The short answer: the best lazy dinner ideas use one pan, a slow cooker or no cooking at all: quesadillas, sheet pan sausage and vegetables, dump-and-go salsa chicken, rotisserie chicken tacos, frozen ravioli bake, loaded baked potatoes and breakfast for dinner. Every one of the 25 below takes 5 steps or less.
- Key numbers: 25 dinners · 5 steps or less · most ready in 10 to 30 minutes of hands-on time · 1 pan, pot or slow cooker
- Top moves: keep a lazy-night pantry, lean on rotisserie chicken and frozen vegetables, and plan 2 or 3 lazy nights a week before you need them
- Save it: get the free recipe book starter pages (we email it to you), or plan the week in the Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99)
Our picks for lazy dinner ideas
Starter pickPrintables
Meal Planner & Grocery List
Weekly meals, a grocery list sorted by aisle, and pantry and freezer inventories so you shop once and waste less.
Printables
Family Recipe Binder
Section dividers, four recipe page layouts with room for the family story, 4x6 and 3x5 cards and a conversion chart - print it or type into the fillable version.
Printables
Budget Planner Printable
Twelve undated pages you can print every month: budget, bills, spending, savings and debt.
Lazy dinners aren't about cutting corners on food; they're about cutting steps, dishes and decisions on the nights you have nothing left. The ideas are grouped by how much effort you can spare. If you have a little more time, see easy dinner ideas and quick dinner ideas.
25 lazy dinner ideas by effort level
No-cook and microwave dinners (almost zero effort)
| # | Dinner | Hands-on time | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snack board dinner | 10 minutes | Cheese, crackers, deli meat, fruit, raw vegetables, hummus |
| 2 | Rotisserie chicken wraps | 10 minutes | Store rotisserie chicken, tortillas, bagged slaw, ranch |
| 3 | Salad kit plus protein | 5 minutes | Bagged salad kit, canned tuna or rotisserie chicken |
| 4 | Loaded microwave baked potatoes | 15 minutes | Potatoes, shredded cheese, canned chili or broccoli, sour cream |
| 5 | Bean and cheese burritos | 10 minutes | Tortillas, canned refried beans, cheese, salsa |
One-pan stovetop dinners (15 to 20 minutes)
| # | Dinner | Hands-on time | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Quesadillas | 10 minutes | Tortillas, cheese, leftover chicken or beans |
| 7 | Breakfast for dinner | 15 minutes | Eggs, toast, fruit; see our scrambled eggs |
| 8 | Fried rice | 15 minutes | Leftover rice, eggs, frozen peas and carrots, soy sauce |
| 9 | Ramen upgrade | 10 minutes | Instant ramen, an egg, frozen spinach, green onions |
| 10 | Smoked sausage skillet | 20 minutes | Sliced smoked sausage, frozen peppers and onions, rice |
| 11 | Grilled cheese and canned soup | 15 minutes | Bread, cheese, butter, tomato soup |
Sheet pan and oven dinners (bake and walk away)
| # | Dinner | Hands-on time | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Sheet pan sausage and vegetables | 10 minutes | Sausage, potatoes, broccoli, olive oil, seasoning |
| 13 | Sheet pan chicken fajitas | 10 minutes | Chicken strips, peppers, onions, fajita seasoning, tortillas |
| 14 | Baked frozen ravioli | 5 minutes | Frozen ravioli, jarred marinara, mozzarella |
| 15 | Sheet pan nachos | 10 minutes | Chips, beans, cheese, rotisserie chicken, salsa |
| 16 | Frozen pizza plus a salad | 5 minutes | Frozen pizza, bagged salad |
| 17 | French bread pizza | 10 minutes | French bread, sauce, cheese, toppings |
See all of our sheet pan dinners for more.
Dump-and-go slow cooker dinners (5 minutes in the morning)
| # | Dinner | Hands-on time | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Salsa chicken | 5 minutes | Chicken breasts, a jar of salsa; 6–8 hours on low |
| 19 | Italian dressing chicken | 5 minutes | Chicken, bottled Italian dressing, potatoes |
| 20 | Slow cooker chili | 10 minutes | Ground beef (browned) or beans, canned tomatoes, chili seasoning |
| 21 | BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches | 5 minutes | Chicken, bottled barbecue sauce, buns, bagged slaw |
More in our crockpot recipes roundup.
