New Dinner Ideas to Explore

Looking for new recipes to liven up your dinner table? We’ve got five you should give a try!

Figuring out what to make for dinner can be the hardest decision of the day sometimes. So, to help make the daily shuffle a little easier, we’re exploring a few new dinner ideas to add in to your weekly rotation. 

Italian Chicken Gnocchi Soup

As we begin the slow transition from winter to spring, there’s nothing better for dinner than a hearty bowl of soup. This recipe from Tieghan Gerard at Halfbaked Harvest has all the things you want from a winter soup: thick cut bacon, gnocchi simmered in tomatoes, broth and cream, chicken and lots and lots of cheese. Plus, it’s all made in one pot, making clean up easier! 

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Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie and a hearty chopped salad can be the perfect end to a winter day, and this puff pastry-topped recipe from Taste of Home is one to give a try. Pie crust pot pies are amazing, but on a weeknight when you’re just trying to get something on the table that isn’t fast food, who has time to mess with rolling out dough or making fluted edges? This recipe features a creamy chicken and veggie filling simply topped with buttery store-bough puff pastry. It’s comforting, fairly simple, and if you don’t want to make a lattice-work top, you have my permission not to! <<Get the Recipe>>

Crispy Sheet-Pan Gnocchi with Broccoli and Sausage

A list of dinner ideas from me wouldn’t be complete without a NYT Cooking app mention, so here it is! This recipe, developed by Ali Slagle, is phenomenal for so many reasons — but the fact that it’s incredibly tasty while also being incredibly easy makes it the real dinnertime MVP. You roast gnocchi, bits of Italian sausage and broccoli together on a sheet pan, then finish with a squeeze of lemon and Parmesan cheese. It’s perfect served with a simple salad and crusty bread, plus it only take 10 minutes to prep and 35 to cook. 

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French Bread Pizza

I’ll admit it: pizza is one of my favorite meals. And some days, pizza is just the end note you need to cap off the day. French bread pizza makes that a little easier, taking out some of the work and the mess of making homemade pizza by subbing a crusty loaf of store-bough French bread for the crust. It’s also great for kids or picky eaters because everyone can customize their toppings. 

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Creamy Enchilada Casserole

I love enchiladas, but I detest the time-consuming process of rolling each one individually. So, years ago, I started layering the ingredients into a casserole dish like a Mexican version of lasagna. And, it turns out, I’m not the only one! This recipe from Ree Drummond includes all the things you love about chicken enchiladas — shredded chicken, corn tortillas, melty cheese and all the enchilada sauce you want. Plus, you can assemble it ahead of time so you can pop it into the oven and have dinner ready to go in 30-40 minutes. 

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What new recipes are you adding to your dinner rotation? We’d love to hear all about them, so tell us in the comments!