Food and Recipes Quick and Easy Dinners The 25 Quickest And Easiest Suppers You'll Ever Make You'll never get take-out again. By Southern Living Editors Updated on December 13, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Preparing a dinner every night that the entire family enjoys might seem unrelenting. This task is especially challenging when you need more ideas for things to cook. We scoured our recipe archive for the best quick and easy dinner ideas, so you never have to wonder what's for dinner.These simple recipes assemble quickly and often only require pantry staples, making your busy days a little more manageable. Search these recipes to find a menu that fits your family's preferences and help ensure you'll never need to order take-out again. 01 of 25 White Calzones with Marinara Sauce Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox These delicious, easy calzones are simple and perfect for satisfying weeknight dinners. To help prevent a gummy texture, use ricotta cheese that contains as few ingredients as possible. Store-bought pizza dough helps these calzones assemble quickly. 02 of 25 Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans Greg DuPree Start by marinating chicken tenders in the seasoned buttermilk while you prepare the other sides for this complete dinner. After topping the chicken tenders with panko breadcrumbs, cook each piece in a hot skillet for only a few minutes on each side. Top with parsley when serving. 03 of 25 Chicken Enchiladas Photo: Jennifer Davick These Chicken Enchiladas are ideal for making when you're in the mood for Tex-Mex. It takes about 25 minutes of hands-on time to cook. Make a few pans ahead of time and keep them chilled until you are ready to cook. 04 of 25 Sheet Pan Shrimp and Vegetables with Rice Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Sheet pan shrimp makes serving this delicious seafood dish possible on busy weekday nights. To help the shrimp remain juicy, add the ingredients in stages, so the vegetables have enough time to cook thoroughly. Store-bought microwavable rice helps reduce preparation time in this dish. 05 of 25 Quick Beef Chili Becky Luigart-Stayner This quick beef chili recipe comes together in under an hour. This chili still offers all the classic flavors despite the short cooking time. Serve with toppings like green onions, cheese, and sour cream so each person can garnish their dish. 06 of 25 Extra Easy Lasagna Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox This easy lasagna, packed with classic ingredients, uses no-boil noodles to eliminate some of the prep time. Browning the ground beef should only take about five to seven minutes, but that's the longest hands-on time task in this recipe. Even better, this dish is ideal for freezing as leftovers, so make one for tonight and save one for later. 07 of 25 Easy Shrimp Scampi with Basil Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Succulent shrimp and fresh basil combine in this refreshing pasta dinner that's as easy to make as delicious. Create the easy scampi by combining wine, butter, and lemon juice into a silky sauce. You can substitute chicken stock for the wine if you prefer. 08 of 25 Mini Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas Stephen DeVries These mini enchiladas are easier to make, and the individual serving-size shapes will look beautiful on the dinner table. Muffin pans help shape the flour tortillas into crispy bowls, which you can fill with all your favorite ingredients. Serve with different topping options so each person can customize their own. 09 of 25 Buttermilk Alfredo Chicken Spinach Pasta VICTOR PROTASIO; PROP STYLING: CLAIRE SPOLLEN; FOOD STYLING: TORIE COX Everyone enjoys cheesy pasta, and this Alfredo-inspired dish comes together in only 20 minutes. Substituting buttermilk for the traditionally-used heavy cream helps reduce the heaviness of this recipe without removing its velvety appeal. Using a rotisserie chicken helps save time when assembling this dish. 10 of 25 Fusilli Pasta with Spinach, Tomato, and Bacon Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Sheet pan pasta transforms pasta night by making preparations and cleanup more effortless. Use the same pan for baking the bacon as the pasta to simplify things more and add flavor to the pasta from the leftover drippings. This dish, made with cheesy Alfredo sauce, bacon, tomatoes, and spinach, will be a new family favorite. 11 of 25 Pork Tenderlion Dijon Pan Sauce Maple and mustard glazed pork tenderloin. Diana Rattray Serve pork tenderloin with this easy-to-make Dijon mustard and brown sugar sauce for a simple weeknight dinner. After preparing the pork on a nonstick skillet, cover it with this rich herb, spice, and wine sauce. Switch the herbs or other ingredients to match your preferences. 