30+ Quick & Easy Main Dishes to Make Tonight

By Southern Living
Antonis Achilleos

Even if you’re short on time you can still sit down to a comforting home-cooked dinner any night of the week. The key is choosing the right recipe. To help you get started, we gathered our best easy dinner ideas in one place. These simple but satisfying easy dinner recipes don’t require much advance prep or a long cooking time, so you’ll be sitting down to eat before you know it. Choose from Southern favorites like Chicken Fried Steak, Smothered Chicken, and Salmon Croquettes. Or try something new like Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce, Spaghetti with Sausage and Peppers, or Quesadillas al Pastor. In the mood for something light and healthy? Try our Lemon-Herb Chicken Kebabs or Lemon Pork Chops with Quinoa Salad. We also have several creative pork tenderloin and pork chop recipes, like our Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin and our Pork Chops with Tomato-Bacon Gravy. Whatever you choose, you’re sure to find a new favorite weeknight dinner. 

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Hamburger Steak With Sweet Onion-Mushroom Gravy

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Hamburger Steak With Sweet Onion-Mushroom Gravy

This ground beef recipe helps you make the most of your busy weeknights. You can make the patties ahead, then simply thaw them in the fridge overnight before using. You’ll love how the gravy keeps these moist and tender, while the onion adds just the right hint of sweetness and the garlic adds that little bit of spice. Mushrooms make this burger even richer, and sop up that gravy to make your burger even better. We love ground round for this burger. So get your skillet ready to brown this burger and cover it in sweet onion-mushroom gravy. You’ll love how good this burger tastes.

 

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Lemon Chicken

Easy Catfish Tacos Recipe with Slaw

Recipe: Lemon Chicken

A reader-favorite main with a short ingredient list, this easy dish pairs well with crisp veggies and a side of rice for a delicious dinner.

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Fried Pork Chops with Peas and Potatoes

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Fried Pork Chops with Peas and Potatoes

This speedy fried dinner has all the flavors of the classic dish without so much fat.

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Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Blistered Tomatoes

Caitlin Bensel

Recipe: Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Blistered Tomatoes

This kid-friendly twist on chicken piccata is ready in less than 30 minutes. 

 

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Pork Chops with Tomato-Bacon Gravy

5-minute twist

Recipe: Pork Chops with Tomato-Bacon Gravy

Oven-roasted pork chops pair perfectly with tomato-bacon pan gravy and green beans in this easy and cozy dish. 

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Chicken-fried Steak

Photo: Van Chaplin

Recipe: Chicken-fried Steak

Make this iconic Southern chicken-fried steak recipe and savor every bite of this simple and delicious dish. Serve with green beans, mashed potatoes, and plenty of gravy.

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Italian Sausage Spaghetti

Photo: William Dickey

Recipe: Italian Sausage Spaghetti

Mix together spaghetti with sausage and peppers for a quick Italian meal that's sure to please the entire family.

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Peppery Chicken Fried Chicken

Southern Living

Recipe: Peppery Chicken Fried Chicken

Quicker than your average fried chicken recipe, this ultimate Southern dish is a fast dinner that tastes like you took your time.

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Easy Chicken Fried Rice

Photo: Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Easy Chicken Fried Rice

Instead of getting takeout, make this easy at-home version complete with scrambled eggs.

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Tortilla-Crusted Tilapia with Citrus Slaw and Chipotle Tartar Sauce

Stephen DeVries

Recipe: Tortilla-Crusted Tilapia with Citrus Slaw and Chipotle Tartar Sauce

A total of 40 minutes is all you need to create this pan-fried fish with fresh slaw and spicy tartar sauce.

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Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken Cutlets with Roasted Broccoli

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken Cutlets with Roasted Broccoli

A combination of panko breadcrumbs, cornflakes cereal, and Parmesan cheese creates a perfectly crispy coating for these oven-fried cutlets. 

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Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Everything's better with bacon, and this pork tenderloin recipe is no exception! Go ahead and season the other tenderloin in the package with your favorite spice blend. Wrap and freeze to jump-start another meal.

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Pasta Primavera with Shrimp

Jennifer Causey

Recipe: Pasta Primavera with Shrimp​​​​​​​

Loaded with healthy vegetables, fresh shrimp, and a light sauce, this 30-minute pasta is a colorful as it is good for you. 

