Making dinner every night can quickly turn into a burdensome chore. It’s challenging to come up with new flavor combinations that are healthy, inexpensive and quick to put together. When you have picky kids or a food allergy, supper can be even more complicated.
Thankfully, you’re not on your own for making dinner tonight. The internet is full of delicious, easy recipes created by parents just like you, who want to feed their kids healthy meals despite a busy schedule. Here are seven super simple weeknight suppers you can use to make dinner tonight.
- One-Skillet Sausage and Rice
This meal only takes 30 minutes and combines veggies, protein and starch together in one fabulous dish. To make this recipe, you’ll need instant rice, sausage, bell peppers, chicken broth and some spices. You can easily add onions and broccoli to the pot for more plant-powered nutrition.
To make this meal vegan, switch out the chicken for vegetable broth and leave the sausage out. Switch the rice for quinoa and add chopped potatoes to keep the portion of carbs and protein balanced. This meal is perfect for growing kids and it’s easy to whip together after a busy day.
- Healthy Turkey Burgers
Nothing says summer like burgers and fries. These scrumptious turkey burgers can be cooked in about 24 minutes and personalized with the toppings of your choice. Some good options include sliced tomato, cheese, onions, pickles, pineapple, lettuce and beets. You can pair these burgers with homemade fries or cold potato salad.
Season these patties with onions, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. They should take between four to six minutes to cook on each side. Because this recipe only makes four, you’ll need to double the ingredients for a larger group.
- Pecan Apple Cranberry Salad
If you’re craving a fresh salad, this recipe is perfect for tonight’s supper. Over a bed of romaine lettuce, add chopped pecans, dried cranberries, feta cheese and a diced apple. You can whip together a sweet poppyseed dressing that’s truly restaurant-worthy to layer on top.
This salad is packed with flavorful nutrition but won’t leave you feeling heavy after your meal.
To add more protein to this meal, toss cooked chicken or chickpeas into the finished dish. You can also swap the romaine for darker salad greens to get more fiber and nutrition. This salad would taste delicious with warm squash or pumpkin soup.
- Easy Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken enchiladas are an instant crowdpleaser. They’re nutritious, super yummy and make any night feel special. This recipe can be put together in 25 minutes and ready to eat in 45. It serves four to eight people and can be adapted for food allergies – for instance, you can replace the cheese with a creamy non-dairy white sauce.
To make this meal, combine pre-cooked chicken with onions, beans and other ingredients in a saucepan. After the flavors have mixed together, you can roll this spicy filling up in flour tortillas. Cover with sauce and cheese and bake for 20 minutes until tortillas are crispy and heated through.
- Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Looking for a vegetarian salad? This dish tastes and looks gorgeous. It’s filled with fresh, bright ingredients like preserved lemon, cucumber, quinoa and grape tomatoes. Although it’s meant to be flavored with Middle Eastern tastes, you can easily swap out the dressing for something more traditional.
Even without meat, the chickpeas and quinoa mean this meal is rich in protein. Olives and the preserved lemon add a salty tang to balance out the sweetness of veggies. Serve this meal with a warm loaf of bread or wrap it in a flour tortilla. Because this meal contains many mixed ingredients, it’s best for families with older kids.
- Thai Beef and Broccoli
If meat sounds amazing to you right now, try this stellar beef and broccoli recipe. In just 30 minutes, you can have a warm meal that’s packed with nutrition and reenergizes you after a long day. The thai sauce is made with shallots, ginger, red curry paste, fish sauce, brown sugar and coconut milk.
To make the beef especially tender, pound it before cooking. You can layer the cooked broccoli and beef over Jasmine rice for a full meal. Alternatively, chop and bake sweet potatoes as a complementary starch. Top with lime and fresh basil for additional flavor.
- Garlic Penne Pasta
This traditional pasta meal comes together in only 15 minutes and will make all your kids happy. Get a pot of water boiling and then add the pasta. While it cooks, make a simple white sauce with garlic, parsley and parmesan cheese. Once the pasta is done, mix it with the sauce and serve warm.
You can pair this dish with bread or a side salad. If your kids like vegetables, try adding chopped broccoli or kale to the pasta itself. Vary the type of pasta you use to find your family’s favorite. Depending on the shape, pasta will have more or less sauce in every bite.
What’s for Dinner?
If you’re still not sure how to answer that question, go back to the top of this page and start over! Allow these super simple weeknight supper ideas to cure your dinnertime woes and give your family members the nutrition they need. Most of these ideas can be on the table in 30 minutes or less.
You can easily adapt these recipes to suit your family and your pantry. Don’t have cucumbers? Add another green vegetable like zucchini or spinach. Your husband can’t have cheese? Try making the recipe without it. Let these recipes serve you by meeting the needs of your family and home.
