It’s the end of the week, and that means you likely need some good Friday night dinner ideas. Luckily, we have plenty of delicious recipes to help you end your week.
Each of these recipes is easy, delicious, and decadent. You should treat yourself on Friday without having to put in a lot of kitchen effort. We can help you with that!
Homemade Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes
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Easy Dinner Ideas for Friday Night
Friday signifies the end of a long work week, so we believe you should enjoy a delicious, celebratory dinner. A Friday dinner should also be easy to make. Something decadent but simple is the way to go!
1. Tater Tot Casserole
Our delicious, cheesy tater tot casserole is the perfect Friday night dinner recipe. The recipe starts with ground beef browned in a skillet. The cooked ground beef is seasoned with taco seasoning and then layered with frozen tater tots and cheese.
The casserole only takes about 10 minutes to make and 25 minutes to bake. Once cooked, you will have a cheesy, delicious, taco-style dinner that is perfect for Friday night!
2. Baked Potatoes
Stuffed baked potatoes are a perfect Friday night meal. You can prep everything you need in advance, so you can just eat and relax when Friday comes along.
Image Source: Love and Lemons
This recipe from Love and Lemons will show you how to make the perfect baked potato. Choose your toppings based on what you and your family like.
Try lining up the potatoes and toppings on your counter and making a baked potato bar. The whole family can stuff their own potatoes with exactly what they want. This is a fun and delicious way to serve dinner on Friday night.
3. Garlic Parmesan Pasta
The fewer dishes you have to do on Friday night, the better! That is one reason why we love this one-pot garlic pasta recipe from The Cozy Cook.
Image Source: The Cozy Cook
Fresh garlic, butter, and parmesan cheese are blended together to make a creamy, flavorful sauce. This recipe uses long, thin noodles, but feel free to make the pasta with any shaped noodle. You’d like to make the pasta dish your own.
Serve the pasta with a side of garlic bread to make the meal even better. Use the bread to soak up the buttery sauce at the bottom of the bowl.
4. Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
We love creamy, homemade mac and cheese. The cheesy pasta dish is the perfect Friday night dinner idea. Use this recipe from Spend with Pennies to make a delicious dinner with barely any effort at all.
Image Source: Spend with Pennies
This recipe uses the slow cooker to make amazing mac and cheese. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker bowl, turn the heat on, and walk away. You’ll come back hours later to find a perfectly cooked meal.
This is definitely a Friday night dinner that is going to be a family favorite. All that cheese and tender pasta will make Friday the best day of the week.
5. Homemade Pizza
Skip the frozen pizza, and don’t call for take-out this Friday night. Instead, make this delicious, homemade pizza dough from Sugar Spun Run.
Image Source: Sugar Spun Run
Friday has long been the night for ordering pizza and relaxing. Making your own pizza can be a fun new twist on this Friday tradition. Let everyone in the family choose their own toppings and design their perfect pizza.
6. Pizza Casserole
A pizza casserole is a fantastic, simple way to enjoy pizza on a Friday night in a whole new way. This slow cooker pizza casserole recipe from Real Housemoms is going to surprise and delight everyone in your home.
Image Source: Real Housemoms
Layers of pasta, marinara sauce, cheese, and pepperoni are added to the slow cooker bowl. The heat is set to low, and the casserole cooks for several hours. Try making the casserole before you go to work, so you come home to a hot dinner, ready and waiting for you!
7. Beef Stir Fry
Making stir fry has never been easier with this recipe from Well Plated By Erin. You can make this delicious beef teriyaki stir fry faster than you could order take-out!
Image Source: Well Plated By Erin
Sirloin steak, mixed veggies, green onions, sesame seeds, and cooked brown rice make up the main part of this dish. Make a delicious, homemade teriyaki sauce using beef broth, soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic, ginger, and other spices.
8. Easy Chicken Casserole
We love any recipes that we can make ahead, then reheat on Friday night. This easy chicken casserole from Dinner, Then Dessert can be made in advance and popped in the oven for Friday night dinner.
