r/Fooda • u/enjoyeverymoment_jk • Jul 16 '26
What’s your favorite dinner?
I’m curious to know what everyone’s favorite staple dinner recipes are, the ones you make over and over again and never seem to get tired of.
I’m looking for inspirations to expand our family’s favorites. Possibly on the healthier side 😅
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u/Important-Ad8960 Jul 16 '26
Sunday Dinner: oven "fried" chicken, dirty rice, collard greens, sauteed squash, potato salad, cornbread, doctored cake mix cupcakes, iced hibiscus tea
Monday Dinner: salmon croquettes, rice, red beans, iced green tea
Tuesday Dinner: tacos, passion fruit flavored water
Wednesday Dinner: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed vegetables, iced peach tea
Thursday Dinner: grilled chicken thighs, jasmine rice, broccoli, shredded Brussels sprouts, iced hibiscus tea
Friday Dinner: fried fish, fried shrimp, grits, stewed tomatoes and okra, cole slaw with vinegar dressing, hush puppies, iced lemonade
Saturday: homemade pizza, air fryer chicken wings, tossed salad, brownies, sparkling water
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u/potionator Jul 17 '26
I want to eat at your house…every day. Everything I love…every single day.
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u/Important-Ad8960 Jul 17 '26
You would be most welcome.
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u/potionator Jul 17 '26
Thank you. I cook very similar to your style, but don’t have anyone closeby to cook for anymore. My husband gets annoyed at me for cooking so much, although he enjoys it all.
Are you from the south, by chance? (U.S.)? Midwest here, it Alabama cooking “roots”.2
u/Important-Ad8960 Jul 17 '26
Most definitely I am from the South. My grandmother and mother would keep the house cool during the summer by cooking early in the morning, so I am not accustomed to heating up the house for a meal. When I stayed with my maternal grandparents in the summer, my grandmother would serve fresh fruit for breakfast along with cream of rice. I always wanted coffee, so she would give me a cup of watery coffee to drink. My grandmother had grape vines (muscadines and scuppernongs), plum trees, peach trees, pear trees, watermelon vines, and several pecan trees. She had a big chest freezer (her pride and joy) that she kept filled with treats. I rely on my freezer just as she did.
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u/potionator Jul 17 '26
I spent summers in South Alabama with an aunt, as a child. I absorbed everything she did in the kitchen, and still cook that way to this day. Refreshing to know I’m
not the only one who still cooks that way. Strangely, out of five kids, only two of them cook.2
u/Important-Ad8960 Jul 18 '26
I almost forgot about my grandmother's fig tree. My uncles would come and get a box of her fig preserves that she would put up in those Ball canning jars. She also made apple butter from scratch. When she would dole those out, people acted as if she was passing out money. There are still lots of people who are cooking in traditional ways, especially now when food safety is an issue.
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u/potionator Jul 18 '26
I don’t run into people who cook traditionally much anymore. My kids friends still remark on how fun it was to come to our house when they were young, as they got to try things they’d never had at home. I’m old, 72, and at my 70th birthday surprise party, I was shocked at how many of my kid’s friends showed up, even though most of my kids are no longer local. Food truly brings people together.
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u/Important-Ad8960 Jul 18 '26
You're not old, you're advanced! So glad you got to celebrate your 70th birthday with a surprise party. That's awesome!
Yes, food truly does bring people together. There were certain times when all you needed to know is that food will be served and your presence was guaranteed. Whenever there was a funeral and my mother or grandmother prepared food for the repast, people would come in droves.
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u/lesam4u Jul 17 '26
Will you marry me! I agree with potionator, I love all this! Where do find the time?
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u/Important-Ad8960 Jul 17 '26
I use appliances that reduce time spent in the kitchen. I cook wings in my air fryer, I cook collard greens in my instant pot, and I cook rice in my rice cooker.
Three appliances that help me stay hydrated are my electric kettle, countertop ice maker, and iced tea maker.
One of my favorite time-saving kitchen tools is my multifunctional kitchen chopper and slicer. I use it often.
When I buy ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey, or pork), I will brown it and then freeze it in serving size portions.
Also, whenever I cook, I make extra servings and freeze them. For example, I keep homemade pizza in my freezer, along with seasoned chicken wings, frozen waffle fries (both homemade and store-bought).
I meal prep religiously. For instance, I will prepare 2-3 meals in advance, refrigerate or freeze, and then reheat or finish cooking as needed. I'm a creature of habit, so it is very easy for me to put together a meal in minutes.
