7 Low-Effort Dinners for Nights You're Too Tired to Cook
Quesadillas, microwave baked potatoes, pesto flatbreads, eggs on toast, rotisserie chicken bowls, dump-and-bake ravioli and a snack-board dinner.
Some nights, dinner just needs to happen. These seven need very little chopping, few dishes and no decisions. Give yourself permission to call any of them dinner.
Cheese quesadillas with salsa
- 8 tortillas
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- Salsa and sour cream
- Leftover chicken or beans, optional
Fill, fold and toast in a skillet for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Microwave baked potatoes
- 4 potatoes
- Butter, cheese, sour cream
- Canned chili or beans, optional
Microwave the pierced potatoes for 8 to 12 minutes, split and top.
Pesto flatbreads
- 2 naan
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 8 ounces mozzarella
- Cherry tomatoes
Bake at 425°F for 8 to 10 minutes.
Eggs on toast with greens
- 4 to 8 eggs
- Toast
- A bag of salad greens
- Hot sauce
Fry or scramble the eggs, pile onto toast and serve with dressed greens.
Rotisserie chicken rice bowls
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- 2 microwave rice pouches
- Cucumber and carrots
- A bottled or homemade sauce
Warm the rice, shred the chicken and let everyone build a bowl.
Dump-and-bake ravioli
- 1 (20-ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
Layer the frozen ravioli and sauce in a 9x13-inch dish, add the water, cover with foil and bake at 400°F for 25 minutes. Uncover, add cheese and bake 10 minutes more, until the center is hot.
Snack-board dinner
- Cheese and crackers
- Sliced fruit and raw vegetables
- Hummus or a yogurt dip
- Deli meat or boiled eggs
Arrange everything on a board. It counts.
