14 Lazy Dinner Ideas For When You Don’t Want to Cook
Not in the mood to cook dinner tonight? These low-effort, lazy dinner ideas will help you eat at home.
No one tells you that a huge part of adulting is figuring out what’s for dinner every day, FOREVER. 😅 Or perhaps you don’t cook much or are unable to. No worries! I’m sharing my BEST recipes and tips for people who hate cooking!
Over the years, I’ve made the premade section of the grocery store, especially my two favorites Costco and Sam’s Club, my best friends! Trader Joe’s has an AMAZING frozen aisle too! (Tip: Adding fresh veggies to a skillet with Trader Joe’s mandarin chicken is a winner!🏆)
But, if you’re looking for some fresh, new lazy dinner ideas, I’m sharing 14 tried and true tips to help inspire your family meals this week!
Try these 14 lazy dinner ideas:
1. Utilize grocery store rotisserie chicken or canned chicken for quick meals.
Pairing bagged salads from the produce department with shredded cooked chicken is my personal go-to meal when cooking isn’t appealing. You could also make quick tacos, quesadillas, chicken salad, and more.
For canned chicken try soups, casseroles, walnut chicken salad, chicken pot pie, or my latest craze – these teenager-approved air fryer nuggets!
Head over HERE for even more yummy lazy dinner ideas to make with a rotisserie chicken!
2. Busy parents! Make a habit of snack-based dinners or charcuterie boards and skip the drive-thru!
Raid your fridge for odds and ends and build an easy snack-based dinner or charcuterie board. Utilize grocery store grab-and-go meats and cheeses too. I know Aldi usually has a great specialty cheese section that’s also affordable.
Arrange your small bites onto a large cutting board or sheet pan and enjoy a delicious no-cook meal!
HIP TIP: Running around to sports and after-school activities? These team-fave Lock n Lock containers create easy snack dinners on the go!
3. Both Costco and Sam’s Club have delicious premade meals in the refrigerator section!
If you have a warehouse membership, be sure to check out the pre-cooked meals and sides at Costco and the ones at Sam’s Club too. Our family loves to utilize these for low-effort meals. The yummy chicken taco kit with tortillas from either store is always a hit with my kids!
Be sure to check out these popular posts:
But who WINS?? I’m sharing my thoughts, now you decide!
4. Trader Joe’s frozen meals are popular and delicious.
We have too many family-favorite ready-made or frozen items from Trader Joe’s to list and so does our team! Honestly, their frozen items can taste so next-level and gourmet! Orange chicken, fried rice, all the pasta options, and the beef Birria taco meat are my current obsession.
HIP TIP: These portions tend to be for 1-2 people so I find myself grabbing multiple bags for a family portion size.)
5. Frozen foods in the air fryer is the ULTIMATE lazy dinner idea!
Having an air fryer means not even having to turn on the oven to heat up frozen classics like french fries, taquitos, and of course chicken nuggets. It’s so easy the kids can even make them on their own!
Need a great suggestion: try these teenager-approved frozen chicken nuggets that remind my family of Raising Cane’s and then pair it with this homemade sauce – you won’t miss the real thing one bit!
Quick air fryer meals are so helpful and delicious. Be sure to check out all my easy air fryer recipes!
6. Grab your favorite deli meat, cheese, and a loaf of French bread!
I find that cutting a loaf of bread in half lengthwise, making a large sandwich with deli meat, and cutting it into slices is such an easy way to make quick sandwiches for the family.
If you want to take it a step further try this grilled ham and cheese loaf recipe you can easily do on the grill or the oven!
Have you jumped on the sourdough craze? Making a loaf or two could save you prep during the week!
7. Chilly weather calls for your store’s premade soup section.
I am a huge soup lover especially when the weather is chilly. Opting for the convenient premade soups is fast and so onlineforting. My local grocery store also has the yummy Panera soups you can warm up at home.
Try this large batch dump-and-done broccoli cheddar soup recipe has Panera vibes, with no real “cooking” involved!
7. Take advantage of the grocery store salad bar and hot food bar.
The convenience of a good salad bar with lots of toppings and veggies is also hard to resist! I love building a good salad instead of chopping veggies myself sometimes. Whole Foods has a nice salad bar and hot bar offerings to check out.
8. Grocery store sushi is a valid option in a pinch, especially on Wednesdays!
We noticed that some grocery stores like Sprouts, Kroger, and HEB are discounting sushi rolls to $5-6 on Wednesdays! Are you noticing this trend in your area?!
You never know when a sushi craving could hit. If you don’t want to spend money on a restaurant this is an option to consider. I love a good grocery store crunch roll on occasion, and my local grocery store makes fresh sushi daily.
9. Utilize pre-made carnitas from the grocery store.
Pretty much every grocer has ready-made carnitas. Collin is a huge fan of the Trader Joe’s carnitas and uses it as a starter to build carnitas salad along with lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole to keep things low carb and keto. You could easily make tacos or burritos instead!
11. Did someone say lasagna night?
I am kind of a lasagna snob, and am telling you that there are some yummy frozen options out there! My hands down favorite is the Italian sausage and beef frozen lasagna from Costco! The sauce is so flavorful and it’s big enough for the whole family with leftovers. Try it!
HIP TIP: Pair my fave lasagna with pre-made bagged salad, and garlic bread for a 3-course meal, ZERO cooking required!
12. Buy pre-made pizza dough and add toppings for a fast semi-homemade pizza night.
Taking the shortcut of buying dough can be helpful when making quick pizzas! My family personally enjoys the herbed pizza dough from Trader Joe’s.
Easy grocery list:
- premade pizza dough
- pizza sauce
- cheese
- toppings: pepperoni, bell peppers, olives, customize however you like!
13. It doesn’t get any easier than sheet pan meals.
Dumping ingredients onto a sheet pan and baking them is a cinch! This low-effort chicken and veggies meal idea of using just three ingredients from Costco is delicious. The sesame dressing gives it a nice flavor and this is very easy to aconlineplish!
Try using a sheet pan to make a bunch of grilled cheese sandwiches at once! This is also a favorite lazy day kitchen hack!
14. When all else fails make breakfast for a low-effort meal idea!
My kids would say their favorite breakfast-for-dinner idea is pancakes. You can easily fry cheese with an egg on top or dress up the easiest sheet pan pancakes you’ll ever make! This is a wonderful low-effort meal all will love, and you can customize the toppings to taste.
Do you have a “go-to” lazy meal idea when you don’t feel like cooking? Share with us in the onlinements!
Check out my latest FREE five-day meal plan with a grocery list!
