60 Lazy Sunday Dinner Ideas So You Can Get Back to Netflix ASAP
You’d rather curl up with Netflix than cook dinner—been there. But as tempting as it sounds, you can’t live on takeout alone—especially when these 60 ridiculously easy lazy Sunday dinner ideas exist. From one-pot mac and cheese to sheet pan roast chicken, there’s a recipe for your preferences. (The TV will still be there when you’re ready to eat, promise.)
1. Sheet Pan Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Radishes and Olives
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4 to 6
Aside from knowing how to spatchcock a chicken (basically, removing the backbone and flattening it), this meal is surprisingly low-lift. Swap out the vegetables for anything seasonal if you’d like.
2. Lamb Chops With Buckwheat and Black Pepper Strawberries
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: one pan, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
By using the same pan to roast the lamb chops and sear the strawberries, you’re using the juice in the berries to make the sauce as well as creating one less pan to wash.
3. Spicy Sichuan Pork Noodles
- Time Commitment: 18 minutes
- Why I Love It: one pan, <30 minutes
- Serves: 2
The three-ingredient sauce combines savory umami taste, some balancing sweetness and a customizable spice level to make this meal fast and flavorful at the same time.
4. Cacio e Pepe Mac and Cheese
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 6
It’s silky and cheesy with a sauce that even beginners can’t mess up, thanks to a butter and flour base also known as a béchamel.
5. Cheddar Biscuit Chili Pot Pies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein
- Serves: 8
Because the chili comes together quickly in a skillet, this lazy Sunday dinner idea looks fancy but takes minimal effort. It also means you’ll have plenty of time and energy to make the cheddar biscuits from scratch.
6. Portobello and Avocado Quesadilla with Magic Green Sauce
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
- Serves: 4
These aren’t your 5-year-old’s quesadillas. This more sophisticated take is filled with mushrooms, mashed avocado, cheese, beans and a layer of yogurt. (And don’t forget the magic green sauce.)
7. Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: one pan, high protein
- Serves: 6
This easy gnocchi recipe is hearty and delicious, and it tastes like you spent all day making it. Lucky for you, it only takes 30 minutes.
8. One-Pot Vegetarian Chili
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, <500 calories
- Serves: 8
Don’t be intimidated by the hour-long cook time—all you have to do is dump the ingredients in a pot and let it simmer.
9. Ravioli Lasagna
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
- Serves: 8
Forget lasagna noodles. In this dish, you’ll layer ravioli (meat, cheese, mushroom--whatever kind you’re feeling) for the most epic baked pasta recipe ever.
10. 15-Minute Spicy Mango Peanut Pasta
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 6
Ready for a super fast, yet super tasty noodle dish? (I don’t think you’re ready.) Mango in pasta sounds unconventional, but it provides nice contrast to the other spicy, savory ingredients.
11. Honey Mustard Sheet-Pan Chicken with Brussels Sprouts
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, kid-friendly
- Serves: 4
On my ideal dinner checklist? Fast, easy and minimal cleanup. Maria Lichty’s honey-mustard sheet-pan chicken with Brussels sprouts ticks all the boxes.
12. Veggie Banh Mi Bowls with Crispy Tofu
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, high protein
- Serves: 4
For the uninitiated, a banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich with roast pork, spicy mayo and pickled veggies. With crisp tofu and sriracha sauce, Molly Krebs’s veggie bowl version rivals the original.
13. One-Pot, 30-Minute Cheater’s Bouillabaisse
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
- Serves: 6
Typically, this Provençal seafood stew takes at least two hours to make. But here it’s been transformed into a 30-minute recipe by cooking it in one pot and using a smaller selection of seafood.
14. 15-Minute Cheater’s Pad Thai
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 4
Your favorite pad Thai spot makes it look so simple. On those Sunday nights when you’re craving takeout, try this 15-minute cheater’s version instead.
15. 15-Minute Mezze Plate with Toasted Za’atar Pita Bread
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
Yep, you officially have permission to eat a giant plate of snacks for dinner. Choose your dinnertime adventure with a medley of tasty hors d’oeuvres, creamy spreads and irresistible herbed pitas.
16. Creamy Tomato Shells
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
- Serves: 6 to 8
You’ll never believe this dish has just three ingredients. Its secret? Store-bought sauce, a total time saver.
17. Slow Cooker Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
- Time Commitment: 6 hours, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 6
Everyone will think you’ve been toiling away in the kitchen, but really you’ve been chilling on the couch while your slow cooker does all the hard work.
18. Chicken and Snap Pea Stir-Fry
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
So you really, really don’t feel like cooking. (It happens.) But if you have five ingredients, a few pantry staples and 20 minutes, you can make this stir-fry.