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Lemon Pork Chops with Quinoa Salad

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Recipe: Lemon Pork Chops with Quinoa Salad

Your family and guests will love these flavorful pork chops with a crunchy almond topping. It’s simple to make and highly flavorful. Lemons, sugar snap peas, and garlic make it perfect for summer, and the spices make a chop so flavorful that you won’t even need to marinate it prior to cooking. If you plan on serving it alongside a salad, double the vinaigrette recipe and use it to compliment the flavors found in the pork, quinoa, and snap beans. For perfectly fluffy quinoa, make sure that after simmering it, you let it stand, covered, to steam. After 10 minutes, fluff it with a fork.

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Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce

Caitlin Bensel

Recipe: Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce

Bring a taste of the coast to your kitchen table in just 25 minutes. We recommend using fresh shrimp, not frozen, for the best flavor. 

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Boarding House Meatloaf

Southern Living

Recipe: Boarding House Meatloaf 

Fresh and filling, this might be our most popular meatloaf rendition yet. 

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Grilled Steak with Blistered Beans and Peppers

Victor Protasio

Recipe: Grilled Steak with Blistered Beans and Peppers

A New York strip (also called a top sriloin) is one of the best cuts of meat for your cast iron skillet. 

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Quesadillas al Pastor Recipe

Southern Living

Recipe: Quesadillas al Pastor Recipe

Ready in just 30 minutes, this quesadilla recipe is the perfect crowd pleaser. For an easy side, melt a few tablespoons of butter with minced garlic and a dash of chili powder in a microwave-safe bowl; pour over boiled or grilled corn on the cob.

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Baked Ziti with Sausage

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Baked Ziti with Sausage

Equal parts easy and cheesy, our Baked Ziti with Sausage is a guaranteed crowd pleaser that's ready in under an hour.

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Snappy Smothered Chicken

Photo: William Dickey

Recipe: Snappy Smothered Chicken  

A speedy dinner is as close as your grocery store's deli. Take advantage of this delectable dish to feed your hungry brood.

Cooking Video: Rotisserie Chicken Tips

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Spiced Beef Kabobs with Herbed Cucumber and Tomato Salad Recipe

Greg Dupree

Recipe: Spiced Beef Kabobs with Herbed Cucumber and Tomato Salad

You can prepare these kabobs up to two days in advance. All that's left is popping them onto the grill just before you're ready to serve. 

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Sheet Pan Pizza with Corn, Tomatoes, and Sausage

Caitlin Bensel

Recipe: Sheet Pan Pizza with Corn, Tomatoes, and Sausage

Pizza night just got tastier. The kids won't miss takeout with this loaded veggie pizza that's ready in under an hour. 

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Steak-and-Potato Kebabs

Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Steak-and-Potato Kebabs

No one can say no to a juicy steak kebab, especially when they only take 30 minutes to make. 

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Simple Salmon Croquettes

William Dickey / Styling Buffy Hargett / Food Styling Angela Sellersc

Recipes: Simple Salmon Croquettes

No buttermilk on hand? Make your own by combining 1 cup milk with 1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice. The results are the same.

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Lemon-Herb Chicken Kebabs

Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Lemon-Herb Chicken Kebabs

Light on ingredients but loaded with flavor, these kebabs are made with chicken thighs and a tangy herb and lemon marinade.

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Richard's Sloppy Joes

Southern Living

Recipe: Richard's Sloppy Joes

A childhood classic with a short ingredient list and fast cooking time - now that's a winning combination.

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Buttery Garlic Shrimp

Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Buttery Garlic Shrimp

An easy protein that pairs with everything from rice to pasta, this shrimp recipe is ready in just 15 minutes.

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Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken

Jennifer R. Davick

Recipe: Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken

It's quicker to cook than it looks. Make this whole roasted chicken at the beginning of the week, and you'll be able to incorporate leftovers into weeknight dishes for days.

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Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken

Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken

With just four ingredients involved, it's simple to say this chicken recipe is as easy as it gets.

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Turkey Tetrazzini

Tina Cornett

Recipe: Turkey Tetrazzini

This comforting casserole is easy to whip up on a weeknight, since it uses convenience products such as canned soup, jarred Alfredo sauce, and frozen peas.

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Chicken Fried Turkey

Pinterest / The Food Network

Recipe: Chicken Fried Turkey

Create the perfect crunch by battering thin turkey breasts in flour, milk, and of course, saltine crackers.

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Ranch Turkey Burgers

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Ranch Turkey Burgers

Eat on the lighter side without forfeiting taste with these tangy turkey burgers.

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Fish Tacos and Topping Bar

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Fish Tacos and Topping Bar

A new twist for taco Tuesday, this recipes amps up the fun for family meals with a simple topping bar for your table. 

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Roasted Beef Tenderloin

Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Roasted Beef Tenderloin

This tender cut of beef is quick enough for everyday, but pretty enough for a party platter, too. 

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