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 2005–2016 of 2290 dinner recipes

A white bowl of creamy brown habichuelas con dulce with sweet potato and round milk cookies on a woven straw mat

Dominican Republic 2h

Snack & Tea •Dominican Lenten Dessert

Habichuelas con Dulce

This habichuelas con dulce recipe turns red kidney beans into a silky, cinnamon-scented dessert soup: the beans are boiled, blended smooth, then simmered with coconut milk, evaporated milk, sweet potato cubes and raisins until thick and creamy. It is served warm or chilled, in a bowl with round milk cookies for dipping. One serving is about 310 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Red kidney beans blended silky-smooth and simmered with coconut milk, evaporated milk, sweet potato and warm spices — the creamy Lenten dessert of the Dominican Republic.

Pairs Well With
Milk cookies (galletas de leche) & a cup of coffee

Soups & Broths

Baked macaroni au gratin in a glass baking dish with a golden-brown cheese crust, melted cheese and chopped parsley

Haiti 1h 10m

Lunch •Haitian Celebration Casserole

Haitian Macaroni au Gratin

This haitian macaroni au gratin recipe bakes rigatoni in a rich evaporated-milk sauce with Parmesan and Gouda, diced ham, red and green peppers and a spoonful of epis, the Haitian seasoning base, under a golden breadcrumb top. It is firmer and more savoury than American mac and cheese, and it is the dish Haitian families put at the centre of the table for Sundays, birthdays and holidays. One serving is about 350 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Rigatoni baked in an evaporated-milk cheese sauce with diced ham, peppers and epis — the Haitian mac and cheese that anchors Sunday meals and celebrations.

Pairs Well With
Fried plantains & a crisp green salad

Pasta & Noodles

Shrimp ceviche in a glass cup with pink shrimp on the rim, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro and white onion in a red lime sauce

Honduras 50m

Lunch •Honduran Coastal Classic

Ceviche Hondureno

This ceviche hondureno recipe cures fresh shrimp in lime juice until pink and firm, then folds in diced tomato, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro and mint, with the Central American touches that set it apart — a spoonful each of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup. It is served chilled in glasses or bowls with sliced avocado and saltine crackers. One serving is about 325 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Fresh shrimp cured in lime juice with tomato, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro and mint, finished Central American style with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup.

Pairs Well With
Saltine crackers, avocado & an ice-cold drink

Braised chicken in a dark glossy sauce with potatoes and spring onions in a patterned bowl

El Salvador 2h 30m

Dinner •Salvadoran Celebration Stew

Gallo en Chicha

This gallo en chicha recipe slow-braises rooster or chicken pieces in chicha — the fermented corn drink of El Salvador — with panela, tomato, peppers, cinnamon and cloves, then finishes the stew with prunes, raisins, potatoes and carrots. The sauce turns dark, sweet and tangy, and the meat falls off the bone. It is a celebration dish, served with white rice and handmade tortillas. One serving is about 345 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Rooster or chicken slow-braised in chicha with panela, tomato, prunes, raisins and warm spices until the sauce turns dark, sweet and tangy.

Pairs Well With
White rice, handmade tortillas & curtido

High Protein

A single quimbolito, a pale yellow steamed corn cake topped with a dark raisin, wrapped in a green achira leaf on a white plate

Ecuador 55m

Snack & Tea •Andean Steamed Classic

Quimbolitos

This quimbolitos recipe makes soft, sweet Ecuadorian steamed cakes from corn flour, fresh cheese, egg and panela, wrapped in fragrant achira leaves and topped with a raisin. One serving is about 91 g — one quimbolito — and carries about 304 calories. They steam in 30 minutes and are best eaten warm, straight from the leaf.

Sweet Afternoon Snack

Soft steamed corn cakes with cheese, egg and panela, wrapped in achira leaves.

Pairs Well With
Hot chocolate, black coffee, or a glass of cold milk

A black clay pot of caldo de costilla with beef ribs in clear broth scattered with chopped cilantro

Colombia 1h 45m

Breakfast •Bogotá Heritage

Caldo de Costilla

Caldo de costilla is Colombia's rib broth for breakfast: beef short ribs simmered slowly in water with potato, onion, garlic and scallion until the meat pulls from the bone, then finished with raw scallion and cilantro blended together and stirred in off the heat, which keeps the herbs bright green and fragrant. One serving is about 703 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A steaming bowl of beef-rib broth with potatoes, the classic Bogotá breakfast that warms a cold mountain morning.

Pairs Well With
Serve with a warm arepa and a cup of hot chocolate, the way Bogotá eats it at breakfast.