Image Source: Dinner, Then Dessert
Not only is this recipe easy, but it is also incredibly delicious. Condensed chicken soup helps make the creamy sauce for the casserole.
Crushed Ritz crackers add a buttery, crunchy top layer. Adding cheddar cheese to the top makes the casserole taste even better! The warm casserole is sure to be a family favorite.
9. Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Juicy pulled pork sandwiches are one of the best Friday night dinner ideas. They are super easy to make using this recipe from The Recipe Rebel.
Image Source: The Recipe Rebel
All of the ingredients for the pulled pork are tossed into a crockpot and set to cook for 8 hours. Put everything in the slow cooker before you go to work and come home to a perfectly cooked meal.
Shred the cooked pork using two forks and stir it into the delicious sauce. Place the pork on a roll and enjoy these easy, tasty sandwiches while watching your favorite Friday night tv shows.
10. Easy Meatloaf
Use this recipe from The Wholesome Dish to make a quick, flavorful meatloaf. The delicious glaze on top with what makes this meatloaf stand out even more.
Image Source: The Wholesome Dish
The meatloaf sauce is made with ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. The mix creates a sweet tomato sauce your whole family will love.
Serve the meatloaf with a side of mashed potatoes or asparagus to make c complete, satisfying meal.
11. Easy Ground Beef Tacos
We love easy Friday night meals, and we also love taco night. Why not combine the two and make every Friday taco night? This simple recipe from The Kitchn will show you how to quickly make the best tacos around.
Image Source: The Kitchn
Once you have cooked the ground beef for the tacos, try setting up a taco bar. Place all the taco toppings on your counter and let everyone in your family put together their own tacos.
Sour cream, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, sliced jalapeno, corn, and cilantro are great ideas for taco toppings. Add a little salsa for some extra flavor and then relax and get ready for the weekend.
12. Philly Cheesesteaks
A big, juicy Philly cheesesteak is a meal you can look forward to on Friday. This may be one of our favorite Friday night dinner ideas! Use this recipe from Simply Recipes to make the perfect, authentic cheesesteak.
Image Source: Simply Recipes
Slice the steak as thinly as possible. The thinner the steak, the more tender the meat will taste. Pile the steak onto a large roll and top with sauteed onions and peppers.
This recipe uses cheese wiz to top the sandwich. You can also try melting a slice of Velveeta American cheese over the steak for a more authentic cheesesteak.
13. Flatbread Pizza
You can make pizza in just 15 minutes by using this recipe from A Couple Cooks. The secret to the quick dinner is using naan bread as the pizza crust.
Image Source: A Couple Cooks
Naan flat bread is covered in tomato sauce, sprinkled with shredded mozzarella cheese, then baked. The thin crust actually makes the pizza a little healthier.
This is an easy meal that requires almost no cooking time. It is perfect for Friday night!
14. Butter Chicken
Butter chicken is tender, saucy, and something every family loves. You can make perfect butter chicken in just 20 minutes using this recipe from Gimme Delicious.
Image Source: Gimme Delicious.
Tomato paste, garam masala, chili powder, ginger, and cumin are the main spices in this flavorful dish. The chicken marinates and roasts in the sauce, infusing the meat with flavor.
Try making boil-in-bag rice which is quick and easy. Rice and butter chicken is a super tasty Friday night dinner idea.
15. Nacho Pie
We love Friday night dinner ideas that are over the top and decadent. This nacho pie recipe from Recipe Tin Eats is completely indulgent. It is perfect for a Friday night!
Image Source: Recipe Tin Eats
Soft tortillas line a baking dish and are filled with seasoned ground beef, red kidney beans, grated cheese, and fresh pico de gallo. The pie is topped with crunchy tortilla chips then baked.
16. Easy Fried Rice
Friday night dinner ideas often include take out menus. Skip ordering your dinner this Friday night and try making your own, easy fried rice.
