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.

Countries

193

Cuisines Covered

Meal Times

4 Slots

Breakfast to Snack

Nutrition

100%

Recipes with Nutrition

Category:

Meal Time

Choose the meal you are cooking for

Region

2321 dinner ideas matching filters

Reset Filters ×

What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1465–1476 of 2321 dinner recipes

A whole Bavarian Leberkäse loaf with a glossy golden-brown crust and a pale pink, finely textured slice cut from one end

Germany 1h 45m

Lunch •Bavarian Butcher's Loaf

Leberkase

This leberkase recipe is the Bavarian baked meatloaf: finely ground pork and beef emulsified with ice water, onion and warm spices, then baked in a loaf tin until the top turns deep golden-brown and crisp. Despite the name, which sounds like liver cheese, the Bavarian version contains neither liver nor cheese. One serving is about 180 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A thick, warm slice of Bavarian baked meatloaf in a crusty roll with sweet mustard — hearty, savoury and filling.

Pairs Well With
Crusty roll, sweet mustard & fried egg

High Protein

A baked bacalhau a ze do pipo gratin in a round dish, with golden mashed potato and mayonnaise topped with black olives

Portugal 1h 20m

Dinner •Porto Family Table

Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo

This bacalhau a ze do pipo recipe layers desalted cod and sweet onion under creamy mashed potato, then spreads mayonnaise over the top and bakes it until golden and bubbling. It is the rich, oven-baked cousin of the other Portuguese cod dishes — no cream, no egg scramble, just cod, potato and a crisp mayo crust. One serving is about 425 g.

Comfort & Protein

Flaked salt cod under a blanket of buttery mashed potato, crowned with a golden mayonnaise gratin and black olives — Porto's most famous baked cod.

Pairs Well With
A green salad and a glass of vinho verde

Three golden kaab el ghazal crescent pastries dusted with powdered sugar, one cut open to show its dark spiced filling

Morocco 1h 18m

Snack & Tea •Moroccan Wedding Pastry

Kaab el Ghazal

This kaab el ghazal recipe is the Moroccan gazelle horn: a fragrant almond paste, scented with orange blossom water and cinnamon, wrapped in paper-thin pastry and curved into a crescent. The pastries bake pale ivory, never brown, and are dusted with icing sugar. One serving is about 114 g, three pastries.

Comfort & Warmth

Delicate crescents of paper-thin pastry wrapped around a fragrant almond paste scented with orange blossom water and cinnamon.

Pairs Well With
Mint tea, coffee & orange blossom

A bowl of smooth golden lentil soup with fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil and a melting pat of butter, served with grilled bread slices on a wooden tray.

Egypt 45m

Dinner •Egyptian Home Kitchen Classic

Egyptian Lentil Soup

This egyptian lentil soup recipe turns red lentils, onion, garlic and cumin into a silky golden bowl, finished with lemon and a crispy fried-onion topping. One serving is about 455 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A silky, lemon-bright red lentil soup, light yet filling, with no meat, dairy or wheat.

Pairs Well With
Toasted gluten-free bread, a cucumber and tomato salad, and mint tea to finish.

A plate of golden fried cauliflower florets, crisp and browned at the edges, served as a Lebanese mezze

Lebanon 35m

Lunch •Lebanese Mezze Classic

Lebanese Fried Cauliflower

This lebanese fried cauliflower recipe makes arnabeet mekleh: cauliflower florets fried until deeply golden and crisp, then served warm with a lemony tahini sauce, garlic and parsley. One serving is about 238 g. Unlike the Egyptian cauliflower stew, which simmers cauliflower in tomato sauce, this Lebanese version is fried and eaten by hand as a mezze.

Crisp & Savoury

Golden fried cauliflower florets with a creamy lemon-tahini sauce — a Lebanese mezze that is crisp outside, tender inside, and entirely plant-based.

Pairs Well With
Warm pita bread and a chopped tomato-cucumber salad

A dark calabash mate gourd filled with yerba mate leaves and a metal bombilla straw, on a plain table

Argentina 15m

Snack & Tea •Argentina's National Infusion

Argentine Mate

This argentine mate recipe shows how to brew yerba mate the traditional way: dried yerba leaves in a calabash gourd, hot water at just the right temperature, and a metal bombilla straw to sip through. One serving is one gourd, about 250 g. Mate is an infusion, not a meal — unsweetened, it has almost no calories, and the gourd is refilled and passed around, so one serving is the start of a long, sociable drink.

Warm & Herbal

Yerba mate leaves steeped in a calabash gourd and sipped through a bombilla — Argentina's shared daily ritual, bitter, herbal and gently stimulating.

