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Hellooooooo, friends! It has been a long time since I’ve written anything here, and even longer since I’ve shared a menu ideas post. And they are some of my favorite to write. I know not everyone loves thinking of what to make for dinner, but I genuinely do, at least most of the time.
I come by that very naturally; one of the questions my mom always asks me when we chat is what we are having for dinner. And my text messages with siblings often involve sending links to delicious recipes we tried and enjoyed the night before.
So, what easy weeknight dinner ideas do I have for you this week?
Biscuits & Sausage Gravy with Fresh Fruit
Let’s start with Biscuits & Gravy. Biscuits & Gravy is a weekend breakfast favorite at our house, but it makes a yummy, comforting weeknight dinner, too. I make homemade biscuits, but if you don’t want to go to that trouble, you can use the frozen Pillsbury ones. The newest and best version of this recipe is in my book, Farmhouse Weekends, but you can find an older version here on the blog. I usually serve this with fresh fruit.
Minestrone Soup with Sourdough Bread
We’ve been having some seriously weird winter weather here in Oregon, which means it’s still soup season. This minestrone I wrote about for Eugene Magazine a few years ago is still my favorite. It’s really easy to swap things out based on what you have on hand and what veggies you like. Lately, I’ve been replacing the pasta with white beans, leaving the potatoes out entirely, and using chicken broth in place of the water for extra deliciousness. It’s really hard to go wrong with it. And it tastes so good reheated for lunch! We serve it with sourdough bread.
Meatball Shakshuka with French Bread
A brand new fave that I think is destined to make it’s way into the regular rotation is Meatball Shakshuka. I don’t care for runny eggs, but I think they’re really key to a lot of egg dishes, like shakshuka. A hardcooked egg just doesn’t have the same vibe. Or more to the point, the same flavor or texture. So I sometimes avoid recipes that call for them because I don’t know what to do. My mom had the idea to swap meatballs for the runny eggs in shakshuka, and it was a massive hit. So yummy and really, really easy. I used this classic shakshuka recipe from Once Upon a Chef, and simply added Costco meatballs that I had warmed in the oven in place of the eggs. I think I served this with a loaf of french bread. It was just sensational.
Creamy White Bean Lemon Pesto Orzo Soup
If you’ve never made anything from Halfbaked Harvest, you’ve been missing out. I’ve honestly never had one of Tieghen’s recipes not be delicious. Most recently, I made her Creamy White Bean Lemon Pesto Orzo Soup. It was a very cold, possibly snowy, weeknight, half my family was sick, and the other half had the same busy night as usual. It was rough. I sat on the couch after everyone went to bed and helped myself to another serving and a half of this soup, and it was everything my mind and body needed. Any leftovers turn into more of a risotto consistency than a soup, and it is also fantastic.
Slowcooker Greek Pork Pitas with Tzatziki and Feta
And last but in no way least, we had Greek Shredded Pork Pitas from Kelsey Nixon’s Recipe Club. I can’t link to the recipe because you can only access it if you are a member of the club. But I can tell you that we’re on year two of being members, and it is easily worth the annual fee. We add a Recipe Club recipe to our dinner rotation every week or two. And Kelsey has generously offered Lulu the Baker readers a code for 20% off an annual or monthly membership (choose annual—you won’t regret it). Use the code LULU to save on Recipe Club and go sign up right now! The Greek Shredded Pork Pitas were really easy and really good. The meat was very tender and flavorful, and because it’s a slowcooker recipe, there was almost no work to do in the evening to get them ready. And the prep work was so easy, my oldest kid got it in the crock pot before she left for school that day. We had this with a big green salad with Greek dressing.
So there you go! 5 easy weeknight dinner ideas for those busy nights when you struggle to get something delicious on the table. If you need even more dinner inspiration, check out the menu ideas archives, where you’ll find over 100 options for easy and delicious dinners.
