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Home | Recipes | Main Dishes | 21 Weeknight Dinner Ideas for the Family

21 Weeknight Dinner Ideas for the Family

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Everyone with a family knows how important it can be to find a great weeknight dinner recipe! Here is a list of 21 of the best stovetop, oven, slow cooker, and pressure cooker weeknight dinner ideas for the family!

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21 of the best weeknight dinners for the family
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  • The BEST Weeknight Dinner Ideas for the Family
  • Stovetop Recipes
  • 20 Minute Chicken Stir Fry
  • Sticky Orange Chicken Thighs
  • Mexican Pizza
  • Orange Chicken
  • Korean Ground Turkey & Rice Bowls
  • Oven Recipes
  • Supreme Pizza Chicken Bake Recipe Low Carb
  • Oven Baked Shrimp Recipe
  • 6-Ingredient Honey Mustard Chicken Bake
  • Healthy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Bake
  • Sheet Pan Barbecue Chicken with Potatoes (Grain Free)
  • Baked Chicken Nuggets with Hidden Quinoa
  • Slow Cooker
  • Clean Eating BBQ Pulled Chicken made in the Slow Cooker
  • Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup
  • Complete Chicken Dinner in Crockpot
  • Crockpot Bolognese
  • Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe – Freezer Meal Idea
  • Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma
  • Pressure Cooker
  • Weeknight Ribs…. in Your Instant Pot
  • Instant Pot Goulash Recipe
  • Instant Pot Vegetable Chow Mein
  • Easy Thai Chicken Curry for Instant Pot – Perry's Plate

The BEST Weeknight Dinner Ideas for the Family

Life can be busy but we still all want to eat generally healthy right? So I have rounded up 21 of the most fresh weeknight dinners that are perfect for the whole family. 

For your convince I have divided the list into 4 sections; Stovetop, Oven, Slow Cooker, and Pressure Cooker. So no matter what your jam is you will find something on this list you’ll love! From chicken bakes, to Chinese fake-out, to weeknight ribs it is time to get your grub on!

Stovetop Recipes

Quick & easy skillet and stovetop dinner recipes.

20 Minute Chicken Stir Fry

In 20 minutes you will have a protien packed, veggie filled dinner to serve to the family! This chicken stir fry comes together quickly and is served over rice.

Sticky Orange Chicken Thighs

Turn a family pack of chicken thighs into a delicious dinner! A few simple ingredients make a delicious sticky orange sauce. Made in a cast iron these chicken thighs will be your new go-to dinner!

Photo Credit: www.acedarspoon.com

Mexican Pizza

Combine everyone's favorite foods, pizza and tacos with this super delicious Mexican Pizza. Made with simple ground beef and refried beans, this meal can be easily prepped ahead to get dinner on the table fast!

Photo Credit: www.beyondthechickencoop.com

Orange Chicken

Do you love Chinese take out but order it too much? No worries this easy Orange Chicken recipe will satisfy those Chinese food cravings, easy to throw together your family will ask for it again and again.

Korean Ground Turkey & Rice Bowls

More Asian inspiration, these turkey & rice bowls come together fast. Ground turkey is browned on the skillet and flavored with a super simple but flavorful sauce and served over rice! This dish can be on the table in as little as 15 minutes!

Oven Recipes

Turn on the oven and let dinner bake!

Supreme Pizza Chicken Bake Recipe Low Carb

All the flavor of the pizza you love but in a low carb no added sugar version. Chicken topped with simple homemade sauce, and piled high with cheese and vegetables, you will be ditching the take out and making this Supreme Pizza Chicken Bake Recipe on a regular basis!

Oven Baked Shrimp Recipe

This easy Oven Baked Shrimp Recipe creates succulent and delicious shrimp in under 10 minutes. So whether you are looking to make shrimp for an appetizer, for tossing on salads, pastas, and so much more you have come to the right place! The perfect way to do that is learning how to bake shrimp in the oven!

Photo Credit: blessherheartyall.com

6-Ingredient Honey Mustard Chicken Bake

A simple flavorful chicken bake with an easy and healthy homeade sauce. This dinner comes together fast without a lot of work (or dishes).

Healthy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Bake

All the flavor of Spinach Artichoke dip that you love but lightened up and made healthy on top of a lean protein packed chicken breast. This Spinach Artichoke Chicken Bake is made with fresh spinach low-fat yogurt making it the perfect healthy weeknight option for the entire family!

Photo Credit: thefitcookie.com

Sheet Pan Barbecue Chicken with Potatoes (Grain Free)

A barbecue rub makes this chicken tray bake super flavorful and guilt free. This whole sheet pan dinner comes together fast and bakes on a single sheet so getting dinner ready is easy and clean up is a breeze!

Baked Chicken Nuggets with Hidden Quinoa

Using 4 simple ingredients you can make the most delicious and easy homemade baked chicken nuggets with hidden quinoa. Whether you want the health benefits of quinoa or are trying to introduce quinoa to your child these oven baked chicken nuggets are easy to make and cook fast.

Slow Cooker

Set it and forget it, the best dump recipes to come home to!

Clean Eating BBQ Pulled Chicken made in the Slow Cooker

Throw out your sugary store bought BBQ sauce because this Healthy BBQ Pulled Chicken is going to blow your mind. An easy homemade sauce replaces that sugary store bought bbq sauce, mixed with chicken thighs and an onion it is cooked to perfection in the crockpot for a great BBQ pulled chicken!

Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup is a hearty and delicious vegetarian soup made in the crockpot using canned goods and fresh ingredients.

Photo Credit: myculturedpalate.com

Complete Chicken Dinner in Crockpot

Complete Chicken Dinner in Crockpot is a one dish meal that is delish! I love easy crockpot meals that require nothing else added, unless of course you just have a hankering for some bread or a salad.

Crockpot Bolognese

Simmered slowly in the crockpot this bolognese is made without standing over a stove for hours at a time. Just dump and have a delicious meal waiting when you get home!

Photo Credit: www.shugarysweets.com

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe - Freezer Meal Idea

Cilantro Lime Chicken made in the crockpot (slow cooker) or as a freezer meal is packed with flavor! You’re family is going to love this dinner, you’re going to love how easy it is to prepare!

Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma

If you are looking for the best weeknight Chicken Shawarma look no further. This restaurant quality chicken shawarma is so easy to throw into the crockpot in the morning and have dinner ready to eat when you get home! With minimal ingredients and a finishing method to make the chicken really pop this Chicken Shawarma in the Slow Cooker will become a regular on your dinner rotation!

Pressure Cooker

Under Pressure, let those pressure cookers do all the work and get dinner on the table in a flash!

Photo Credit: mealplanaddict.com

Weeknight Ribs…. in Your Instant Pot

Have ribs on a weeknight! Ready to go in under an hour and you can prep these ribs ahead of time! Seasoned with a dry rub you will almost think these are better than doing them in a smoker.

Photo Credit: spicecravings.com

Instant Pot Goulash Recipe

A simple and delicious comfort food recipe with ground meat and pasta cooked in a tomato sauce flavored with paprika and other spices. This American-style Instant Pot Goulash comes together in one-pot in just 30 minutes! It is one of our favorite weeknight meals!

Photo Credit: thebellyrulesthemind.net

Instant Pot Vegetable Chow Mein

Chinese Chow Mein made in an instant pot in under 15 minutes. It is so easy that you don’t need to be an expert in cooking to get the kudos you deserve. Do you ever have one of those nights where you want just want everyone to sit at the table and happily eat dinner, no complaining? This Instant Pot Vegetable Chow Mein recipe is my go-to recipe for that night. When I make these noodles everyone gobbles them up. They are so easy to make in this instant pot!

Photo Credit: www.perrysplate.com

Easy Thai Chicken Curry for Instant Pot – Perry's Plate

Make this flavorful, kid-friendly Thai Chicken Curry in your Instant Pot! (Also includes stovetop and slow cooker instructions!) Swap out the vegetables, protein, or even make it vegetarian. Super easy and can be made low-carb/keto or Whole30 friendly.

So there you have it 21 perfect recipe for successful weeknight dinners! Which one are you going to try first??

and as always…

If you enjoyed this recipe or any of my others let me know by using #theschmidtywife on social media!

And make sure you are following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for even more recipes? Check out my Shrimp Stir Fry or my Easy Southwest Chicken.

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i’m lauren

Welcome to my food blog, The Schmidty Wife. I’m all about making Real Fresh Food for Real Fun Families. Here you can find delicious recipes to bring the family together at the table. My recipes are for any home cook, they focus on real ingredients that people are familiar with. From crockpot meals, to easy chicken recipes, fun pizzas, and drinks everyone will find something to love!

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