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

2301 dinner ideas matching filters

Reset Filters ×

What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1633–1644 of 2301 dinner recipes

Tray of freshly baked golden Franzbrötchen, Hamburg cinnamon-sugar pastries with swirled layers, cooling on baking paper

Germany 2h 10m

Breakfast •Hamburg Bakery Classic

Franzbrötchen

This franzbrotchen recipe makes Hamburg's beloved cinnamon-sugar pastry: a soft yeasted dough rolled with butter, sugar and cinnamon, then pressed in the middle so the layers fan out like a little croissant. One serving is about 80 g.

Sweet Breakfast Treat

A buttery Hamburg pastry with a cinnamon-sugar swirl, baked until golden and best eaten warm with coffee.

Pairs Well With
Hot coffee, milky coffee or black tea

Bowl of Portuguese canja de galinha, a clear golden chicken and rice soup with shredded chicken, on a checked tablecloth with cutlery

Portugal 1h

Lunch •Portuguese Comfort Classic

Portuguese Canja

This portuguese canja recipe is Portugal's comforting chicken and rice soup: a whole-flavoured clear broth, shredded chicken, tender rice and carrot, finished with fresh mint and lemon. One serving is about 370 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A clear, gentle chicken and rice soup finished with fresh mint — the soup Portuguese families make when someone needs comfort.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread and a simple green salad

Soups & Broths

Clay dish of couscous topped with chickpeas and caramelised onion-raisin compote

Morocco 1h 15m

Dinner •Moroccan Friday Table

Moroccan Tfaya

This moroccan tfaya recipe starts with a mound of fluffy steamed couscous and crowns it with tfaya — onions cooked low and slow until jammy and golden, folded with raisins, chickpeas, cinnamon, ginger and honey. Sweet, savoury and warmly spiced at once, it is the topping Moroccan families spoon over couscous on Fridays. One serving is about 380 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Steamed couscous crowned with a slow-cooked sweet-savoury onion, raisin and chickpea topping.

Pairs Well With
Mint tea, harissa and a crisp cucumber salad

A close-up bowl of Egyptian freekeh pilaf with roasted romanesco, Brussels sprouts and carrots.

Egypt 1h

Dinner •Egyptian Grain Classic

Egyptian Freekeh Pilaf

This egyptian freekeh pilaf recipe is Egypt's smoky grain dish: freekeh — young green wheat roasted in the husk — cooked in vegetable stock with onion, tomato, peas and carrots, seasoned with cumin, cinnamon and coriander, and piled with caramelised roasted vegetables. The grains stay chewy and nutty, the vegetables turn sweet at the edges, and the whole pot comes together in one hour. One serving is about 410 g.

Smoky Whole-Grain Dinner

Roasted green wheat simmered in vegetable stock with onion, tomato, peas and carrots, topped with roasted vegetables — a smoky, filling vegan pilaf from Egyptian kitchens.

Pairs Well With
A drizzle of tahini and lemon, a crisp cucumber and tomato salad, and a pot of mint tea.

Lebanese Basturma — thin slices of deep-red cured spiced beef on a white plate

Lebanon 45m

Snack & Tea •Lebanese-Armenian Deli Classic

Lebanese Basturma

This lebanese basturma recipe salts beef, presses it, coats it in a fenugreek-and-garlic cemen paste, then air-dries it into deeply spiced, sliceable cured beef. One serving is about 75 g. It takes patience rather than effort, and the result keeps for weeks in the fridge.

Bold & Savory

Intensely spiced, air-dried beef sliced paper-thin — a little goes a long way.

Pairs Well With
Warm flatbread, pickled cucumber, fresh herbs and strong coffee.

High Protein

Patagonian Roast Lamb — a whole butterflied lamb roasting on an iron cross over wood embers

Argentina 3h 30m

Dinner •Patagonian Asado Classic

Patagonian Roast Lamb

This patagonian roast lamb recipe slow-roasts a bone-in lamb leg with garlic, rosemary and a salty salmuera baste until the meat is tender and the skin turns crisp. One serving is about 300 g. It is the home-oven version of the whole lamb roasted on an iron cross over embers in Patagonia.

Rustic & Hearty

Slow-roasted lamb with crisp skin and wood-smoke flavour, basted with salty salmuera.

Pairs Well With
Roast potatoes, chimichurri and a simple green salad.

High Protein

Pan con Chicharron — a crusty roll filled with crisp fried pork, sweet potato and red onion salsa

Peru 1h 40m

Lunch •Lima Sunday-Morning Classic

Pan con Chicharrón

This pan con chicharron recipe simmers pork belly until tender, fries it until the skin crackles, then piles it into a crusty roll with fried sweet potato and lime-sharp salsa criolla. One serving is about 300 g. In Lima it is the classic Sunday-morning sandwich, eaten with coffee.

