Quick And Easy Weeknight Dinners For Two

In light of the season, I thought it would be helpful to pull together a collection of my quick and easy weeknight dinner recipes for all those hectic week nights.

Easy chicken fajitas (made on a sheet pan) – easy recipe, perfect for busy weeknights. Top with guacamole or sour cream to take it to the next level.

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Mahi Mahi tacos are a flavorful, fun and fast dinner that is perfect for Taco Tuesday, or any night you need a fast and delicious meal.

Easy Weeknight Dinner: Cheesy Buns

This simplebaked chicken breast reciperesults in the juiciest, flavorful, most delicious chicken breasts that you will make over and over. Serve with a couple of simple sides for a simple, wholesome dinner.

Air fryer steak is a fast and convenient way to cook a steak, and you won’t believe how tender and juicy it is. Make it in 20 minutes or less!

Instant Pot spaghetti – we make this allllll the time, and I love that it cooks all in one pot! It is my go-to easy weeknight dinner, and my fast-food alternative that I always keep in my back pocket.

Quick And Easy Recipes

Shrimp fried rice is a fast and delicious main meal that you can make at home, and it is better than what you can get in a restaurant. This recipe uses Tamari in place of soy sauce, which makes it gluten free.

Taco soup – I include instructions for stovetop, Instant Pot and slow cooker. Such a gem of a recipe that we literally eat over and over.

Halibut one pan dinner with asparagus, red pepper and summer squash – you could make this with many other types of fish. This makes an easy meal that cooks all on one pan.

Weight Loss Dinner Recipes For Super Busy Weeknights

Chicken burrito bowls – truly better than Chipotle, and super easy to make. Top with a squeeze of lime and a side of tortilla chips.

Chicken fried rice – I have gotten tons of great feedback on this one. Super delicious, and it cooks all in one pan. So much tastier than take-out! And make it in less time than it takes to pick up take out.

Tortellini soup – cooks all in one pot, and it super satisfying! I use cheese tortellini, which makes this a vegetarian recipe.

Insanely Easy Weeknight Dinner Ideas For Two

Blackened mahi mahi is a fast and flavorful main dish that is perfect for weeknight family dinners. I make this in my beloved cast iron skillet. Any skillet will work though!

One pan chicken dinner – oldie but goodie! And it cooks all on one sheet pan. Great if you are looking for chicken breast options.

Lemon chicken orzo soup – also a recent recipe. I make it with store-bought rotisserie chicken, and it is great for boosting the immune system.

Easy Family Dinner Ideas For Busy Weeknights • The Wicked Noodle

Pasta e fagioli soup – such a delicious, hearty soup, and you can make it on the stovetop or in your Instant Pot.loves being cooked for, and it truly is the thought that counts. But what do you do if you're more beginner than sous chef? We've got you: all these beginner-friendly date night recipes are a slight step above usual fare while still being totally achievable by even the most novice of home cooks. A tried-and-true recipe can really save the evening, and we're pretty sure all of these recipes (which include chicken, steak, and pasta dinners) will become your new favorite weekly staples. Get inspired with our list of 80 dinners for two—we know you’ll turn out something spectacular.

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If you’re hoping to serve a meal to your boo, stick with something simple and classic, like pasta or easy proteins. Try our cacio e pepe, our bucatini all'amatriciana, or our penne alla vodka—they’re all SUPER simple, with flavor that’s out-of-this-world good. For protein, you can’t beat chicken, like in our sesame seed-crusted chicken Parm, our creamy Tuscan chicken, or our butter chicken (way more special than ordering delivery), but we’ve also included less standard recipes with red meat or fish that will really impress. Try our Arctic char with pistachio gremolata, our creamy steak fettuccine, our coconut curry salmon, or our filet mignon for ideas. They’ve got all the sit-down steakhouse flavor without the price tag.

If you’re looking to make a night out of cooking dinner together (we highly recommend this date idea!), try one of our more involved recipes. Check out our homemade pizza, our dragon roll sushi, our Korean fried chicken, or our ginger pork pot stickers for ideas. You’ll get to see your date’s fine motor skills at work, learn a new skill,

Quick & Easy Dinner Ideas

Want more ideas for impressing your date? Try serving a fun cocktail or the perfect bottle of wine with your meal—check out our guides to both reds and whites. And don't forget about dessert!

