Holidays & Occasions Mother's Day 36 Mother's Day Dinner Ideas to Surprise Mom With This Year By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on April 12, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely It's always a struggle to know just the right way to celebrate your special mom. Flowers and candy are certainly appreciated, but you always want to do more for the lady who has done so much for you. Avoid the crowds at the restaurants this year and prepare Mom a home-cooked meal. We have selected some of our top-rated recipes for quick and easy dinner options. These Mother's Day dinner recipes range from beef tenderloin to budget-friendly chicken dishes that feel fancy. Mom might have a hard time staying out the kitchen, so let her relax with a refreshing spring cocktail. And once she has a serving of your homemade dessert, she will insist you cook for her every year. Keep reading for 35+ Mother's Day dinner ideas—from Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin to Orange Rosemary Roast Chicken and Honey-Mustard Baked Salmon—that will no-doubt leave mom feeling loved and inspired, whatever your kitchen skills and appetite may be. Trust us: A home-cooked Mother's Day dinner is a gift guaranteed to make her feel like a queen! 01 of 36 Grilled Lemon Chicken with Herb Couscous Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Grilled Lemon Chicken with Herb Couscous Marinating chicken in a garlic-lemon mixture before grilling will give it plenty of flavor and moisture. 02 of 36 Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin Treat Mama to an elegant Mother's Day dinner by serving classic beef tenderloin as the main dish. 03 of 36 Orange-Rosemary Roast Chicken Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Orange-Rosemary Roast Chicken A cast-iron skillet helps crisp the skin before you place the chicken on the sheet pan. 04 of 36 Chicken-and-Broccoli Skillet Pasta Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Chicken-and-Broccoli Skillet Pasta This 30-minute meal is a one-dish dinner that will please the whole family, which means Mama will be happy. 05 of 36 Sheet Pan Hanger Steak and Vegetables Victor Protasio; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Sheet Pan Hanger Steak and Vegetables A flavored butter compound elevates this sheet pan supper. 06 of 36 Chicken Scallopini Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Prop Styling: Audrey Davis, Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Chicken Scallopini This pretty dish comes together in just 30 minutes. Serve over noodles for a complete meal in no time. 07 of 36 Homemade Shake-and-Bake Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce Alison Miksch Recipe: Homemade Shake-and-Bake Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce Remember when you helped your mom shake it and bake it? Show her how well you learned to cook with this fresh twist on that childhood favorite. 08 of 36 Lemony Slow-Cooked Salmon with Potatoes and Fennel Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Lemony Slow-Cooked Salmon with Potatoes and Fennel No one will have to spend all day in the kitchen thanks to this slow-cooker recipe. 09 of 36 Chicken Parmesan Casserole Photographer: Will Dickey Prop Stylist: Missie Crawford Food Stylist: Erin Merhar Recipe: Chicken Parmesan Casserole Get the flavor of chicken Parmesan without any frying required with this Italian-inspired casserole. 10 of 36 Pork Chops with Spring Onions, Farro, and Asparagus Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Pork Chops with Spring Onions, Farro, and Asparagus Serve up protein, whole grains, and veggies all in one dish for a well-rounded plate. 11 of 36 Skillet Shrimp Destin with Orzo Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Skillet Shrimp Destin with Orzo This shrimp recipe proves that an easy meal with a short ingredient list can still be a showstopper. 12 of 36 Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets Boneless cutlets have a short cook time that allows them to be browned without being overcooked. 13 of 36 Smoked-Pork-Stuffed Pasta Shells Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Smoked-Pork-Stuffed Pasta Shells Smoked pork from your favorite BBQ joint makes a tasty (and easy) filling for jumbo pasta shells. 14 of 36 Creamy Pesto-and-Shrimp Penne with Peas Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Creamy Pesto-and-Shrimp Penne with Peas Convenience items like pre-peeled shrimp, frozen peas, and store-bought pesto will lend a helping hand so you can serve Mama a delicious homemade meal in 25 minutes. 15 of 36 Cast-Iron Pork Cacciatore Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cast-Iron Pork Cacciatore We bet you'd never guess that this hearty dish comes together in just 30 minutes. 