Rich & Satisfying

Crisp fried pork belly, sweet fried camote and sharp salsa criolla in a crusty roll.

Pairs Well With
Strong coffee, a tamal, or a glass of fresh juice.

Siew Yoke — sliced crispy roast pork belly with golden crackling on a white plate

Malaysia 2h

Dinner •Malaysian Chinese Roast Classic

Siew Yoke

This siew yoke recipe rubs pork belly with five-spice and fermented bean curd, dries the skin overnight, then oven-roasts it under a salt crust until the crackling shatters. One serving is about 170 g. It is the roast pork of Malaysian Chinese coffee shops and festive tables, served with mustard and chili.

Crisp & Savory

Oven-roasted pork belly with shattering crackling, five-spice and a salt crust — the Malaysian Chinese roast-pork favourite.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, mustard and chili sauce, and stir-fried greens.

High Protein

Beef satay skewers smothered in thick yellow turmeric sauce with fried shallots, served on a banana leaf with ketupat rice cakes

Indonesia 2h 15m

Dinner •Minangkabau Street Food

Sate Padang

This sate padang recipe turns beef into tender, smoky skewers boiled in spiced stock, grilled over charcoal and smothered in a thick yellow sauce of turmeric, galangal, ginger and chillies, thickened with rice flour. One serving is about 355 g: three skewers with sauce, ketupat rice cakes and fried shallots. It is the Minangkabau satay of West Sumatra — the yellow sauce, not peanut sauce, is what makes it sate padang.

Rich High-Protein Grill

Charcoal-grilled beef skewers in a thick yellow turmeric sauce, served with ketupat rice cakes and fried shallots — high in protein and deeply spiced.

Pairs Well With
Ketupat rice cakes and cool cucumber balance the rich, spicy yellow sauce.

High Protein

A glass bowl of pale yellow Dutch vanilla vla custard with a smooth swirled surface, a spoon resting beside it on dark stone

Netherlands 2h 25m

Snack & Tea •Dutch Everyday Dessert

Dutch Vla

This dutch vla recipe makes the classic Dutch vanilla custard: whole milk infused with vanilla, thickened with egg yolks and cornstarch into a silky, pourable cream, then chilled until cold. One serving is about 198 g: a cool bowl of pale yellow vla, smooth enough to pour and rich enough to eat with a spoon. It is the everyday dessert of the Netherlands — sold in cartons in every supermarket, and best made at home with real vanilla.

Light Creamy Dessert

Silky vanilla custard made with whole milk, egg yolks and vanilla, served cold — a light, calcium-rich Dutch dessert.

Pairs Well With
Fresh berries and a crisp biscuit make the soft, sweet vla feel complete.

A golden-brown boudin blanc white sausage with caramelised apple slices on a speckled plate, a fork and glass behind

Belgium 1h 50m

Dinner •Liège Butcher's Classic

Belgian Boudin Blanc

This belgian boudin blanc recipe makes the delicate white sausage of Liège: finely ground pork and chicken blended with cream, milk-soaked breadcrumbs and egg, stuffed into casings, poached gently and then pan-fried until golden. One serving is about 350 g: two sausages with caramelised apples. It is the mild, creamy sausage of Belgian butchers — white, not dark, and nothing like the black pudding it is often confused with.

Rich Comfort Dinner

Delicate pork and chicken white sausages, poached then pan-fried, served with caramelised apples — rich, mild and high in protein.

Pairs Well With
Caramelised apples and mashed potatoes are the classic partners for the mild, creamy sausage.

A golden ham and cheese croissant with pink ham visible at the split, on a white plate with a napkin, knife and fork

Switzerland 45m

Lunch •Swiss Bakery Classic

Schinkengipfeli

This schinkengipfeli recipe makes the Swiss bakery classic: triangles of puff pastry rolled around cooked ham and Gruyère with a smear of Dijon mustard, brushed with egg and baked until golden and flaky. One serving is about 214 g: two warm crescents with melted cheese and ham in every bite. It is the savoury Gipfeli of Swiss bakeries — a ham croissant, eaten warm from the oven with coffee or soup.

Flaky Bakery Lunch

Puff-pastry crescents filled with ham and Gruyère, baked golden — a rich, flaky Swiss bakery lunch, high in protein.

Pairs Well With
A green salad and a cup of coffee balance the rich, buttery pastry.

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