Oh, chicken Alfredo: It's the classic pasta we just can't seem to get enough of. Of course there are tons of jarred pasta sauces you can buy, but making Alfredo sauce from scratch is actually

Recreate the CPK fave with this insanely delicious (mostly) homemade pie. To save on time, use store-bought pizza dough. Or, better yet, pick some up from your favorite pizzeria!

Easiest Family Weeknight Meals

Pad see ew is on everyone’s top 10 Thai dishes list, and after you give it a try at home, you’ll understand why. The combination of thinly sliced, wok-seared meat, Chinese broccoli, and the signature wide, chewy rice noodles will make this Southeast Asian specialty an instant favorite.

We took an easy shortcut here by using wonton wrappers, but trust us—they are so tender and light that you really only taste the decadent lobster filling. If you want actual pasta-encased lobster ravioli, then our pasta dough is great; otherwise, we promise you’re going to make these over and over again.

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Obviously roasting a block of feta with bursting tomatoes is going to be amazing. But is it good enough to break TikTok like this one did? Our answer, begrudgingly, is yes. It's genius—super-easy, but fancy enough for date night. 😍

Easy Weeknight Chicken Dinners

We love dishes high in flavor, low in commitment, particularly during the winter. And if it comes together in one pot? WIN. Nabeyaki udon is a one-pot Japanese noodle soup that is exactly this. Get creative with your toppings to make it your own.

When it comes to chicken breast recipes, it's hard to beat this one. The sauce is full of garlic, tomatoes, and most importantly, cream. It's bright and easy and is a great dinner for when you want comfort food

If you’ve never made risotto because you didn’t want to stand there stirring forever, then this recipe is for you. It packs all the satisfying flavor of a slow-stirred version into a fraction of the hands-on time!

Minute Dinner Recipes

. If you (or your boo) is a sun-dried tomato hater (we feel you), use fresh ones instead. It won’t have as much of a tangy kick, but it’ll still be just as impressive.

Nothing beats a fresh-out-of-the-oven pizza, and once you see how easy it is to make for you and your date, you'll never order delivery again. Switch up the toppings and add your favorites to make it your own. Pepperoni, mushrooms, bell peppers,

This is THE vegan pasta you make for lifelong dairy lovers. Rich and creamy, with deep tomato flavor, it’s sure to have everyone digging back into the pot for another serving.

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Easy Dinner For Two (budget Friendly Meals)

This recipe is a bit of a riff on pasta puttanesca, using familiar ingredients such as capers, anchovies, and olives. But instead of sitting over a pot of simmering tomato sauce, we used sun-dried tomatoes to form a paste that, when combined with pasta water, is transformed into a luscious sauce—and it’s all made in one pan!

EGive your basic baked potato a major upgrade by adding all the flavors from your favorite party dip: spinach & artichoke. This potato is extra hearty, so it can easily be turned into a fancy dinner paired with roasted veggie sides or another vegetarian dish, or can be a flavor boost to your main meal. (Steak dinner, anyone?)

We’ve made a lot of great sheet-pan dinners, but this za’atar chicken recipe is a new favorite. Bone-in chicken thighs, baby potatoes, broccoli, and red onion are all tossed in a simple marinade, then roasted to crispy, schmaltzy perfection. And just to kick it up another notch, we’re drizzling it all in a creamy tahini sauce to finish it off. 😍

Quick And Easy Instant Pot Weeknight Dinners

Looking for a date night project? We suggest these super-flavorful (and surprisingly easy) dumplings! Check out the photos of our folding technique, but don't worry too much—these will taste amazing no matter how they look (and you get to see your date's fine motor skills in action 😉).

There’s nothing more comfortings than a creamy pasta dish, and this one-pan meal couldn’t be easier to make. It's warm and comforting, but still simple and fresh. The lemon brightens the sauce and makes this a feel-good meal everyone will love.

Our simplified pad Thai recipe is designed to satisfy noodle cravings, fast. We skipped some traditional ingredients (such as dried shrimp, tamarind, pressed tofu, and bean sprouts), opting for ingredients that you can pick up at your local grocery store. Skip the takeout and make it tonight!