These recipes are for the nights when the last thing you want to do is cook, but you still want something that tastes amazing. This is the ultimate list of lazy dinners that taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. They’re quick, easy, and packed with flavor, so you can impress everyone without breaking a sweat.
Bucatini with Garlic Shrimp
This easy bucatini pasta recipe tossed with garlic shrimp and cherry tomatoes is made in under 30 minutes, making it a great weeknight meal that looks and tastes like you spent hours cooking.
Get the Recipe: Bucatini with Garlic Shrimp
Jalapeño Chicken
If you love recreating the taste of takeout dishes at home, this jalapeño chicken recipe is perfect. Bite-sized pieces of chicken are pan-fried and cooked with spicy slices of jalapeño peppers, finished in a sweet, salty, sticky sauce, served over rice.
Get the Recipe: Jalapeño Chicken
Spaghetti Alfredo with Broccoli
This lightened-up spaghetti alfredo with broccoli is creamy and cheesy but much healthier than the original. A great way to enjoy a rich meal without the guilt.
Get the Recipe: Spaghetti Alfredo with Broccoli
Garlic Chicken Bite Skillet
A 20-minute, one-pan dinner featuring garlic chicken bites, mushrooms, onions, and red peppers with fresh herbs. Simple to make but packed with flavor, it’s perfect for a lazy night.
Get the Recipe: Garlic Chicken Bite Skillet
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Skip takeout and make this honey garlic chicken at home right in the slow cooker. With a sticky, sweet sauce and pieces of pineapple throughout, this easy recipe will become a family favorite. Ideal for those lazy dinners that taste like takeout.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Salsa Chicken
Salsa chicken is the easy weeknight meal you didn’t know you needed. Tender, juicy chicken breasts are baked with salsa, sweet corn, and cheddar cheese in this simple recipe that’s ready in less than 30 minutes and will become a family favorite.
Get the Recipe: Salsa Chicken
Smashed White Bean Quesadillas
These smashed white bean and kale quesadillas are a perfect meatless meal. Oozing with melted cheddar and topped with a creamy BBQ sauce, they’re easy to make and taste like you spent more time on them.
Get the Recipe: Smashed White Bean Quesadillas
Gochujang Chicken
This gochujang chicken is a quick 30-minute dinner featuring a sticky, spicy, and sweet sauce that’s great over white rice. It’s an easy meal that packs a lot of flavor without a lot of effort.
Get the Recipe: Gochujang Chicken
Pesto Salmon
Pesto salmon is an easy oven-baked dinner requiring only five ingredients and can be on the table in less than 25 minutes. It’s a healthy, flavorful dinner that’s great for weeknight cooking.
Get the Recipe: Pesto Salmon
Sheet Pan Pork Chop Dinner
These quick and easy sheet pan pork chops are served with red cabbage, potatoes, and apples. It’s an all-in-one meal great for hectic weeknights with just one pan to clean up afterward – perfect for when you want a no-fuss, hearty dinner.
Get the Recipe: Sheet Pan Pork Chop Dinner
Bomb Meatloaf
This may be the best meatloaf you’ll ever taste. It’s easy to put together, tender, juicy, and topped with a sweet and tangy glaze that coats each slice perfectly. Feels like you spent hours on it, but it’s great for lazy dinners.
Get the Recipe: Bomb Meatloaf
Ground Beef Pasta Skillet
This ground beef pasta recipe can be made in under 30 minutes with any pasta you have. It tastes like it’s been simmered all day, making it a perfect lazy dinner that’s big on flavor.
Get the Recipe: Ground Beef Pasta Skillet
Pretzel Crusted Pork Chops
These baked pretzel-crusted pork chops with an easy maple dijon sauce are a healthy dinner packed with lean protein. They’re simple to prepare but taste like a gourmet dish.
Get the Recipe: Pretzel Crusted Pork Chops
Burger Bowls
This burger in a bowl recipe includes a homemade special sauce. It’s got all the toppings and flavors of your favorite fast food burger with a healthier spin. Perfect for a quick and impressive dinner.
Get the Recipe: Burger Bowls
Bucatini Cacio e Pepe
Bucatini cacio e pepe is a simple, classic dish from Italy made with just five ingredients. This creamy pasta uses Pecorino Romano cheese and starchy pasta water to create an indulgent meal that’s easy and economical, perfect for a lazy yet impressive dinner.
Get the Recipe: Bucatini Cacio e Pepe
Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry
A quick and easy stir fry recipe using ground pork, cabbage, and mushrooms in a delicious Asian-inspired sauce. It’s a speedy meal that tastes like it took much longer to prepare.
Get the Recipe: Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry
Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet
Ground beef and cabbage make an easy skillet dinner inspired by an Asian stir fry. With tons of texture, aromatic spices, and a light savory sauce, this 30-minute meal is a weeknight winner that tastes like you spent much longer on it.
Get the Recipe: Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
