15 Quick and Easy Recipes for Busy Weeknights

With back-to-school season upon us, weeknights are about to get crazy! Whether you’re in college, sending your kiddos off to school, or even just a 9-5 corporate girly, spending hours in the kitchen every night is not the vibe. Enter: My collection of 15 quick and easy recipes for busy weeknights.

I scrolled through my “Tried Recipes” Pinterest board to find the ones that had minimal ingredients, didn’t require a lot of my time, and most importantly, were husband approved 😉

All of these recipes turned out great, even with my very average cooking skills. I hope you find some dinner inspo for your busy weeknights here!

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1. Pulled Pork Pastry Puffs

I buy a package of pre-made BBQ pulled pork (like Jack Daniel’s) and I skip the egg wash. That makes this a foolproof 3-ingredient meal – it doesn’t get easier than that! This is one of my husband’s favorite meals and these reheat amazingly under the broiler.

Get the recipe here.

2. French Dip Sliders

These sliders are one of my favorite recipes on this list. I use King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls and whatever deli roast beef I can find. Put the au jus in a little cup or bowl on the side for dipping & you have a delicious meal!

Get the recipe here.

3. Baked Ziti

This recipe calls for 1/2 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb sausage, but I love just using a full pound of spicy Italian sausage. I also always add a chopped up onion and zucchini, as recommended, for some extra veggies. Bonus: I chop them up so small, my husband barely even notices the veggies.

Get the recipe here.

4. Keto Big Mac Smash Burgers

These smash burgers were such a fun weeknight dinner! Customize them to your preferences (no cheese & extra pickles for me, please) and serve with air fryer sweet potato or regular fries.

Get the recipe here.

5. Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

I love a good slow cooker recipe and this one is just about as easy as it gets. I always dread cleaning the crockpot, way more than any other dish in the sink, which is why I’ll never go another day without using these disposable crockpot liners. Life changing.

Get the recipe here.

6. Healthy Sloppy Joe Biscuit Bake

This recipe pleasantly surprised me! I love a classic sloppy joe, and this is a fun spin on a casserole version. After the baking time, I do recommend flipping over the biscuits and turning on the broiler for a few minutes so the bottom gets crispy as well!

Get the recipe here.

7. Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken (With Sweet Potato)

Honestly I was skeptical of this recipe at first – buffalo chicken and sweet potatoes seemed like an unusual combo. But let me tell you, this was delicious! The flavors compliment each other perfectly and using the crockpot makes this a very simple, foolproof dinner.

Get the recipe here.

8. Korean Beef Bowls

This delicious ground beef recipe comes together super quick for dinner. I love doing 1/2 white rice and 1/2 cauliflower rice for extra veggies. This would also be a great recipe to divide into meal prep containers for a week of lunches!

Get the recipe here.

9. Ham & Cheddar Crescent Roll-Ups

Childhood classic with a twist. This is such a fun comfort food recipe that you will love! I used half the amount of ham and cheese per crescent roll and thought it was the perfect ratio.

Get the recipe here.

10. Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta

I have been making this recipe since getting married a few years ago, and it’s still one of my favorites. It comes together in about 20 minutes and is the perfect creamy pasta! I add a generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a little kick, and we’ve had great luck adding shredded chicken or spicy Italian sausage for some protein as well.

Get the recipe here.

11. 7 Can Chicken Taco Soup

It doesn’t get easier than this! Truly a dump and go recipe. We love this on a chilly fall night with homemade bread and toppings like avocado, cheese, tortilla chips and sour cream.

Get the recipe here.

12. Tater Tot Casserole

If you have kids, they will love this fun dinner! This may not be the healthiest recipe on my list, but hey, who doesn’t love a tater tot? I add extra veggies under the tots & serve with a green salad.

Get the recipe here.

13. Teriyaki Chicken & Pineapple Sheet Pan Dinner

If you have a few minutes to do some chopping (or grab one of these cool choppers to do the work for you), you will love this recipe – so tropical and refreshing! I use instant rice so I can do a serving of white rice for my husband and brown rice for myself.

Get the recipe here.

14. Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Meatballs

For some reason, salisbury steak has always been so intimidating to me. I never even bothered looking at a recipe because I just assumed it would be too complicated haha. I found this recipe for a cheat/lazy version and I’m hooked! It uses frozen meatballs (my love language) and a couple soup/gravy mixes. Turn on the crock pot and forget about it til dinner time. Easy!

Get the recipe here.

15. No Peek Chicken

This chicken and rice dish is called ‘no peek’ because all you have to do is mix together a few ingredients in a casserole dish, cover with foil, pop it in the oven and forget about it. The steam cooks the chicken perfectly without any effort on your part!

Get the recipe here.

There you have it, 15 quick & easy recipes for your busy weeknights!

Let me know if you try any of these recipes & don’t forget to save this pin for later!

Natalie

The Girl Kind