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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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1249–1260 of 2321 dinner recipes

A pot of rabada: braised oxtail pieces in a rich brown broth with bay leaves, fresh from the stove

Brazil 1h 55m

Dinner •Brazilian Home-Cooking Classic

Rabada

This rabada recipe slow-cooks oxtail in a tomato broth with onion, carrot and garlic until the meat falls off the bone, then finishes it with fresh watercress (agrião). One serving is about 370 g. It is Brazil's oxtail stew — a tomato broth, not a wine braise — served with white rice, beans and farofa. That tomato broth and those sides are what set it apart from Spain's rabo de toro, which is braised in red wine and sherry and served with fries.

Rich & Comforting

Oxtail slow-cooked in a tomato broth until it falls off the bone, finished with watercress — Brazil's beloved Sunday stew.

Pairs Well With
White rice, black beans, farofa and a cold beer

A glass bowl of sopa de fideo, golden tomato broth with toasted vermicelli noodles and a spoon

Mexico 40m

Lunch •Mexican Heritage

Sopa de Fideo

This sopa de fideo recipe turns toasted vermicelli, ripe tomatoes and a gentle chipotle warmth into Mexico's beloved everyday noodle soup, finished with crumbled queso fresco, lime and fresh cilantro. One serving is about 454 g, a generous bowl of soup.

Comfort & Warmth

A light, warming tomato noodle soup made with vegetable stock, served hot for lunch.

Pairs Well With
Warm corn tortillas and a wedge of lime, with crumbled queso fresco on top.

Soups & Broths • Pasta & Noodles

A molded hazelnut semifreddo dome with chopped hazelnuts and chocolate and caramel drizzle on a white plate

Italy 40m

Snack & Tea •Italian Heritage

Semifreddo

This semifreddo recipe folds a warm hazelnut zabaglione into whipped cream and meringue, then freezes it into a silky, sliceable loaf with chocolate and toasted hazelnuts. One serving is about 129 g, a generous slice.

Sweet Treat

A light, sliceable frozen dessert of whipped eggs, cream and hazelnuts — no ice-cream maker needed.

Pairs Well With
A drizzle of dark chocolate sauce and a small cup of espresso on the side.

A whole round tarte flambée on a wooden board, thin crisp crust with crème fraîche, lardons and sliced onion

France 55m

Lunch •Alsatian Heritage

Tarte Flambée

This tarte flambée recipe rolls bread dough paper-thin, spreads it with crème fraîche and fromage blanc, and tops it with smoky lardons, sliced onion and Gruyère for a crisp, creamy Alsatian flatbread. One serving is about 291 g, half a tart.

Comfort & Warmth

A paper-thin Alsatian flatbread with crème fraîche, smoky lardons and sweet onion, baked until crisp.

Pairs Well With
A cold glass of Alsatian white wine or a crisp green salad with a sharp vinaigrette.

Rows of freshly baked round polvorones shortbread cookies cooling on a tray

Spain 45m

Snack & Tea •Andalusian Heritage

Polvorones

This polvorones recipe toasts the flour until nutty, then mixes it with ground almonds, butter, cinnamon and powdered sugar into Spain's famously crumbly Christmas shortbread. One serving is about 63 g, two cookies.

Sweet Treat

Crumbly Spanish Christmas shortbread of toasted flour, almonds, butter and cinnamon, dusted with sugar.

Pairs Well With
A cup of hot chocolate or coffee, with the cookies dusted in powdered sugar.

Two glossy mackerel fillets simmered in a rich brown miso sauce on a white plate

Japan 35m

Dinner •Japanese Heritage

Saba Misoni

This saba misoni recipe simmers mackerel fillets in a sweet-savoury miso sauce with sake, mirin and fresh ginger until the fish is tender and the sauce turns glossy. It is one of Japan's best-loved home fish dishes: quick, forgiving, and deeply comforting with a bowl of rice. One serving is about 200 g, fish and sauce together.

Comfort & Warmth

Rich, savoury mackerel in a sweet miso sauce — a warming, protein-rich Japanese home dinner.

Pairs Well With
Steamed white rice, miso soup, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

High Protein

A white plate of pad woon sen with glossy glass noodles, chicken pieces, bean sprouts, cabbage, carrot, egg and coriander

Thailand 30m

Lunch •Thai Home Cooking

Pad Woon Sen

This pad woon sen recipe stir-fries chewy mung-bean glass noodles with chicken, egg, cabbage, carrot, tomato and bean sprouts in a savoury sauce of oyster sauce, thin soy sauce, fish sauce and a little sugar. It is not pad thai: there is no tamarind and no peanuts. It is not pad see ew either: that dish uses flat rice noodles in a dark, sweet soy sauce, while pad woon sen uses glass noodles in a lighter, savoury sauce. And it is nothing like the cold Thai glass noodle salad, yam woon sen — that is a cold salad tossed in a sour lime and chilli dressing, while this is a hot wok stir-fry with egg. One serving is about 400 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Mung-bean glass noodles wok-fried with chicken, egg and vegetables in a savoury oyster, soy and fish sauce — light, glossy and quick.