Soups & Broths

A white bowl of pale quinoa soup with pieces of carrot and chopped fresh herbs scattered on top

Bolivia 55m

Lunch •Andean Home-Cooking Classic

Sopa de Quinua

This sopa de quinua recipe is Bolivia's everyday quinoa soup: quinoa simmered in a light vegetable broth with potato, carrot, peas and celery, seasoned with cumin and oregano and finished with fresh coriander. One serving is about 510 g. It is a clear, brothy soup — no milk, no cheese, no egg — the way Bolivian home cooks make it for lunch, with the quinoa itself doing the work of making the bowl filling.

Light & Nourishing

A clear-broth Andean soup: quinoa simmered with potato, carrot, peas and celery in vegetable stock.

Pairs Well With
Serve with crusty bread and a wedge of lime on the side, and a simple green salad if you want a fuller lunch.

Soups & Broths

A plate of beef estofado with potatoes and carrots in a rich tomato sauce, served beside white rice

Uruguay 2h 20m

Dinner •Uruguayan Home-Cooking Classic

Uruguayan Beef Estofado

This uruguayan beef estofado recipe is the slow Sunday stew of the Rio de la Plata: beef chuck browned, then braised for an hour and a half in a tomato and red wine sauce with onion, red pepper, potato, carrot and peas, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick. One serving is about 615 g. It is served over white rice, the way Uruguayan families serve it — and it is a beef stew, not its Peruvian cousin estofado de pollo, which is made with chicken, aji panca chilli and raisins.

Comforting & Hearty

A slow-braised Uruguayan beef stew: beef chuck in a tomato and red wine sauce with potato, carrot and peas.

Pairs Well With
Serve over white rice with a tomato and onion salad, and a glass of Uruguayan Tannat if you drink wine.

A close-up plate of chickpea stew with slices of chorizo in a golden broth

Cuba 2h 40m

Lunch •Cuban Home-Cooking Classic

Potaje de Garbanzos

This potaje de garbanzos recipe is Cuba's great chickpea stew: chickpeas soaked overnight, then simmered with Spanish chorizo and a smoked ham hock in a sofrito of onion, green pepper, garlic and tomato, with potato and pumpkin (calabaza) cooked in the pot until the broth turns thick and golden. One serving is about 500 g. The chorizo and pork are not a garnish — they are the heart of the dish, which is why this potaje carries a Pork tag: a meatless version would be a different soup altogether.

Comforting & Hearty

A slow-simmered Cuban chickpea stew: chickpeas with Spanish chorizo, smoked ham hock, pumpkin and potato.

Pairs Well With
Serve with white rice and crusty bread, and a cold glass of water with lime or a light beer on the side.

Soups & Broths

Golden fried quipes — Dominican bulgur and beef torpedo croquettes piled on a silver tray with fresh mint leaves

Dominican Republic 1h 5m

Snack & Tea •Dominican Street-Food Classic

Quipes

This quipes recipe makes the Dominican version of Lebanese kibbeh: fine bulgur kneaded with lean ground beef into a smooth shell, wrapped around a sofrito-seasoned beef filling with green olives and raisins, shaped into torpedoes and fried until deep golden and crisp. Quipes are the star of the Dominican picadera platter, eaten hot with a shake of hot sauce. One serving is about 195 g.

Hearty & Satisfying

Crisp-fried bulgur and beef croquettes with a savoury beef, olive and raisin filling — the Dominican street snack served hot from the fryer.

Pairs Well With
Crisp beef and bulgur croquettes with hot sauce and a cold drink

Haitian salade russe — a pink creamy mound of diced potato and beet salad in mayonnaise on a white plate

Haiti 1h

Lunch •Haitian Festive Side

Haitian Salade Russe

This Haitian salade russe recipe is the pink potato salad of Haiti: waxy potatoes, sweet beets, carrots, peas and hard-boiled eggs, all cut into neat cubes and folded through a mustard mayonnaise until the whole bowl turns rosy pink. It is the cool, creamy side that shows up next to griot and rice at Christmas and family gatherings, and it tastes even better the next day. One serving is about 260 g.

Fresh & Light

Boiled potatoes, beets, carrots, peas and hard-boiled eggs folded through a mustard mayonnaise — the pink, creamy salad on every Haitian festive table.

Pairs Well With
Creamy pink potato and beet salad with griot, rice and a cold drink

Three golden crusty marraqueta rolls on a blue and white patterned plate

Chile 1h 50m

Breakfast •Chilean Daily Bread

Marraqueta

This marraqueta recipe makes the crusty Chilean roll also called pan batido: flour, water, yeast and salt only — no lard, no fat in the dough — shaped into pairs and baked with steam until the crust crackles. One serving is about 91 g — one roll — and carries about 233 calories. It takes about 110 minutes, most of it rising, and is best eaten the day it is baked.

Crusty Breakfast Bread

A crusty, lard-free Chilean roll of flour, water, yeast and salt, baked with steam for a shattering crust.

Pairs Well With
Mashed avocado with salt, butter, or a soft cheese

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)

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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