6 Simple Dinners for Busy Nights

Now that May is here, it's the time of year when we spend as much time as possible outside.  The last thing I want to be doing in the evenings is cooking and cleaning up dinner when my family is outside playing!  I've got a list of 6 simple meals that are so easy to prep ahead of time with very little clean up.  Your family will have a delicious dinner, but you won't be stuck in the kitchen for hours.  I promise!

Here are my 6 Simple Dinners for Busy Nights:

1 // Grilled Chicken Salads

Prep chicken however you like (or grab a rotisserie chicken!), chop all your veggies ahead of time and when dinner time rolls around, have everyone build their own salads.  My younger two just like all the toppings separate dipped in dressing and the rest of us like to build big salads for dinner!

This is my dream salad combo + honey mustard dressing.  I also offer ranch & Olive Garden Italian so that everyone has a dressing they like with their salad.

2 // Sheet Pan Nachos or Taco Night

This meal is so easy to prep ahead of time.  You can either do everything the night before or at nap time in the middle of the day.  I cook my taco meat, saute veggies and cut up all the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, etc and pop them in the fridge.  Then around 4:00pm I put all the hot things into the warming oven covered in foil and let them heat up slowly for dinner at 6:00.

We had a busy night with a choir concert right at 6:00.  I prepped everything for tacos ahead of time, left my stove on the warm setting and then we were ready to eat when we got home at 7:00.  Kevin was amazed at how quickly I had dinner on the table and I was amazed at my dinner planning skills :)

2 // Chicken Noodle Soup

I know the weather is warming up, but chicken noodle soup is always a hit at my house!  I can make the soup in the afternoon and let it simmer on the stove until dinner time.  I like to serve it with grilled cheese on sourdough bread if I can.  Here's my Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Tip: If you have leftover soup that contains noodles, separate the broth and the noodle mixture.  That will keep you noodles from getting mushy after absorbing all the liquid.  Then when you want to reheat your soup, just combine the soup and the broth again and it'll taste so fresh.

3 // Baked Pasta

My family loves this combo - noodles, ground beef and marinara.  The kids prefer no cheese on their side (yuck!) and then I load up the cheese on the adult side.  I stir it all together, top with cheese and bake until the cheese is golden.  I can prep this all ahead of time and keep it warm in the oven until dinner time.

Kid plates: crunchy veggies and dip, fruit, and/or side salad.

Adult plates: pasta and salad

4 // French Dip Sandwiches

I've been making these french dip sandwiches since 2015!  We love them!  The recipe is so simple that you can prep all the parts ahead of time and just assemble and broil the sandwiches at the last minute.  Clean up is easy and it'll be a crowd pleaser.  My crew loves these potato fries (diced and roasted red potatoes) with ketchup with any meal.  I roast them ahead of time and reheat them for dinner.

5 // Breakfast for Dinner

My crew loves any variation of this meal.  I usually serve eggs, bacon or sausage, fruit or a fruit smoothie and pancakes or biscuits.  I like the frozen biscuits at Sams for an easy meal short cut.  I also make the eggs, cook the meat and make the pancakes ahead of time.  Pop everything that needs to stay warm in the warm oven covered in foil.  Then you can play outside right up until dinner time.

We are still loving this Classic Buttermilk Pancake recipe that I shared with you last month.

Another way to do breakfast for dinner - ham + cheesey eggs, biscuits and fruit.

6 // Pepperoni Pinwheels

I have been making this recipe for over 10 years.  They're my favorite!  They're so easy if you use a premade pizza crust, aren't at all greasy if you use turkey pepperoni and we all love them.  They bake fast and you just have to heat up the marinara while they bake.  I serve them with crunchy veggies.

What are your go to dinners for busy nights?

Let me know if you like these kind of meal ideas and I'll keep it up throughout the summer!