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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Breakfast to Snack

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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1285–1296 of 2321 dinner recipes

Grilled bratwurst sausages with charred, glossy skins served over sauerkraut

Germany 1h 5m

Lunch •Franconian Street-Food Classic

Bratwurst

This bratwurst recipe shows how to make German pork sausages from scratch: coarsely ground pork shoulder and back fat seasoned with marjoram, white pepper, nutmeg and caraway, stuffed into hog casings and grilled over medium heat until browned and juicy. Serve two sausages per person in a crusty roll with mustard and a spoonful of sauerkraut. One serving is about 384 g.

German Grill Classic

Handmade pork sausages seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, grilled until browned and served in rolls with mustard and sauerkraut.

Pairs Well With
Serve with sauerkraut, mustard and crusty rolls; a cold lager or a glass of Apfelschorle on the side.

High Protein

A francesinha sandwich covered in melted cheese and orange beer sauce, topped with a fried egg with a glossy yolk, in a bowl

Portugal 1h

Lunch •Porto Sandwich Icon

Francesinha

This francesinha recipe builds Porto's most famous sandwich: thick bread layered with steak, ham, linguica and fresh sausage, covered in melted cheese and drowned in a hot beer-tomato sauce, then crowned with a fried egg. It is served in a bowl with the sauce pooling around the base and a pile of chips on the side. One serving is about 925 g.

Porto's Hearty Classic

A stacked sandwich of steak, ham and sausage under melted cheese, drowned in hot beer-tomato sauce and crowned with a fried egg.

Pairs Well With
Serve in a bowl with chips; a cold lager or Super Bock on the side.

A round golden Moroccan pastilla pie, cut into wedges and dusted with sugar and ground almond, on a tiled table

Morocco 1h 30m

Dinner •Fes Festive Classic

Moroccan Chicken Pastilla

This moroccan chicken pastilla recipe makes the classic Fes festive pie: poached chicken shredded into a saffron and ginger sauce, folded with a spiced egg filling and sugared almonds, then wrapped in crisp phyllo pastry and baked until golden. It is dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon, and cut into wedges at the table. One serving is about 300 g.

Sweet & Savoury Showpiece

A round, golden pie of chicken, egg and almond in crisp phyllo, dusted with sugar and cinnamon.

Pairs Well With
Serve as a starter or main with mint tea; a light salad on the side.

Golden-brown hawawshi pastries cut into wedges showing the spiced meat filling, on a plate

Egypt 1h 40m

Lunch •Cairo Street-Food Icon

Hawawshi

This hawawshi recipe makes the Alexandrian version of Egypt's famous meat bread: fresh dough rolled out, filled with spiced beef, onion, green pepper and tomato, folded into half-moons and baked until the crust is crisp and golden. The meat cooks inside the bread, so the filling stays juicy and the crust soaks up its flavour. One serving is about 420 g.

Cairo's Crispy Meat Bread

Spiced beef baked inside fresh dough until the crust is crisp and golden and the filling is juicy.

Pairs Well With
Serve hot with pickles and tahini; a cold drink on the side.

Two grilled Lebanese kafta skewers on a white plate with grilled tomato, onion and zucchini over shredded lettuce

Lebanon 32m

Dinner •Lebanese Heritage

Lebanese Kafta

This lebanese kafta recipe makes the grilled minced-meat skewers found at every Lebanese grill house: beef and lamb kneaded with grated onion, parsley, garlic and warm spices, pressed onto flat skewers and cooked until charred at the edges and juicy inside. The mix stays soft because the onion is grated, not chopped, and the skewers go straight onto a hot grill. One serving is about 175 g of kafta (2 skewers), before pita and salad.

Comfort & Warmth

Herb-flecked beef and lamb skewers grilled over high heat, served with warm pita and tahini.

Pairs Well With
Warm pita bread, tahini sauce and a chopped tomato-cucumber salad.

High Protein

A round of provolone cheese topped with dried oregano and red pepper flakes melting in a dark pan

Argentina 13m

Lunch •Argentine Heritage

Provoleta

This provoleta recipe makes the Argentine asado starter: a thick round of provolone grilled in a small cast-iron pan until the outside turns golden and crisp while the centre stays soft and stretchy. Oregano and red pepper flakes go on top, and crusty bread does the scooping. One serving is about 120 g of grilled cheese, before bread.

Comfort & Warmth

A thick round of provolone grilled until golden and bubbling, scattered with oregano and chilli flakes.

