20 Awesome Saturday Night Dinner Ideas
Finally, it’s Saturday. Who does not love Saturdays? You can relax, kick back and have some fun and quality, well-deserved time with friends or family without worrying about going to work tomorrow. But regardless of your plans, pair it with a sizable dose of comfort food. Whatever your weekend plan is, a delicious dinner is an excellent way of getting the entire family together and enjoying some high-quality time.
These Saturday night dinner ideas are ideal whether you are having a fun evening with friends or an intimate dinner with family. Here is a look at 20 awesome Saturday night dinner ideas. These delicious dishes will diversify your list, with some even becoming your favorite.
20. Beef Stew
Beef stew is one of the best classics for Saturday night dinner. The dish features a mix of fork-tender braised beef, carrots, and potatoes cooked in an herb-infused bunce. The dish is very easy to make. You only need to cook your meat and simmer with the spices for one hour. Then put in your thickener and vegetables and leave them to cook.
The meal smells good, looks good, and tastes even better. It’s a feast for your senses. Once you taste the flavorful gravy and melt-in-your-mouth beef, you will want to make this stew all the time.
19. Meatball Lasagna
Who could resist a bubbling, delicious meatball lasagna? Honestly, meatball lasagna is a favorite dish for many people. Its name originated a long ago, and its flavor has developed tremendously. Generally, meatball lasagna is prepared by layering plenty of pasta strips into a tray for baking. In addition to the layered pasta, meatballs, tomato sauce, and cheese are added to complete the dish.
The amazing lasagna flavors blend well with many dishes, so there are many options to serve with lasagna, including wine, particularly the red wines with fruity notes and an acidic punch. The cheesy meatball lasagna will offer a delicious dinner for your Saturday night.
18. Vegetable Chow Mein
If you are looking for vegetarian dishes to prepare a special treat for your family, the Chinese vegetable chow mein is a perfect choice. According to Cupful of Kale, it’s such a fast noodle recipe that can be on your table in twenty minutes. This is a vegan dish and better than takeout food. The dish combines fried and fresh noodles that are softer and thinner than the regular noodles. You will have bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots, red pepper, and broccoli for vegetables.
Although you can use any vegetables on your hands, such as sugar snap peas, mushrooms, or courgette, bean sprouts, cabbage, and carrots are traditionally used in chow mein. Generally, some individuals might prefer the saucy and chewy texture of regular ramen noodles to the crispy chow mein noodles. This dish features a similar signature taste that can’t be linked to other noodles. You can add extra protein with tempeh, tofu, or chicken-style pies.
17. Baked Lemon Butter Tilapia
This dish recipe turns plain fish into a celebration-worthy dish. It involves seasoning tilapia filets with pepper and salt. It drizzles with lemon garlic butter sauce and bends until it becomes flaky. The best thing about this recipe is that the fish will be ready to eat in just twenty minutes.
This baked lemon tilapia is amazing in flavor, gluten-free, low in carbs, and keto-friendly. There is no better combination of garlic and lemon than this recipe.
16. Steak
Steak is among the complicated meats to cook right. It needs attention and tender care, but when you nail it right, you will be rewarded with one of the most delicious meals. Let your family know that your steak game is strong by preparing them the most tender, juiciest, and flavorful steak.
Putting the ideal amount of garlic butter will be enough to make your steak get a lot more delicious. A pro tip for newbies in preparing steak is getting a good thermometer to help gauge when the steak is cooked.
15. Beef Stroganoff
Beef stroganoff is one of the best Saturday dinners you can ever make. According to Damn Delicious, it is a sauteed mushroom and beef in an amazingly rich sour cream. Even better, the dish is easy to make and affordable. You just require one pot to make a flavorful and budget-friendly filling.
This delicious dish is prepared in just one pot with cremini mushrooms and crumbled ground beef. Simple, quick, no-fuss, and only a single pan to clean up, all made in 30 minutes or less.
14. Philly Cheesesteak
Philly cheesesteaks are a favorite for most people and will turn any random Saturday into a holiday. The recipe features sweet onions, tender sirloin chunks, and melted cheese on top. This meal is a party in your mouth. This will be pure heaven, even better when served with voila and toasted bread.
13. Chocolate Cake
If you are a chocolate lover, you don’t have to search for the best cake in the world. You can simply make one yourself. This recipe idea is the ideal solution to your pursuit of the fudgiest, moist and decadent chocolate cake. You can even add an espresso shot to make this cake more chocolatey.
You don’t need to worry that the cake will taste like coffee as it only boosts the chocolate flavor. Also, use eggs at room temperature to mix with the batter better. You miss out a lot if you have never tried this chocolate cake recipe.
12. Baked Macaroni and Cheese
With this dish, you should be ready to take your classic macaroni and cheese recipe to the next level. The baked macaroni and cheese are made from scratch and turn out to be incredibly cheesy and creamy each time.
It’s best to serve it with a green veggie on the side for a night dinner that your family will love. When making the dish for Saturday dinner, you are sure not to have leftovers.
11. Tuna Casserole
Don’t be fooled by its name; tuna casserole is one that you won’t want to miss. It offers a hearty, quick, and easy-to-prepare casserole that your entire family will love. Filled with tuna, egg noodles, cheese, and mushroom soup, this dish will make your Saturday night. This traditional comfort food is perfect for serving large groups.
10. White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)
Ordering pizza is an excellent treatment but preparing it in your kitchen for a Saturday dinner is better. Ramp up your evening with this pizza Bianca topped with courgettes, goat cheese, and black olives. According to Delicious, with pizza Bianca, you can play around with your preferred pizza flavors.
Pizza does not have to be red; this white pizza features a cream base that makes it exquisite. Add some mozzarella and parmesan, and you will have a pizza your whole family will love. If you are searching for a fun meal that everyone will enjoy, this homemade pizza is the best way to go.
9. Filet Mignon in Mushroom Sauce
If you love cooking shows, you probably know the ever-popular filet mignon. The dish is prepared by searing the steak until you get the perfect medium-rare cook. Top the steak with a mushroom wine cream sauce, and boom for a perfect and delicious meal. It’s so delicious that your family will crave it for weeks.
8. Indian Butter Chicken
Ready for some flare on your Saturday night dinner? This butter chicken dish is spicy, creamy, and highly comforting. The special recipe for the dish uses yogurt in the marinade for a succulent and tender chicken piece.
This butter chicken is the ultimate Saturday dinner dish your whole family will love. According to Swasthi’s Recipe, serve it with roti, butter naan, steamed basmati rice, paratha, Jeera rice, and roti for a delicious, easy-to-prepare Indian meal.
7. Spicy Chicken Burger
The spicy chicken burger offers the best start to your weekend. The dish features a crispy, fried spicy chicken breast layered between lettuce, brioche bun, gherkins, cheese, and a smear of home-prepared spicy mayo sauce.
The first step involves marinating your chicken with a spicy sauce such as garlic puree, chilly puree, vinegar, English mustard, pepper, and salt to form a piquant marinade. Cut the chicken breast into two, and coat with marinade. This is a perfect spicy chicken burger to brighten up your Saturday.
6. Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage rolls are a perfect way of introducing your children to veggies. They will rarely notice that the dish is healthy. The stuffing is a mixture of cooked rice, ground beef, garlic, onion, eggs, and seasonings. This awesome combination is then wrapped in cabbage and baked in a rich tomato sauce.
According to Dinner at The Zoo, you can assemble cabbage rolls and store them covered in a fridge for eight hours before planning to bake them. It is so delicious that the kids will ask for more.
5. Creamy Burrito Casserole
The creamy burrito casserole features several layers of cheese, meat, peppers, and tortilla shells. The recipe uses one chopped onion and ground beef. You can also use ground turkey as a substitute for the recipe.
It’s similar to eating Mexican lasagna. This is the ideal choice for a tasty and fun Saturday dinner. This burrito casserole goes well with Mexican dishes such as corn salsa, tortilla chips, and guacamole.
4. Baked Cheesy Gnocchi
Another great suggestion for the Saturday night dinner is baked gnocchi with ricotta cheese and mozzarella. This dish originates from Italy, so it’s a typical local cuisine even with its appearance. Generally, the dish is very easy to prepare and has an unmistakable Italian taste.
It’s a lasagna, but that has gnocchi instead layered with ground beef, gnocchi, tomato sauce, broccoli, and mozzarella cheese, baked into golden precision. According to Amanda Cooks & Styles, gnocchi is often referred to as healthier Italian pasta than the regular ones. Therefore, you should consider this creamy dish for Saturday dinner.
3. Chicken and Dumplings
There is nothing as delicious as chicken and dumplings when it comes to comfort Saturday night dinner. This dish comprises fluffy, chunky dumplings with heaps of chicken in a rich chicken broth.
Apart from the fluffy, chewy dumplings and savory chicken, the thick umami-rich broth will also hit the spot. Mixing textures and flavors will create an elegant balance that makes your taste bud lively. Add corn, mushrooms, and peas to jazz up your soup. However, don’t overcook and mix the dumplings. Otherwise, you will get a soup that tastes like flour. Otherwise, the dish is best for chilly winter nights; fast to prepare, low in fat, and a sweet, one-single meal.
2. Pot Roast
Pot roast will fill your house with an awesome aroma boasting your weekend mood and leaving your guests drooling. This signature southern dish is a mixture of ranch dressing, chuck roast, pepperoncini, and au jus, slow-cooked to deliciously melt-in-your-mouth. Serve the dish at your next Saturday dinner, and you will be the talk of the town.
1. Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Parmesan, also known as Chicken Parmigiana, is one of the most popular, loved, and ordered chicken recipes worldwide. Has your family had fried chicken several times during the week? Give them a chicken parmesan for a change this weekend. According to The Clean Eating Couple, this dish consists of mozzarella and marinara sauce cheese that adds depth of flavor to good old fried chicken.
Compared to other chicken recipes, this may have more steps, such as frying, breading, baking, cheese-ing, and sauce-ing, but are completely worth it. When baked until bubbly, you will have a dish that will never be very boring.
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