Our Best Dinner Recipes & Ideas

You won’t believe how simple it is.

Because adjusting to the back to school routine can be tough.

Shrimply delicious.

It’s way better than takeout.

This is what your meal is missing.

It’s no surprise that green beans have a permanent spot on my grocery list. After all, the slender legumes are quick-cooking, kid-friendly, and tasty, to boot! Thankfully, there’s no shortage of ways to prepare this snappy vegetable: green beans braised with tomatoes and pepper, blistered green beans with tangy pickled shallots, and classic green bean casserole, to name just a few.

It comes together in no time.

I have a personal rule when it comes to my kids: I always say yes when they ask to help with cooking. This doesn’t mean I’m inviting them to cook every meal with me, but when they ask I always oblige. Cooking with kids sometimes that means dinner takes 10, 15, even 20 minutes longer to get on the table, but we always learn something — even if it’s just to make sure the lid is tightly sealed on the paprika.

You don’t have to be Italian to appreciate the bake-and-serve simplicity of a big plate of stuffed shells. It’s the kind of Sunday supper that transcends tradition to make everyone happy. So when you’ve got a crowd of people to feed, this is the dish that benefits both host and guests. Here’s how to make it. It’s perfectly simple. There’s no unexpected additions of spinach to keep picky eaters away, and no hidden meat, so vegetarians will be happy.

Do yourself a favor and file this recipe for Lyonnaise potatoes under side dishes that are better than the main course. It will hold true no matter what you’re serving.I can say this with confidence not only because I’ve made this recipe many times, but also because the French are experts at turning something as simple as potatoes and onions into a dish that feels incredibly luxe and fancy and far, far greater than the sum of its parts. Here’s how to make it.

I’m searching my plate for more things to dip in the sauce.

One way I love to beat the summer heat is with cold, refreshing food. And cucumbers are the coolest of the cool. Their refreshing flavor profile is the reason that gazpacho feels so fresh. In this cold soup recipe, I let cucumbers be the star. With a handful of ingredients and a blender, you can whip up this soup in 15 minutes. This soup doesn’t require any cooking. In this easy no-cook recipe, I use English cucumbers because they are seedless and have tender exteriors.

You'll want to put the sauce on everything.

It’s peak summer cooking at its best.

I dare you to eat just a couple of these sweet potato fries. It’s impossible. So I suggest you dive right in. Cooked in the air fryer, they’re irresistibly crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and kissed all over with a simple seasoning mix. What are you waiting for? Let’s get cooking. They’re perfectly crispy. All you have to do is spread them in an even layer and toss them halfway through cooking. It’s quick and easy to make.

Consider these honey balsamic Brussels sprouts the only recipe you’ll ever need. The sprouts are roasted until they’re ridiculously crispy, then tossed in a sweet and savory honey-balsamic glaze. They’re reminiscent of the kind of Brussels sprouts you order at restaurants that leave you wondering what is it that they do to them? It’s a veggie side dish that (almost) rivals the main course. Here’s how to make them.

Don’t forget the garlic butter.

Vinho Verde is a must.

Grilling is far and away my favorite way to cook eggplant. The sturdy vegetable is naturally well-suited to the grill, as it doesn’t run the risk of falling through the grates and becomes even meatier in flavor after taking on grill marks. Plus, eggplant’s mild flavor means it takes well to just about any seasoning you throw at it.

I’ve never really met a chicken wing that I didn’t like. No matter the type, though, crispy skin is a must. Getting the skin nicely browned and blistered isn’t difficult at all. It just requires a little time and a staple pantry item: baking powder. Baking powder is the secret ingredient that makes the best crispy chicken wings for your next game day party or weeknight dinner. We bake them in the oven here, but you can also cook the chicken wings in your air fryer.

lasagna's lazier cousin.

It’s a summer staple.

It’s a summer staple!

I can feel the salty coastal breeze.

Meet your new favorite party recipe: slow cooker baked beans. Long loved for their sweet, tangy flavor and tender, creamy texture, baked beans for backyard barbecues, summer cookouts, and game day parties used to mean heating up the whole house to slowly cook the dried beans for hours upon hours. Here, your Crock Pot (or your favorite brand of slow cooker) saves the day by doing all the work and keeping you cool at the same time. It’s so easy to make.

And it won’t fall apart on the grill.

It’s fit for a cowboy.

If you’re craving a juicy, tender, cheese-topped burger — one that you can really sink your teeth into — then you need to try the stovetop method. No dry hockey pucks here! Just the kind of burger you’d normally pay big bucks for at a restaurant. Today we’re talking burgers. From the best kind of ground beef to use to tips for shaping the patties, with a step-by-step recipe for simply the best burgers you’ve ever had — at home or elsewhere. Ready?

Everyone begs me to make it every summer.

Cheesy enough to squash your concerns.

It has everything (except lettuce).

The fries are basically croutons.

A tasty alternative to beef.

It’s my family’s most requested dinner.

Slurpy sauce summer.

Copy and paste this 2-ingredient dressing all summer long.

And it’s actually way easier to make than it looks.

Editor’s Note: If you’ve cooked this beloved recipe before, it might look a little different these days! We recently improved it to make it even easier to follow and more delicious.If you don’t think you like catfish then somebody didn’t do something right. Perfectly fried, Southern-style catfish — whether cooked at a fish shack, at a Saturday night fish fry, or on the banks of a winding river — should not be underestimated.

