Top 68+ best dinner ideas to dial up the flavour (but not the labour)
Quick-cooking proteins, spices, herbs and aromats, plus seasonal vegetables – this is your shortcut for the best quick dinner ideas for the week. Because after a long, hard day at work, all you want to turn to are reliable, easy meals. Especially in winter, when it’s dark and dreary as soon as you leave the office.
In this fast-paced age of meal-kit delivery services and Thai takeaway, it’s easy not to step foot in the kitchen during the workweek. We get it. Sometimes, you can’t be bothered to cook a weeknight dinner. But we believe quick, easy meals are worth cooking from scratch — from buying the freshest seasonal produce to adding your own flair to your favourite midweek meal ideas, you can cook repeatedly without getting bored.
Looking for an easy chicken recipe that’s ready in under 30 minutes? We’ve got it. What about a stir-fry that’s big on flavour but not the labour? Yes, of course, we have a few of those. Plus, quick, easy dinner recipes that range from fragrant curries and speedy tofu mains to simple baked fish dishes and vibrant seasonal salads. Not to mention the ultimate dinner ideas: one-pot recipe wonders.
Whip your way through these speedy recipes for soups, pasta, stir-fries and more.
The best dinner ideas for quick midweek meals this winter
Spiced lamb racks with roast vegetables, couscous and harissa yoghurt. (Credits: Photo: James Moffatt / Styling: Maxwell Adey)
Bold spices, golden roast veg and vibrant harissa — this dish is your new lamb signature.
(Credits: Photo: James Moffatt / Styling: Elisa Baker)
A Nonna classic in the rural regions of Italy.
Cheat’s radicchio risotto with porcini and sage. (Credits: Photo: James Moffatt / Styling: Maxwell Adey)
Bittersweet radicchio and porcini bring depth to this easy weeknight mushroom risotto.
Roast onion tarte Tatin with apple and Comté salad (Credits: James Moffatt)
A quick and easy tart recipe for an impressive vegetarian lunch.
(Credits: James Moffatt)
Drawing on traditional Turkish flavours, this roast eggplant salad is well-balanced and flavourful.
(Credits: James Moffatt)
Fire up the barbecue and get sizzling with these punchy pork skewers.
(Credits: James Moffatt)
Sicilian green olives deliver a salty punch to this whole flounder.
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)
The delicate flavours of flounder are elevated by the richness of a traditional Greek avgolemono sauce in a sensory escape to the Greek Islands.
(Credits: James Moffatt)
This warm and comforting Chinese-style egg drop soup is the definition of a winter warmer.
(Credits: James Moffatt)
Fresh, fast and flavourful: this is the easy way to make prawns a midweek meal.
An impressive pasta dish that’s perfect for any day of the week.
A flavour-packed noodle dish that requires very little time and effort.
(Credits: Jeremy Simons)
A fast, everyday salad recipe that doesn’t skimp on flavour.
This quick and easy dinner-worthy salad comes together in minutes, making it perfect for warmer weather.
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)
Lamb doesn’t have to be a long drawn out cook. These roasted lamb racks are ready for the plate within 30 minutes, salad and all.
(Credits: James Moffatt)
Salmon tataki served with diced cucumber, jalapeño slices and chilli oil for an extra kick of heat.
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)
A fast vegetarian udon noodle recipe that takes little time to make but is big on flavour.
(Credits: Alicia Taylor)
The famous Japanese curry bread gets a fast makeover in this easy toastie recipe.
A speedy steak snack that’ll transport you to a Spanish wine bar at first bite.
(Credits: James Moffatt)
Made with a flavoursome vegetable stock and adorned with crunchy croutons and shreds of fennel, this torn pasta soup recipe makes for a quick and easy dinner.
A Mediterranean meal that’s big on flavour and a cinch to make.
Two colourful bowls dilled with paccheri pasta, tomatoes, prawns and herbs (Credits: John Paul Urizar)
Add some cooked crab or lobster meat to this weeknight favourite and transform it into a luxe dinner party entertainer.
(Credits: Chris Court)
This fragrant salad works beautifully with lamb but the fresh mint, basil and coriander will go just as well with beef, chicken or duck.
(Credits: James Moffatt)
Make it a meal: for a more substantial dish, stir-fry prawns in sesame oil and garlic and toss through the noodle.
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)
This quick and easy Peruvian fried rice is the perfect meal to get your five serves of vegetables in.
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)
A prawn pasta that’s a no-fuss midweek meal? Yes please.
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)
These quick satay skewers are as easy to make as they are to eat.
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)
A quick and easy dinner idea for when you can’t be bothered to cook.
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)
Easy, quick, and vegetarian — this is the ultimate weeknight meal.
(Credits: James Moffatt)
This fresh pasta dish is just the way to welcome weeknight cooking.
Poke bowls have had their moment. Here’s a vibrant seasonal salad that transcends trends.
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)
The trick with this simple dish is to sauté the broccoli rabe enough so that it’s wilted and tender, without becoming soft.
(Credits: Alicia Taylor)
Quick, easy, warming, and hearty, this recipe for grilled rump steak with Massaman curry is the perfect way to add intrigue to your regular Wednesday steak and chips.
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)
Swordfish is one of the meatiest fish, and these steaks with a light honey dressing will show you why.
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)
A simple and light recipe for zucchini flower, mint and pecorino penne.
(Credits: William Meppem)
How to improve on fresh prawns with avocado? Adding a smoky, spicy tomato dressing to the mix.
(Credits: William Meppem)
Chicken, boring? Things look up with the addition of harissa, the North African spice paste.
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)
The fast and easy roast chook you need for the week.
(Credits: Will Horner)
A quick, satisfying meal that punches above its weight in the flavour game.
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)
A spring-ready midweek dinner, spiked with bright and spicy salsa verde.
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)
A little spice and sweetness equals this very worthy midweek meal.
(Credits: Ben Hansen)
It’s sweet and sour but not as we know it. Tony Tan reveals the true brilliance of this much-loved Cantonese classic.
(Credits: Will Horner)
We’ve brightened up the haloumi with the crunch of zucchini and a fresh, vibrant mint dressing.
(Credits: Chris Chen)
Pasta from the pantry. A quick sauce. This puttanesca is a no-brainer for a midweek meal.
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)
A simple bowl of pasta that strikes the right balance in terms of crunchy elements and tender greens.
There are plenty of options in this extensive recipe collection for those wanting a delicious but quick dinner. A simple sushi bowl requires only a bit of protein (eggs work well, but any leftover protein in your fridge is perfect), a quick sauce, some rice (for those without a rice cooker, packet rice will do in a pinch!) and some fresh vegetables.
The ideal lazy but delicious quick dinner is a simple pasta. It doesn’t have to be oil, cheese and pepper (though this ten-minute spaghetti with olives, capers and lemon is one to try) for a quick one, either! This spaghetti puttanesca is ready in just 15 minutes, with a seriously salty and fragrant sauce. Or for something a little more out there, try this Japanese-style carbonara, with only seven ingredients and tonnes of flavour.
For just a little bit more effort (put still quick as a flash), bake a salmon fillet with a four-ingredient DIY black bean sauce in just 20 minutes, or if a bowl of chewy, flavour-packed noodles is more your style, this Cambodian lort cha is the dish for you.
