17 Lazy Dinners That Taste Like You Spent Hours Cooking

These recipes are for the nights when the last thing you want to do is cook, but you still want something that tastes amazing. This is the ultimate list of lazy dinners that taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. They’re quick, easy, and packed with flavor, so you can impress everyone without breaking a sweat.

Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

Bucatini with Garlic Shrimp

A bowl of pasta with shrimp and tomatoes. — Garlic Shrimp Bucatini. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

This easy bucatini pasta recipe tossed with garlic shrimp and cherry tomatoes is made in under 30 minutes, making it a great weeknight meal that looks and tastes like you spent hours cooking.
Get the Recipe: Bucatini with Garlic Shrimp

Jalapeño Chicken

A skillet filled with pieces of cooked chicken and sliced peppers in a savory sauce, placed on a woven mat with a jalapeño pepper beside it. — Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

If you love recreating the taste of takeout dishes at home, this jalapeño chicken recipe is perfect. Bite-sized pieces of chicken are pan-fried and cooked with spicy slices of jalapeño peppers, finished in a sweet, salty, sticky sauce, served over rice.
Get the Recipe: Jalapeño Chicken

Spaghetti Alfredo with Broccoli

A pan full of pasta and broccoli with a wooden spoon. — Spaghetti Alfredo with Broccoli. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

This lightened-up spaghetti alfredo with broccoli is creamy and cheesy but much healthier than the original. A great way to enjoy a rich meal without the guilt.
Get the Recipe: Spaghetti Alfredo with Broccoli

Garlic Chicken Bite Skillet

Chicken and mushrooms in a skillet with a wooden spoon. — Garlic Chicken Bites. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

A 20-minute, one-pan dinner featuring garlic chicken bites, mushrooms, onions, and red peppers with fresh herbs. Simple to make but packed with flavor, it’s perfect for a lazy night.
Get the Recipe: Garlic Chicken Bite Skillet

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

A bowl of asian chicken and rice with chopsticks. — Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

Skip takeout and make this honey garlic chicken at home right in the slow cooker. With a sticky, sweet sauce and pieces of pineapple throughout, this easy recipe will become a family favorite. Ideal for those lazy dinners that taste like takeout.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Salsa Chicken

Chicken breasts covered in a cheese salsa sauce in a casserole dish. — Salsa Chicken. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

Salsa chicken is the easy weeknight meal you didn’t know you needed. Tender, juicy chicken breasts are baked with salsa, sweet corn, and cheddar cheese in this simple recipe that’s ready in less than 30 minutes and will become a family favorite.
Get the Recipe: Salsa Chicken

Smashed White Bean Quesadillas

A stack of quesadillas with spinach and cheese. — Smashed White Bean Quesadillas. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

These smashed white bean and kale quesadillas are a perfect meatless meal. Oozing with melted cheddar and topped with a creamy BBQ sauce, they’re easy to make and taste like you spent more time on them.
Get the Recipe: Smashed White Bean Quesadillas

Gochujang Chicken

Chinese chicken in a skillet on a table. — Gochujang Chicken. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

This gochujang chicken is a quick 30-minute dinner featuring a sticky, spicy, and sweet sauce that’s great over white rice. It’s an easy meal that packs a lot of flavor without a lot of effort.
Get the Recipe: Gochujang Chicken

Pesto Salmon

Pesto salmon is an easy oven-baked dinner requiring only five ingredients and can be on the table in less than 25 minutes. It’s a healthy, flavorful dinner that’s great for weeknight cooking.
Get the Recipe: Pesto Salmon

Sheet Pan Pork Chop Dinner

Red cabbage and pork chops with potatoes in a baking pan. — Sheet Pan Pork Chops. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

These quick and easy sheet pan pork chops are served with red cabbage, potatoes, and apples. It’s an all-in-one meal great for hectic weeknights with just one pan to clean up afterward – perfect for when you want a no-fuss, hearty dinner.
Get the Recipe: Sheet Pan Pork Chop Dinner

Bomb Meatloaf

Sliced meatloaf on a white plate with a fork. — Bomb Meatloaf. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

This may be the best meatloaf you’ll ever taste. It’s easy to put together, tender, juicy, and topped with a sweet and tangy glaze that coats each slice perfectly. Feels like you spent hours on it, but it’s great for lazy dinners.
Get the Recipe: Bomb Meatloaf

Ground Beef Pasta Skillet

Pasta with meat and tomatoes in a white dish with a wooden spoon. — Ground Beef Pasta Skillet. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

This ground beef pasta recipe can be made in under 30 minutes with any pasta you have. It tastes like it’s been simmered all day, making it a perfect lazy dinner that’s big on flavor.
Get the Recipe: Ground Beef Pasta Skillet

Pretzel Crusted Pork Chops

A plate with pork and broccoli on it. — Pretzel Crusted Pork Chops. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

These baked pretzel-crusted pork chops with an easy maple dijon sauce are a healthy dinner packed with lean protein. They’re simple to prepare but taste like a gourmet dish.
Get the Recipe: Pretzel Crusted Pork Chops

Burger Bowls

This burger in a bowl recipe includes a homemade special sauce. It’s got all the toppings and flavors of your favorite fast food burger with a healthier spin. Perfect for a quick and impressive dinner.
Get the Recipe: Burger Bowls

Bucatini Cacio e Pepe

Pasta in a white bowl on a striped towel. — Bucatini Cacio e Pepe. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

Bucatini cacio e pepe is a simple, classic dish from Italy made with just five ingredients. This creamy pasta uses Pecorino Romano cheese and starchy pasta water to create an indulgent meal that’s easy and economical, perfect for a lazy yet impressive dinner.
Get the Recipe: Bucatini Cacio e Pepe

Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry

Red cabbage and pork in a skillet with a wooden spoon. — Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

A quick and easy stir fry recipe using ground pork, cabbage, and mushrooms in a delicious Asian-inspired sauce. It’s a speedy meal that tastes like it took much longer to prepare.
Get the Recipe: Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry

Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet

A bowl of beef and cabbage stir fry. — Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet. Photo credit: Running to the Kitchen.

Ground beef and cabbage make an easy skillet dinner inspired by an Asian stir fry. With tons of texture, aromatic spices, and a light savory sauce, this 30-minute meal is a weeknight winner that tastes like you spent much longer on it.
Get the Recipe: Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet

Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.