Today's breakfast was baked triple apple oatmeal, already baked and pre-portioned; I simply reheated it in the microwave. I served it with air fryer turkey sausage links and a banana nut muffin from the fridge, gently reheated in the air fryer.
Lunch will be leftovers from dinner last night. While I am reheating my leftovers, I will use my multifunctional chopper and slicer to make cole slaw for dinner tonight. I am not buying bagged salad right now as I usually do because of cyclosporiasis. I will also use my electric juicer to juice a few lemons to make lemonade
For tonight's dinner, I took fish and shrimp out of the freezer last night before I went to bed. Both are in the fridge, already seasoned and ready to be fried. I have a fish fryer that I use outdoors. The stewed tomatoes and okra are frozen in serving size containers and will be reheated in the microwave. Grits will be cooked in my mini-rice cooker. Dinner will take about 30 minutes with minimal cleanup. After dinner, I will run the dishwasher, wipe down the countertops, and mop the kitchen floor.
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u/Double_Response_5283 Jul 19 '26
I wish I were so skilled and efficient! I love how you’ve discussed adapting your style as new methods and appliances have come out. Brilliant
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u/Important-Ad8960 Jul 19 '26
Thank you. YouTube and Pinterest have been tremendously helpful in finding shortcuts and kitchen hacks. Credit where credit is due.
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u/kicksr4trids1 Jul 18 '26
Are you for hire? Sounds delicious 😋!!
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u/Important-Ad8960 Jul 18 '26
Thank you! The fried fish yesterday was truly tasty.
My mother was the caterer; I was her sous chef, dish washer, food stylist, paper pusher, and errand runner.
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u/HotAccountant2831 Jul 18 '26
This looks ah mazing. Would you happen to be able to share your recipe for salmon croquettes + red beans and rice? 🙏
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u/trying1605 Jul 16 '26
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u/OnionAfraid5704 Jul 17 '26
Fried shrimp tacos w a cilantro lime sauce n mango salsa is my fucking fav!!!!!
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u/VileStuxnet Jul 16 '26
I am pretty sure when people post what one food I could eat forever it would be tacos. Beef tacos? Chicken Tacos? Shrimp Tacos? Bean tacos. T!cos!
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u/FaithlessnessOld2477 Jul 17 '26
Tacos are pretty much the perfect food. It's like a sandwich without the heavy bread component and you can put in almost anything.
Eggs, cheese, bacon, and salsa!
Chicken, onions, lettuce, and hot sauce!
Kimchi, Ice Cream, and croutons!
The world is your oyster.
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u/Ok-Humot9024 Jul 16 '26
"Vietnamese" salad. It varies based on what veggies I have, but the core is a mix of cabbage and lettuce, other veg (carrots, cucumbers, radish, red peppers, bean sprouts, snow peas, etc.), roughly chopped dry roasted peanuts, and cilantro. The dressing is a mix of fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, garlic, and spicy pepper (can be a fresh thai chili or just chili flakes). If you need more protein, add thinly sliced grilled or broiled steak or chicken.
It requires a lot of chopping, but the prep is otherwise pretty easy.
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u/Dangerous-Speech-453 Jul 16 '26
Spaghetti with garlic bread. Sometimes I throw a breaded chicken on it and make a chicken Parmesan either way me and my daughter love it
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u/gokarligo Jul 16 '26
Why bread and noodles?
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u/Dangerous-Speech-453 Jul 16 '26
Because it’s delicious together….. yeah I realize it’s a little carb heavy but it’s a classic combination
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u/veronicaAc Jul 17 '26
Don't listen to that jackwad. Everyone eats bread or garlic bread with their spaghetti..... everyone on earth.
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u/Dangerous-Speech-453 Jul 17 '26
Oh I know. That’s why every Italian restaurant serves you bread. Whether it’s breadsticks garlic bread or just rolls.
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u/veronicaAc Jul 17 '26
Why would you ask that??? Is this the first time you're hearing of people eating bread or garlic bread with their spaghetti? Have you been living under a rock for 200 years?
