7 Easy Recipe Ideas For Dinner

Who’s ready for dinner? I know there are quite a few of you out there! It’s one of the more challenging aspects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

Finding recipe ideas that your whole family will love is priority numero uno! With limited time and the need for food that everyone will enjoy, it can be hard to even find recipe ideas, let alone fun ideas to make dinner different from last night. 

But you don’t have to struggle with this issue anymore! Here are 7 Easy Recipes For Dinner You Will Love.

 

• Baked Potatoes with Creamy Spinach and Bacon

1 1/2 pounds of baby potatoes, halved

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups fresh baby spinach, packed

5 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the potatoes in a large baking dish or roasting pan. Add water until it comes up halfway on the potatoes.
3. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain well and return to the pan.
4. Add heavy cream, cream cheese, salt, and pepper; toss gently until combined. Spread the mixture into an even layer over the top of each potato half. 
5. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until heated through and bubbling around edges.

 

• Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

1/2 lb elbow macaroni

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used extra sharp)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I used part-skim)

1 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)

3 tablespoons butter, melted (or margarine)

salt and pepper, to taste (I didn’t use any salt because we were using salted butter)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. 
2. In a large bowl combine cooked pasta, cheeses, milk, and melted butter or margarine. Season with salt and pepper if desired. 
3. Pour into the prepared baking dish. 
4. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown on top and bubbling around the edges of the pan. 
5. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving hot!

 

• Spicy Sausage Pasta

 Ingredients:

1 pound spicy Italian sausage

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups uncooked rotini pasta

1 (28 ounces) can of crushed tomatoes in puree

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

 

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add oil to the same pan. 
2. Cook onion and garlic until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and oregano. 
3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until thickened.

 

• Roasted Salmon with Capers and Leeks

Ingredients:

1/2 cup capers, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 ounces of baby leeks (about 3)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 4-ounce salmon fillets, skin removed (I used wild Alaskan Salmon)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Place the salmon on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 
3. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until cooked through, about 15 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, leeks, capers, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook until leeks begin to soften but aren’t browned, about 5 minutes. 
5. Drizzle with lemon juice from 1 lemon wedge and toss to combine. Divide leek mixture evenly among plates; top each plate with a piece of salmon and serve immediately

 

• Sweet Potato Fries with Sea Salt (or regular fries)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

5 sweet potatoes; cut into fries

sea salt to taste (or regular salt)

 

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, garlic powder, and seasoning salt until well combined.
2. Add the sweet potatoes and toss until evenly coated in flour mixture.
3. Pour vegetable oil into a deep-fryer or large saucepan until it is about 2 inches deep. Heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Cook sweet potato fries for about 5 minutes or until golden brown on each side. Remove from oil with tongs onto paper towels to drain excess oil. 
5. Sprinkle it with sea salt or regular salt before serving.

 

• Creamy Chicken Soup with Vegetables

 Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup sliced celery

1 bay leaf

4 cups chicken broth (or 4 cups water with 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon)

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced (use rotisserie chicken)

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients except the butter and salt and pepper to a large pot on medium heat. Cover and bring to a boil. 
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add optional butter or olive oil to thicken the soup if desired. 
3. Remove the bay leaf before serving warm!

 

• Baked Zucchini Taquitos

 Ingredients:

1 large zucchini, shredded

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup salsa verde

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro or parsley (optional)

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Shred the zucchini using a box grater or food processor fitted with the shredder blade.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the zucchini and egg until well combined. Add in the cheese, salsa verde, cilantro, and spices if desired. 
4. Mix until well combined then let sit for 10 minutes so that it can absorb all of those delicious flavors! Roll the mixture into small balls then lay flat on your prepared baking sheet (you should get about 12). 
5. Bake for 15 minutes then flip over and cook for an additional 10 minutes until browned on both sides.

 

We hope you were able to find some quick and easy recipe ideas for dinner. If anything, we hope that this article gave you some motivation to simply get in the kitchen and cook something – whether it’s one of these seven ideas or not.