There’s no meal more comforting than Sunday dinners and what they represent. It’s the last meal commemorating an end to the weekend and the start to a new week ahead. Also, the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with family over a delicious meal and a glass of white wine.
Sunday nights are also the time when you want to make the most out of the remaining hours of the weekend before the busy work week begins. You won’t have to spend most of your time in the kitchen with these super simple, easy dinner ideas for Sundays.
I’m sharing a round-up of lazy Sunday dinner ideas that are family favorites that you can easily and quickly prepare with simple ingredients.
12 Lazy Sunday Dinner Ideas
Ready in 15 minutes
Don’t have a ton of time? Try your hand at these Sunday dinner ideas prepped and ready all within 15 minutes.
Beef & Bok Choy Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 5 oz Beef, shaved, raw – 200 calories
- 2 cups Leafy greens, bok choy, raw – 20 calories
- 3 tsp Sesame seeds (tsp) – 39 calories
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil (Tbsp) – 119 calories
- ¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories
Directions
Step 1
Add oil to pan.
Step 2
Stir fry beef until no longer pink, ~7 minutes, on medium heat.
Step 3
Cut off hard end of bulb of bok choy.
Step 4
Add in bok choy, sesame seeds, and seasonings for the last 2 minutes (bok choy cooks very quickly)
Step 5
Top with seasoning.
Step 6
No beef? Use chicken, fish, tofu, or beans. No shaved beef? Use ground, or any other type is fine too.
Broccoli Shrimp Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2 cups Broccoli – 48 calories
- 5 oz Shrimp, fresh or frozen – 140 calories
- ½ Avocado, small – 117 calories
- ¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories
- ⅛ tsp Red pepper flakes – 0 calories
Directions
Step 1
Spray pan with an oil spray.
Step 2
Cook shrimp and broccoli through. Drain away any excess liquid. Top with seasonings (or add soy sauce).
Step 3
Have avocado on the side, or cube it & mix it in
(Ground) Beef & Broccoli
Ingredients
- 2 cups Broccoli, frozen – 62 calories
- 4 oz Ground beef, 85% lean, raw – 213 calories
- 1 Tbsp Sesame seeds (Tbsp) – 50 calories
- 2 Tbsp Soy Ginger sauce – 30 calories
- 1 tsp Garlic, minced (tsp) – 0 calories
Directions
Step 1
Spray a pan with an oil spray like olive oil. Add in garlic. Stir fry beef and broccoli for 5-6 minutes.
Step 2
Remove broccoli & cut into small pieces. Add back into pan. Stir fry for another 3-4 minutes.
Step 3
Add in sauce.
Step 4
Top with sesame seeds when ready to eat.
Step 5
Notes: No soy ginger sauce? Use soy sauce. No beef? Use ground turkey, tofu, or beans/lentils. Fresh or frozen broccoli can be used here – whatever you have! Also, if you have another % lean meat, that is also fine, use what you have.
Ready in 20 minutes
Looking for meal ideas that are efficient? Get it all done and ready in 20 minutes with these easy dinner ideas for a lazy Sunday.
Chicken Cheesesteak Skillet
Ingredients
- 6 oz Chicken thigh, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories
- ¼ Bell pepper, red, medium – 9 calories
- ¼ Bell pepper, green, medium – 7 calories
- ¼ cup Mushrooms, small, whole or sliced – 4 calories
- ¼ Onion, yellow, large – 14 calories
- ⅓ cup Cheese, shredded, mozzarella – 112 calories
- 2 tsp Avocado oil (tsp) – 82 calories
- ⅛ tsp Red pepper flakes – 0 calories
- ⅛ tsp Garlic salt – 0 calories
Directions
Step 1
Slice veggies and chicken into thin strips
Step 2
Add oil to a pan
Step 3
Stir fry veggies and chicken, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes on low-medium heat
Step 4
Mix in seasonings, and top with cheese
Step 5
Let cheese melt ~5 minutes
Step 6
No chicken? Use beans or tofu. No cheese? Use more oil, or top with diced avocado at the end.
Alfredo Pasta Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 Sausage, chicken – 140 calories
- 1½ Zucchini, medium – 50 calories
- ½ cup Pasta, penne, whole wheat, cooked – 80 calories
- 2 cups Leafy green, spinach – 14 calories
- ¼ cup Alfredo sauce – 100 calories
- 2 Tbsp Tomatoes, sun-dried, oil packed – 34 calories
- ⅛ tsp Garlic salt – 0 calories
- ⅛ tsp Red pepper flakes – 0 calories
Directions
Step 1
Cook pasta as instructed on its package on stovetop.