16 of 36 Chicken Divan Southern Living Recipe: Chicken Divan Celebrate Mama with our take on the 1950s dinner party favorite. 17 of 36 Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce Make a traditional Italian dinner with the help of your slow cooker (Mama doesn't have to know). 18 of 36 Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero Recipe: Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast Roast is always a staple for family dinner and we guarantee this recipe will become an instant favorite. 19 of 36 Honey-Mustard Baked Salmon with Vegetables Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Honey-Mustard Baked Salmon with Vegetables Panko breadcrumbs give salmon a nice, crunchy finish. Choose filets that are similar in size so the cook time will be the same. 20 of 36 Pork Tenderloin with Shaved Vegetable Salad Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Shaved Vegetable Salad Pork tenderloin won't break the bank, but with a picture-perfect spring vegetable salad and your prettiest serving dish, it's Mother's Day ready. 21 of 36 Roasted Spatchcock Chicken Alison Miksch Recipe: Roasted Spatchcock Chicken When in doubt, take a page from Ina Garten's book: A roasted chicken is always a good idea. 22 of 36 Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Anna Hampton Recipe: Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce This pasta dish is so easy to make but feels fancier than any usual weeknight dinner. 23 of 36 Roasted Beef Tenderloin Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling; Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Roasted Beef Tenderloin Beef tenderloin is the ultimate holiday main dish and Mama will be so honored you went all out for her day. 24 of 36 Chicken à la King Southern Living Recipe: Chicken à la King Get all the comfort of a chicken pot pie in neat little packages that were made for holiday serving. 25 of 36 Chicken Alouette Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Chicken Alouette This old-school dinner makes for pretty presentation that's affordable too. 26 of 36 Shrimp and Peas with Farfalle Alison Miksch Recipe: Shrimp and Peas with Farfalle Mom is sure to be impressed with the tasty shrimp dinner. Add a loaf of crusty bread for good measure. 27 of 36 Chicken-Mushroom-Sage Casserole Iain Bagwell Recipe: Chicken-Mushroom-Sage Casserole This one-dish dinner makes budget-friendly, comforting chicken-and-rice casserole into an elevated dinner worthy of Mama's day. 28 of 36 Chicken-and-Artichoke Penne Alison Miksch Recipe: Chicken-and-Artichoke Penne You don't need to be a master chef to fix Mom a delicious dinner. This easy chicken and pasta dish comes together in just 30 minutes. 29 of 36 Asparagus with Cheese Sauce and Herb Breadcrumbs Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Asparagus with Cheese Sauce and Herb Breadcrumbs Spring's favorite veggie is only made more delicious with a stress-free cheese sauce that won't overpower it. 30 of 36 Seared Scallops with Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce and Orzo Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Anna Hampton Recipe: Seared Scallops with Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce and Orzo This restaurant-worthy dinner is ready in just 30 minutes, but it sure doesn't look like it. 31 of 36 Lasagna Roll Ups Hector Sanchez Recipe: Lasagna Roll Ups Make Mama's favorite lasagna with a prettier presentation that's ready for a holiday with this recipe. 32 of 36 Best-Ever Crab Cakes with Green Tomato Slaw Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Best-Ever Crab Cakes with Green Tomato Slaw Crab cakes feel so decadent, but don't tell Mama how easy they were to make. 33 of 36 Braised Lamb Shanks with Parmesan-Chive Grits Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Braised Lamb Shanks with Parmesan-Chive Grits Would you believe this gorgeous dinner was made with help from the slow cooker? Mama might not. 34 of 36 Creamy Rice with Scallops Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Creamy Rice with Scallops Bacon makes everything better, and it definitely contributes to this dreamy dinner. 35 of 36 Strawberry-Spinach Salad Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Strawberry-Spinach Salad This springy salad makes use of abundant strawberries from the farmers' market. 36 of 36 Grilled Steak Salad with Walnut Dressing Becky Luigart-Stayner Recipe: Grilled Steak Salad with Walnut Dressing In just 30 minutes you can serve your mom a well-seasoned grilled steak and green salad. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit