55 Lazy Sunday Dinner Ideas So You Can Get Back to Netflix ASAP


You’d rather curl up with Netflix than cook dinner. We’ve been there. But as tempting as it sounds, you can’t live on takeout alone—especially when we've gathered 55 ridiculously easy lazy sunday dinner ideas. From one-pot meals to sheet-pan dinners, we’ve got you covered. (TV will still be there when you’re ready to eat, we promise.)
1. Portobello And Avocado Quesadilla with Magic Green Sauce
These aren’t your 5-year-old’s quesadillas. This more sophisticated take is filled with mushrooms, mashed avocado, cheese, beans and a layer of yogurt. (And don’t forget the magic green sauce.)
2. Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
This skillet gnocchi with sausage and broccoli rabe is hearty and delicious, and it tastes like you spent all day making it. Lucky for you, it only takes 30 minutes.
3. One-Pot Vegetarian Chili
Don’t be intimidated by the hour-long cook time—all you have to do is dump the ingredients in a pot and let it simmer.
4. Ravioli Lasagna
Forget lasagna noodles. In this dish, we layer ravioli (meat, cheese, mushroom--whatever kind you're feeling) for the most epic baked pasta dish ever.
5. 15-Minute Bangkok Mango Peanut Pasta
Ready for a super fast yet super tasty flavor explosion? (We don’t think you’re ready.)
6. Honey-Mustard Sheet-Pan Chicken Brussels Sprouts
On our ideal dinner checklist? Fast, easy and minimal cleanup. Maria Lichty’s honey-mustard sheet-pan chicken with Brussels sprouts ticks all the boxes.
7. Veggie Banh Mi Bowls with Crispy Tofu
For the uninitiated, a banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich with roast pork, spicy mayo and pickled veggies. Molly Krebs’ veggie bowl version rivals the original.
8. One-Pot Cheater's Bouillabaisse
Typically, this Provençal seafood stew takes at least two hours to make. But we transformed it into a 30-minute recipe by cooking it in one pot and using a smaller selection of seafood.
9. 15-Minute Cheater’s Pad Thai
Your favorite Thai takeout joint makes it look so simple. On those sunday nights when you’re craving pad Thai, try this 15-minute cheater’s version instead.
10. 15-Minute Mezze Plate with Toasted Za’atar Pita Bread
Yep, we officially give you permission to eat a giant plate of snacks for dinner. Meet the 15-minute mezze plate with toasted za’atar pita bread.
11. Creamy Tomato Shells
You'll never believe this dish has just three ingredients. It's secret? Store-bought sauce, a total time saver.
12. Slow-Cooker Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
Everyone will think you’ve been slaving away in the kitchen, but really you’ve been chilling on the couch.
13. Chicken and Snap Pea Stir-Fry
So you really, really don’t feel like cooking. (We’ve been there.) But if you have five ingredients, a few pantry staples and 20 minutes, you can make chicken and snap pea stir-fry.
14. Pasta Alla Norma with Eggplant
The Sicilian dish, which hails from from the city of Catania, traditionally stars eggplant, tomatoes, basil and ricotta salata (a type of pressed and aged ricotta cheese).
15. The Classiest Cheese Balls in the Universe
You officially have our permission to eat cheese and crackers for dinner. Oh, and champagne. Lots of champagne. Salute!
16. Chickpea and Vegetable Coconut Curry
You’re craving takeout. What if, instead, we told you that you can whip up this quick Thai-inspired dish in 30 minutes flat? Introducing chickpea and veggie coconut curry.
17. Aran Goyoaga's Niçoise Salad
OK, it won’t warm you up on a cold winter day, but it’s so packed with protein we had to include it for a quick, low-lift dinner.
18. Shrimp with Cauliflower 'Grits' and Arugula
resenting shrimp with cauliflower “grits” with arugula. With this healthy swap, you can lose the carbs but keep the flavor. Bonus: It’s ready in 30 minutes.
19. One-Pot Creamy Chicken Alfredo
Pasta Alfredo is one of our favorite winter go-tos, but usually it means a giant stack of dirty dishes. Let’s change that, shall we?
20. Crock-Pot Cider Braised Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes
Everyone will think you spent hours in the kitchen with this melt-in-your-mouth dish that is equally suited for a fancy winter dinner party.