Pairs Well With
Jasmine rice, cucumber salad and nam pla prik on the side

Pasta & Noodles

Close-up of glossy steamed pork ribs in black bean sauce with visible fermented black beans and sliced green onion, served over rice in a bowl

China 50m

Dinner •Chinese Heritage

Chinese Black Bean Ribs

This Chinese black bean ribs recipe steams pork spare ribs with fermented black beans, garlic, ginger and a little Shaoxing wine until the meat is tender enough to slip off the bone. It is the dim-sum classic served in small steamer baskets, salty and deeply savoury with a glossy sauce. One serving is about 190 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Tender steamed pork ribs coated in a salty, savoury black-bean sauce — a dim-sum favourite that eats like comfort food.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice, stir-fried greens, and hot Chinese tea.

Gyeran-mari — slices of Korean rolled omelette with dark green seaweed spirals, arranged on a white plate

South Korea 20m

Breakfast •Korean Home Cooking

Gyeran-mari

This gyeran-mari recipe makes Korea's savoury rolled omelette: seasoned eggs studded with carrot, scallion and onion, cooked layer by layer in a pan and rolled into a soft log, then cut into neat slices that show off their speckled cross-section. Unlike Japanese tamagoyaki, which is sweetened with sugar and dashi, gyeran-mari is firmly savoury, and it is served as a banchan side dish and tucked into lunchboxes rather than as a sweet breakfast bite. One serving is about 101 g.

Korea's Rolled Omelette

Beaten eggs mixed with finely diced carrot, scallion and onion, cooked in thin layers and rolled into a soft log, then sliced into golden rounds.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, kimchi and a small bowl of doenjang soup

Quick Prep (<30m)

Katmer — squares of Gaziantep pistachio flatbread with green pistachio crumb on a white plate

Turkey 35m

Snack & Tea •Gaziantep Heritage

Katmer

This katmer recipe makes Gaziantep's famous pistachio flatbread: whisper-thin filo brushed with butter, filled with kaymak clotted cream and a generous layer of ground pistachios, folded into a square envelope and baked until it shatters. Unlike baklava, which is stacked and soaked in syrup, katmer is folded and served dry, its sweetness coming from the pistachios and a dusting of sugar. One serving is about 118 g.

Gaziantep's Pistachio Flatbread

Paper-thin filo folded around kaymak clotted cream and ground pistachios, baked until crisp and golden, and cut into squares while still warm.

Pairs Well With
Turkish tea and a glass of warm milk

Two golden kataifi rolls of crisp shredded phyllo on a white plate with red flowers

Greece 1h 20m

Snack & Tea •Greek Syropiasta Heritage

Kataifi

This kataifi recipe rolls finely chopped walnuts scented with cinnamon and clove inside buttered strands of shredded phyllo, bakes the rolls until deep golden and shattering, then pours over a cool lemon and cinnamon syrup. It is crisp outside, nutty inside and sticky-sweet all the way through. Kataifi is not baklava: baklava stacks flat sheets of filo in a tray, while kataifi wraps the same kind of pastry as loose strands around a filling to make individual rolls. It is not kunafa either: kunafa is a pan of shredded pastry filled with soft cheese, while kataifi is filled with spiced walnuts and served as separate rolls. One serving is about 142 g (two rolls).

Crisp, Nutty & Syrup-Soaked

Shredded phyllo wrapped around spiced walnuts, baked until crisp and golden, then soaked in a lemon and cinnamon syrup.

Pairs Well With
Serve with strong Greek coffee or mountain tea and a spoonful of plain yoghurt.

Dobradinha — a plate of Brazilian tripe and white bean stew with rice, showing tender tripe, white beans, sausage and carrot

Brazil 3h 10m

Dinner •Minas Gerais Heritage

Dobradinha

This dobradinha recipe slow-simmers beef tripe until tender, then cooks it with creamy white beans, smoky linguiça sausage and smoked pork ribs in a tomato and paprika broth. It descends from the Portuguese dobrada of Porto — the photo shows that same tripe-and-white-bean stew — and in Brazil it is a slow Sunday dish, served with white rice, sauteed kale and farofa. One serving is about 350 g.

Brazil's Tripe and Bean Stew

Beef tripe simmered until tender with white beans, linguiça sausage and smoked pork in a paprika-tomato broth, served with white rice.

Pairs Well With
White rice, sauteed kale (couve) and toasted farofa

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

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Belize

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Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei

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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

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Czechia

Côte d'Ivoire

Denmark

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Dominican Republic

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Fiji

Finland

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Gabon

Gambia

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Italy

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Niger

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North Korea

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Oman

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Panama

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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

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Seychelles

Sierra Leone

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Spain

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Suriname

Sweden

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Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

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United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

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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.

Dinner Ideas from 193 Countries — What to Cook Tonight

What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Find Dinner Ideas by Country

Dinner Ideas by Category

Dinner Ideas by Meal

Dinner Ideas by Region

The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

What to Eat With What

Iron & Collagen Dynamics

Carotenoid Unlocking

Never wonder what’s for dinner again