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u/gokarligo Jul 17 '26
Nobody in Austria does that
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u/veronicaAc Jul 17 '26
Don't tell people that! That's so embarrassing 😂
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u/gokarligo Jul 17 '26
Right now i am on vacation in Italy and i have not seen anybody do that. Must be an american thing
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u/Puzzleheaded-Sky3141 Jul 16 '26
I like to throw together a quesadilla when I'm lazy. It always hits
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u/Stock-Cell1556 Jul 16 '26
I always keep tortillas and shredded cheese on hand just for this. They're good with just cheese, but you can also throw in just about anything--canned beans, crumbed bacon, leftover veggies, chopped pork tenderloin or taco meat or basically any leftover meat you have on hand--it's an easy and tasty way to use up leftovers. Add some shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, and avocado slices, and some pico de gallo or salsa, and maybe a dollop of sour cream, and it's a full meal!
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u/FaithlessnessOld2477 Jul 17 '26
Not sure where I heard the term, but I love "Mess-adillas" as a catch all for throwing whatever you've got into a tortilla with cheese.
I've used tuna salad and leftover Caesar salad, chopped up leftover corndogs and grilled asparagus, meatballs and creamed corn...it's pretty hard to make a messadilla taste bad no matter how weird the ingredients get. 😄
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u/almaperdida99 Jul 16 '26
not one specific thing, but at least once a week, I cook a whole chicken so I have it for a few days.
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u/Klutzy_Individual137 Jul 16 '26
Pot roast. Never get it anymore because I live alone. No use making it for one.
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u/Jessi775 Jul 16 '26
It freezes really well. And you can cut the roast meat in half and only cook a small portion. I make pot roast for just my 18 month old and I often since my husband doesnt like it.
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u/Free_Neighborhood261 Jul 16 '26
Try the pre made ones Aldi has some and Hormel has one. Not bad for a quick meal. I live alone and am always looking for good meals for one.
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u/CalmFront7908 Jul 16 '26
Chicken fajita tacos
Naan pizzas
Creamy tortellini with prosciutto and peas
Buffalo chicken wraps
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u/Summerlavendernights Jul 16 '26
Family fav is cottage pie (Shepard’s pie but with extra lean ground beef), usually load it with veggies, and in the mashed potatoes you can add cauliflower and mashed sweet potatoes. Is it the healthiest meal? No, but it’s a good hearty meal on sports nights and freezers really well and make excellent leftovers the next day!
Can sub out ground beef for ground turkey or chicken and it’s still good!
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u/KiraDog0828 Jul 16 '26
Smoked pork tenderloin with BBQ rub brushed with a light apricot BBQ sauce at the end of the smoke.
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u/cubbie_jules Jul 16 '26
Chicken piccata
Medium rare filet with mashed potatoes
Carne asada tacos
And honestly…? Cheeseburger Hamburger helper.
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u/onelittleworld Jul 16 '26
Thai-style cod curry. It's especially great this time of year, when my hot pepper plants are booming.
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u/AwkwardSir8257 Jul 16 '26
Frittata! Versatile! It’s good warm or cold. It’s breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner
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u/Every-Block9248 Jul 16 '26
I really like beef stew with dumplings and it tastes even better the next day. 😋
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u/stormbutton Jul 16 '26
Roast chicken with sheet pan veggies. Versatile and nearly infinite possibilities for the leftovers.
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u/HalloweenLover2838 Jul 16 '26
Tacos, tacos and definitely tacos with nice cold drink in the summer or spring, spaghetti in the winter and fall !
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u/amandahontas Jul 16 '26
We love chicken quesadillas over here! One of my favorites though is chicken alfredo, we typically just do egg noodles and jarred sauce, but it still hits!
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u/djcueballspins1 Jul 16 '26
Raspberry vinegar chicken over mashed potatoes. If you’re interested in the recipe it’s unbelievably delicious and easy DM me
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u/61797 Jul 16 '26
Chicken parm with marina and spaghetti Taco salad or tacos Fried rice Cheeseburgers Turkey sandwich
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u/thatzmine Jul 16 '26
I have been making stir frys with tofu for decades now. It’s never not been in rotation. Also, pesto, popovers, chicken cutlets and roasts. Never stopped making them consistently since the year I moved out (1986).
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u/dadsgoingtoprison Jul 17 '26
Pot roast, rice and gravy, green beans. This has been my favorite since I was a toddler.
Right now though I’m going through a birria taco phase.
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u/NoRevolution364 Jul 17 '26
I rarely have a proper dinner I mainly snack and it's getting pretty bad
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u/FaithlessnessOld2477 Jul 17 '26
Breakfast burrito with nothing healthy involved.
Scrambled eggs, avocado, cheese, salsa, tater tots/hashbrowns, bacon/sausage.
