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, 2 min read

What’s for dinner tonight? 25 quick dinner ideas for the whole family

It's 6:30 pm, no one has an idea, and everyone's hungry. Here are 25 dinners that please kids and adults alike, ready in 30 minutes or less.

The question « what’s for dinner tonight? » comes up every single day, and it’s usually the same person who has to answer it. To help you out, here are ideas sorted by mood. Keep this page handy, or let Mon Chou think about it for you.

When you need to be fast, 15 minutes

  1. Herb omelet and salad, the classic for nights with no inspiration.
  2. Homemade croque monsieur, in the oven while you set the table.
  3. Buttered pasta with ham and peas, the kids always ask for it.
  4. Chicken wraps with raw veggies and yogurt sauce, everyone fills their own.
  5. Baked eggs with toast soldiers, with leftover grated cheese.

The dishes everyone agrees on, 20 to 30 minutes

  1. Salmon and lemon pasta, light cream, lemon zest.
  2. Fried rice with vegetables and egg, perfect for using up yesterday’s rice.
  3. Creamy chicken with mushrooms, with fresh pasta.
  4. Homemade burgers, ground beef patty, tomato, cheddar, lettuce.
  5. Cheese and kidney bean quesadillas, crispy in the pan.
  6. Vegetable soup with cheese toast, when it’s cold out.
  7. Pan fried gnocchi with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, all in one pan.

Light dinners to end the week

  1. Potato salad with tuna and hard boiled eggs.
  2. Homemade tabbouleh and chicken skewers.
  3. Zucchini soup with croutons.
  4. Thin tomato and mustard tart, with store bought dough.
  5. White fish baked in parchment with rice, ready in 20 minutes in the oven.

Crowd pleasers with no effort

  1. Express shepherd’s pie, with mashed potatoes made ahead.
  2. Homemade pizza on store bought dough, everyone picks their own toppings.
  3. Beef and pepper fajitas.
  4. Potato croquettes with green salad.
  5. Baked lasagna made the day before, all that’s left is to reheat it.

With whatever’s left in the fridge

  1. Frittata with yesterday’s vegetables.
  2. Cheesy pasta bake, with the pasta from lunch.
  3. One minute soup, all the leftover veggies, blended with broth.

The real secret, don’t decide every day

What wears you out isn’t the cooking, it’s having to choose every single evening, thinking about everyone’s tastes, what’s left in the fridge, and what you had the day before. That’s exactly what Mon Chou does. It suggests one dish, just one, the one that will be a hit. If it doesn’t appeal to you, you ask for something else. By the fourth idea, it threatens to order a pizza.

Last idea, after that I’m ordering a pizza.