Quick-cooking proteins, spices, herbs and aromats, plus seasonal vegetables – this is your shortcut for the best dinner ideas for the week. Because after a long, hard day at work during a busy week, all you want to turn to are reliable, quick dinners.
In this fast-paced age of meal-kit delivery services and Thai takeaway, it’s easy not to step foot in the kitchen during the workweek. We get it. Sometimes, you can’t be bothered to cook a weeknight dinner. But we believe quick, easy meals are worth cooking from scratch — from buying the freshest seasonal produce to adding your own culinary flair to your favourite midweek meal ideas you cook repeatedly.
Our best dinner ideas are anything but dull. These recipes are quick, crowd-pleasing and packed with aromats and nutrients. Whether you’re in search of dinner ideas for one, a low-key date night or dinner recipes for the household, we have you covered.
Looking for an easy chicken recipe that’s ready in under the 30-minute mark? We’ve got it. What about a stir-fry that’s big on flavour but not the labour? Yes, of course, we have a few of those. Plus, quick, easy dinner recipes that range from aromatic curries and speedy tofu mains to simple baked fish dishes and vibrant seasonal salads. Not to mention the ultimate dinner ideas: one-pot recipe wonders — because who wants mountains of cleaning up after a quick dinner? No one.
Whip your way through these speedy recipes for soups, pasta, stir-fries and more. Trust us, our best dinner ideas and super-speedy weeknight recipes won’t let you down.
The best dinner ideas for quick midweek meals in 2024

Salmon with ginger butter, soba noodles and radish

Fast chicken satay

Prawn linguine with semi-dried tomatoes and olives

Lamb with fennel, salsa verde and preserved lemon

Potato tortilla with marinated mushrooms

Sushi bowls

Chicken, carrot and orange tray bake with chive butter

Lamb chops with grilled zucchini and tahini

Pastrami and spiced fennel slaw sandwich

Italian sausage skewers

Lamb, zucchini and haloumi flatbreads with chilli honey

Chilli and soy butter noodles with poached duck egg

Prawns with saffron, chilli and quinoa

Cheat’s wonton soup

Tonkatsu with curry sauce

Chilli squid-ink spaghetti

Saganaki with watermelon and cucumber salad

Cambodian lort cha

Seared tuna with baby spring greens

Torn pasta soup with fennel and parmesan croutons

Pintxo-style chopped steak sandwiches

Bitter greens, leek and Comté tart

Stir-fried udon noodles with mustard greens, tofu and peanut sauce

Mushroom miso soup

Black pepper tofu
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Spaghetti alla puttanesca

Giovanni Pilu’s potato salad with chickpeas, fennel, radicchio and anchovy dressing

Drunken corn and ginger stir-fry with silken tofu

John Dory with shiitake mushrooms and ginger

Chicken scallopini with mushrooms and broccoli rabe
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Pan-fried ocean trout with kohlrabi salad

Polenta with roast pumpkin, speck and almonds

Tomato and spring onion omelette

Mild chicken curry

Seafood in hot-and-sour broth

Carbonara, Japanese-style

Linguine with goat’s cheese and caramelised leek

Chicken with buckwheat and mushrooms

Pan-fried snapper with black-olive vinaigrette

Gemfish in vermouth sauce

Brussels sprout salad

Kung pao chicken
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Blue cheese and leek tarts with roasted grapes

Chicken, vermicelli and lemongrass soup

Snapper curry with green beans and coriander

Chana masala
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Baked salmon with black bean sauce

Ten-minute spaghetti with olives, capers and lemon

Penne with broccoli and pancetta pangrattato
