley, dil, thyme, pepper, mayonnaise, sour cream, and preferred vegetables. Combine the tuna, red onion, parsley, dil, thyme, and pepper in a bowl. Do the same with the mayo and sour cream, then add the tuna to this mix. Plate the tuna on top of your preferred vegetable salad.

10) Chickpea tacos

You will need taco shells, pre-mixed seasoning, drained and rinsed chickpeas, and water. Cook the chickpeas over medium heat then add water and seasoning to add flavor. After it is cooked, mash the chickpeas and fill it in the taco shells. This dinner recipe is quick and easy to make.

11) Dollar Store dinner

For your dollar store dinner, you can head to any departmental store and grab a pack of your favorite mashed potatoes and beef stew. We recommend Bob Evans' original mashed potatoes and Dinty Moore's beef stew. All you have to do is follow the instructions given on the meal packets to enjoy a quick and hearty dinner.

12) Sausages and veggies

We have another quick and easy dinner recipe for you to follow. All you need are some sausages and your choice of vegetables. Stir fry the vegetables in one pan to your liking and in another pan cook the sausages. After it is done, chop the sausages into one-bite pieces and mix it with your veggies, and you're done!

13) Air-fried pork chops

For this dinner recipe, all you need is an air fryer and your favorite pork chops. You can get the Pork Center Cut Loin Chops Boneless Family Pack, which is available at Walmart or any other brand you prefer. Preheat the air fryer and then pop them in for a good 5 to 6 minutes. Make sure you keep checking so they don't burn.

14) Chicken cutlets

You will need chicken breasts, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, buttermilk, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Flatten the chicken and then coat it in the bread crumbs. After this, you can add some oil to the skillet and pan-fry your chicken cutlets.

15) Caesar salad

On lazy nights, toss up a Caesar salad. You will need Romaine lettuce, croutons, chicken, parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, pepper, and garlic. For the dressing, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, and pepper. Mix the rest of the ingredients for your salad in a bowl. The last step is pouring the dressing over your salad and mixing it well.