Pairs Well With
Alfajores or facturas (Argentine pastries) on the side

A glass bowl of suspiro a la limeña, golden caramel custard under a white port meringue dusted with cinnamon

Peru 55m

Snack & Tea •Lima's Signature Sweet

Suspiro a la Limeña

This suspiro a la limena recipe makes Lima's famous sigh: a rich caramel custard of milk, sugar and egg yolks, cooked low and slow until thick and golden, spooned into glasses and topped with a soft port-wine meringue dusted with cinnamon. One serving is about 200 g. The name means 'a sigh from Lima' — the dessert is said to be as light and sweet as a sigh.

Sweet & Comforting

A silky caramel milk custard — manjar blanco — crowned with a cloud of port-wine meringue and a dusting of cinnamon. Lima's most loved dessert.

Pairs Well With
A small cup of black coffee or a glass of pisco sour

Golden fried keropok lekor fish crackers arranged around a small bowl of dark chilli dipping sauce on a white plate

Malaysia 50m

Snack & Tea •Terengganu East-Coast Snack

Keropok Lekor

This keropok lekor recipe makes Terengganu's beloved fish crackers: fresh white fish pounded with sago flour into springy sausages, boiled until they float, then sliced and fried golden. One serving is about 233 g, with sweet chilli sauce for dipping. Lekor means 'sausage' in the local dialect — the snack is chewy, fishy and best eaten hot, straight from the fryer.

Crisp & Savoury

Chewy fish-and-sago sausages from Terengganu, boiled then fried until crisp outside and springy inside, with a sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Pairs Well With
Sweet chilli sauce and a cold glass of teh tarik

A small wooden bowl of sambal matah: raw shallots, red bird's eye chillies and green lemongrass glistening with coconut oil

Indonesia 30m

Snack & Tea •Balinese Heritage

Sambal Matah

This sambal matah recipe makes Bali's famous raw sambal: shallots sliced paper-thin, fiery bird's eye chillies, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, tossed with lime juice and finished with hot coconut oil that hisses as it hits the bowl. Nothing here is cooked — matah means raw in Balinese — so the condiment stays bright, crisp and sharply fragrant, a world away from the slow-fried sambals of Java and Malaysia. One serving is about 36 g, a generous spoonful beside rice.

Fresh & Fiery

Paper-thin shallots, bird's eye chillies and lemongrass tossed raw, then softened with sizzling coconut oil and lime.

Pairs Well With
Grilled fish or chicken, steamed rice and cucumber

Two golden wentelteefjes on a plate, dusted with dark cinnamon sugar, with a fork at the side

Netherlands 22m

Breakfast •Dutch Heritage

Wentelteefjes

This wentelteefjes recipe is the Dutch way with French toast: slices of day-old white bread dipped in a cinnamon and vanilla egg custard, then fried in butter until the outside turns crisp and golden and the middle stays soft and custardy. It is the thrifty breakfast the Netherlands has loved for generations — stale bread given a second life — finished the classic way with cinnamon sugar. One serving is about 148 g, two golden slices.

Golden & Comforting

Day-old bread soaked in a cinnamon egg custard and fried golden in butter, dusted with sugar.

Pairs Well With
Cinnamon sugar, fresh berries and a hot coffee

A golden cougnou loaf with a small pink sugar baby figure on top, on a white background

Belgium 2h 25m

Breakfast •Walloon Heritage

Cougnou

This cougnou recipe makes the Christmas brioche of Wallonia: a soft, golden, enriched dough studded with raisins and crunchy pearl sugar, shaped into a long loaf pinched at both ends like a swaddled baby, and crowned with a little pink sugar figure of the Christ Child. Bakers in southern Belgium have made it for Christmas and Saint Nicholas Day for generations, and children still receive it on Christmas morning with a cup of hot chocolate. One serving is about 137 g, a thick festive slice.

Festive & Sweet

A soft, golden Walloon Christmas brioche, studded with raisins and pearl sugar, shaped like the baby Jesus.

Pairs Well With
Hot chocolate, butter and a pot of coffee

A close-up of papet vaudois: a smoked pork sausage cut open over braised leeks and potatoes

Switzerland 1h 20m

Dinner •Vaud Heritage

Papet Vaudois

This papet vaudois recipe is the hearty dish of the canton of Vaud: leeks and potatoes simmered slowly in dry white wine until they collapse into a soft, savoury stew, with a smoked pork sausage laid on top so its juices drip down into the vegetables as it cooks. It is slow, simple Swiss comfort food — one pot, a handful of ingredients, and an hour of gentle braising — and it is traditionally served with the sausage cut into thick slices over the papet. One serving is about 537 g, a generous plate with a whole sausage.

Hearty & Comforting

Leeks and potatoes braised slowly in white wine, with a smoked pork sausage cooking on top.

Pairs Well With
A glass of Chasselas, Dijon mustard and crusty bread

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)

Dinner Ideas by Meal

Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snack & Tea

Dinner Ideas by Region

Mediterranean & Italy East & South Asia Latin America & Caribbean Middle Eastern Nordic & European African Heritage North America Oceania & Pacific

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