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 1261–1272 of 2321 dinner recipes

Golden rolled chicken flautas topped with crema and crumbled cheese, served with Mexican rice, lettuce and tomato

Mexico 1h 10m

Lunch •Mexican Heritage

Flautas de Pollo

This flautas recipe rolls seasoned shredded chicken in warm corn tortillas, fries them until they shatter-crisp, and finishes them with crema, queso fresco, lettuce, tomato and avocado. Flautas are the rolled cousins of flat tacos — long, thin and crunchy, made to be picked up and eaten by hand. One serving is about 436 g, three flautas with toppings.

Crisp & Satisfying

Shredded chicken rolled tight in corn tortillas and fried until golden, then topped with crema, cheese and avocado.

Pairs Well With
Mexican rice, refried beans and a cold lime agua fresca.

A golden baked calzone cut in half on a white plate, showing melted mozzarella and tomato sauce inside

Italy 1h 55m

Lunch •Naples Heritage

Calzone

This calzone recipe folds a soft pizza dough over a filling of mozzarella, ricotta, tomato sauce and Parmesan, seals the edge and bakes it until the crust is golden and the cheese is molten inside. A calzone is a folded pizza from Naples — the same dough and toppings, but sealed shut so the cheese melts into the sauce instead of running off. One serving is about 380 g, one whole calzone.

Warm & Cheesy

Pizza dough folded over mozzarella, ricotta and tomato sauce, then baked golden — pizza you can hold in your hand.

Pairs Well With
A simple green salad and a spoonful of extra tomato sauce for dipping.

A terracotta dish of choucroute garnie — golden sauerkraut with browned sausages and smoked pork belly

France 2h 25m

Dinner •Alsace Heritage

Choucroute Garnie

This choucroute garnie recipe braises sauerkraut in dry Riesling with smoked bacon, cured ham and sausages, then serves it piled high with boiled potatoes. Choucroute garnie means 'dressed sauerkraut' — the cabbage is the star, and the meats are its dressing. It is the signature dish of Alsace, on the French border with Germany, where French and German cooking meet. One serving is about 510 g.

Hearty & Warming

Sauerkraut slowly braised in Riesling with smoked pork, sausages and potatoes — the great feast dish of Alsace.

Pairs Well With
Boiled potatoes, Dijon mustard and a glass of dry Alsatian Riesling.

A golden roast suckling lamb leg with crisp skin on a white plate, served with roast potatoes and salad

Spain 2h 50m

Dinner •Castilian Heritage

Lechazo Asado

This lechazo asado recipe roasts milk-fed suckling lamb the Castilian way — salted, with a little water and lard, in a shallow clay dish until the meat is tender and the skin turns golden and crisp. Lechazo is lamb that has fed only on its mother's milk, no more than 35 days old, and its meat is pale, tender and mild, quite different from older lamb. It is not the same dish as cochinillo asado, the roast suckling pig of Segovia — same ovens, same clay dishes, but lamb, not pork. One serving is about 400 g, lamb with roast potatoes.

Rich & Celebratory

Milk-fed lamb, salted and slow-roasted in a clay dish until the skin is golden and crisp — the great roast of Castile.

Pairs Well With
Roast potatoes, a simple lettuce and onion salad and a glass of Ribera del Duero red.

High Protein

A glass of fruit anmitsu with agar jelly cubes, white shiratama dumplings, green matcha jelly and a spoonful of dark red bean paste

Japan 1h 15m

Snack & Tea •Tokyo Dessert-Parlour Classic

Anmitsu

This anmitsu recipe sets clear agar jelly into tender cubes, then serves them chilled in a bowl with sweet red bean paste, soft shiratama rice dumplings, mandarin orange and kiwi, and a pour of dark kuromitsu syrup. One serving is about 291 g.

Light & Refreshing

Cool agar jelly cubes with fruit, sweet red bean paste and dark kuromitsu syrup, served chilled.

Pairs Well With
Serve ice-cold with green tea, and pour the kuromitsu over the bowl at the table.

Thai hor mok fish curry custard in banana-leaf cups, topped with white coconut cream, red chilli strips and shredded makrut lime leaves

Thailand 1h 5m

Dinner •Central Thailand Classic

Thai Hor Mok

This thai hor mok recipe blends white fish with red curry paste, coconut milk and egg into a silky custard, spoons it over cabbage and Thai basil in banana-leaf cups, and steams it until just set, finished with coconut cream, chilli and makrut lime leaf. One serving is about 348 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Fish and red curry paste whisked with coconut milk and egg, steamed into a soft custard in banana-leaf cups.

