Easy Main Dish Recipes
If you’re planning a party or looking for new ideas for tasty and healthy main meals, I have some for you.
Here are my Top 10 easy main dish recipes for every occasion. There are some side dishes included as well, that can be eaten as a main dish.
Many of them are easy-to-make comfort foods because I’m not a big fan of complicated dishes.
I’m sure you’re not either. These meals are delicious, healthy, and nutritious as well. I’m sure you’ll love them as much as I and my family do.
Top 10 Main Dish Recipes for Family Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
From pasta baked with tuna to beef fried rice, these recipes will help you create easy and delicious meals for every occasion. Here are my favorite main dish recipes.
1. Canned Salmon Fried Rice
Eggs, frozen vegetables, canned salmon, toasted sesame oil, and rice are all you need to make this delicious fried rice recipe. It is a quick and easy recipe; preparation and cooking typically takes less than 30 minutes.
You can even substitute fresh salmon for the canned salmon if you wish. But to save time and for convenience, canned salmon works great in this fried rice recipe.
To achieve this flavorful fried rice recipe, cook with long-grain brown or white rice, season with low-sodium soy sauce (better for you), and finish off with some toasted sesame oil. It’s a perfect quick dish for a weeknight meal.
Get this recipe! – Canned Salmon Fried Rice.
2. Meatless Baked Ziti
If you love pasta as much as I do, this recipe will become one of your favorites. This baked ziti recipe is so delicious you’d hardly notice it’s meatless.
It’s the perfect comfort meal, requiring only a few simple ingredients to get it ready. And it’s easy to make. You only need to boil the ziti till al dente before combining it with other simple ingredients and baking.
You can also make this recipe with penne pasta if you prefer. Top with freshly chopped parsley and serve for a healthy, tasty, and colorful meal.
Get this recipe! – Meatless Baked Ziti
3. Tuna Avocado Sandwich
Adding creamy mashed avocado and tomato slices to this recipe takes a simple tuna sandwich to another level.
This tuna avocado sandwich is incredibly delicious and one of the fastest meals to prepare. Preparing these tasty sandwiches for serving typically takes 10-15 minutes.
For a more flavorful sandwich, use tuna canned in oil. Mix with mayo for additional creaminess. Then, add a dash of lemon juice to your mashed avocado for an additional burst of flavor.
Layer your tuna and avocado mixture on any bread you choose, and enjoy a delightful meal.
Get this recipe! – Tuna Avocado Sandwich
4. Stovetop Egg Noodles with Canned Salmon
Warning: You can’t eat these tasty stovetop egg noodles without asking for a refill. Yes, It’s that delicious.
The addition of salmon and peas makes it a complete, healthy meal. And it’s an easy one-pot meal that takes only about 30 minutes to prepare, making it perfect for a busy weeknight meal.
Although egg noodles, salmon, and peas are the main ingredients for this meal, this recipe also contains dill weed, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and capers. It’s easy to see why it’s so tasty and full of flavor.
Get this recipe! – Stovetop Egg Noodles With Canned Salmon
5. Lazy Baked Pasta with Tuna
The combination of whole wheat pasta, cheese, and tuna chunks produced this delicious and easy-to-make pasta recipe.
It’s aptly named “lazy” baked pasta with tuna because you wouldn’t expect something that’s this easy to make to be so delicious. And it’s healthy too.
The wholesome, nutty taste of whole wheat meets with protein-rich tuna and mozzarella cheese to create a memorable dinner experience.
Mix all ingredients and top with parmesan cheese before baking in a casserole dish. Top with fresh parsley or basil, and serve.
Get this recipe! – Lazy Baked Pasta with Tuna
6. Beef Fried Brown Rice with Veggies
Brown rice has a pleasant taste and flavor, but cooking it with ground beef, soy sauce, fresh vegetables, and toasted sesame oil takes it to a new level.
This recipe is fail-proof, easy, and quick to make. It is an excellent option for a healthy and tasty lunch or dinner.
The best part of this recipe is that it is versatile. You can use chicken instead of ground beef; tofu will do the trick if you’re vegan. You can also substitute white rice for brown, but it might not be as tasty.
Get this recipe! – Beef fried Brown Rice With Veggie
7. Healthy Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas
With only 5 essential ingredients, you can make these delicious and healthy chicken and cheese quesadillas. It’s a one-bowl recipe, perfect for an instant meal when you need to eat something immediately.
You only need cooked shredded chicken (preferably rotisserie chicken), sour cream, shredded cheese, chili, Tortillas, and about 30 minutes to prepare these.
This recipe is healthy and will be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
Get this recipe! – Healthy Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas
8. Vegetarian Baked Spaghetti
One serving is never enough for me whenever I make this baked spaghetti recipe. Not only is this baked spaghetti recipe incredibly delicious, but it’s also a very healthy meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
It contains marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, shredded mozzarella, and fresh baby spinach, which makes it very tasty. Plus, I used whole wheat spaghetti to keep it as healthy as possible.
This recipe is an excellent main dish choice for family or group gatherings. And there’s no waste with this recipe because the leftovers taste just as delicious and even better!
Get this recipe! – Vegetarian Baked Spaghetti
9. Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
The perfect homemade pizza dough for all your favorite toppings! And just because it’s made from whole wheat flour does not mean it’s less tasty than regular pizza crust.
This pizza dough recipe produces a flavorful, chewy, soft, and crispy crust that is perfect for your favorite pizza toppings.
It requires only seven main ingredients: flour (a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour), olive oil, active dry yeast, honey, and olive oil.
And yes, you read that right: this recipe contains honey. It gives the dough a classic honey-wheat flavor that you can’t help but love.
Get this recipe! – Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
10. Easy Cornmeal Pizza Dough Recipe
Enjoy the goodness of cornmeal in this easy pizza dough recipe. And if you’re not a fan of yeast, this recipe is just for you.
It’s a yeast-free pizza crust recipe that’s great for those busy weekday nights when you can’t afford to wait for yeast to work.
It’s easy to make and only requires the most basic ingredients for making pizza crust. What’s more, you’re substituting baking powder instead of yeast.
This makes this pizza dough even more convenient to make and helps to save time.
Get this recipe! – Cornmeal Pizza Dough
Complement with a Dessert or Side Dish
While most of the recipes listed above are complete meals that can be eaten alone, I sometimes like to complement them with a simple dessert or side dish.
It doesn’t even have to be anything elaborate. But if you’re hosting a large gathering, you might want to make a variety of desserts. Check out these dessert recipes for dessert ideas to prepare for your guests.
What’s your favorite Lunch or Dinner?
If you’ve been following my blog for some time now, you’ll know I’m big on sweets. But I also look forward to my lunch and dinner meals. Sometimes, you can even find me enjoying some of those tasty leftovers for breakfast.
I love making and eating pasta, so you could say it’s one of my favorite food items. I like it because it’s the ultimate comfort food and super versatile. You can make pasta in so many different ways and still get delicious and healthy results.
So yes, I’m team pasta. What’s your favorite main dish item? Let me know in the comment section.
Check out other recipes on this blog!
Thank you for reading till the end; I hope you’ll be trying out one of these main dish ideas for your next dinner or group gathering. While you’re here, check out other delicious recipes on this blog.