Step 2
Slice sausage into coin shapes and slice zucchini into small pieces.
Step 3
Spray a pan with a cooking spray.
Step 4
Stir fry sausage for ~10 minutes on low-medium heat, until cooked through. Add in zucchini and stir fry another ~3-5 minutes.
Step 5
Add in cooked pasta, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, Alfredo sauce, and seasonings and mix together. Let simmer, stirring occasionally.
Step 6
Serve and enjoy!
Step 7
No dairy? Use dairy-free pesto sauce, available at most stores. No meat? Use beans or tofu.
5 Ingredient Taco Skillet
Prepped and ready to eat all within 20 minutes, what makes this dish a lazy sunday dinner is the simple ingredients and easy dinner process – you can buy all the ingredients pre cut or pre prepped from the grocery store, making it even easier. Just open and dump into the pan. Try it for yourself!
Ingredients
- 4 oz Ground beef, 90% lean, raw – 185 calories
- ½ cup Beans & legumes, pinto beans, cooked – 123 calories
- 1 Zucchini, medium – 33 calories
- ¼ cup Cheese, Mexican, shredded – 114 calories
- ¼ Avocado, small – 58 calories
- 1 tsp Taco seasoning – 5 calories
Directions
Step 1
Spice zucchini into small pieces.
Step 2
Spray a pan with an oil spray like olive oil.
Step 3
Stir fry ground beef on medium heat until cooked through.
Step 4
Add in zucchini, beans, and seasoning. Stir fry for another ~5 minutes, until zucchini has softened.
Step 5
Top with cheese, and cover your pan with a lid to let the cheese melt.
Step 6
When you’re ready to eat, dice avocado and top your meal with it. Enjoy!
Step 7
No meat? Use more beans. No dairy? Use more avocado.
Instant Pot Beef & Broccoli
Ingredients
- 3 oz Beef, chuck roast (stew meat), raw – 182 calories
- 2 cups Broccoli – 48 calories
- 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced (Tbsp) – 0 calories
- 1 cup Broth, chicken or beef (cups) – 35 calories
- 2 Tbsp Soy sauce (Tbsp) – 0 calories
- 1 cup Water – 0 calories
Directions
**This recipe should be doubled to make 2 servings at a time (share or eat the other serving at a later time); the Instant Pot needs to have at least 1 ½ cups of liquid in it in order to work
Step 1
Put Instant Pot on “Saute” function; Spray inside pot with an oil spray
Step 2
Add in garlic; Saute beef pieces, stirring frequently
Step 3
Add in broth, soy sauce, and water
Step 4
Press “Cancel” to stop Saute function, and then press “Manual” and adjust the time to cook
for 15 minutes
Step 5
After the Instant Pot beeps that it’s done, release the pressure knob and open the pot
Step 6
Add in broccoli, stir, and then close the lid & let sit for 5 minutes
Step 7
There will be extra liquid – you can discard it!
Instant Pot Pork Chops & Onions
Ingredients
- 6 oz Pork chop, bone-in, raw – 200 calories
- 2 Onion, yellow, large – 110 calories
- 1 Tbsp Cheese, Parmesan, grated (Tbsp) – 17 calories
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard – 15 calories
- 1 cup Water – 0 calories
Directions
**This recipe should be doubled to make 2 servings at a time (share or eat the other serving at a later time); the Instant Pot needs to have at least 1 ½ cups of liquid in it in order to work
Step 1
Put Instant Pot on “Saute” function; Spray inside pot with an oil spray
Step 2
Sear pork chop (just let cook for 2 minutes on each side)
Step 3
Add into the pot the rest of the ingredients – onions (thinly sliced), parmesan cheese, mustard, water
Step 4
Press “Cancel” to stop Saute function, and then press “Manual” and adjust the time to cook for 5 minutes
Step 5
After the Instant Pot beeps that it’s done, release the pressure knob and open the pot
Step 6
There will be extra liquid – you can discard it! Use tongs to take out the pork chop & onions
Ready in 30 minutes (or more)
Have a little more time to spare, just want to do it the lazy way? Try these instant pot, slow cooker, and one pot meal ideas.
