Southern Living's 60 Lazy Dinner Ideas for Minimal Effort
Southern Living has compiled a list of 60 low-maintenance dinner recipes, from 10-minute stir-fries to slow-cooker soups, designed for nights when cooking
The recipes range from 10-minute preparations to slow-cooker meals that cook unattended for hours.
Quick Assembly and No-Cook Options
Several recipes require almost no cooking at all. A chopped salad can be ready in under 25 minutes using store-bought chopped vegetables, cheese, and pre-cooked bacon, and can be prepared ahead without the dressing. For a hot meal with zero stove time, so-called "funeral sandwiches" assemble quickly from sweet rolls, deli meat, and sliced cheese, with butter or mayonnaise as a spread.
Buttered noodles are presented as the ultimate lazy comfort food, requiring only butter, pasta, and optional cheese, salt, and pepper. Another no-cook summer option is an heirloom tomato-cracker salad, where sliced tomatoes are plated with a tangy mayonnaise dressing and crushed garlic crackers.
Shortcut Ingredients for Faster Meals
The list heavily features recipes built around convenience products to cut down on prep work. For honey-garlic chicken nuggets, the recipe starts with frozen nuggets. Shrimp and burst cherry tomato pasta is simplified by using shrimp that are already peeled and deveined.
Rotisserie chicken is a recommended shortcut for multiple dishes, including a chicken stir-fry that comes together in 10 minutes using frozen peppers, and a chicken Caprese pasta that uses jarred pesto. For a quick spaghetti Bolognese, the publication suggests using a store-bought tomato sauce from brands like Barilla or Classico to mimic a long-simmered flavor.
Hands-Off Cooking Methods
Slow cookers, sheet pans, and air fryers are highlighted as tools for lazy cooking. A slow-cooker chicken soup involves placing chicken, vegetables, and herbs in the cooker and returning six hours later to add noodles. Similarly, an easy Brunswick stew with okra, pork, and lima beans can be left in a slow cooker on low heat for hours to tenderize the meat.
Sheet pan dinners minimize cleanup. A honey-soy-glazed salmon with veggies and oranges requires mostly assembly on the pan before a 10-minute broil. Sheet pan nachos use ground chuck and customizable toppings for a fast family meal. For a speedier alternative to traditional recipes, a skillet version of enchiladas suizas skips the dipping and rolling steps, using rotisserie chicken and canned diced tomatoes.
| Recipe | Key Shortcut or Method | Approximate Time / Note |
|---|---|---|
| Chopped Salad | Store-bought chopped veggies, no-cook | Under 25 minutes |
| Chicken Stir-Fry | Frozen peppers, rotisserie chicken | 10 minutes |
| Slow-Cooker Chicken Soup | Slow cooker, walk-away cooking | 6 hours unattended |
| Honey-Soy-Glazed Salmon | Sheet pan broiling | 10 minutes broiling |
| Spaghetti Bolognese | Store-bought tomato sauce | Freezes well for later |
| Muffin Tin Meatloaf | Muffin tin for faster baking | 25 minutes bake time |
Comfort Food Made Easy
The collection includes simplified versions of classic comfort dishes. An easy chicken and dumplings recipe uses cream of chicken soup and canned buttermilk biscuits to shave off time. A sloppy Joe casserole transforms the sandwich into a bake that takes about 10 minutes to prepare after boiling pasta.
For a stuffed cabbage craving without the labor, a stuffed cabbage soup delivers similar flavors. A classic beef chili can be made with ground chuck, or substituted with ground chicken or turkey, and gets complex flavor from a bottle of beer, though broth or water can be used instead. The publication describes a green chile mac and cheese with chicken as a hybrid of queso, mac and cheese, and enchiladas that comes together on the stovetop in minutes.
Maple-chipotle air fryer pork chops leverage the air fryer for a quick, sweet, and smoky meal. A bourbon-glazed salmon is reportedly ready in about 20 minutes with minimal effort. The final suggestion is for muffin tin meatloaves, inspired by Julia Child's recipe and baked for 25 minutes to create caramelized individual portions.