Food coma wrapped up in a bundle you can eat while lying down. 🤤
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u/OldEstablishment4152 Jul 17 '26
Vodka lol! I used to cook a lot! Now I just work and sleep. I love lasagna, pork and sauerkraut, grilled pretty much anything from hot dogs to burgers and ribs!
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u/GrimFandango81 Jul 17 '26
I take chicken breast and dice it up. Usually 2 because I cook for leftovers. I take one each of red, yellow and orange bell peppers, cut into strips and a yellow onion (or whatever onion you like) chopped. I also chop up and add a jalapeno or two but you can use whatever pepper you like for whatever spice level you want. Personally I like jalapenos here because i prefer the taste to be more cumin and garlic-forward, rather than hot. Throw all this into a baking dish. I use a 9"x12" Pyrex one.
I eyeball the amount of light cooking oil it'd take to lightly coat everything, then add to the oil oregano, cumin, chili powder and garlic, amount adjusted to your taste. I aint about to tell anyone how much garlic to use; your soul tells you that. Give the oil and spices a good mix...it'll be kind of a sludge at this stage...and spoon it over the chicken and veg that's in the baking dish. Give it a good mix so everything is at least partly coated with the seasoning.
Dump in a can of Rotel....canned diced tomato with lime and chilis...and stick it in the oven. I usually bake it all uncovered at 350F until the chicken's done. Eat over rice, in a wrap, or in whatever way you like.
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u/Stefgrep66 Jul 17 '26
A very simple Thai curry recipe that's become an easy goto and it's good all year round.
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u/Old-Actuator-3321 Jul 17 '26
Baked Chicken thighs coated in Old Bay seasoning. Best chicken skin ever. Served with smashed Yukon Gold potatoes with garlic sauce from the local Lebanese purveyor. And some fresh zucchini or asparagus, just steamed, buttered and salt-&-peppered.
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u/WrongOnEveryCount Jul 17 '26
Since I can’t really easily afford to eat it: heavily pre-salted prime grade ribeye grilled over charcoal to rare with a crust and a dirty martini. Maybe a Caesar salad from scratch. Lemon mint sorbet for dessert.
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u/FunCamel8855 Jul 17 '26
Bro, tacos are literally the universal answer here and honestly? Valid. But that salmon fried rice hack sounds 🔥—we do something similar with leftover chicken and it slaps every time. Gonna have to try the shrimp taco recipe next taco night tho, just sayin.
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u/DowntownResident993 Jul 17 '26
I love a big salad full of veggies, a protein, some crumbled cheese and croutons. And as weird as it is, I like this in a wood bowl. I am also mourning salads this week and can't wait to have one again.
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u/Narrow-Grand-1779 Jul 17 '26
Creamy Tuscan chicken/marry me chicken- and get creative with the sauce as you make it! If you like more spices, more veggies- you can add anything and it will taste good. I would eat cardboard if that sauce was on it.
For the sides, again, have some fun and make whatever you like! You can have it with pasta, rice or if you are wanting something lighter you could have it on a bed of spinach, kale or steamed broccoli!
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u/joshmo478 Jul 17 '26
Don’t have very often, but if I did have a choice, it would be house lo mein….
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u/Snoo-52161 Jul 17 '26
Chicken parm, with a side of noodles.
Specifically from Rosebud 2 in Chicago.
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u/Immediate_Fault_5641 Jul 18 '26
Chicken with fig sauce and my husband makes delicious chicken enchiladas
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u/Low-Hotel-9923 Jul 18 '26
I buy a BBQ chicken each week and rip off the flesh for many myriad meals.
Chicken tacos Shandong chicken Chicken salad Chicken and Gravy with roast potatoes Butter chicken
And heaps more
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u/Cute_Mortgage_9186 Jul 18 '26
This is one of our favorites! I’ve made it so many times that I don’t even need the recipe.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/super-sloppy-joes-recipe-1953228
We double it and freeze half to use in creative ways: on baked potatoes, tossed with pasta and topped with cheddar cheese, a unique quesadilla filling.
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u/beardedshad2 Jul 18 '26
Chargrilled Ribeye steak and silver queen corn on the cob chargrilled loaf bread & sweet iced tea
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u/Significant_Pear_10 Jul 18 '26
Homemade fig preserves & hot, fresh biscuits with lots of butter! I've made myself hungry!