Mashed Potatoes One Pot Meal
Who doesn’t love mashed potatoes as a lazy Sunday dinner? Switch things up (while still keeping it super simple and easy by throwing all the ingredients in one pot in this mashed potatoes one pot meal.
Ingredients
- 1 Potato, Russet, medium, 5 inches – 160 calories
- 2 Tbsp Milk, 2% (Tbsp) – 18 calories
- 1 Tbsp Butter (Tbsp) – 103 calories
- 2 cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw – 14 calories
- 5 oz Chicken, canned (1 can) – 150 calories
- ⅛ tsp Garlic salt – 0 calories
- ¼ tsp Pepper, ground – 0 calories
Directions
Step 1
Chop up the potatoes into small pieces.
Step 2
Add potatoes to a pot of water, and bring it to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, or until you can bite into a potato piece & it’s cooked through.
Step 3
Drain away the water, then add in your butter, milk, and garlic salt & pepper to taste to the pot with the potatoes. Turn heat to low-medium, and cook on low heat ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally until pot’s contents are well-combined.
Step 4
Drain chicken and mash or separate with a fork until shredded or in small pieces.
Step 5
Add in chicken and spinach to the potatoes pot. Cook on low heat another ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spinach has wilted.
Step 6
No chicken? Use beans. No dairy? Use oil instead of butter and dairy-free milk of choice.
Instant Pot Chicken And Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups Mushrooms, small, whole or sliced – 30 calories
- 6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories
- 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced (Tbsp) – 0 calories
- 1 cup Broth, chicken or beef (cups) – 35 calories
Directions
**This recipe should be doubled to make 2 servings at a time (share or eat the other serving at a later time); the Instant Pot needs to have at least 1 ½ cups of liquid in it in order to work
Step 1
Put Instant Pot on “Saute” function
Step 2
Spray inside pot with an oil spray; Add in garlic
Step 3
Cut chicken breasts in small pieces
Step 4
Add chicken, broth and mushrooms into the pot
Step 5
Press “Cancel” to stop Saute function, and then press “Manual” and adjust the time to cook for 5 minutes
Step 6
After the Instant Pot beeps that it’s done, let sit for 10 minutes
Step 7
Then manually release the pressure knob & open the pot
Step 8
If making multiple servings, recommend only make for 2-3 days ahead of time to preserve freshness
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories
- 1 cup Salsa – 64 calories
- 2 cups Leafy greens, lettuce, raw – 10 calories
- ½ cup Beans & legumes, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cooked – 134 calories
- ⅓ cup Cheese, shredded, cheddar – 152 calories
- ¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories
- ⅛ tsp Red pepper flakes – 0 calories
Directions
**This recipe should be doubled to make 2 servings at a time (share or eat the other serving at a later time); the Instant Pot needs to have at least 1 ½ cups of liquid in it in order to work
Step 1
Put Instant Pot on “Saute” function; Spray inside pot with an oil spray
Step 2
Add in garlic into the Instant Pot; Sear chicken breasts (just let cook for 2 minutes on each side)
Step 3
Press “Cancel” to stop Saute function, and then press “Manual” and adjust the time to cook for 25 minutes
Step 4
After the Instant Pot beeps that it’s done, release the pressure knob and open the pot
Step 5
Take chicken out, shred chicken with forks, then put pack in the pot with salsa
Step 6
Top with shredded cheese & serve
Slow Cooker Taco Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories
- ½ cup Beans & legumes, black beans, cooked – 114 calories
- ½ cup Corn, canned – 63 calories
- ½ cup Salsa – 32 calories
- 1 tsp Avocado oil (tsp) – 41 calories
- ¼ tsp Garlic salt (tsp) – 0 calories
- ¼ tsp Red pepper flakes (tsp) – 0 calories
Directions
NOTE: This is a “slow cooker” meal – you can use a crockpot, the instant pot, etc. You’ll likely prefer to make multiple servings at once.
Step 1
Add oil to the bottom of your slow cooker, then add in the rest of your ingredients & give them a stir.
Step 2
Cook your food on LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
Step 3
Shred your chicken with a fork (either in the pot or out of the pot on a cutting board & re-mix it in).
Step 4
Enjoy!
Step 5
No meat? Use white beans, but make a stir fry instead (nothing needs to slow cook here).
Looking for even more inspiration? Try these quinoa dinner recipes for quick pasta dishes or these quick and easy healthy meals when your life’s on the go.