One-pot pasta and pantry dinners
| # | Dinner | Hands-on time | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Pasta with jarred sauce and frozen meatballs | 15 minutes | Pasta, marinara, frozen meatballs |
| 23 | Buttered noodles with peas and Parmesan | 15 minutes | Egg noodles, butter, frozen peas, Parmesan |
| 24 | Black bean soup from cans | 15 minutes | Canned black beans, salsa, broth, cumin |
| 25 | Tuna melts | 10 minutes | Canned tuna, mayo, bread, cheese |
For more pot-and-done meals, see one-pot meals.
The lazy-dinner pantry list
Keep these on hand and you can make most of the 25 dinners above without a special trip:
| Shelf | Staples |
|---|---|
| Pantry | Pasta, egg noodles, rice, instant ramen, tortillas, canned beans, canned tuna or chicken, broth, jarred marinara, salsa, barbecue sauce |
| Fridge | Eggs, shredded cheese, butter, deli meat, bagged salad or slaw, smoked sausage |
| Freezer | Frozen vegetables, frozen peppers and onions, frozen ravioli or dumplings, frozen meatballs, frozen pizza |
| Spices | Taco or fajita seasoning, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, chili powder |
Tips that make lazy dinners lazier
- Buy one rotisserie chicken, use it twice. Wraps on night one, quesadillas or fried rice on night two.
- Line the sheet pan. Foil or parchment means almost no cleanup.
- Cook rice in bulk. Extra rice turns into fried rice or burrito bowls later in the week.
- Pick 2 or 3 lazy nights ahead of time. Deciding on Sunday beats staring into the fridge on Thursday.
- Let frozen vegetables count. Steam-in-bag broccoli or green beans adds a vegetable in 5 minutes.
Lazy doesn't mean unsafe
Cook chicken to 165°F and ground beef to 160°F, per FoodSafety.gov. Reheat a rotisserie chicken and other leftovers to 165°F, and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours; they keep 3 to 4 days, per the USDA FSIS leftovers guide.
Lazy dinners on a budget
Lazy dinners built from pantry staples usually cost less than delivery. For the lowest-cost picks, see cheap dinner ideas and meals for one, and plan the week with meal planning on a budget. Still undecided tonight? Try what to cook for dinner or browse the kitchen and meals hub. Track food spending on the Budget Planner Printable ($5.99).
Mark your busiest nights and give each one a lazy dinner in the Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99), and keep your family's favorite low-effort meals in the Family Recipe Binder ($6.99). Browse all Home & organizing printables.
Plan the week's meals and shop once
Weekly meals, a grocery list sorted by aisle, and pantry and freezer inventories so you shop once and waste less.
$3.99 · Instant download. Print at home or fill it in on screen. Or browse the full Home & Organizing collection.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good lazy dinner? A good lazy dinner takes 5 steps or less and one pan or pot: quesadillas, a sheet pan of sausage and vegetables, rotisserie chicken tacos, frozen ravioli with jarred sauce, loaded baked potatoes, or breakfast for dinner with scrambled eggs and toast.
What can I make for dinner with no energy? With no energy, go no-cook or nearly no-cook: a snack board of cheese, crackers, fruit and deli meat, rotisserie chicken wraps, a bagged salad kit with canned tuna or chicken, or a microwaved baked potato with toppings.
What is the laziest meal to cook? Dump-and-go slow cooker meals are about as lazy as cooking gets: put chicken breasts and a jar of salsa in the slow cooker, cook 6 to 8 hours on low, shred and serve in tortillas or over rice. Sheet pan dinners are a close second.
How do I make lazy dinners healthier? Add one vegetable you don't have to prep: a bagged salad, frozen broccoli or green beans in the microwave, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes or cucumber slices. Pick a lean protein like rotisserie chicken, eggs, canned beans or tuna.
What should I keep in the pantry for lazy dinners? Keep pasta, jarred sauce, rice, tortillas, canned beans, canned tuna or chicken, broth, salsa, eggs, shredded cheese, frozen vegetables, frozen ravioli or dumplings, and a few seasoning blends. With those, you can make at least 10 of the dinners on this page.
Are lazy dinners cheaper than takeout? Usually, yes. Most of these dinners use pantry staples and one fresh protein, so a family meal costs less than delivery for the same number of people. Planning 2 or 3 lazy nights each week also cuts down on last-minute takeout.
How do I plan lazy dinners for the week? Mark your busiest nights on the Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99) from HomeBase Paper Co. and assign a lazy dinner to each one, then shop once for the pantry staples they need.
Free printable
Save the family favorites: get the free recipe book pages
Printable recipe pages and a recipe request card to send to relatives, so the dishes everyone loves end up in one book. You'll also get our weekly HomeBase email with easy meal planning ideas and family recipe tips.
Sources
- FoodSafety.gov: Safe minimum internal temperatures foodsafety.gov
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety fsis.usda.gov