Image Source: Gimme Some Oven
This simple recipe from Gimme Some Oven is even tastier than take out. It will also be ready faster than your take out can be delivered!
This recipe uses red bell peppers, green onions, and carrots. Whisked eggs are whisked in at the end of the recipe. Add your favorite stir fry mix ins to suit your personal taste.
17. Chicken Salad
Healthy eating can be tricky on a Friday when you just want to relax and indulge. Have some of this delicious, healthy chicken salad on hand for an easy and nutritious dinner.
Image Source: The Pioneer Woman
The Pioneer Woman will show you exactly how to make a dinner-worthy salad.
18. Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Buffalo chicken pizza is a fantastic, easy Friday night meal that your whole family will love. Lil Luna will show you exactly how to put together this flavor-packed pizza.
Image Source: Lil Luna
Buy fresh or frozen pizza dough to save time in the kitchen. Add more or less buffalo wing sauce to suit your taste.
19. Tortellini Soup
We love easy crockpot recipes, especially at the end of a long week. This crockpot sausage and tortellini soup from Foodie Crush is delicious and simple.
Image Source: Foodie Crush
The soup cooks all day, so the broth really absorbs the flavor of the sausage. The tortellini makes the soup very filling. Serve the soup with a side of garlic bread for a complete Friday meal.
20. Honey Lemon Chicken Bowls
We love a good bowl of flavorful food on a Friday night. This dish from Damn Delicious for honey, lemon chicken, and broccoli will blow you away.
Image Source: Damn Delicious
There are so many flavors in one bowl that it seems almost impossible!
Make boil in a bag brown rice to serve with the chicken and broccoli. Make extra, so you have some for Saturday lunch.
21. Burgers
Big, juicy, steakhouse-style burgers are probably one of the best Friday night dinner ideas. Once Upon a Chef will show you how to make the best burgers of your life.
Image Source: Once Upon a Chef
The secret to a great burger lies in the quality of the meat. Be sure to get high-quality ground beef for your Friday night burgers.
Grass-fed beef tastes significantly better. One bite, and you will immediately taste the difference!
22. Buddha Bowls
Making your own buddha bowl is a fun way to spend Friday night. Cookie and Kate will show you exactly how to make tasty and beautiful buddha bowls.
Image Source: Cookie and Kate
Buddha bowls are full of veggies. Try adding sweet ingredients like mango or orange slices. You can also give your buddha bowl an extra kick of spice with some sriracha sauce.
23. Tomato Burrata Salad
Tomato salad is a summertime classic. You can make tomato salad into a complete meal with this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen.
Image Source: Natasha’s Kitchen
Fresh burrata cheese is added to the salad, making it more filling and tasty. This is a perfect meal to make when you don’t want to cook. It’s also a great salad to use up all your summer garden tomatoes!
24. Italian Sausage Hoagies
These Italian sausage hoagies from Chelsea’s Messy Apron will fill you up immediately. They are packed with tasty ingredients but are still great for nights you don’t want to cook too much.
Image Source: Chelsea’s Messy Apron
Try using spicy sausage to give your meal an extra kick of heat. Sweet sausage is also good for a more mild dinner. Easy Friday night cooking has never tasted better!
25. Vegan Sloppy Joes
A saucy sloppy joe is perfect for Friday night meal time. Try making these vegan sloppy joes from Minimalist Baker when you are trying to eat less meat.
Image Source: Minimalist Baker
Lentils are used to make these sloppy joes. The sauce is so flavorful that you won’t even realize you are eating a healthy dish. The flavor is too great to be healthy! Even your kids will love these juicy sandwiches.
Easy Friday Dinner Ideas, From Ground Beef to Casserole in a Baking Dish
There are so many fantastic Friday night dinner ideas on this list that you are set for months! Let us know which meals are your favorites. Feel free to tell us about any new recipes you love on Friday nights. We always want to try something new and tasty!
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