Longer days of summer can lead to a bit of a pinch when it comes to dinner. We’ve rounded up five of our favorite quick weeknight dinners that the whole house can not only help with, but enjoy! These make the rotation in our meal plans so often you’re probably wondering if we eat anything else! Truth is, not only are all 5 of these quick weeknight dinners our favorites, but they are veggie loaded and so easily customizable to suit an entire household of tastes.
The answer is as simple as looking at what’s in your fridge and pantry, just in new ways! If you’re not comfortable enough to toss ingredients together by feel just yet, here are our five favorite quick weeknight dinners The best part? All these recipes use ingredients many of us keep on-hand or can easily stock up on!
Quick Weeknight Dinners:
Fridge Dump Leftover Fried Rice
Chances are, if you’re working from home, you don’t have a lot of time to cook. That’s what makes fried rice such a great go-to. With just some leftover veggies and proteins hanging around in the back of your fridge, you, too, can make fried rice at home.
Leftovers are excellent because rice ingredients are pre-prepped. So, if you’re close to grocery shopping day and hurting for ingredients, have no fear:
One of our favorite things to do at the end of the week is to dump our leftovers and wilted veggies into a wok. In a few minutes, your neglected leftovers become a delicious, veggie-packed meal.
Healthier Cheeseburger Stroganoff
I cracked the code on having too many dishes: put all the things in the pot! And, let me tell you, this Cheeseburger Stroganoff does not disappoint.
It’s jam-packed with veggies. Plus, it has options to make it gluten-free, dairy-free, and nightshade-free.
The additional veggies are all optional, and if you’re short on time, there is no shame in using pre-spiralized veggies or a broccoli slaw mix instead. This one is definitely a must-try!
Sheet Pan Fajitas
A one-dish fajita method that’s AIP-friendly and nightshade-free? Are we serious? You bet we are! Through inventive spice mixes, you can get the flavor of the region without the spice and nightshades.
But what if you like nightshades? Just add your salsa, tomatoes, hot sauce when assembling at the end, and you’re ready to go!
This dish is great when looking for quick meals because the main components are ready in just over 30 minutes. And making them on a sheet pan in the oven means less cleanup, too!
Egg Roll in a Bowl
We have made numerous other versions of this dish, and found ourselves consistently tweaking the flavors. We combined shredded cabbage, onions, carrots and mushrooms with ground pork (actually a mix of ground beef, pork and turkey is even better) to make a great one pot dish. It’s also a fast, last minute dish to throw together with long-lasting, affordable veggies you likely already have in your fridge. We use our huge Lodge cast iron wok to make quick, fun work of the stir frying.
It’s now one that’s on our meal plans almost weekly! Why? Because it truly is so quick and easy to put together with whatever we’ve got on hand in the fridge that needs using. Or doing a quick scan of the freezer too. If you want to make the meal last even longer, serve it over rice or cauli-rice, now found in many freezer sections! Or serve as one of a bunch of different dishes just like a family style take out night. We served this to 4 foster kids from different backgrounds, one who claimed to not like cabbage, and it was a crowd pleaser!
Crispy Oven Baked Wings & Soup
Chicken wings are inexpensive and are fantastic finger foods. They’re a go-to for us when we’re out of time or energy. We perfected our method of oven-baked chicken wings when writing Real Life Paleo. With a dry rub or pre-made sauce, these require very few ingredients.
It’s as easy as keeping a frozen bag in the freezer and popping them in the oven (we use our air fryer now) and setting a timer. You could just add a bagged side salad for a truly quick & easy meal, but we find ourselves most often pairing it with soup.
Soup is a staple in our home, and when we make a batch we make it BIG so the soup lasts all week for leftovers. This Broccoli Cheese Soup is a family favorite, and Stacy’s favorite breakfast!
Hopefully, this roundup has inspired you to get creative with your odds, ends, and fridge leftovers. Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated or boring, and all these recipes use ingredients you already have or can easily stock up. Make double batches so the leftovers last more than just one meal!
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