12 of 25 Creamy Pesto-and-Shrimp Penne with Peas Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox Assemble this dish in minutes using pre-peeled shrimp, frozen peas, and store-bought pesto. After cooking the pasta, save some water to add to the sauce towards the end of its cooking time, which helps create a silky texture. With seven ingredients and 25 minutes, you can have a flavorful and colorful dinner on the table. 13 of 25 One-Pot Pasta Southern Living One-Pot Pasta uses the convenience of your favorite prepared spaghetti sauce and refrigerated cheese-stuffed ravioli. Pair this dish with garlic bread and a tossed salad to complete the meal. Ground beef and Italian seasoning help add a homemade quality to the prepared ingredients. 14 of 25 Grilled Lemon Chicken with Herb Couscous Dotdash Meredith Food Studios This versatile dish adds lemon zest and pepper flavoring to enhance a typical chicken recipe. It is ideal for feeding a family as the recipe uses a whole chicken flavored with lemons, herbs, and Dijon mustard. Serve with Herb Couscous, which you can prepare a day in advance. 15 of 25 Flank Steak and Cucumber Salad Photo: Jacob Snavely With 30 minutes of hands-on time, this recipe is a quick way to enjoy flank steak any night of the week. Rub the steak with olive oil and add salt and pepper before letting it stand for 10 minutes. After grilling and slicing the steak, cover it with the soy sauce and garlic mixture. 16 of 25 Grilled Pimiento Cheese Sandwich Dave Scantland A deliciously gooey grilled cheese sandwich is the quickest comfort food. Upgrade to a Grilled Pimiento Cheese Sandwich for a Southern twist on this classic dish. Add your favorite toppings to this sandwich to customize it to your preferences. 17 of 25 Classic Southern BLT William Dickey / Styling: Amy P. Wilson / Food Styling: Vanessa McNeil Rocchio Nothing says simple dinner like a soup and sandwich pairing. Try a classic BLT, but add some Southern flair with ingredients like Pimiento cheese, fried green tomatoes, and homemade mayonnaise. Pair this sandwich with homemade vegetable soup, which is often freezer friendly. 18 of 25 Tuscan Pasta With Tomato-Basil Cream Ralph Anderson The secret to this quick and easy dinner is refrigerated ravioli and jarred alfredo sauce. Add white wine, chopped tomatoes, and fresh basil for a refreshing meal that tastes professionally made. Top with grated Parmesan cheese for the finishing touch. For a less creamy option, try the Summer Tortellini Salad. 19 of 25 Pan-Seared Trout With Italian-Style Salsa Photo: Ralph Anderson; Styling: Buffy Hargett This recipe couldn't be more straightforward, as it takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish. Cook your preferred choice of fish in a nonstick skillet until the fish flakes when scrapped with a fork. Serve immediately, garnished with lemon slices and salsa. 20 of 25 Cast-Iron Skillet Burgers photographer: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer When it's burger and fries night at your house, steer away from the drive-through and head home. Shape the ground beef mixture into patties and grill according to directions. Top with the cheese slices during the last minute of grilling. 21 of 25 Pan-Seared Flat Iron Steak Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns Pan-Seared Flat Iron Steak is perfect for entertaining friends or a weeknight celebration. To get a great crust on this steak, use a hot skillet (cast iron or heavy stainless steel). Leave your hood fan on because this hot skillet dish will create smoke. 22 of 25 Easy Boarding House Meatloaf Southern Living This dinner is the ideal recipe to assemble when you're short on time, as it takes 10 minutes of hands-on time to come together. This twist on classic meatloaf is flavorful and delicious, adorned with a homemade sauce. The tangy sauce perfectly complements this meatloaf, packed with fresh vegetables and sweet ketchup. 23 of 25 Crunchy Pan-Fried Chicken Southern Living Chicken gets a crispy, golden exterior from the breadcrumbs and cornmeal mixture. This recipe helps seal the flavor, so the chicken is juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. With only five ingredients and 10 minutes of active cook time, this is a recipe you'll want to use on all your favorite meats. 24 of 25 New Tuna Casserole with Potato Chips Greg Dupree Comfort food gets an upgrade with a classic snack topping. The crunchy topping, made from crushed potato chips and breadcrumbs, complements the creamy, cheesy tuna casserole. This casserole will delight all your dinner guests for a one-dish meal filled with fresh vegetables, cheese, and protein. 25 of 25 Pizza Casserole Alberta Rose You will never need to order pizza delivery again—even when short on time. This casserole, filled with all your favorite pizza toppings, combines rigatoni pasta, a combination of cheese, and chopped vegetables into a dish the entire family will enjoy. Let it stand for five minutes before serving. For even easier meal prep, check out these easy casserole recipes for warm meals on busy nights. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit