Dinner Ideas • Recipes from 193 Countries

Dinner Ideas from 193 Countries — What to Cook Tonight

Stuck on what to cook for dinner? Dinner Ideas brings easy dinner recipes from 193 countries — signature dishes with ingredients, steps, nutrition and pairings.

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193

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Breakfast to Snack

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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1189–1200 of 2321 dinner recipes

A plate of ximxim de galinha, chicken pieces in a golden peanut sauce with white rice and sautéed greens

Brazil 1h 10m

Dinner •Bahian Afro-Brazilian Classic

Ximxim de Galinha

This ximxim de galinha recipe simmers chicken thighs in a rich sauce of ground peanuts and cashews, coconut milk and dendê oil, with dried shrimp, ginger and chillies — a golden Bahian stew from Brazil's Afro-Brazilian northeast. One serving is about 505 g.

Rich & Comforting

Tender chicken simmered in a creamy peanut, cashew and dendê sauce with coconut milk — Bahia's most famous chicken stew.

Pairs Well With
White rice, sautéed greens and farofa

A white plate of aguachile verde: raw shrimp coated in bright green chile-lime sauce with cucumber slices and red onion

Mexico 35m

Lunch •Sinaloa Coastal Classic

Aguachile Verde

This aguachile recipe cures butterflied raw shrimp in a fiery green chile-lime water, then serves them ice-cold with cucumber, red onion and avocado. One serving is about 286 g. Unlike Mexican shrimp ceviche, which marinates the shrimp in lime juice with tomato and onion, aguachile uses a blended chile-lime water and no tomato at all.

Fresh & Fiery

Raw shrimp cured in a bright green chile-lime water with cucumber and avocado — Sinaloa's famous no-cook seafood dish.

Pairs Well With
Crisp tostadas, a cold Mexican lager or agua fresca, and extra lime wedges

A white cup of Italian wedding soup with leafy green escarole in clear chicken broth

Italy 1h 10m

Lunch •Italian-American Classic

Italian Wedding Soup

This Italian wedding soup recipe simmers tiny beef-pork meatballs with escarole and acini di pepe in a clear chicken broth. One serving is about 455 g. The name is a happy mistranslation: minestra maritata means married soup — the marriage of greens and meat — not a wedding dish at all.

Comfort & Warmth

Tiny beef-and-pork meatballs with escarole and little pasta pearls in a clear chicken broth — the Italian-American soup everyone asks for by name.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, grated Parmesan, a light salad and a glass of white wine

Soups & Broths • High Protein

A golden, flaky pain au chocolat with dark chocolate visible at one end, in warm sunlight

France 2h 50m

Breakfast •French Bakery Classic

Pain au Chocolat

This pain au chocolat recipe layers buttery laminated dough around dark chocolate batons and bakes them crisp and golden. One pastry is about 121 g. It is the chocolate-filled cousin of the croissant: the same flaky dough, but rolled around chocolate instead of left plain.

Sweet & Buttery

Flaky laminated dough wrapped around two batons of dark chocolate — the French bakery pastry that turns a plain croissant into a chocolate one.

Pairs Well With
Strong coffee, a glass of milk, fresh berries or orange segments

A plate of rabo de toro: braised oxtail pieces with carrots and peppers in a rich sauce, served with thin fries

Spain 3h 25m

Dinner •Córdoba Classic

Rabo de Toro

This rabo de toro recipe slow-braises oxtail in red wine with onion, carrot, tomato and a splash of sherry until the meat falls off the bone. One serving is about 508 g. It is Córdoba's signature dish: a wine braise, not a tomato stew, and the long, slow cook turns tough oxtail into silk.

Rich & Comforting

Oxtail slow-braised in red wine with onion, carrot and tomato until the meat falls off the bone — Córdoba's most famous stew.

Pairs Well With
Creamy mashed potatoes, crusty bread, a glass of the same red wine and a green salad

High Protein

A small plate of kinpira gobo — glossy julienned burdock root and carrot braised in soy sauce, with pickled cucumber on the side

Japan 35m

Lunch •Japanese Home Cooking

Kinpira Gobo

This kinpira gobo recipe turns earthy burdock root and sweet carrot into glossy, soy-braised matchsticks with a sesame finish. One serving is about 125 g. It is ready in 35 minutes, keeps well for days, and belongs on the table beside rice, soup and grilled fish.

Light & Earthy

Julienned burdock root and carrot braised in soy, mirin and sesame — a small, sweet-savoury side from Japanese home cooking.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, miso soup and grilled fish or tofu

A plate of grilled Thai Isaan sausages — small glossy reddish-brown links — with cucumber, peanuts and pickled ginger

Thailand 45m

Snack & Tea •Isan Street Food

Thai Isaan Sausage

This thai isaan sausage recipe ferments ground pork, cooked sticky rice and garlic into small sour links, then grills them until the casings blister. One serving is about 220 g. It makes 16 sausages in about 45 minutes of active work, plus 2–3 days of fermenting, and is served with cabbage, ginger, chilies and peanuts.

Bold & Satisfying

Sai krok Isan is a fermented pork and sticky-rice sausage, grilled until the casing snaps and the inside turns pleasantly sour.

Pairs Well With
Sticky rice, raw cabbage, sliced ginger, bird's eye chilies and roasted peanuts

Fermented / Gut Health

A bowl of bun thang with rice vermicelli, shredded chicken, yellow egg ribbons, sliced cha lua, shiitake mushrooms and fresh herbs in clear broth

Vietnam 2h 10m

Lunch •Hanoi Heritage

Bun Thang

Bun thang is Hanoi's most delicate noodle soup: a clear, gently sweet broth simmered from chicken, dried shrimp and shiitake mushrooms, poured over soft rice vermicelli and topped with neat bundles of shredded chicken, golden egg ribbons, sliced cha lua (Vietnamese pork sausage), shrimp floss and fresh herbs. One serving is about 736 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A clear chicken broth with rice vermicelli, shredded chicken, egg ribbons and fresh herbs, served as a light but filling lunch.

Pairs Well With
Fresh herbs, lime wedges and mam tom (fermented shrimp paste) on the side

Soups & Broths • Pasta & Noodles

A large black bowl of Sichuan dry pot — chicken and vegetables tossed with dried red chilies, lotus root and wood ear mushrooms in a spicy glaze

China 45m

Dinner •Sichuan Wok Cooking

Sichuan Dry Pot

This sichuan dry pot recipe stir-fries chicken, lotus root, cauliflower and wood ear mushrooms with dried chilies, Sichuan pepper and chili bean paste — no broth, just a hot, numbing wok glaze. One serving is about 275 g. It is ready in 45 minutes and built for sharing, straight from the wok with steamed rice.

Bold & Satisfying

Gan guo is a dry wok pot: chicken and vegetables tossed with dried chilies and Sichuan pepper, with no broth at all — the mala heat is the sauce.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, cucumber salad and a cold lager or iced tea

A plate of jeyuk bokkeum — glossy red gochujang pork with onion and sesame seeds

South Korea 35m

Dinner •Korean Home-Cooking Classic

Jeyuk Bokkeum

This jeyuk bokkeum recipe turns thinly sliced pork shoulder, gochujang and onion into Korea's fiery everyday stir-fry, finished with sesame and green onion. One serving is about 210 g.

Bold & Filling

Thin slices of pork shoulder marinated in gochujang and stir-fried hot with onion until glossy and caramelised at the edges.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, kimchi and lettuce leaves for wrapping

Konya etli ekmek — extra-long thin flatbreads topped with spiced minced beef

Turkey 1h 35m

Dinner •Konya Wood-Oven Classic

Konya Etli Ekmek

This konya etli ekmek recipe makes the extra-long, thin meat flatbread of Konya — a crisp-edged dough topped with spiced minced beef, tomato and pepper. One serving is about 370 g.

Hearty & Satisfying

An extra-long, thin flatbread from Konya, topped with spiced minced beef and baked until the edges crisp.

Pairs Well With
Ayran, fresh tomato and parsley, pickled peppers

A round golden vasilopita cake topped with blanched almonds on a white plate

Greece 1h 15m

Snack & Tea •Greek New Year Tradition

Vasilopita

This vasilopita recipe makes Greece's golden New Year butter cake — soft, orange-scented and topped with almonds, with a lucky coin hidden inside. One serving is about 110 g.

Sweet & Comforting

A golden butter cake scented with orange and brandy, baked with a hidden coin for New Year's luck.

