10 Easy Weeknight Meals to Make After a Really Long Day

After a long day, the thought of cooking dinner feels like a weight on your shoulders. That’s even more true these days, when you might be juggling work calls with Zoom-schooling (and doom-scrolling). However! We are here to tell you that if you muster up just the smallest amount of energy, a healthy home-cooked dinner can most definitely be yours. These weeknight recipes are as feel-good as they are lazy, and proof that no matter what kind of day you had, a wholesome meal is possible.

1. Herbed Potato, Asparagus & Chickpea Sheet Pan Dinner from The Simple Veganista

A can of chickpeas turns this colorful mix of roasted vegetables into a satisfying main dish. Feel free to swap in other veggies like sweet potatoes, broccoli, and peppers if they’re what you have on hand.

Photo Credit: No. 2 Pencil

2. Skillet Shrimp Fajitas from No. 2 Pencil

Keep a bag of frozen shrimp in your freezer and you can make these fajitas on any given weeknight. Just remember to move the bag to the fridge the night before to defrost.

Photo Credit: Joyful Healthy Eats

3. Easy One Pot Shakshuka from Joyful Healthy Eats

This is easily one of the most satisfying ways to eat eggs for dinner. While bread is technically optional, there’s so much good stuff to swipe up, it’s well worth having on hand.

Photo Credit: Well Plated

4. Quick Chicken Sweet Potato Kale Skillet with Cranberries and Goat Cheese from Well Plated

To make this one-skillet dinner even easier, lean on rotisserie chicken and simply shred the cooked meat. Leftovers also hold up well for lunch the next day.

Photo Credit: Love & Lemons

5. Easy Pesto Pasta from Love & Lemons

Tossing a few generous handfuls of arugula into your pasta is a simple way to load it with vegetables, which means you don’t have to worry about serving it up with a side salad.

Photo Credit: Healthy Seasonal Recipes

6. Roasted Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner from Healthy Seasonal Recipes

This recipe is totally feel-good thanks to flaky salmon filets and colorful crisp-tender vegetables. Serve it with a big squeeze of lemon juice and a generous sprinkling of chopped fresh basil.

Photo Credit: A Couple Cooks

7. Easy Chickpea Curry from A Couple Cooks

Keep a few cans on hand — chickpeas, fire-roasted tomatoes, and coconut milk — and you have the makings of this comforting dinner whenever you need it. Serve it over cooked brown or white rice or even cauliflower rice.

Photo Credit: Taste of Home

8. Healthier-than-Egg Rolls from Taste of Home

This fun twist on the Chinese takeout favorite is not only healthier, it comes together a whole lot faster than it takes for delivery to get to your door.

Photo Credit: EatingWell

9. One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta from EatingWell

The pasta and the tangy tomato sauce cook together in this feel-good recipe, which means one less pot to clean up.

Photo Credit: Gimme Some Oven

10. Easy Veggie Quesadillas from Gimme Some Oven

Quesadillas can absolutely make for a fast and wholesome dinner when you load them with vegetables and beans. Serve these with your favorite store-bought salsa or guacamole.