19. Pasta alla Norma with Eggplant
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 4
The Sicilian dish, which hails from from the city of Catania, stars eggplant, tomatoes, basil and ricotta salata (a type of pressed and aged ricotta cheese). If you can’t find it, sub in pecorino.
20. The Classiest Cheese Balls in the Universe
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly
- Serves: 10 to 12 as an appetizer
If you’re talking lazy Sunday dinner ideas, you can’t beat cheese and crackers as a meal. Choose from lemon-dill cheddar, everything bagel goat or pomegranate blue cheese (or make all three). Add a glass of wine and you’re golden.
21. Chickpea and Vegetable Coconut Curry
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, one pot
- Serves: 4
You’re craving takeout. What if, instead, I told you that you can whip up this quick Thai-inspired dish in 30 minutes flat? That’s on canned chickpeas and coconut milk.
22. Aran Goyoaga’s Niçoise Salad
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <500 calories
- Serves:
It won’t warm you up like a cozy bowl of ramen or a pot of pasta, but it’s so packed with protein I had to include it for a quick, low-lift dinner.
23. Shrimp with Cauliflower ‘Grits’ and Arugula
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: low carb, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 4
With this healthy-ish swap, you can lose some of the carbs but keep the cheesy flavor. (Love you forever, cauliflower rice.) Bonus: It’s ready in 30 minutes.
24. One-Pot Creamy Chicken Alfredo
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: one pot, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 8
Pasta Alfredo is one of my favorite cozy go-to meals, but usually it means a giant stack of dirty dishes. This lazy Sunday dinner idea aims to change that by cooking everything in one pot.
25. Crockpot Cider Braised Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes
- Time Commitment: 6 hours, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 6
Everyone will think you spent hours in the kitchen with this melt-in-your-mouth dish that is equally suited for a fancy dinner party as it is for a Sunday meal.
26. Slow Cooker Creole Chicken and Sausage
- Time Commitment: 7 hours, 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, make ahead
- Serves: 6
This dish practically makes itself. Serve it over brown rice and dinner has never been tastier or easier to make. All hail the slow cooker!
27. Cacio e Pepe
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
The Italian classic requires just six ingredients (four, if you don’t count salt and pepper) and takes 20 minutes to make—including the time it takes to boil the water.
28. Greek Chicken Stuffed Pitas
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 4
Craving Greek food? Why would you order in when you can whip up these pitas in no time. Follow recipe developer Gaby Dalkin’s lead and use rotisserie chicken as a major time-saver.
29. Mediterranean Pita Pizzas
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, <30 minutes
- Serves: 2
Get the kids in on this one: Set out bowls of toppings and let them go crazy piling their personal pizzas with olives, spinach, tomatoes and feta cheese.
30. Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki
- Time Commitment: 6 hours, 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
Fact: Making dinner in your Crockpot rocks. So the next time you go to plug it in, pile in the ingredients for this slow-cooker chicken teriyaki recipe. Serve it atop rice or noodles for the full effect.
31. Overstuffed Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle-Lime Yogurt
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, high protein
- Serves: 4
It’s time to add this protein-packed vegetarian main to your monthly repertoire. Make extra chipotle-lime yogurt—you’ll want to drizzle it on everything.
32. 15-Minute Mediterranean Couscous with Tuna and Pepperoncini
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
- Serves: 4
You probably have all of these ingredients in your pantry right now. It’s as easy as making plain old tuna salad, but tastes a lot more elegant (and that’s a win in my book).
33. Shrimp Stir-Fry Freezer Pack
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, make ahead
- Serves: 4
Freezer meals are genius, and you’re looking at proof. By prepping, bagging and chilling everything for a later date, you’ll set yourself up for a 25-minute meal—the ultimate lazy Sunday dinner idea.
34. 15-Minute Lemony Broccolini Pasta
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
This pasta dish is sure to satisfy those carb cravings. It’s gorgeous enough to serve at your next dinner party, but not too fancy for the kiddos.
35. 20-Minute Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
Seafood lovers, this one goes out to you. Prep the marinade, use half for marinating the shrimp and the rest as the sauce for cooking. Add brown rice and broccoli and dinner is served.
36. 15-Minute Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 8
Fact: Slider recipes make the perfect party food. What’s even better is when they take practically no time to make but look and taste mega gourmet (like these).
37. Antoni Porowski’s Chile-Maple Roast Chicken
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion–worthy
- Serves: 4
Sadly, there’s no avocado in this recipe from our Queer Eye favorite, but chipotle chile and a little maple syrup will have to do. It may take a while to cook, but assembly is so easy.
38. Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
- Time Commitment: 7 hours, 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, make ahead
- Serves: 6
This pulled chicken recipe is surprisingly versatile, so once you get the basics down, you can serve it however you’d like. Might I suggest as a sandwich, for starters?
