80 Easy Beginner-Friendly Dinner Recipes For Two

When it comes to 15-minute weeknight dinners, nothing is better than a simple piece of flaky, tender, savory-sweet brown sugar-glazed salmon. It takes 5 minutes to prep, 10 minutes to cook, and cleanup is an absolute breeze.

Get the Brown Sugar Salmon recipe.

Risotto usually involves you next to the stove babysitting the rice, adding ladle after ladle of stock, mixing constantly for about 40 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.Instead, here we mix the rice and flavorful blistered tomatoes with all the stock and bake in the oven until the rice absorbs most of the liquid. No stirring, totally hands-off. Top it all off with fresh burrata and let that cream ooze all over.

Get the One-Pot Baked Risotto With Blistered Tomatoes & Burrata recipe.

In our houses (apartments), Sunday evening is synonymous with a roast chicken dinner. That means one has 52 chances to prove there’s always something new you can create with the humble chicken. In this case, the paprika-dusted chicken is roasted on a bed of herby, sliced red onions and whole garlic cloves until the onions are jammy sweet with a little char and the chicken is cooked through and juicy. Best of all, blending the chicken fat-roasted, charred onions with butter, sweet white vinegar, and crushed red pepper yields a creamy, umami-rich sauce that makes the chicken even more succulent.

Get the Sheet-Pan Roasted Red Onion Chicken recipe.

Lunchtime is the sacred 30 minutes in the school day when you can gather with your friends. The only thing that improved upon such a hallmark experience? The day to rule all days: pizza day. Our version includes instant yeast dough, herby pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, and spicy pepperoni baked on a sheet tray until you can see melty cheese and that signature thick and fluffy crust. Topped with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, you’ll swear you just grabbed a slice from the school lunchroom.

Get the Lunch Lady Sheet-Pan Pizza recipe.

The bell pepper is an excellent vessel for stuffing ground beef (or turkey or chicken!), rice, and, of course, cheese. It's strong enough to hold its shape in the oven, and the flavor is subtle enough to go well with just about anything. This is our favorite recipe but the customization options are endless.

Get the Stuffed Peppers recipe.

If you thought kale Caesar was over, you’ve clearly never topped it with crispy frico squash croutons. Featuring butternut squash and crispy baked Parmesan frico, this autumn spin on the classic Caesar salad will have you wishing it was fall all year round.

Get the Harvest Caesar Salad recipe.

Filled with flavorful chicken, plenty of cheese and mix-ins, this quesadilla is not only completely satisfying, but totally customizable. Make it as is for a simple cheap and easy dinner (or afternoon snack) you can count on, or use it as a jumping off point to create your own perfect quesadilla.

Get the Chicken Quesadillas recipe.

Don’t let the frozen fries fool you—this is a meal for grown-ups. Seared medium-rare steak gets topped with a buttery, boozy olive sauce, sprinkled with blue cheese crumbles, and served alongside a mountain of golden, crispy French fries and a 2-minute leafy green salad. Serve with a chilled dirty martini for extra points.

Get the Dirty Martini Steak Frites recipe.

If you love stovetop mac 'n' cheese, you’ve got to try this creamy butternut squash orzo. Butternut squash and Parmesan join forces with orzo to create a cheesy pasta skillet that hits every nostalgic note.

Get the Creamy Butternut Squash Orzo recipe.

These fully loaded smash burger tacos are the ultimate comfort food hybrid with a crispy, juicy, thin beef patty, melty American cheese, and all the classic burger fixings loaded onto a toasted flour tortilla. You’ll never have to choose between burger night or taco night again!

Get the Smash Burger Tacos recipe.

Steak will always say “I love you,” but if you want to really jazz it up for your next date night, make this 12-ounce strip with a creamy bourbon garlic sauce. Seared until deeply browned, basted in garlicky butter, and served with a dreamy pan gravy, this steak is the perfect centerpiece for any special occasion dinner.

Get the Steak With Bourbon Garlic Cream Sauce recipe.

Want taco night without the multiple pans and (semi-?) controlled chaos of a build-your-own dinner? Make this taco skillet. Saucy, spiced sweet potatoes and black beans are tossed with crushed potato chips and topped with melty cheese for a simple one-pan meal that will be your new weeknight go-to.

Get the Black Bean Sweet Potato Taco Skillet recipe.

Veggie burgers might seem like the obligatory vegetarian alternative at a grill-out, but that doesn’t mean they can’t taste glorious in their own right. Whether charred on the grill or cooked to caramelized perfection in a cast-iron pan, these veggie burgers will make even meat lovers decide to go meatless for a meal.

Get the Veggie Burgers recipe.

Pad see ew is on everyone’s top 10 Thai dishes list, and after you give it a try at home, you’ll understand why. The combination of thinly sliced, wok-seared meat, Chinese broccoli, and the signature wide, chewy rice noodles will make this Southeast Asian specialty an instant favorite.

Get the Pad See Ew recipe.

If you turn your head every time a sizzling plate of fajitas passes, then this recipe is the low-lift one-pan version you need. Chipotle chile- and cumin-seasoned chicken breast is nestled into fire-roasted tomato rice before being topped with strips of jalapeño, bell pepper, and sweet red onion, then smothered with a three-cheese blend and baked to create this chicken fajita casserole that comes with a side of rice already built into the meal.

Get the Chicken Fajita Casserole recipe.

Looking to spice up taco night? Call in the roasted cauliflower. Loaded with crisp cabbage slaw and drizzled with a tangy lime crema, these richly spiced cauliflower tacos promise to shake up your weeknight dinner routine for good.

Get the Cauliflower Tacos recipe.

In this vegetarian version of a Chinese-American favorite, oven-baked tofu gets tossed in a savory, sweet, and slightly spicy sauce along with crisp-tender broccoli, then topped with toasty sesame seeds and scallions. With a side of white rice, you’ll be on your way to a saucy, crowd-pleasing weeknight dinner.

Get the Sesame Tofu & Broccoli recipe.

BBQ sauce and chicken go together like peanut butter and jelly: an undeniable classic combo that hits the mark every single time. We love BBQ chicken on pizza, on sliders, in dip, and, of course, on the grill. And no matter the season, BBQ chicken is a clear #winner winner chicken dinner. Here, we put together an easy sheet-pan dinner with juicy chicken, loads of sweet–smoky flavor, and plenty of vegetables to make the easiest dinner ever.

Get the BBQ Sheet-Pan Chicken recipe.

In our book, the Cobb salad just might be the perfect dinner salad. It’s versatile, hearty, easy to make, and even easier to meal prep. This classic recipe creates the perfect balance of textures and flavors, all tied together by the star of the show: homemade dressing. While you can use store-bought, this homemade vinaigrette is not only easy to make, but truly takes this salad from basic to incredible.

Get the Cobb Salad recipe.

Turkey burgers can have a reputation for being boring, but when done right, they’re anything but. We amped up these burgers by incorporating the flavors of one of our favorite sandwiches: bánh mì. Pickled veggies, spicy mayo, and cilantro all top our seasoned turkey burgers for a cheap and easy dinner that couldn’t be more exciting, especially served with chili oil smashed potatoes, a crunch salad, or Korean potatoes.

Get the Bánh Mì Turkey Burgers recipe.