20 dinners for when you don’t know what to cook

1. Spaghetti puttanesca

It’s amazing how much flavour a tin of anchovies can add to dinner. Their salty, umami goodness turns tomato spaghetti into an intense and deeply savoury dish, ready in just over 30 minutes. Add juicy black olives and a handful of fresh parsley for authenticity.

Head here for more quick pasta recipes, ways with tinned anchovies and our favourite spaghetti dinners.

2. Carrot biryani

Everyone has a few carrots sitting at the bottom of their salad drawer. Make them the star of the show with our veggie biryani, which sees grated carrot, rice pouches and simple storecupboard spices like turmeric blended together into a creative, colourful dinner. Don’t skip the roasted cashews (for crunch), the coriander (for colour) or the yogurt on top (for creaminess).

Discover more ways with carrot, plus our best biryani recipes and the health benefits of turmeric.

3. Chorizo chilli pepper pasta

Guindillas (long green chilli peppers, readily available from supermarkets) are so versatile – it’s well worth keeping a jar in the fridge. Here they’re tossed with basil, cooked chorizo and a can of cherry tomatoes to make a quick, exciting sauce for penne. We like ours with a mountain of grated parmesan on top.

Have you tried one of our best chorizo recipes? Or discover our favourite penne recipes and ways with canned tomatoes.

4. Paneer korma

All it takes is 30 minutes to make a creamy, aromatic veggie korma, featuring cubes of golden paneer, fresh spinach and ground almonds. Use shop-bought korma paste for ease and extra crushed cardamom to crank this dish up a notch. Serve with rice or warm naan breads.

Discover more ways with paneer and our best korma recipes.

5. Lemony tuna pasta

Tuna pasta, but not as you know it. This fancy all-in-one version adds capers, mascarpone and cherry tomatoes to the mix, plus a little parmesan and lemon zest. Despite the sophisticated taste, it’s a budget-friendly recipe – and there’s only one pan to wash up.

Find more canned tuna recipes, or try our one-pan pasta recipe and veggie pasta one-pot.

6. Pork noodle stir-fry

Stir-fries are a great shout for when you want something quick, easy and healthy – but they can be boring, too. Make yours sing by using pork mince as a base, cooking it alongside garlic, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce. Tip in your usual stir-fry veg and egg noodles, toss everything together and serve with extra sauce.

Check out more stir-fry inspiration, plus our best pork mince recipes.

7. Fish fingers & mushy peas

It’s so easy to make your own fish fingers. Slice any firm white fish (we like pollock or hake) into chunky fingers, then dip each one first into seasoned flour, then whisked egg and finally breadcrumbs – pick the panko type, if you want a really crisp coating. You can fry the fish fingers or oven-cook them. Serve with new potatoes and quick mushy peas for a family-friendly tea.

Find more fish finger options, then check out our smashed minted peas recipe.

8. Chinese chicken curry

Transform chicken breasts into a flavour-packed (and healthy) dinner for four. This recipe calls for the simplest ingredients and just a little bit of prep – whizz caramelised onion and garlic together with stock and storecupboard spices until smooth, then use that as the base for your curry. Serve with plenty of fluffy rice.

Discover more Chinese-style recipes, plus what to do with chicken breasts.

9. Sweet potato & peanut curry

You can do so much with a jar of peanut butter. Add a large spoon to a quick curry base (Thai red curry paste, onion, garlic and ginger), then simmer with coconut milk and sweet potato chunks to make a main that’s scored nearly 1,000 five-out-of-five reviews on our website. Don’t forget a squeeze of lime juice to finish.

Find more recipes that make the most of peanut butter, then check out our more vegan curry recipes.

10. Chicken piccata with garlicky greens and new potatoes

Chicken, veg and potatoes – but done properly, with plenty of olive oil, stock, capers, lemon zest and parmesan for maximum flavour. It’s easy to prepare chicken breasts piccata-style (slice through the centre lengthways, so you can open each one out like a book), and you can tip parboiled new potatoes into the same pan, frying until they’re both golden. “Easy and delicious” and “it went down a storm” are just a couple of the comments left for this dish.

