When the weekend rolls around, sometimes the last thing we want to do is spend over an hour cooking dinner.
Luckily, there are some great options for dinners that are easy to make and can feed the whole family (with leftovers). These lazy dinners are easy to customize with different sauces and options for different kinds of eaters.
Here are 10 lazy weekend dinners you can make.
Chicken sausage and veggies
This is an easy way to eat a lot of vegetables and get some protein in. Cut up some chicken sausage and vegetables of your choice — potatoes, zucchini, summer squash and carrots are good options here. Coat the vegetables in olive oil, pepper, salt and Italian seasoning. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes (make sure sausage is cooked and that vegetables are tender). This meal is great because it’s easy to switch up the proportions of food for different sizes of families.
Easy chicken pot pie
It doesn’t get much easier than this. Take a rotisserie chicken and mix it up with frozen vegetables and a can of chicken condensed soup. Put it all together in a casserole dish and then bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until it’s cooked all the way through. Serve in a bowl with store bought biscuits on top as the “crust.”
Ravioli soup
This is another easy meal that will taste good. Chop up some zucchini and summer squash. In a big pot, pour a jar or two of spaghetti sauce (think of it this way — one jar would probably be enough for 2-3 people). The sauce will act as your liquid in the soup. Then add in the zucchini and summer squash and bring to a simmer. Add in some frozen ravioli and let cook until they are done. Serve in a bowl. You can serve with a quick side salad.
Taco bowls
This is a great staple on difficult nights. Cook up some white rice and then brown some hamburger meat with taco seasoning. Serve with salsa, cheese, sour cream and lettuce for a fun build your own bowl night. If desired, you can also add corn, tortilla chips or guacamole on the side.
Easy buffalo mac and cheese
Take rotisserie chicken and toss it in buffalo sauce. Make a box of macaroni and cheese (or two, depending on family size) according to the instructions on the package. Mix the two together, put them in a casserole dish and top with shredded cheese. Broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and crispy.
Make your own pizzas
Do a make your own pizza night. You can use tortillas to make this extra easy. Just cut up some vegetables or meat and set aside. Have a sauce that you can use — you can use alfredo, pasta sauce or even something like pesto. Then, top the tortilla with the sauce, some cheese and whatever toppings you have on hand. Bake at 400 degrees until the cheese is melted, which usually takes me around 5 minutes.
Baked rigatoni
Cook a box of rigatoni in some salted water. Drain the water. Mix the rigatoni with some already cooked hamburger meat or shredded chicken, a jar of pasta sauce and some ricotta cheese mixed with parmesan cheese. Put in a casserole dish and top with your favorite cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Sheet pan chicken fajitas
On a sheet pan, chop up some chicken into bite-size pieces, bell peppers and onions. Coat in olive oil and then add some type of taco seasoning, pepper and salt. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Serve on top of rice or tortillas. You can add some toppings like salsa, sour cream, cheese and lettuce.
Nachos
Do some sheet pan nachos. Take some corn or tortilla chips and put them on a pan. Add some cheese and any type of meat that you want along with a can of beans. Bake them at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted. Pull them out of the oven and you can add toppings like salsa or sour cream or guacamole to make them even better.
Snack plate
Sometimes you might not even want to turn on an oven or a crock pot. This is a great way to have an easy dinner that works well for people with different tastes. Here’s a formula that you can use for a snack plate — a vegetable (like carrots or celery) with a dip (like hummus), a fruit, a protein (maybe some cut-up cheese or a hardboiled egg you have on hand), something sweet (a square of chocolate) and something salty (some pretzels). This is a great and filling dinner that has lots of variety.