What are we going to do for dinner? If that’s a question that you dread with every fiber of your being, it appears you are not alone. During my classes, particularly my newest offering, Stress-Free Weeknight Meals, I’ve noticed that knowing how to cook is really not the issue for most people. Instead, it’s knowing what to cook that often hangs us up, wastes our time, and sucks the joy out of cooking dinner.

I feel your pain. So much so that I have started working on a solution to this problem, (which will be coming soon!). In the meantime, take a look at this list of 25 Dinner Ideas. When it comes to meal planning (and thus, knowing the answer to the question above), the first step is generating a list of dinner ideas that you can refer to, and I think 25 is a great number to get you started. If you eat 4-5 planned dinners per week, this will take you through at least a month. And, heck, if we can eat something different every night for a month, I’d say we’re doing just fine.

When making your own list, obviously stick to meals your family likes, preferably loves. Or, if you’re trying out new recipes, make them things you think your family has at least a reasonable chance of liking. I can’t say all members of my family love every meal on this list (my son hates carrots so he gets extra salad and bread on Carrot Soup night), but for the most part, these are all well-liked and in some cases (Meatball Soup, Frittata Pizza) adored meals around here. This list might not fit your family’s tastes exactly, but I hope it provides inspiration for at least a few healthy, tasty, and easy family dinners.

25 Dinner Ideas
(Recipes for the first 22 of these are on this website. Simply type in the name, or part of the name, in the “search” box below. Or you can click here for easy links to all the posts. For the final three, you’ll have to come to class.)

1. Chicken with Cauliflower & Cilantro
2. Leftover Hamburgers Pasta
3. More-Broccoli-than-Potatoes Salad
4. Salmon with Red Curry Sauce
5. Simple Roast Chicken
6. Broccoli Spaghetti
7. Bacon-Wrapped Fish with Vegetables
8. Ground Beef Stroganoff
9. Sautéed Pasta & Kale
10. Meatball Soup
11. Chicken Posole
12. Sliders
13. French Omelets
14. Sautéed Asparagus Pasta
15. Curried Brown Rice & Chickpea Salad
16. Carrot Soup
17. Farro Risotto
18. Salmon with Sticky Rice
19. Tortilla Pizzas
20. Happy New Year Soup
21. Pasta with Melted Zucchini Sauce
22. Mushroom & Poblano Pepper Enchiladas
23. Frittata Pizza
24. Braised Chicken & Vegetables
25. World’s Easiest Wedding Soup

Anybody have any favorite meal ideas they want to share? If so, please post in the Comments. Thanks in advance from the hungry, cranky dinner-makers of the world!