26 Quick Dinner Ideas and Recipes for Working Moms to Make During the Week
I don’t know about you, but I always need more quick dinner ideas. As a working mom, I am always short on time but never short on things to do. I am the parent of two very picky eaters, so it used to be difficult to find quick dinner ideas that they would both eat and be happy with. My 5-year-old son would be perfectly content to eat applesauce muffins every single day for each meal if allowed. Fortunately for me, I’ve been able to find, rinse and repeat these easy weeknight dinner ideas that make both my children and my husband happy. I no longer have to use tons of mental energy trying to figure out what to make for an easy weeknight dinner on any given night. I use my handy dandy weekly meal planner, and use the extra time to read, listen to my favorite podcast, or just relax.
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Check out 26 of my favorite quick dinner ideas that save me time during the workweek.
Quick Dinner Ideas and Recipes Using the Air Fryer
Just like everyone else during the pandemic, I bought an air fryer. This has, hands down, been one of the best purchases I have made in the last few years. I use my air fryer frequently throughout the week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals. These are a few of my family’s favorite air fryer meals.
Cook the most delicious and comforting cheesy pasta bake in a fraction of the time in your air fryer. This pasta casserole is easy to adapt to suit your tastes and is perfect for picky eaters!
This recipe is a great intro meal for children you want to expose to the world of salmon. It is a sweet yet healthy meal for your children during the workweek. There are also huge health benefits of salmon for dogs, so if you have a pup, he might want to sneak a little too!
Homemade Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
This homemade air fryer pizza roll recipe is easy to shake up the weeknight dinner routine while still making something your picky eater will eat! If you love the doughy deliciousness of cinnamon rolls, chances are you will love pizza in this form, too!
Air Fryer Quesadillas have a perfectly crisp crunch on the outside and a gooey cheesy inside. Made with tortillas, cheese, and any desired fillings or toppings, they’re perfect for the picky eater in your life.
Air fryer salmon eliminates the need to dirty pans, pots, and dishes and will cook your filets in under 10 minutes. How’s that for a quick and easy meal?
Easy Weeknight Dinner Ideas Using Chicken
This Grilled Buffalo Chicken has all the flavor of your favorite chicken wings and is ideal for cooking outside or on a stovetop grill pan. You’re going to adore this simple and adaptable chicken meal.
Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast with Garlic Herb Butter
This cast iron skillet chicken is super easy to make, perfectly seasoned golden brown chicken that is tender and juicy and goes perfectly with any side dish! To make this meal even better, the chicken is topped with garlic herb butter, adding even more flavor!
One Skillet Cream of Mushroom Chicken
This cream of mushroom chicken is easy, all made in one skillet, and incredibly delicious and creamy. It’s a ridiculously tasty dinner for any night of the week.
This delicious Chicken Caesar Wrap is made quickly and easily with minimal ingredients.
Looking for an easy weeknight dinner idea? Try this Honey Teriyaki Chicken! I cook the chicken breast in my favorite skillet until tender in a simple, homemade teriyaki sauce made with honey, soy sauce, and pantry ingredients. Serve over rice, noodles, or veggies for a delicious and healthy meal!
Quick Dinner Ideas using Beef
When it comes to the perfect comfort food sandwich, you can’t beat old-fashioned sloppy Joes! With its caramelized sweet sauce with a bit of spice and its manly, meaty texture, this sandwich is irresistibly delicious and quick to make.
Crazy Simple Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
No mess and no fuss! These sheet pan steak fajitas make the perfect weeknight dinner recipe. Made with fresh veggies, lean beef, and homemade fajita seasoning, this easy, healthy dinner comes together in under 20 minutes.
Super Cheesy Easy Dinner Options
Three-ingredient arepa con queso is easy to make a delicious meal the whole family will love. Made with masarepa and mozzarella cheese, this easy weeknight dinner meal can also be found in my kid’s favorite movie Encanto!
