Preparing fresh and healthy meals for yourself and your family can be a difficult task at the best of times. However, when it comes to preparing meals for Hump Day, it can often be even more difficult.
Although we may want to always eat healthily, sometimes we don’t have the time or energy to make elaborate meals from scratch.
That’s why it’s always important to have a few quick and easy meal ideas in the cookbook for those nights.
In this article, we have 28 quick and easy Wednesday night dinner ideas. The vast majority can be prepared and cooked in under 30 minutes, some require only a few ingredients, and others can be cooked in a single pan.
We’ve also included several vegetarian and vegan options for people following those diets.
1. Beef and Broccoli
Our first recipe is a simple, one-pan recipe for beef and broccoli. With only 15 minutes of preparation time and 15 minutes of cooking time, you can have this dish on the plate within 30 minutes.
The beef and broccoli is flavored with a sauce made from oyster sauce, sesame oil, sherry, and soy sauce.
2. Black Bean Chili
We love chili, and black bean is one of our favorite variations. It’s hearty and filling and this black bean chili recipe can be prepared and cooked in 30 minutes.
It can also be made in batches and frozen for those Wednesday nights when you don’t want to spend the 10 minutes to prepare the dish. This is a very creamy chili and is suitable for vegans.
3. Caprese Chicken Saltimbocca
Although the ingredient list for this recipe is a little longer than most of the recipes on this list, the preparation is very simple. You’ll have your prep done in only 10 minutes and the whole recipe takes only 35 minutes from start to finish.
The chicken in this recipe is deliciously tender and matches perfectly with the prosciutto.
4. Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry
Stir-fry is one of the easiest and quickest recipes you can make and is ideal for those Wednesday nights when you don;t have much time. Instead of getting a stir fry as take-out, you can easily make your own.
The stir fry is made with chicken, broccoli, and mushrooms and cooked in a sauce made from chicken broth and seasoned with ginger and garlic.
5. Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta
Pasta is another recipe that is very filling but doesn’t take much time or effort to prepare, so it’s no surprise that we have a few pasta based dishes on this list.
The entire recipe will take only 15 minutes to make and prepare and features a delicious white sauce made from garlic, milk, and chicken broth.
6. Creamy Garlic Shrimp
From start to finish, this recipe will only take you 15 minutes to make and will leave with you a dish that tastes delicious.
Shrimp are always fast to cook and this recipe takes advantage of that by searing them first and then cooking them in a tasty creamy sauce.
Everything can be made in the same skillet as well, saving on cleaning time when you’re finished.
7. Creamy Tuscan Chicken
We love this creamy chicken recipe as it only takes 30 minutes to cook and will give you deliciously succulent chicken. It’s best made with chicken breasts although you can also use chicken thighs if you prefer.
The sauce is made from heavy cream, chicken broth, garlic, tomato paste and some Parmesan cheese.
8. Easy Butter Chicken
This Indian-inspired recipe for chicken is versatile and can be served with a variety of sides, although we prefer it most with rice. It uses skinless and boneless chicken breasts that are seasoned with salt, pepper, turmeric, and chili powder.
Add some tomato sauce and further seasonings such as cumin and cayenne for a deliciously spicy meal.
9. Easy Weeknight Salisbury Steak
As the name suggests, this is an easy weeknight version of the popular dish, Salisbury steak. It’s traditional hearty fare and can be made in around 35 minutes.
The beef patties are made from ground beef seasoned with onion, ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and are bound together with egg and breadcrumbs.
10. Fast Easy Chicken Marsala
Marsala is a popular Italian-American dish and it’s a great way to serve chicken and make it tasty. You can use either chicken cutlets or chicken breasts and these need to be tenderized and made thin for the true Marsala experience.
The creamy sauce is made with chicken broth, heavy cream, and Marsala wine.
11. Fettuccine Alfredo
This is our next pasta dish and it’s also a family classic. There are many different types of alfredos you can make but this one keeps things relatively simple and simply uses heavy cream and Parmesan cheese for the sauce.
Add in some fettuccine pasta for a quick and easy meal.
12. French Bread Pizza
Pizza is always a great idea for a quick and easy meal and there is no need to resort to takeout or frozen pizza with this simple recipe.
Pizza dough can be difficult to work with at times, especially if you usually make it from scratch, so this recipe swaps out the traditional dough and replaces it with French bread. This makes pizzas that are crunchy and delicious.
13. Hawaiian Chicken
Lots of people don’t like pineapple in their savory main dishes, however, we’re a big fan of pineapple when it’s teamed with meat and vegetables. This recipe sees pineapple and bell peppers served with chicken and rice.
There is also a sauce that holds everything together and this is made from soy sauce, rice vinegar, barbecue sauce, and pineapple juice.
14. Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon
Salmon is a great and healthy fish that is very versatile and doesn’t take too long to cook. From start to finish, this recipe takes only 25 minutes to make.
The honey garlic glaze is easy to make and is pretty simple as it only needs honey, garlic, soy sauce, cornstarch, lemon juice, and water to make.
15. Italian Meatballs
Meatballs are a staple in many kitchens around the country and these homemade meatballs can be made in as little as 30 minutes.
They can be made in advance and refrigerated for three to four days or frozen for up to three months. As well as the meatballs, the recipe also gives you a tomato sauce.
16. Lentil Soup
Soups are a great easy meal to make. They can be made ahead of time and frozen to save time, but this lentil soup only needs 10 minutes to prepare so you can easily make it fresh on a busy Wednesday night.
It’s also fully vegan as it uses coconut milk instead of any dairy.
17. Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki is a traditional Japanese dish that is like a filling savory pancake. It’s a very customizable recipe as once you have the basic ingredients, you can add almost anything.
The main ingredients are cabbage, scallions, breadcrumbs, and eggs. Once cooked, it should be topped with Worcestershire sauce and mayonnaise.
18. One-Pan Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi
This is the first of a couple one pan dishes that we’ve listed together. You’ll need to begin by seasoning and cooking chicken breasts for a few minutes, before beginning to add the other ingredients to your skillet.
As well as gnocchi, the recipe also calls for a shallot, mushrooms, spinach, two types of cheese, and chicken broth.
19. One-Pan Lemon Garlic Salmon and Asparagus
Our next one pan dish is another recipe with salmon. The light taste of the salmon matches perfectly with the lemon and garlic flavoring. The asparagus can be cooked in the same pan and seasonings to make this healthy dish.
20. Portobello Mushroom Burger
Burgers are also a quick and easy meal and for our burger choice, we’ve picked a vegetarian version. This can be made with only six ingredients and in 20 minutes but will taste like something more complicated.
Once you’ve made your burgers, you can add whatever other ingredients you need to your buns.
21. Ritz Cracker Chicken
We love this chicken recipe and despite the fact that it is a breaded dish, it doesn’t need to be fried and can instead be cooked in the oven instead.
The coating of the chicken is made from crushed Ritz crackers, butter, eggs, garlic salt, and black pepper. In total, the chicken can be prepared in under 30 minutes.
22. Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
Tacos are a great choice for a quick and easy meal and there are so many different ways to make them. This is a vegetarian option that switches out the usual meat filling for cauliflower.
Other ingredients used for the filling include red cabbage, radishes, serrano peppers, avocado, and seasonings.
23. Tricolore Skillet Lasagna
Lasagna is a great filling meal that is perfect for colder weather. Lasagne can take a long time to make, however, but this version that is made in a skillet only takes 35 minutes in total.
Instead of using pasta sheets, the recipe uses lasagna noodles. This is then mixed with two types of cheese, tomatoes, and seasoning.
24. Weekday Meal-Prep Pesto Chicken and Veggies
Pesto and chicken are always a winning combination and this recipe is no exception. It will only take 22 minutes to make this recipe and once prepared and cooked, you can serve it immediately or keep it refrigerated for up to four days.
The vegetables included are green beans and cherry tomatoes so when cooked, the different colors look great together.
25. Vegan Mac and Cheese
Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? It’s a quick and easy dish that is popular with the entire family but to make things a little more interesting, we’ve chosen a vegan version of the recipe for our list so that everyone can enjoy it.
You can easily switch out the vegan cheese for a dairy cheese if you wish, however.
26. Vegetable Stir Fry
As we stated in an earlier recipe, stir fry is a great meal to make when you want something warm and filling but are lacking in time. This stir fry has a beautiful variety of colors that are provided by the different vegetables.
27. 15-Minute Lo Mein
This Asian noodle stir fry can, as the name suggests, be made in only 15 minutes. The sauce is easy to prepare as it can be made by shaking the ingredients together in a jar.
The noodles will need to be cooked separately and then everything can be thrown into the same skillet or pan to be cooked.
28. 30-Minute Beef Stroganoff
Our final recipe is a quick beef stroganoff that everyone is sure to love. It’s beef served in a creamy sauce and over a bed of egg noodles. It’s sure to keep you full and warm.
Are these Dinner Ideas Suitable for a Wednesday Night Meal?
Looking for quick dinner ideas for weeknights? Wondering if they are suitable for a Wednesday night meal? Well, you’re in luck! These dinner ideas are perfect for a Wednesday night. From simple pasta dishes to stir-fries and hearty soups, you’ll find delicious and convenient options to make your Wednesday evenings a breeze.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s take a look at some of the most commonly asked questions about quick and easy meals.
When we look at how quick and easy a meal is to prepare, we generally look at different aspects of the recipe. These are the preparation and cook times.
Preparation refers to how long you will spend actually making the meal, from preparing and gathering ingredients to any kind of pre-cooking you will need to do.
On the other hand, cooking time means how long the meal needs to be in the oven or pan for until it is cooked.
Some people don’t mind a little extra cooking time if it means less preparation time. Others would prefer both times to be short. Consider what is important to you when you look at quick and easy meals.
Having a longer cooking time can give you enough time to do another short task, for example.
Something else you might want to consider is how much cleaning you will need to do afterwards.
Some of the recipes in this list are one-pan recipes, which means that all of your ingredients can be thrown into one pan and cooked together.
This makes cleaning time a breeze and can make your meal even quicker and easier.
One easy way to ensure that you have something healthy and homemade to make on those Wednesday nights when you don’t feel like cooking is to prepare in advance.
There are many different recipes, including some in this list, that can be prepared days or weeks in advance and then frozen until you are ready to consume them.
Doing batch preparation of dishes such as soups, chili, and stews can save you lots of time in the long run. As long as you have the freezer space, you will always have something healthy and fresh with zero preparation.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we introduced 28 quick and easy Wednesday night dinner ideas. We included a wide variety of different dishes that are sure to appeal to all tastes. There are several vegetarian and vegan options included as well.
We hope that you will find these meals as quick, easy, and delicious as we do!
28 Quick and Easy Wednesday Night Dinner Ideas
Ingredients
Directions
- Pick a recipe from the list above
- Click the recipe name and visit the website
- Collect the ingredients and cook the food
- Enjoy – don’t forget to leave a review
Recipe Video
Cooking is great for your mental, physical, and emotional health. What’s the worst that could happen? Find a recipe that you like the sound of and cook it along with me. You might even unlock a new passion!
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