Find more quick chicken breast recipes and best ways with new potatoes.

11. Noodles with crispy tofu

Elevate tofu to new heights by tossing in cornflour and cooking until crisp and golden in your oven or air-fryer. Combined with noodles, broccoli, peas and plenty of spices, it's a fail-safe weeknight meal which delivers in big, punchy flavours. If you're looking for easy and exciting ways to commit to a flexitarian or vegetarian diet, this is a great one to add to your repertoire.

See more exciting ways to tofu as well as our main noodle recipe collection.

12. Creamy garlic pasta

A bowl of rich, garlicky pasta never fails to bring comfort, and this quick and easy recipe will help you achieve creamy pasta perfection in just 25 minutes. It's a simple, satisfying midweek meal, showcasing everyone's favourite comfort ingredients such as parmesan and double cream. Any long pasta will work, so use whatever you have in the cupboard.

Try more creamy pasta recipes or check out this tagliatelle recipe collection.

13. Creamy halloumi & tomato curry

Showcase everyone's favourite salty cheese in this veg-packed, family-friendly curry – it has a wonderful texture, similar to paneer. If you think curries involve standing at the hob for ages, think again: this curry is ready in an impressive 25 minutes. If you're making it for young children, you may want to halve the amount of garam masala.

Check out more halloumi recipes as well as our vegetarian curry recipes.

14. Sausage & kale minestrone

Use whatever small pasta shape you have in the cupboard to make this comforting bowl of minestrone, mixing dark leafy greens with bite-sized sausage pieces. If you're craving spice, add as much sliced red chilli as you wish, and make sure to finish with a sprinkle of lemon zest and plenty of parmesan shavings.

Search for more minestrone dishes in our collection of minestrone soup recipes.

15. Harissa broccoli & flatbreads

You need just five ingredients to rustle up this one-pan veggie dish. Simply top no-knead flatbreads with thick Greek yogurt, harissa-coated broccoli and a fried egg, et voilà! This dish has a delicious homemade-feel to it whilst being ready on the table in under half an hour. Perfect for the time-poor who still crave something fresh and flavour-packed.

Try more of our quick vegetarian recipes.

16. Tahini miso noodles with crispy broccoli & sausages

Try something a little different with broccoli with this umami bowl of udon noodles. It's pepped up with a crispy chilli oil topping, which really enhances the dish as a whole – it’s well worth investing in a jar.

Check out more ways with miso as well as these chicken noodle soup recipes.

17. Speedy lentil coconut curry

Craving a warming, nutritious curry but don't have time to spare? Turn your hand to this quick and easy lentil and coconut dish. It offers a great depth of flavour and tastes like it’s been cooked for hours, but it takes just 25 minutes to make. It's healthy too, as well as being low in fat and calories.

Find more speedy curries or take a browse through these vegetarian curry recipes.

18. Fajita chicken rice bowl with burnt lime

Enjoy chicken fajitas the easy way with this faff-free, one-pan recipe. It's a great way to up your family's veggie intake, plus it's full of nutrients and low in fat and calories. Ready in 25 minutes, it makes a perfect addition to your midweek meal rotation.

Take a browse through our best fajita recipes for more midweek inspiration.

19. Thai curry noodle soup

Sometimes after a long, hard day, a bowl of hot, fragrant noodle soup is the perfect pick-me-up. This 20-minute meal is just the trick if you're looking for a warming bowl of goodness, fast. To help combat food waste, use whatever veg you have lurking in the fridge.

Find more Thai-inspired ideas as well as our best Thai green curry recipes.

20. Chicken & tzatziki wraps

Pile chunks of chicken, a two-ingredient tzatziki, cucumber and tomatoes onto shop-bought wraps to make this zingy weeknight dinner. These wraps are budget-friendly, using just five ingredients, plus they take less than 30 minutes to make. A real win-win.

Check out more wrap recipes for speedy weeknight dinners.

Like this? Find more dinner inspiration:

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What recipes do you usually turn to? Leave a comment below...