What kid doesn’t love pizza? What mom doesn’t love French bread? The French Bread Pizza is delicious, easy to make, and will be a fan favorite of both mom and child. Serve it to your family on a charcuterie board to upgrade your dinner experience.
Easy Spinach Feta Rice Casserole
I love a reason to break out my fancy casserole dish. This simple rice casserole with feta has fantastic flavor and can easily feed a crowd!
Quick Dinner Ideas and Recipes Made with an Instant Pot
I am one of those people who were late to the game with getting an Instant Pot. But baby, let me tell you, the similar to the air fryer, the instant pot makes my life so much easier.
Instant Pot Pesto Chicken Pasta
This creamy chicken pasta meal is only five ingredients. I cook it in an instant pot and serve it in my favorite casserole dish. Pesto chicken pasta is the perfect weeknight meal when you are short on time and energy.
Instant Pot Garlic Mash Potatoes
Another Harrison family favorite is Instant Potatoes! This recipe is so creamy and packed with flavors! It is super easy and quick to make and only requires a few ingredients. The best is that you can make it in under 30 minutes in the Instant Pot.
Easy Weeknight Dinner Ideas Incorporating Pasta
This super easy weeknight dinner recipe includes tortellini tossed in creamy Parmesan sauce, ready in about 15 minutes, will become a famous favorite!
This easy cheesy pasta bake is a simple, filling meal for the whole family! We like to add sausage, but you can add chicken or chopped pepperoni.
Deconstructed lasagna is an easy recipe, a perfect way to enjoy a comforting weeknight dinner after a long day. It incorporates all the delicious lasagna components but is tweaked to be much simpler and healthier.
Creamy Ham and Tomato Penne al Baffo
Creamy ham and tomato penne al baffo is an excellent family pasta recipe. It’s so fast and easy to make you can have it on the table in the time it takes to boil the water and cook your pasta!
A quick and easy weeknight dinner option, this pasta recipe is loaded with nutrition and approved by my picky eater. Try this yummy avocado pasta today!
I loved Spaghetti O’s as a child but can’t bring myself to give my children the canned version of this food. I have found a recipe that I can get behind. This easy weeknight dinner option also happens to be gluten-free and vegan!
Mexican Ravioli is an easy, cheesy stovetop meal ready in 20 minutes, so skip the drive-thru and serve up a home-cooked meal that everyone will love. Serve with any Mexican toppings you like or none—it’s perfect for the whole family!
Quick Fish Dinner Ideas
Baked Salmon with Lemon Butter
This delicious Baked Salmon Recipe is cooked with lemon, butter, fresh minced garlic, and sweet honey and baked in the oven for maximum flavor and minimal cleanup. Super easy to make, have this incredible salmon recipe on the table in 20 minutes or less!
A buttery golden brown panko crust crowns this crispy baked fish for a quick, easy weeknight dinner. This is a perfect fish recipe for children who may be fans of nuggets but are still determining how they feel about fish.
These are some of my family’s favorite quick dinner ideas. With so many options for varying palettes, these easy weeknight dinner ideas are going to be helpful when you are short on time. Which one do you plan to try first? Please let me know how they turn out!
I’m not a mother, but sometimes when I get home I don’t have the energy to cook. So it usually anything I can find in the fridge. But this will definitely help things now that I know they’re quick to make! Thanks so much for sharing! I’ll definitely hold onto this!
Yes! I find it helpful to pick out a few of these meals for the week and do my grocery shopping according to the list.
These are great, delicious looking quick meals! Bookmarking this article to save the recipes! Thank you!
I am glad you found this helpful!
This article came at just the right time! I recently bought an air fryer, and still trying to figure out what I want to make with it. You gave a lot of great ideas and inspiration for quick meals 🙂
I love how creative and versatile these meals are! I have to make the honey teriyaki chicken, looks so delicious
Thanks for the post! I hate cooking and am always looking for quick ideas.
Thank you! I need more air fryer recipes!
Girl, don’t we all! I thinking about doing a post with all air fryer recipes.
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