Struggling to get dinner on the table after a long, chaotic day? Between work, school pickups, and trying to keep the house somewhat clean, it can feel impossible to come up with a meal everyone will actually eat.
That’s why I put together this list of simple dinner recipes that are quick, low-effort, and totally family-approved.
You can use the slow cooker, oven, or Instant Pot and get dinner on the table with less effort every night.
Key Takeaways for Stress-Free, Simple Dinners
- Embrace the slow cooker – Dump-and-go recipes are lifesavers on busy days. Let it do the work while you tackle everything else.
- Use shortcuts when you need them – Frozen tortellini, pre-cooked sausage, or rotisserie chicken can seriously cut down on prep time.
- One-pan and sheet pan meals are your best friend – Less mess, fewer dishes, and everything cooks together for easy cleanup.
- Keep ingredients on hand for “lazy night” dinners – Staples like pasta, canned beans, tortillas, and shredded cheese make it easy to whip up something fast.
- Let everyone build their own plate – Taco bars, nachos, rice bowls, and sliders let kids customize their meals, which means fewer battles at the table.
- Double up and freeze leftovers – Chili, pulled pork, and pasta bakes freeze well, so you’ve got a backup plan ready when things get crazy.
30 Simple Dinner Recipes for When You’re Too Tired to Cook
Whatever kind of meal you want to cook and just throw together when you’ve had a busy day, these meals are here to save your sanity.
Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious, and these recipes are simple saviors when you need food on the table!
1. Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
Tender, flavorful, and made right in the slow cooker—this one feels like takeout without the price tag. I just throw everything in during the morning and dinner is DONE by the time we’re hungry.
2. Crockpot Pulled Pork
Pulled pork brings the taste of BBQ to the table, but the slow cooker makes it more effortless. It’s one of those meals where everyone can customize their plate and there’s zero complaining.
3. Chicken Burrito Bowl
Burrito bowls are so simple to cook, and you can pick and choose how you top them for any picky eaters at the table. I put out a few toppings and let everyone create their own bowl.
4. Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus
Fast, lemon-y, and ready in under 20 minutes—this shrimp and asparagus are packed with flavor and take so little time to cook in the oven. We eat them with rice or salad, and cleanup is minimal.
5. Gluten-Free Teriyaki Salmon
Tasty teriyaki sauce is the star of this dish, and salmon is an easy fish that takes no extensive prep or fancy cooking skills.
When I want something healthy but don’t feel like cooking, salmon is a simple pick we can all agree on.
6. The Best Crockpot Chili
Perfect for chilly nights or when I need to feed a crowd with little effort, chili slaps every time- as long as you don’t skimp on the toppings, mama!
I usually double the batch, and throw half of it in a freezer bag to make it a dump-and-go meal another day.
7. Chicken Bacon and Ranch Tater Tot Casserole
Bacon, chicken, and tots? That combo makes for the perfect dinner plans in our house.
Toss this all together into a cheesy and crispy casserole, and get ready for the kids to devour everything on their plates.
8. Spinach-Artichoke Gnocchi
This crunchy, protein-packed salad is refreshing and comes together so fast. Salads are easy for dinner when it’s hot, so save this in your back pocket when you need a refreshing dinner that doesn’t use the oven.
9. Chickpea Chopped Salad with Pita Chips
This crunchy, protein-packed salad is refreshing and comes together so fast. Great when it’s hot out and no one wants to cook.
10. Creamy Crockpot Garlic Chicken
This creamy garlic chicken is so comforting and ridiculously easy to make. The crockpot does all the work while I juggle everything else during the day.
11. Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
I was so happy to find a crockpot recipe for chicken and dumplings- it was a core memory with my mom, and now it’s unlocked the same for my girls
It’s perfect for the nights I need the girls to get right into dinner before dance class.
12. Creamy Lemon-Parmesan Broccoli & White Beans
A cozy vegetarian meal that’s full of creamy goodness and ready in no time. Serve it as is or with some crusty bread or crostini.
13. Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole with Broccoli
This is my go-to meal when I want something warm and ooey-gooey with plenty of cheese. The kids and hubby also love all the cheese, and chicken and broccoli are the best!
14. Sheet Pan Pork Chops and Brussels Sprouts
For a simple pork chop dinner, I toss all the meat and some veggies on one sheet, throw it in the oven, and walk away.
Dinner is ready with almost no dishes to wash, which means less clean-up time for me.
15. Loaded Tater Tot Nachos
Nachos for dinner? Yes, please!
Then, serving them over tater tots just excites my daughters for dinner. It’s fun, easy, and perfect for our movie nights or when I’m just running on fumes and want a lazy meal.
16. Lazy Lasagna
I created this lazy meal as a shortcut lasagna! I use frozen ravioli, marinara sauce, and mozzarella for a quick, cheesy bake.
I haven’t made a traditional lasagna in a long time, and I can’t see myself putting in the effort knowing this exists!
17. Sheet-Pan Salmon with Feta Sauce
Bold flavor and barely any cleanup—my kind of meal. The feta sauce takes it over the top and makes it feel fancy.
18. Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Just three ingredients in the slow cooker and taco night is ON. The girls love topping their own tacos and it’s a fun, easy dinner we can all get behind.
19. Salmon Piccata
Tangy, buttery, and totally doable on a weeknight. I never thought I’d love capers, but this dish changed my mind.
20. Zucchini Boat Turkey Tacos
Zucchini, who? No kids at our dinner table complain about cool, green boats! Scoop the taco meat with tortilla chips or eat as is, and dinner is ready in 20 minutes flat.
21. Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Toss everything on a pan and boom—fajitas with no skillet splatter. Everyone loves building their own wraps at the table.
22. BBQ Chicken Sliders
These little sliders are a huge hit in our house and perfect for busy sports nights. Just warm the chicken and dinner is DONE.
23. One-Pot Cheeseburger Pasta
Tastes like a cheeseburger, made in one pot, and gone in seconds. The girls ask for this one on repeat!
24. Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
I love that I can dump everything in before school drop-off and forget about it.
The chicken shreds up and can be served over rice, with naan bread, stuffed into tortillas, and so many other ways. Who doesn’t love versatile leftovers?
25. Easy Baked Ziti
No boiling pasta ahead of time—just layer, bake, and serve. It’s cheesy, comforting, and perfect for leftovers.
26. Panko-Crusted Salmon
Crunchy on the outside, flaky inside—this salmon is just like what I’d order at my favorite restaurants, but my old oven does the trick for way less money.
27. Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Way better than boxed and ready in about 10 minutes. Creamy, cheesy, and a kid favorite every single time.
28. Stuffed Bell Peppers
Again, the slow cooker is king if you want simple meals that come together with very little effort. I chop things up, stuff the peppers, and then stuff the peppers in the pot to slow cook all day.
29. Gluten-Free Chicken Stir-Fry
A quick sizzle in the skillet and dinner is done. We add whatever veggies we have, and the kids love the sweet soy sauce.
30. Baked BBQ Meatballs
Have you tried baking meatballs in a sauce to make a juicy dinner? I’ll make these as an app for parties, but for dinner, they make amazing subs, or the girls like the BBQ sauce and meat with rice.
Final Thoughts
With these simple dinner recipes, you can feed your family without spending hours in the kitchen or hearing complaints at the table.
These are the go-to meals I keep coming back to because they’re easy, flexible, and kid-approved.
I hope they help make your evenings just a little bit smoother (and a whole lot tastier).
