Simple, Delicious Dinner Ideas
/
If you follow me on Instagram stories, you’ll remember I asked if you’d rather see a post about sourdough bread or simple meals. It was a close race, but sourdough won. That post has been written and shared - I hope you’ve been inspired to make some bread!
But, now we really must talk about simple dinner ideas because dinner happens every. single. day. And with more cooking happening during COVID quarantine, the more desperate we all are for ideas. AMIRIGHT? I’m always down for a good dinner idea anytime, during COVID or not. Simple, good, nutritious ideas. I appreciate meals that are quick and tasty but also provide a good balance of protein, veggies, and a grain or starch. Recently I’ve found some nice vegetarian meals as well (yea, my grocery bill started to get high and I was looking for ways to cut down, so I cut out meat a few nights a week.)
Okay, less talking and more sharing…
(I just know writing this post will make me hungry.)
Some Simple and Delicious Meals
Grilled Sausage and Peppers with Aioli
Soooo, I didn’t grill this per the recipe. Instead, I cooked the sausages per the instructions on the package - with a pan on the stovetop. Then I cooked the peppers and onions on my cast-iron on the stovetop. I used Safeway’s Open Nature Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper Chicken Sausages, but any brand and flavor probably works just as well. I also used the whole onion because why not? For the grill seasoning, I used Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning mix. Lastly, for the aioli, I used some pesto instead of the stir-in pastes because I had some on hand. I bet those herb tubes in the herb section at the grocery store would work as well. Then I took her suggestion and put these on naan. So fun! And I know her recipe is using specific brands, but just use something similar and it’ll work; it’s a forgiving recipe.
Best Baked Rice & Beans
I’ve made two versions with two different methods lately and enjoyed both. The first one just has you dump everything into a dish and bake. Watch the chef’s video here. You could add ground meat if you want to hearty it up a bit, I did. Easy peasy. Or, try the New York Time’s Rice and Beans with Extras. For this one, I used brown rice and topped with sour cream and avocado and served with some zucchini, too.
Black Bean Breakfast Tacos
The beans are zesty for sure! You could opt to put the beans on the side and just have the egg in the tortilla. Whatever you like!
Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry
This tastes like it was simmering for hours, but it wasn’t. The last time I made this, I added garbanzo beans. I also like to use cashews instead of peanuts. Served all on top of brown rice!
Chipotle Tahini Bowl
This is truly a new favorite of mine. With the sauce, I found 1/4 cup olive oil was plenty and I used garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. My preference is to have this with farro, kale, avocado, sweet potato, eggs, and then the sauce drizzled on top. For the kale, I put it in the oven with the sweet potatoes for the last few minutes to soften it up a bit.
Red Curry Noodles
Oh, how I love Thai food. Don’t be intimidated by the curry. For the veggies, I like mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and kale. Oh, I either swap the tofu for chicken or just skip it entirely (just not a tofu fan).
Instant Pot Chicken Adobo (alternative recipe here)
My sister found this recipe, and I made it first when visiting my parents. Everyone ate it, even my dad (and that’s saying something). Serve it with rice and bok choy (oh, baby bok choy!) or broccoli.
Chicken Tinga Tacos
I actually use my Instant Pot to make the shredded chicken, which makes this recipe a breeze. Here’s the link to the shredded chicken recipe. These are delish! Get all the toppings and you’ll be a happy camper.
Green Chile Turkey Burger
I have a few different flavors for turkey burgers, but this one has green chiles in it which makes my husband happy. I add cheese to all my burgers…I hope you do as well. Cheese FTW!
Cauliflower Walnut Vegetarian Taco Meat
My new favorite vegetarian option. I was so very dubious when I saw it, but it got good reviews and I really love this blogger. I’m so glad I tried it. I love it in bowl form as well as tacos. The corn/bean, guac, and rice are not optional….wink wink!
Butternut Squash & Mushroom Tacos with Chimichurri
We’ve been doing Taco Tuesday consistently for a month now. Knowing I have to make tacos on Tuesdays makes meal planning a bit easier. This has such great flavor, and don’t skip the chimichurri!
Chicken Pesto Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
You could buy the pesto to speed this one up, but I don’t mind making my own. I also use my Instant Pot occasionally to make the potatoes - here’s the link. But roasting them is simple, a bit more time consuming perhaps, but if you’re in the house all you have to do be pop them in the oven and then take them out. I do it earlier in the day and then just warm them up at dinner time.
Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
I take a few short cuts on this recipe. I skip making a sauce and just buy a jarred sauce at the store (try Rao’s!). I also don’t bother browning the meatballs and just bake them instead. I hate browning meatballs, it makes them funny shapes and it’s messy and time-consuming. And that’s how I feel about that. I actually love these served with polenta. Try this instant pot polenta or this tried and true oven version. Perfection.
That’s it, folks. If you found this helpful, then you might enjoy these other posts as well: