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50 Easy, Low-Maintenance Meals to Make for Dinner

After a long day of work that started with rushing the kiddos out the door at dawn, the last thing you need to worry about is dinner. Here, 50 easy low maintenance meals...because we care.

55 Easy Dinner Recipes for Beginners


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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

1. Grilled Watermelon Steaks

We’ll never go back to boring old watermelon slices again.


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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

2. Veggie Niçoise Salad With Red Curry Green Beans

Easy-breezy (and so French).

easy low maintenance meals pork scallopini with lemon 921
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

3. Pork Scallopini With Lemon, Capers And Radicchio

This elevated skillet dinner is ready in 20 minutes.

easy low maintenance meals butter baked cucumber tostadas1
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

4. Butter-baked Cucumber Tostadas

Did you know you can roast cucumbers just like chicken? (You can. And it’s glorious.)

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

5. Skillet Steak With Asparagus And Potatoes

A one-pan dinner that looks (and tastes) fancy but is totally foolproof.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

6. Grilled Flatbread Pizza With Artichoke, Ricotta And Lemon

No kneading necessary, thanks to store-bought flatbread.

easy low maintenance meals delicata squash cauliflower chicpkea 921
The Bojon Gourmet

7. Roasted Delicata Squash Cauliflower Chickpea Curry

A protein-packed dinner that happens to be meat-free.

easy low maintenance meals pan fried cod with orange and swiss chard
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

8. Pan-fried Cod With Orange And Swiss Chard

News flash: Cooking seafood doesn’t have to be tricky and time-consuming.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

9. White Turkey Chili With Avocado

Cooking for a crowd? Spice things up with this white turkey chili with avocado.

easy low maintenance meals pasta alla norma 921
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

10. Pasta Alla Norma With Eggplant, Basil & Pecorino

easy low maintenance meals mushroom poblano tacos 921
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

11. Poblano And Mushroom Tacos With Tomatoes And Goat Cheese

Colorful, bursting with flavor and ready in 30 minutes. Practically perfect in every way.

easy low maintenance meals chicken and snap pea stir fry
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

12. Chicken And Snap Pea Stir-fry

Got five ingredients, a few pantry staples and 20 minutes? You can make this dish.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

13. Cacio E Pepe

Sometimes simplicity wins.

easy low maintenance meals eggs baked in tomatoes 921
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

14. Eggs Baked In Tomatoes

Featuring two ingredients you already have in the fridge.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

15. One-pan Roasted Chicken With Carrots

Say goodbye to post-dinner cleanup.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

16. Zoodles With Tomato Sauce And Mozzarella

There’s no need to boil: three minutes in the skillet and they’re done.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

17. Cauliflower Sweet Potato Burgers

Make a double batch and stash the leftovers in the freezer.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

18. The Ultimate Quinoa-avocado Bowl

Psst: Leftovers will make the most non-boring work lunch in history.

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The Full Helping

19. Kabocha & Kale Miso Sesame Soba Salad

Just as healthy as a salad, but the whole family will actually eat it.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

20. Baked Sesame-ginger Salmon In Parchment

Aka how to cook fish with no cleanup (or fishy smell).

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

21. Skillet Gnocchi With Sausage And Broccoli Rabe

Tastes like you spent all day making it. Lucky for you, it only takes 30 minutes.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

22. Chickpea And Vegetable Coconut Curry

You could order takeout. Or you grab an apron and whip up this quick Thai-inspired dish in half an hour.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

23. Shrimp With Cauliflower “grits” And Arugula

Lose the carbs, keep the flavor.

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A Better Happier St. Sebastian

24. Grilled Lemon + Collard Green Pasta With Mushrooms

Simple, flavorful, comforting.

Get the recipe

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

25. Tortellini Soup With Italian Sausage

At less than $5 a serving, the price is pretty right.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

26. Lime Chicken With Corn And Poblano Salad

Some nights, boring old chicken breast is good enough for dinner. Tonight is not one of those nights.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

27. Polenta And Meatballs

Plain spaghetti and meatballs? Yawn.

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Broma Bakery

28. Green Falafel Sandwich Beet Hummus

Your food processor does most of the work. (Save your energy for eating.)

easy low maintenance meals pumpkin curry
The Modern Proper

29. Slow-cooker Pumpkin Chicken Curry

It's the perfect fall dish, but we're making this all year long.

easy low maintenance meals ravioli lasagna recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

30. Ravioli Lasagna

The quickest, easiest baked pasta ever.


easy low maintenance meals chicken noodle soup recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

31. Slow-cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Just set it and forget it. (But, um, don’t forget to eat it.)

easy low maintenance meals salmon
How Sweet Eats

32. Winter Citrus Butter Salmon

Psst: Blood oranges are the highlight of this dish.

easy low maintenance meals easy white wine coq au vin recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

33. Cheater’s White Wine Coq Au Vin

Eat your heart out, Julia Child.

easy low maintenance meals 15 minute lemony broccolini pasta recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

34. 15-minute Lemony Broccolini Pasta

Extra-crunchy pine nuts, please.

easy low maintenance meals lasagna soup recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

35. Lasagna Soup

Our two favorite dinners, together at last.

easy low maintenance meals butternut squash soup
Photo:Michael Marquand/Styling: Nisha Vora

36. Instant Pot Spicy Thai Butternut Squash Soup

Anything but your average seasonal squash soup.

easy low maintenance meals kale salad
Inspiralized

37. Tahini Kale Salad With Spiralized Butternut Squash And Feta

So healthy yet so satisfying.

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Salt and Wind

38. Roasted Tomato, Kale And Sausage Soup

Bookmark it for a cold, rainy night.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

39. Easy One-pan Baked Ziti

Best of all, there’s only one dish to do.

easy low maintenance meals chicken gnocchi soup recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

40. Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Slurping encouraged.

easy low maintenance meals eggplant pizza
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

41. Low-carb Eggplant Pizza

Ooh, and it’s ready in under an hour.

easy low maintenance meals easy rotisserie chicken ramen
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

42. Rotisserie Chicken Ramen

This shortcut is brilliant.

easy low maintenance meals beef stew
The Recipe Critic

43. Slow-cooker Beef Bourguignon

The perfect Netflix-watching meal.

easy low maintenance meals thanksgiving
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

44. Thanksgiving In Two Hours

Yep, it’s possible.

easy low maintenance meals turkey stromboli recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

45. Turkey Stromboli

Aka what to do with all those leftovers.

easy low maintenance meals chicken potpie
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

46. The Ultimate Chicken Potpie

The ultimate cold-weather dish.

easy low maintenance meals salmon bowl
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

47. Salmon Bowl With Farro And Black Beans

We heart tahini.

easy low maintenance meals roasted cauliflower macaroni and cheese recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

48. Roasted Cauliflower Macaroni And Cheese

Mixing veggies in means you can eat twice as much. Win-win.

easy low maintenance meals butternut squash carbonara recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

49. Butternut Squash Carbonara

The creamiest.

easy low maintenance meals chicken
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

50. Slow-cooker Chicken Teriyaki

Let your Crock-Pot do the work.



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Freelance Editor

From 2015-2020 Lindsay Champion held the role of Food and Wellness Director. She continues to write for PureWow as a Freelance Editor.