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 2113–2124 of 2290 dinner recipes

A white bowl of ranga ranga, golden beef tripe stew with potatoes in yellow aji sauce, topped with pickled red onion rings, a green locoto slice and tomato wedges

Bolivia 3h

Dinner •La Paz Heritage

Ranga Ranga

Ranga ranga is the beloved tripe stew of La Paz and Oruro: tender strips of honeycomb beef tripe and waxy potatoes simmered in a golden sauce of aji amarillo, onion and tomato, then finished with lemon and crowned with pickled red onion and sliced locoto. One serving is about 430 g of stew, served with white rice on the side.

Comfort & Warmth

Slow-simmered beef tripe and potatoes in a golden aji amarillo sauce, finished with lemon and a pickled-onion garnish.

Pairs Well With
White rice and pickled red onion, with a cold glass of chicha or a light lager.

Anticucho chileno skewers of beef, sausage, chicken, red and green peppers and onion grilling over charcoal

Chile 55m

Dinner •Fiestas Patrias Barbecue Classic

Anticucho Chileno

This anticucho chileno recipe turns the Chilean asado into skewers: cubes of beef sirloin and chicken breast, slices of longaniza sausage, red and green pepper and onion, marinated in red wine vinegar, garlic, cumin and merken, then grilled over hot charcoal until charred at the edges and juicy inside. Serve them straight off the grill with pebre and a tomato salad. One serving (two skewers) is about 340 g.

High-Protein Grilling

Beef, chicken and longaniza threaded with peppers and onion, marinated in vinegar, garlic and merken, and grilled over charcoal.

Pairs Well With
Pebre, tomato and onion salad, and boiled potatoes or rice

High Protein

A white bowl of mute santandereano, a thick golden Colombian soup with chunks of meat, tripe, potato, beans and hominy corn, with a spoon resting in the bowl

Colombia 3h 45m

Lunch •Santander Heritage

Mute Santandereano

This mute santandereano recipe is Santander's great grain-and-meat soup: dried hominy corn, chickpeas and red beans simmered for hours with beef, pork shoulder, pork trotter and tripe, finished with potato, squash and short pasta in a golden hogao broth. It is a whole lunch in one bowl — thick, savoury and deeply filling, the way it is served at family tables across the Santander mountains. One serving is about 690 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Hominy corn, chickpeas and beans simmered with beef, pork and tripe in a thick, golden broth.

Pairs Well With
White rice, a warm arepa and sliced avocado, with lime wedges and Colombian aji on the side.

Soups & Broths

Golden-brown frituras de malanga fritters flecked with parsley, piled on white paper

Cuba 40m

Snack & Tea •Cuban Heritage

Frituras de Malanga

Frituras de Malanga are Cuba's crisp little fritters: grated malanga bound with egg, garlic and parsley, fried until golden outside and soft inside. One serving is about 250 g. This frituras de malanga recipe makes about 24 fritters in 40 minutes and serves four as a snack, best with a garlic mojo dip.

Crispy Snack

Golden, crisp-edged fritters of grated malanga with garlic and parsley, fried hot and eaten straight away.

Pairs Well With
Garlic mojo dip and a cold drink, or a small green salad.

Shrimp stewed in a tomato sauce with a mound of white rice, green onions and bread in a yellow bowl

Dominican Republic 35m

Dinner •Montecristi Coastal Heritage

Camarones Guisados

This camarones guisados recipe stews plump shrimp in a sofrito tomato sauce with sweet peppers, onion, garlic and green olives, finished with lime and cilantro. It is the coastal favourite of Montecristi, in the northwest of the Dominican Republic, and it comes together in about half an hour. One serving is about 450 g.

Light Coastal Dinner

Lean shrimp simmered in a bright tomato and pepper sauce, a light but satisfying coastal main.

Pairs Well With
Serve over white rice with avocado slices and a squeeze of lime, and an ice-cold beer or passion-fruit juice.

A black clay pot of cazuela ecuatoriana, shrimp and white fish in a thick golden green-plantain and peanut sauce with herbs, on a wooden board

Ecuador 1h 10m

Lunch •Manabí Coast Heritage

Cazuela Ecuatoriana

This cazuela ecuatoriana recipe is the clay-pot casserole of Ecuador's coast: grated green plantain and peanut butter simmered into a thick golden sauce with a tomato refrito, folded with white fish and shrimp, then baked in individual clay pots until the top turns golden. It is the dish Manabí families cook for Sunday lunch. One serving is about 512 g.