21. Slow-Cooker Creole Chicken and Sausage
This dish practically makes itself. All hail the slow-cooker!
22. Cacio e Pepe
The Italian classic requires just six ingredients (four, if you don’t count salt and pepper) and takes 20 minutes to whip up—including the time it takes to boil the water.
23. Greek Chicken Stuffed Pitas
Craving Greek Food? Why would you order in when you can whip up these pitas in no time!
24. Mediterranean Pita Pizzas
Get the kids in on this one: Set out bowls of toppings and let them go crazy piling their personal pizzas with olives, spinach, tomatoes and feta cheese.
25. Slow-Cooker Chicken Teriyaki
Fact: Making dinner in your Crock-Pot rocks. So the next time you go to plug it in, pile in the ingredients for this slow-cooker chicken teriyaki recipe.
26. Overstuffed Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle-Lime Yogurt
It’s time to add this protein-packed vegetarian main to your monthly repertoire. Make extra chipotle-lime yogurt—you’ll want to drizzle it on everything.
27. 15-Minute Mediterranean Couscous with Tuna and Pepperoncini
You probably have all of these ingredients in your pantry right now.
29. 15-Minute Lemony Broccolini Pasta
Sure to satisfy those pasta cravings. It's gorgeous enough to serve at your next dinner party, but not too fancy for the kiddos.
31. 15-Minute Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Fact: Sliders are the perfect party food. What’s even better is when they take practically no time to make but look and taste mega gourmet.
32. Antoni Porowski's Chile-Maple Roast Chicken
Sadly, there’s no avocado in this recipe from our Queer Eye favorite, but chipotle chile and a little maple syrup will have to do.
33. Slow-Cooker Pulled Chicken
Our pulled chicken is surprisingly versatile, so once you get the basics down, you can serve it however you'd like.
34. Yotam Ottolenghi's Braised Eggs with Leek and Za'atar
These are no ordinary scrambled eggs. Add in a hunk of crusty bread and a glass of white wine, and breakfast for dinner just became our favorite meal of the month.
35. One-Pan Roasted Chicken with Carrots
What's the worst part of cooking dinner? The clean-up, of course. That's why we're obsessed with this one-pan roasted chicken and carrots recipe.
37. Keto Pasta With Lemon-Kale Chicken
Even if you don’t follow the keto diet every day, it never hurts to add a low-carb, high-protein meal into the mix. (The secret ingredient? Tofu shirataki noodles.)
41. One-Pot, 15-Minute Pasta Limone
This one-pot, 15-minute pasta limone is like dinner in your back pocket: You likely have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already, and it comes together in practically no time
42. Easy One-Pot Lentil Kielbasa Soup
When the weather outside is frightful, this soup is so delightful. Store-bought kielbasa adds big flavor, and lentils make the whole thing extra hearty.
43. Potato And Burrata Pizza
Wait. Potato on pizza? Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it. (And tried another piece. And another piece.)
44. 15-Minute Cucumber-Avocado Blender Soup
We’ve created a lazy soup recipe that still produces a delightfully flavorful result with no simmering.
45. One-Pot Tomato and Basil
Are you still boiling your pasta in water, then straining it and simmering the sauce? Friend, you’re about to have your mind blown.
50. One-Pot Mac and Cheese
Creamy and cheesy wins again. This one-pot mac and cheese, which comes together entirely on your stove top.
51. Gwyneth Paltrow's Easy Frittata
The very best use for all those extra veggies you have in the fridge. And did we mention it’s ready to eat in 20 minutes?
52. Pan-Fried Cod with Orange and Swiss Chard
Fish doesn’t have to be fussy. Believe it or not, this whole dish goes from fridge to table in 30 minutes.
53. Instant Pot Spicy Thai Butternut Squash Soup
If you haven’t invested in an Instant Pot, you’d better put it on your Christmas list immediately. The magical gadget can help you whip up this gorgeous soup in just about half an hour.
54. Cheater's White Wine Coq Au Vin
Christmas calls for a meal that looks fancy but doesn’t take all day to cook (hey, you have presents to open). This beauty is ready in less than an hour but looks—and tastes—like it took ages.
55. 5-Ingredient Smoked Gouda-Thyme Mac and Cheese
Some nights we want a nice, light salad. This is not one of those nights.