Summer bring warmer weather and busier evenings. Between fireworks shows, pool parties, cookouts, and summer sports, many of us are looking for quick dinners that still hit the spot. This post includes 5 dinner ideas for busy days. These suppers will take just a few minutes of hands-on work, but have tremendous payoff.
Easy Baked Tacos
This quick dinner can be made with any eat of your choice. Our favorite is pulled pork, but ground beef and chicken also make for delicious tacos. For Pulled pork or chicken, throw the meat in the pressure cooker (or use leftover meat for an even faster process). For ground beef, brown the meat in a skillet. Season your meat with a packet of taco seasoning or make your own with cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and add a thin layer of your favorite fat on a large sheet pan. Lay your corn tortillas flat, and place your meat on one half and melty cheese on the other.
Bake the tacos open for 5 minutes, fold the cheese side over the meat side to close, and return to the oven for another 5 minutes- until the tortilla becomes crispy.
Serve with your favorite taco toppings for a deliciously crunchy experience!
Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff
This recipe is reminiscent of Hamburger Helper, but uses just a few fresh ingredients and comes together quickly for a comfort meal that everyone will love.
Start by sautéing a diced small onion in about a tablespoon of butter over medium heat in a large pan. In the same pan, brown a pound of ground beef and then season with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and a bit of Worcestershire sauce. Add another pat of butter and a tablespoon of flour to the pan and stir to cook the flour for a minute or so.
Add 4 cups of beef broth and 16 oz of wide egg noodles, turn up the heat to a boil, then lower to a simmer before covering to cook for about 10 minutes- until the noodles are tender.
Stir in a half cup of sour cream and season with extra salt and pepper to taste. This is one meal that is sure to make everyone smile!
High Protein Chicken Salad
We love to eat chicken salad with crackers, but you can always take these on-the-go in sandwich form! And the best part about this Chicken salad is that it includes cottage cheese for some extra protein.
This recipe is made simple by quick-cooking chicken thighs in the pressure cooker. Throw 1.5 lbs of chicken, garlic powder, lemon pepper seasoning, and 1 cup of water into your pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes for perfectly tender chicken.
Shred the chicken with forks or even in a stand mixer. Add 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, 2 celery ribs, blackberries, and extra salt and pepper to taste.
This is best made ahead so it can chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. It also makes enough for leftovers (at least for my two-person household).
Simple Sloppy Joes
This rough recipe makes a small portion for just two people, but is very easy to multiply. It’s no canned mix, but it sure is yummy, and is great for using up some things that you may have hanging out in your fridge.
Start by sautéing a diced small onion and a diced bell pepper in a medium skillet. In the same pan, brown half a pound of ground beef and add one 8oz can of tomato sauce.
Season the mixture with salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire, prepared mustard, and a bit of brown sugar.
Allow the mixture to simmer and thicken for a few minutes before serving on buns with your favorite chips.
If you want to make your own buns, my Sourdough Sandwich Bread dough is perfect for shaping into buns!
Lazy Bob Armstrong Dip
Your favorite Tex-Mex restaurant probably serves this as an appetizer, but in our home, it’s the perfect dinner for when you just “feel snack-y”. It may not be very jazzy, but man, it’s delicious.
Heat your favorite Queso in a small pot (the best I have found is Culinary Cowgirls at Aldi).
In a separate skillet, brown ground beef and season with a taco seasoning pouch or your own blend. Once browned, add your beef to the queso and there you have it- a snacky Tex-Mex dinner on the table in under 10 minutes! This dip and a bag of tortilla chips go a long way on busy evenings!
I hope you’ve found these meal ideas helpful! We’re all just trying to get dinner on the table and smiles on our families’ faces.
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Thank you for visiting Headed for a Homestead Blog. I’m Rebekah, your creator and author since 2023. As a new blogger in this big space, I’m still learning the ropes, and just as excited as when I began. I hope you’ll take some time to look around and maybe find a recipe or project you’d like to try.
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