Easy Friday Night Dinner Ideas the Whole Family Will Love
Ditch the take-out meals. You’ll want to make these quick and fun dinner recipes with your friends on Friday night.
Friday night dinner doesn’t have to be complicated. It just needs to be on the table quickly so you can get to your weekend activities, socialize with friends, or just relax after a long workweek. Whether you want Friday dinner ideas that are fun, easy, quick, fresh, family-friendly, or healthy, we got you covered. We’ve even have recipes that are fun to cook with friends. It’s time to change your weekend take-out dinner plans and make these Friday night dinner recipes at home.
Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
Grant Webster
Invite your friends over and get cooking together. You’ll have fun making this sheet-pan dinner while you entertain. You’ll be serving up warm, melty quesadillas to a crowd in just one hour without flipping individual quesadillas over a hot stove.
Best Four-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
BHG / Cara Cormack
If you want classic comfort food for your Friday night dinner, look no further than this four-cheese macaroni and cheese. You won’t get tired of this popular recipe because it has six recipe variations to try. If you’re short on time (or just want extra-creamy mac and cheese), skip the oven and make the stove top version.
Fresh Tomato Pizza with Oregano and Mozzarella
This pizza is perfect for fresh food Friday and better than takeout. The pizza dough, tomatoes, cheese, herbs, and spices are all fresh—it doesn’t get any better than that. Omit the prosciutto to make it a no meat Friday meal.
"Beef" Picadillo-Style Tacos
Here’s an easy taco recipe for one of your no meat Friday meals. Make these tacos with plant-based ground "beef" to expedite your Friday night meal. Want homemade tacos that taste more like a restaurant’s featured menu item, make our taco recipes.
Classic Nachos
Get the party started with this sheet-pan recipe. It makes 8 servings, so you’ll have plenty to go around. Elevate your Friday night dinner recipe by spooning nacho toppings over hot French fries, potato tots, baked potato skins, roasted sweet potato slices, pita rounds, shredded lettuce, or pizza crust.
Tomato-Basil Cavatelli Skillet
Your friends will think you turned your kitchen into an Italian bistro when they indulge in this complete pasta dinner in one pan. The ingredients are fresh yet this recipe is a perfect Friday night family dinner idea. Think of it as a simpler twist on a skillet lasagna recipe with no layering involved.
Shrimp Scampi
Who needs take-out when you can make your own delicious meal in 20 minutes. This pasta dish is simple and fun for your Friday night dinner. Add another layer of freshness by adding prosciutto, Roma tomatoes, and fresh herbs for seasoning.
Chicken Lo Mein
You can make your own takeout and even customize it with your own vegetables. It’s no wonder that this classic noodle dish is a popular Friday night dinner idea. Try all of our easy substitution steps for beef, pork or shrimp.
Upside-Down Pizza Skillet Casserole
If you like supreme pizza from your favorite pizza parlor, you’re going to love this easy pizza skillet casserole recipe. There’s no waiting for dough to rise or cook, so you can have this meal on your table in just 30 minutes. Try making it with your favorite pizza topping to make it a fun Friday night dinner.
Skillet Taco Pie
If you’re looking for fun things to cook with friends, turn your taco night into skillet taco pie night. This stovetop recipe takes just 25 minutes from start to finish. Make it with ground turkey or ground beef and add broken taco shells, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, and salsa.
Air-Fryer Flank Steak and Fennel
Start your weekend off with a delicious steak dinner at home. In just over 30 minutes, you can have steak and roasted vegetables on the table. This air-fryer steak recipe is easy and perfect for a Friday night family dinner.
Classic Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
You don’t have to visit a fair or a food truck for this classic recipe. Make your Friday night a delicious night in your own kitchen in just a few easy steps. Made from center-cut pork loin chops, this sandwich is a popular menu item in the Midwest.
Air-Fryer Greek Turkey Burgers
Turkey burgers are easy to prepare especially when they're cooked in an air fryer. This recipe is one of those fun things to cook with friends because it's easy yet impressive. Just combine the turkey and spice mixture into patties, pop it in the air fryer, and in 15 minutes you’ll have dinner on your table, so you can focus on socializing with your friends.
Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken with Fingerlings
When it comes to healthy Friday night dinner ideas, you can’t go wrong with this lemon chicken and potato dinner. It’s a one-dish dinner recipe that comes together in 30 minutes. With just 255 calories per serving and zero gluten, this is one of the lightest meat-and-potato meals you can cook in one pan.
Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
Grant Webster
This chicken casserole is called million dollar chicken because it tastes like a million bucks. Each garlicky bite is loaded with juicy chicken, creamy cheese, and buttery cracker crumbs. The dish uses rotisserie chicken so you can get the meal on the table in under an hour and be on your way to Friday night activities.
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