12 Lazy Sunday Dinner Ideas

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.

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.