Rich & Hearty

A thick green-plantain and peanut casserole from Ecuador's coast, baked in clay pots with fish and shrimp.

Pairs Well With
Serve hot in the clay pot with white rice, patacones, lime wedges and pickled red onion, and a cold beer or a glass of dry white wine.

High Protein

A glass bowl of smooth, pale golden porridge topped with diced fruit compote

Haiti 35m

Breakfast •Haitian Breakfast Heritage

Labouyi Bannann

This labouyi bannann recipe turns green plantains and ripe bananas into a smooth, creamy porridge simmered in coconut milk with cinnamon, star anise and vanilla. Sweetened with condensed milk and served warm, it is the breakfast Haiti wakes up to. One serving is about 300 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A smooth, sweet plantain porridge simmered with coconut milk, cinnamon and star anise — a warm, filling Haitian breakfast.

Pairs Well With
Serve warm in a bowl with a dusting of cinnamon, alongside strong Haitian coffee and fresh mango.

A white plate of pasta and white beans in a light savoury broth

Paraguay 1h 30m

Lunch •Paraguayan Heritage

Fideo con Poroto

This fideo con poroto recipe turns red beans, broken spaghetti and diced squash into Paraguay's beloved school-lunch noodle bowl, finished with queso Paraguay melted through the hot broth. One serving is about 479 g, a generous bowl.

Hearty & Filling

A hearty meat-free lunch of noodles, red beans and melted cheese, served hot in a bowl.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread or boiled mandioca on the side, with chopped green onion scattered over the top.

Pasta & Noodles

Five baby green squash stuffed with seasoned beef and topped with melted cheese, baked in a black grill pan

Uruguay 55m

Lunch •Uruguayan Home-Cooking Classic

Zapallitos Rellenos

This zapallitos rellenos recipe stuffs small round Uruguayan squash with seasoned ground beef, onion, tomato and breadcrumbs, then bakes them under melted mozzarella. One serving is about 440 g (two stuffed squash) and carries 447 calories. It is the kind of lunch Uruguayan families cook on a Sunday: one pan, no fuss, and everyone takes seconds.

Hearty Home Lunch

Baby squash stuffed with seasoned beef and melted cheese, baked until golden.

Pairs Well With
A crisp green salad and crusty bread, with a glass of red wine or sparkling water.

Two tall glasses of cocada venezolana, a frosty blended coconut drink with straws and pink bougainvillea flowers, on a white beach table

Venezuela 15m

Snack & Tea •Margarita Island Heritage

Cocada Venezolana

This cocada venezolana recipe is the iced coconut drink sold by beach vendors on Margarita Island and Venezuela's Caribbean coast: fresh coconut meat blended with coconut water, milk and sweetened condensed milk over crushed ice, then poured into tall glasses and dusted with cinnamon. One serving is about 397 g.

Cool & Refreshing

A frosty blended coconut drink from Venezuela's Caribbean beaches, sweetened with condensed milk and dusted with cinnamon.

Pairs Well With
Serve ice-cold on its own as a beach snack, or with tequeños, empanadas or a plate of fried fish.

A glass mug of deep-purple api morado on a blue market table, the hot Bolivian purple corn drink

Bolivia 45m

Snack & Tea •La Paz Heritage

Api Morado

Api morado is the steaming purple drink of the Bolivian highlands: finely ground purple corn simmered with cinnamon, cloves and orange peel, sweetened with panela and finished with lime, then served hot in a glass mug. One serving is about 310 g (300 ml).

Comfort & Warmth

A thick, steaming purple-corn drink spiced with cinnamon and cloves, sweetened with panela and brightened with lime.

Pairs Well With
Fried cheese pastries (pastel de queso) or bunuelos with syrup — the classic La Paz breakfast.

Golden battered fried fish fillets with tomato, onion and cilantro salad on a blue-rimmed plate

Chile 35m

Dinner •Chilean Coastal Classic

Congrio Frito

This congrio frito recipe fries firm conger eel fillets in a light, crisp beer batter, the way Chilean coastal kitchens do it: flour, lager and a pinch of paprika, with no egg, so the crust stays thin and shattering rather than heavy. The fillets fry golden in minutes and are served hot with lemon wedges, tomato salad and boiled potatoes. One serving (two fillets) is about 335 g.

High-Protein Seafood

Firm conger eel in a light, crisp no-egg beer batter, fried golden and served with lemon.

Pairs Well With
Tomato and onion salad, boiled potatoes or rice, and lemon wedges

High Protein

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.

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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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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