Pairs Well With
Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice and a crisp cucumber salad.

A plate of glossy braised shrimp in a sweet-savoury coconut-water glaze, shells on and caramelised

Vietnam 40m

Dinner •Southern Vietnamese Home Cooking

Tom Rim Nuoc Dua

This tom rim nuoc dua recipe braises shell-on shrimp in fresh coconut water with fish sauce, garlic and a little sugar, simmering until the liquid reduces to a glossy, sweet-savoury glaze that clings to every shrimp. One serving is about 140 g, before rice.

Comfort & Warmth

Shrimp simmered in fresh coconut water with fish sauce and sugar until glossy and caramelised.

Pairs Well With
Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice and a plate of cucumber and herbs.

Three golden Chinese egg tarts with glossy yellow custard and flaky pastry on a black plate

China 1h 25m

Snack & Tea •Cantonese Bakery Classic

Chinese Egg Tarts

This chinese egg tarts recipe makes the Cantonese bakery classic: a crisp, buttery shortcrust shell filled with a smooth egg custard, strained twice and baked gently until it sets with a glossy, trembling surface. One serving is one tart, about 72 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Crisp butter pastry filled with a silky, just-set egg custard, baked until the top shines.

Pairs Well With
Serve warm from the oven with Hong Kong-style milk tea or jasmine tea.

Colourful songpyeon half-moon rice cakes in white, pink and green arranged in a wooden tray

South Korea 1h 10m

Snack & Tea •Korean Heritage

Songpyeon

Half-moon rice cakes of soft, chewy rice-flour dough, filled with toasted sesame seeds, honey and chestnut and steamed over pine needles until glossy. One serving is about 94 g (3 cakes). This songpyeon recipe makes 24 cakes in about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Celebration & Comfort

Soft steamed rice cakes with a sweet sesame and honey filling, made for Chuseok, the Korean harvest festival.

Pairs Well With
Warm barley tea and fresh fruit.

Çılbır — two poached eggs on garlicky yogurt with deep-red Aleppo chili butter and dill, served with buttered sourdough

Turkey 20m

Breakfast •Ottoman Breakfast Classic

Çılbır

This cilbir recipe poaches eggs until the whites are just set, then rests them on cool, garlicky strained yogurt and finishes with hot Aleppo chili butter and fresh dill. It is the Ottoman breakfast classic: hot eggs, cold yogurt and spiced butter in every spoonful, with toasted sourdough for dipping. One serving is about 330 g.

High-Protein Breakfast

Two poached eggs on garlicky strained yogurt with Aleppo chili butter, scooped up with toasted sourdough.

Pairs Well With
Toasted sourdough, Turkish tea and sliced cucumber and tomato

High Protein • Quick Prep (<30m)

Golden spiral-shaped koulourakia cookies topped with sesame seeds piled on a white plate

Greece 1h 5m

Snack & Tea •Greek Easter Cookie Classic

Koulourakia

This koulourakia recipe bakes crisp, golden Greek Easter cookies — hand-shaped braids and spirals of butter dough scented with orange zest, vanilla and mahlepi, brushed with egg wash and scattered with sesame seeds. They are dry, crunchy cookies, never soaked in syrup, so they keep for weeks in a tin and are made for dunking in coffee. One serving is about 36 g.

Sweet & Comforting

A crisp, buttery Easter cookie scented with orange and vanilla, made for dunking in coffee.

Pairs Well With
Strong Greek coffee or a glass of cold milk

Chocolate pavê in a glass dish, white cream topped with chocolate chips over dark chocolate layers

Brazil 40m

Snack & Tea •Brazilian Heritage

Pavê de Chocolate

Ladyfinger biscuits dipped in milk, layered with silky chocolate cream and fluffy whipped cream, then chilled until soft and cake-like. One serving is about 160 g. This pave de chocolate recipe serves 10 in about 40 minutes, plus 4 hours chilling.

Celebration & Comfort

Chilled layers of milk-dipped ladyfingers, chocolate cream and whipped cream — the party dessert found at Brazilian family gatherings.

Pairs Well With
Strong Brazilian coffee and fresh strawberries.

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

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Antigua and Barbuda

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Armenia

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Chad

Chile

China

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Democratic Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

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Dominican Republic

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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