Even better than I remembered.

Hot take: Roasted tomatoes are even better than summer tomatoes.

For a dinner as fiery as the grill it’s cooked on, look no further than firecracker-style shrimp skewers. These shrimp are grilled and glazed with a spicy-sweet marinade that will have you licking your fingers and reaching for (at least) one more. Here’s how to make them. Only six ingredients. Make the glaze with pantry-friendly ingredients like brown sugar, hot sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Serve straight from the skewer, scatter over rice, or tuck in a taco.

It's a keeper.

It’s so flavorful.

Equal parts affordable and delicious.

Everyone’s mother has a signature potato salad recipe, at least in the South it seems. I’ve got about four versions that I rotate between, including an Ina Garten recipe that uses whole-grain mustard and my mother-in-law’s recipe with Greek yogurt and plenty of chives. With warmer weather promising lots of summer potlucks and backyard barbecues, I decided it was high time I came up with my own signature potato salad.

If you’re looking to take your regular pasta salad up a notch this summer, look no further than a diner classic for inspiration. Stuffed with just three ingredients and a swipe of mayo, BLT sandwiches are timeless favorite. This pasta salad takes everything you love about that irresistible sandwich and folds it into a summery side that’s sure to be a hit at your next potluck. It tastes just like a BLT. You’ll love the crisp bacon and sweet cherry tomatoes in each bite.

There are grilled burgers and hot dogs, but no dish speaks to true grilling prowess quite like perfectly grilled chicken breast. Marked by the grill and turned a most gorgeous caramel-colored hue, the very best grilled chicken breast promises to be juicy and tender — and as versatile for quick summer meals as a good tomato. Grilled chicken has become so ubiquitous, though, that we often forget what a real stunner it can be among dry and less flavorful grilled fare.

It’s surprisingly easy to make.

The dressing is liquid gold.

Zucchini certainly isn’t shy about making an entrance. At the first signs of summer, the versatile veggie graces our vegetable gardens, our farmers markets, and our grocery stores with its abundance, begging us to load up and get cooking. And cook we will! We’ll toss it into pastas and salads and even cake all summer long, but the first thing we’re doing is throwing it on the grill. Here’s how to grill perfect zucchini every time. Two ways to cut them.

No deep-frying involved.

It's impossible to eat just one.

Everyone asks for seconds, and then thirds.

The only thing that can make a snappy grilled hot dog on a toasted bun better is a thick layer of savory chili, some sharp cheddar cheese, and onions. If you haven’t discovered the absolute pleasure of serving chili dogs at a backyard get-together yet, let me introduce you.Chili dogs have become synonymous with amusement parks and college dining halls.

Salad bars and the airport quick-grab kiosks have done the strawberry spinach salad a real disservice, I think. And there’s really only one thing that can ruin an otherwise good spinach salad: dry, undressed greens. If you pour the dressing over the top of your salad, you end up with gloppy, over-dressed greens sitting above pockets of dry greens that squeak against your teeth. (Shudder.) Woe be to you if you’re the last person to get served.

When I was growing up, my grandfather worked at KFC — and even at 7 years old I loved those styrofoam containers of sweet and creamy coleslaw. I still have a soft spot for that chopped salad of sorts, but I love any variety of the stuff. Vinegar slaw, in particular, is one of my favorite summertime sides. Here’s how to make the best no mayo coleslaw for your next cookout. No mayo here!

Perfect for sharing.

Like the classic, only cuter.

Pickles make it perfect.

It's so good.

A skillet and a lid are all you need to make these crispy potatoes with fluffy, perfect insides.

Put down that jar of Alfredo sauce.

As a teen of the ’90s and former frequent patron of Red Lobster (my all-time favorite chain restaurant), I’ve always loved coconut shrimp. The coconut calls out to my tropical sensibilities, and I don’t need to convince you of the glory that is crispy breaded shrimp. Whenever a platter of the nostalgic appetizer is set in front me, I gleefully pop them into my mouth one by one until every last morsel is consumed.

Proof that summer sides should be simple.

There is nothing quite like homemade ravioli. When it’s well-made, even a filling as simple as cheese can make the most satisfying meal. The great news is that you — yes, you! — can make excellent ravioli at home. This recipe makes a lot of ravioli. The intention is that you’ll use some right away and freeze some to have on hand. If you’re going to put the time in to make them, it’s nice to make a big batch.

Your weeknight dinner just got a whole lot zestier.

Welcome to Snapshot Cooking, the home of Kitchn’s easiest recipes. These mini recipes are so simple you can practically cook from the before-and-after snapshot itself. A couple times a year, my husband and I splurge on a nice cut of steak. We season it with plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper, and either cook it hot and fast in our cast iron skillet on the stovetop or in the backyard on the grill.

I make risotto at home almost weekly, which means I’ve run through just about every iteration. My favorite, though, is mushroom risotto. Mushroom risotto contains all the ingredients found in traditional risotto — aromatics, short-grain rice, white wine, broth, Parmesan cheese, and butter — plus lots of meaty mushrooms scented with fresh thyme.

I make them every week.