39. Yotam Ottolenghi’s Braised Eggs with Leek and Za’atar
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, one pan
- Serves: 6
These are no ordinary scrambled eggs. Add in a hunk of crusty bread and a glass of white wine, and this breakfast for dinner idea just became your favorite meal of the month.
40. One-Pan Roasted Chicken with Carrots
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, sheet pan recipe
- Serves: 4
What’s the worst part of cooking dinner? The clean-up, of course. That’s why I’m obsessed with this one-pan recipe, which combines roasted chicken and carrots in one fell swoop.
41. 20-Minute Cheesy Pesto Pasta
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
Say “yes” to carbs and “absolutely” to store-bought pesto, which will allow you to put together a fresh-tasting dinner in almost no time.
42. Keto Pasta With Lemon-Kale Chicken
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: keto-friendly, high protein
- Serves: 1
Even if you don’t follow the keto diet every day, it never hurts to add a low-carb, high-protein meal into the mix. (The secret ingredient? Tofu shirataki noodles.)
43. Crockpot Beer Braised Chicken
- Time Commitment: 8 hours, 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 6
Minimal effort never tasted so good. This lazy Sunday dinner idea calls for a pumpkin beer for a seasonal effect, but you can use any can or bottle you like.
44. 30-Minute Loaded Taco Skillet
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: one pan, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 4
Serve it in the skillet with corn tortillas or chips on the side for assemble-your-own tacos (or just for dipping).
45. Thai Salmon Foil
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 4
Perfect for any night of the week, but especially on a lazy Sunday when you don’t feel like cooking or cleaning up. Serve it with a side of rice (or rice noodles).
46. One-Pot, 15-Minute Pasta Limone
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, one pot
- Serves: 4
This one-pot, 15-minute pasta limone is like dinner in your back pocket: You likely have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already, and it comes together in practically no time
47. Easy One-Pot Lentil Kielbasa Soup
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: one pot, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 4
When the weather outside is frightful, this soup is so delightful. Store-bought kielbasa adds big flavor, and lentils make the whole thing extra hearty.
48. Potato and Burrata Pizza
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian
- Serves: 4
Wait. Potato on pizza? Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it. (And tried another piece. And another piece.) The key to an effortless homemade pie is using store-bought dough, of course.
49. 15-Minute Cucumber-Avocado Blender Soup
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: no cook, <30 minutes
- Serves: 4
Behold, a lazy soup recipe that still produces a delightfully flavorful result with no simmering. Lots of fresh parsley and mint are essential to maximizing the freshness of this dish.
50. One-Pot Tomato and Basil Pasta
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, one pot
- Serves: 6
Are you still boiling your pasta in water, then straining it and simmering the sauce? Friend, you’re about to have your world rocked with this technique, which involves cooking everything in the same pot at once.
51. Easy 15-Minute Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, high protein
- Serves: 3 to 4
It looks tricky, but it’s deceptively easy. You’ll toss the chicken in cornstarch to make it crispy without actually having to bread it.
52. Spinach Penne with Pancetta
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
This lazy Sunday dinner can be on the table in half a Friends rerun. Want to switch it up? Try using another green (like kale) in place of the spinach.
53. Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Risotto
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 4
Warm, hearty and totally foolproof. Cook this dish on high if you want dinner in about 3 hours, or low if you have tons of time to kill.
54. Quinoa, Cherry and Goat Cheese Salad
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: gluten free, <500 calories
- Serves: 4
It’s light and refreshing without being boring—what more could you ask for in a dinner salad? If you’re not a huge fan of quinoa, try using another grain like farro or bulgar.
55. One-Pot Mac and Cheese
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: one pot, vegetarian
- Serves: 6
Creamy and cheesy wins again. This one-pot mac and cheese comes together entirely on your stove top without any special technique—the secret is cream cheese.
56. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Easy Frittata
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, vegetarian
- Serves: 2
A frittata is among the very best uses for all those extra veggies you have in the fridge. And did I mention it’s ready to eat in 20 minutes?
57. Pan-Fried Cod with Orange and Swiss Chard
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <500 calories
- Serves: 4
Fish doesn’t have to be fussy. Believe it or not, this whole dish goes from fridge to table in 30 minutes, since there’s no deep-frying or fussing involved.
58. Instant Pot Spicy Thai Butternut Squash Soup
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: Instant Pot recipe, vegan, gluten free
- Serves: 4
If you haven’t invested in an Instant Pot, you’re missing out. The magical gadget can help you whip up this gorgeous soup in just about half an hour.
59. Cheater’s White Wine Coq Au Vin
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
- Serves: 6
This beauty is ready in less than an hour but looks—and tastes—like it took ages. Make it for a holiday dinner or any old Sunday night.
60. 5-Ingredient Smoked Gouda-Thyme Mac and Cheese
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 6
Some nights you want a nice, light salad. This is not one of those nights. With just a few ingredients, you can easily satisfy your craving.
