Quick Meals for When You are Too Tired to Cook

These easy meals to cook will save you on busy nights! These quick meals require almost no effort or thought process and are the perfect way to get a healthy dinner on the table without picking up the phone for take-out. Perfect for those nights you are just too tired to cook!

In dinner rut? Be sure to check out my full collection of recipes for 30 Minute Meals and my Easy Instant Pot Recipes, for more fast, wholesome meals!

Quick and Easy Meals

I get it. You have kids, you work full time, you have an illness you battle. You think you don’t have time to cook.

Let me be honest with you.

Even though I love to cook, there are many days I just don’t feel like it.

Sometimes I am worn out from the day or we are in a time crunch. Other times I don’t feel well. And sometimes, I just don’t want to!!!

So today, I am throwing you a lifesaver. I am giving you my go-to easy meals that I resort to on those nights I do not have time or energy to make dinner.

And guess what?–These are not only easy, but relatively healthy as well.

Breakfast for Dinner 

Brinner, or breakfast for dinner, is one of my kids favorites.

Scramble up some eggs, toast up whole grain bread, and serve with a side of yogurt and fresh fruit. This easy meal is perfectly balanced and requires almost zero effort.

If eggs aren’t your thing, check out my collection of Easy Breakfast Recipes for more inspiration. Frittatas, Waffle Kabobs, or homemade pancakes are two more easy brinner ideas.

Tacos

Who does not love tacos?! 

Whether you make 15 Minute Black Bean Tacos, 3 Ingredient Homemade Taco Meat, or Instant Pot Chicken Tacos, tacos are one of the easiest things to make. And they NEVER let any one down!

What I really love about tacos is that I can use the leftover taco filling to make Taco Pizza or Taco Salad the next night–turning one easy meal into 2 meals!

Sandwiches

Sometimes a good old peanut butter and jelly hits the spot for a quick meal, but don’t always resort to that classic when you need an easy meal.

Why not make a Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich?

This easy meal is complete with a 2 ingredient soup that will surprise you when you see the ingredients!

For summer nights, my family loves something lighter like Veggie Wrap,  Turkey Club Wrap or Avocado Tuna Salad.

Add in some fresh fruit and veggies with ranch, and you have an easy, healthy meal!

Pasta

What could be easier than boiling some water and adding dry pasta?

You can top the pasta with your favorite marinara, or just add butter and Parmesan cheese to the cooked pasta.

Or why not make 15 Minute Fettuccine Alfredo–it is a one pot pasta in which the noodles do not even require draining!!! That is my kind of easy meal!

Stir Fry

I have a number of easy stir fry recipes on hand for dinners that can be made in 15 minutes or less.

Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry or Chicken and Bok Choy Stir Fry are packed with protein and come together quickly–not to mention pack in some veggies.

Another favorite quick recipe is Fried Rice.

You better believe that if I have leftover rice, I am surely going to be making some fried rice for a quick meal.

Baked Potato Bar

I could eat a baked potato and a salad and be happy just about any night of the week.

But why stop with a plain baked potato?

Top potatoes with steam broccoli, cheese, leftover chili, or pulled pork.

And thanks to the Instant Pot, you can have easy Baked Potatoes or Baked Sweet Potatoes any day of the week.

Sheet Pan Meals

You have to love when you can toss a bunch of ingredients on a sheet pan and place into the oven and FORGET about it!

Check out my recipes for Chicken Thigh Sheet Pan Meal and Sausage Sheet Pan Meal for inspiration.

These easy recipes may require a bit longer to cook, but they are two of the most hands off recipes!

Bean Burritos

Homemade Bean Burritos are the EASIEST meal. I have a great recipe for bean burritos that uses homemade refried beans or canned beans and sneaks in some veggies too.

But when you are really short on time, just open a jar of refried beans, spread it on a tortilla, sprinkle it with cheese, and microwave until warm.

Or try out my Easy Veggie Tostada–like a mini Mexican Pizza but super quick!!!

Pizza

While I love my homemade pizza, it is not the meal to resort to when I am exhausted or short on time.

Instead try out easy Pita Pizzas or English Muffin Pizzas. These recipes take minutes to prepare and are great for kids to help out with!

Tortellini Soup

Most soups take hours to simmer to develop flavors. This easy recipe for Tortellini Soup takes a few short-cuts and a rich, hearty soup can be yours in minutes!

These are just a few of my quick meal ideas. I would love to hear yours!