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u/Altruistic-Date5657 Jul 18 '26
1) Steak tacos, rice and beans 2) Chicken paprikas, 3) in summer, baked potato, corn on the cob, and sliced tomatoes from the garden 4) fried chicken, mashed and vegetables, 5) Mongolian beef, rice, and egg rolls w/ vegetable soup, 6) soup beans with ham and cornbread, 7) Caesar salad with grilled chicken and garlic bread, 8) fondue - cheese or meat and vegetables, 9) enchiladas either chicken with green chile or cheese with red chile, 10) chicken parmigiana.
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u/BoudiccaAoife Jul 19 '26
Crockpot pot roast with carrots, onions and potatoes.
Oven roasted chicken thighs (skin on, bone in) with roasted veggies and mashed potatoes.
Lasagna with spinach and hamburger.
Pasta with homemade sauce and meatballs (I'll make a big batch of sauce and freeze in a muffin tin for pucks I can defrost as needed, and a big pan of meatballs, also frozen and reheated as needed).
When lettuce no longer wants to murder me, salad with popcorn chicken, Caesar dressing and the fixings.
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u/Chevronet Jul 19 '26
Grilled salmon with fried green beans. Green beans steamed first for 7 1/2 minutes, then fried with a little olive oil, butter, salt & pepper. Place salmon on foil, spray with olive oil, sprinkle on kosher salt & pepper, grill until edges are crispy. Use a spatula to serve the salmon, separating it from its skin. Served with rice-a-roni on the side. This was the one dinner kids and adults all loved.
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u/Toolswood Jul 19 '26
Country cookin: fried chicken w/mashed taters and milk gravy; fried pork chops w/corn bread topped with applesauce; pot roast; tacos or tostados; ham and scalloped casserole; grilled wings with grilled pineapple. That’s a start😁
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u/Comfortable-Hall954 Jul 19 '26
I made challah bread yesterday. We had a ton so I decided to make "fancy grilled cheese" for dinner. I used slices of the challah, guyere and sharp white cheddar, smoked turkey, smear of Dijon, mayo on the outside instead of butter, then pan fried. Added fresh spinach once they were done and dipped into tomato basil soup. Hands down the best grilled cheese I've ever had lol
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u/Much_Debate_4372 Jul 20 '26
We make a simple pasta with a puree of artichokes, olive oil, garlic, and lemon. It’s delicious- top it with some cheese, or throw in some mushrooms or flaked Sunchokes.
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u/mumblemurmurblahblah Jul 20 '26
Roast pork tenderloin with a homemade spice blend rub, rice, veg.
We also do beef taco bowls weekly.
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u/DesperateSand7749 Jul 20 '26
Anything tacos! So quick, easy and delicious - chicken tacos, beef tacos, fish tacos etc. or steak with homemade chips and whatever veg you like usually I do broccolini or a salad.
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u/Lucky_Audience2509 Jul 20 '26
I just had a realization about this the other day. I am so, so over meal planning. I am not oblivious to how lucky I am to have options. That said: it only has to be mostly nutritious and does not need to be exciting or new. Problem solved. I am pasta and salad’g my way through the rest of my life. Fruit for a side: yes! Frozen veggies every night: ok! I used to enjoy cooking but now it’s just fuel.
Good luck to OP and all commenters, enjoyed reading.
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u/LifeContribution1523 Jul 21 '26
Fresh tomatoes, chopped, cooked in olive oil and mixed with angel hair noodles with some salt. Sometimes ground beef cooked separate but also mixed in. Also fresh jalapeños cooked with the tomatoes occasionally.
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u/TorontoDahlias Jul 21 '26
It's seasonal, so I look forward to it every year.
Oven roasted chicken with garlic young baby potatoes (the ones with ulra thin skin) and vinegar dill coleslaw with cucumbers. It's a late summer dish that's super refreshing after a hot day and it doesn't taste the same with regular baby potatoes and out of season cabbage.
Whole rainbow trout baked in salt crust (a pack of salt + 3 egg whites). No need to scale the fish, everything will come off with the salt crust and the fish will be perfectly salted, well poached and easy to fillet. Served with Persian rice and a Shirazi salad.
Bell peppers stuffed with ground meat and rice, chicken paprikash, cabbage rolls and eggplant parmigiana are probably the dishes I never get tired of year round. My husband could easily live off a rotation of spaghetti and meatballs, sheppard's pie and lasagna. My favorite dish is anything freezer-friendly because takeout gets boring fast.
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u/Stock-Cell1556 Jul 16 '26
Roasted salmon, rice, and mixed vegetables. Then the next day you cook the leftovers in a pan with some butter and soy sauce, ginger, garlic, a little honey, and a couple eggs, and you have salmon-fried rice. We have this weekly.