Pairs Well With
Crusty grilled bread and a spoonful of chimichurri.

Individual causa limeña terrines of layered yellow potato with an egg and vegetable filling, topped with a boiled egg wedge and a black olive

Peru 1h

Lunch •Peruvian Heritage

Causa Limeña

This causa limena recipe makes Lima's iconic cold starter: yellow potato mashed with lime juice, olive oil and aji amarillo chilli, pressed into layers around a creamy filling of egg, avocado and mayonnaise. It is served cold, sliced like a cake, and garnished with egg and olives. One serving is about 400 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A cold, layered potato terrine from Lima, bright with lime and aji amarillo, filled with egg and avocado.

Pairs Well With
A crisp green salad and a glass of white wine or chicha morada.

A claypot of Malaysian bak kut teh: pork ribs and dried beancurd in a dark herbal soy broth with a spoon

Malaysia 2h 25m

Lunch •Malaysian Heritage

Malaysian Bak Kut Teh

This malaysian bak kut teh recipe makes the dark, herbal Klang-style pork rib soup: meaty ribs simmered until tender in a broth of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel and dang gui, coloured deep brown with dark soy sauce. It is the Malaysian answer to the pale, peppery Singapore version — same name, different soup. One serving is about 600 g of soup (ribs and broth), before rice and youtiao.

Comfort & Warmth

Pork ribs simmered for hours in a dark, herbal soy broth, served with rice and youtiao for dipping.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice and youtiao, with a small dish of chilli-garlic soy sauce.

Soups & Broths

A bowl of golden soto ayam chicken soup topped with crisp fried shallots and herbs, with a spoon in the bowl and a plate of satay behind it

Indonesia 1h 5m

Lunch •Indonesian Street-Food Classic

Soto Ayam

This soto ayam recipe makes Indonesia's best-loved chicken soup: shredded chicken in a clear golden turmeric broth, ladled over rice vermicelli with cabbage, bean sprouts, a halved egg and a shower of crisp fried shallots. A squeeze of lime and a spoon of sambal at the table wake the whole bowl up. One serving is about 560 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A golden turmeric chicken soup with rice vermicelli, egg and crisp fried shallots, served hot with lime and chilli.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, prawn crackers & sambal

Soups & Broths

A large thin golden Dutch pancake on a white plate with syrup being poured over it

Netherlands 40m

Breakfast •Dutch Pancake-House Classic

Dutch Pancakes

This dutch pancakes recipe makes eight large, thin pannenkoeken — the Dutch pancake tradition, nothing like a thick American stack. Each one is fried in butter until golden and lacy at the edges, then rolled or folded and served with stroop and butter. They work sweet or savoury: try apple and cinnamon, or bacon and cheese. One serving is about 240 g.

Weekend Breakfast

Large, thin golden pannenkoeken, crisp at the edges and soft in the middle, served with stroop and butter.

Pairs Well With
Stroop, butter & coffee

A plate of Ghent waterzooi with a chicken leg, carrots, potatoes and creamy sauce sprinkled with parsley

Belgium 1h 10m

Dinner •Ghent Flemish Classic

Ghent Waterzooi

This ghent waterzooi recipe is Belgium's most famous stew: chicken poached gently with leeks, carrots and potatoes, then finished with cream and egg yolk into a pale, silky broth. It is rich but delicate — the vegetables stay sweet, the chicken stays tender, and the sauce is never boiled once the yolks go in. One serving is about 480 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Tender chicken poached with leeks, carrots and potatoes in a silky cream and egg-yolk broth from Ghent.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, Belgian beer & green salad

Soups & Broths

A plate of Älplermagronen with cheesy macaroni, potatoes and fried onions, served with stewed apple

Switzerland 45m

Dinner •Swiss Alpine Classic

Älplermagronen

This alplermagronen recipe is Switzerland's mountain macaroni: elbow macaroni and potatoes cooked in one pot, layered with Gruyère and cream, and finished under the grill until golden, with crisp fried onions on top and applesauce on the side. It is not spaetzle — there are no egg noodles here, just macaroni, potato and cheese, the way Alpine herdsmen made it. One serving is about 400 g.

Hearty Mountain Comfort

Elbow macaroni and potatoes baked with Gruyère and cream, topped with fried onions and served with applesauce.

Pairs Well With
Applesauce, green salad & white wine

Pasta & Noodles

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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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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Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snack & Tea

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The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

All news →

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