Pairs Well With
Greek coffee, a glass of dessert wine, fresh fruit

Find Dinner Ideas by Country

Every one of the world's 193 countries has a signature dish — browse the full directory to find tonight's dinner, or jump straight to a cuisine with recipes.

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cabo Verde

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cuba

Cyprus

Czechia

Côte d'Ivoire

Denmark

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Estonia

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Fiji

Finland

France

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Grenada

Guatemala

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Hungary

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Japan

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Kiribati

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Latvia

Lebanon

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Madagascar

Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mexico

Micronesia

Moldova

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco

Mozambique

Myanmar

Namibia

Nauru

Nepal

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

North Macedonia

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Palau

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Qatar

Romania

Russia

Rwanda

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

San Marino

São Tomé and Príncipe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Africa

South Korea

South Sudan

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Suriname

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Tuvalu

Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Venezuela

Vietnam

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe Browse all 193 countries →

Dinner Ideas by Category

Soups & Broths Pasta & Noodles High Protein Fermented / Gut Health Quick Prep (<30m)

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The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

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A bowl of tagliatelle with rich ragù sauce

Ingredient Guides

The Pantry Staples Every World Kitchen Shares

From a market in Bangkok to a farmhouse in Tuscany, cooks reach for the same handful of staples: rice, dried beans, good oil, salt, garlic, chillies and something sour. Stock these, and dinner in any cuisine is suddenly within reach.

November 5, 2026 • 725 words

A hearty autumn stew served in a rustic bowl

Seasonal Cooking

Autumn’s Best: Cooking with Squash and Root Vegetables

When the air turns cool, the garden answers with squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and beets. Roasted low and slow, these autumn vegetables turn sweet, caramelised and deeply satisfying — here is how to cook them well.

November 5, 2026 • 597 words

Fresh herbs rolled into Vietnamese spring rolls

Kitchen Techniques

How to Store Fresh Herbs So They Last Two Weeks

Fresh herbs wilt in days when they are tossed loose into the fridge. The jar method — a little water, a loose bag, and the right shelf — keeps parsley, cilantro, mint and dill bright and fragrant for up to two weeks.

November 5, 2026 • 658 words

Food Pairing Guide

What to Eat With What

Some foods taste better — and do you more good — together. Here is what to serve with each dish, and what to skip, with the science in plain words.

Tested in the Dinner Ideas kitchen

Phở Bò (Vietnamese Beef Broth)

Iron & Collagen Dynamics

EAT TOGETHER: Fresh Lime & Sawtooth Coriander

The ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) in freshly squeezed lime converts the non-heme and heme iron from thinly shaved beef into its bioavailable ferrous form (Fe²⁺), escalating iron assimilation by up to 300%. Fresh culantro supplies carotenes that ignite digestive bile acids.

AVOID IMMEDIATELY AFTER: Condensed Milk Iced Coffee

Drinking condensed milk coffee (Cà Phê Sữa Đá) directly following Phở binds active polyphenolic chlorogenic acids and milk casein directly to the beef iron molecules, forming unabsorbable insoluble complexes that severely stunt nutrient uptake. Wait at least 90 minutes.

Metabolic window: Breakfast (07:00 – 09:30) • Optimal Gut Transition: 3.5 Hours

Tomatoes & Wild Summer Greens

Carotenoid Unlocking

EAT TOGETHER: Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Aged Feta

Lycopene is an intrinsically lipophilic (fat-soluble) antioxidant compound bound tight inside tomato skin cells. Pairing ripe heirloom tomatoes with the monounsaturated fats of raw cold-pressed olive oil boosts vascular lycopene absorption by nearly 4.4-fold.

AVOID TOGETHER: Fat-Free Industrial Dressings

Consuming vine tomatoes with zero-fat or high-sugar artificial vinaigrettes prevents the body from emulsifying fat-soluble Vitamins A, E, and K, passing essential restorative nutrients unabsorbed through the gastrointestinal tract.

Metabolic window: Lunch or Aperitivo • Lycopene Uptake: +440%

Turmeric + Black Pepper

Piperine in coarse crushed pepper amplifies active curcumin bioavailability by 2000%.

Green Tea + Lemon Twist

Citric acid preserves delicate EGCG catechins through acidic stomach transit intact.

Calcium Rich + Iron Stews

Heavy dairy cheese interferes with non-heme iron absorption channels if consumed simultaneously.