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 2209–2220 of 2290 dinner recipes

A clay bowl of sopa de papalisa, a golden Bolivian soup of ulluco, beef and chalona, scattered with chopped parsley on a woven mat

Bolivia 2h 5m

Lunch •Tarija Heritage

Sopa de Papalisa

This sopa de papalisa recipe is the Andean soup of Bolivia's valleys: beef short ribs and a piece of chalona, dried lamb, simmered with papalisa (ulluco), potatoes, broad beans, peas and carrots until everything is tender. The papalisa turns silky in the broth and gives the soup its gentle golden colour and soft, slightly slippery bite. One serving is about 720 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Slow-simmered beef ribs and dried lamb with ulluco, potato and broad beans in a light, savoury broth.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread and llajwa salsa

Soups & Broths

A single golden hallulla flatbread with fork pricks on a plain white surface

Chile 1h 58m

Breakfast •Chilean Daily Bread

Hallulla

This hallulla recipe makes Chile's soft, round flatbread: flour, water, yeast, salt, a little sugar and lard, kneaded into a tender dough, rolled flat, docked all over with a fork and baked golden. One serving is about 95 g — one roll — and carries about 290 calories. It takes about 118 minutes, most of it rising, and is best eaten the day it is baked.

Soft Everyday Flatbread

A soft, round Chilean flatbread enriched with lard, docked with a fork and baked golden.

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

A close-up of glossy red frijoles antioqueños in a thick sauce, served with white rice and a fried plantain slice

Colombia 2h 50m

Lunch •Antioquia Heritage

Frijoles Antioqueños

This frijoles antioquenos recipe slow-cooks red cargamanto beans with pork belly, green plantain and carrot, then finishes the pot with hogao, the Colombian tomato and scallion sauce. The beans turn thick and creamy, and the pot is served with white rice and arepa. One serving is about 340 g.

Hearty & Satisfying

A slow pot of red beans with pork, plantain and hogao — the bean pot at the heart of the Antioquian table.

Pairs Well With
Serve the hot beans with white rice, a small arepa and avocado

A small glass of cortadito, espresso cut with steamed milk, with a spoon

Cuba 12m

Snack & Tea •Havana Ventanita Classic

Cortadito

This cortadito recipe brews dark-roast espresso in a moka pot, whips the first strong drops with demerara sugar into golden espuma, then tops it with an equal amount of hot steamed milk. One serving is one small glass, about 122 g. It is the little cut coffee Cuba drinks at the ventanita — sweet, strong and softened by milk, gone in a few warm sips. The photo shows the same espresso-and-steamed-milk preparation, known in Spain as café cortado; the Cuban version adds the whipped-sugar espuma described above.

Gentle Energy Lift

Sweetened espresso softened with an equal amount of hot steamed milk — strong coffee, made gentle.

Pairs Well With
Pastelitos de guayaba, buttered Cuban toast and a glass of cold water

Dark ceviche de concha prieta served in a large white clam shell with diced tomato and onion, garnished with fresh herbs, with golden fried plantain chips on a clay plate

Ecuador 45m

Lunch •Ecuadorian Coastal Classic

Ceviche de Concha

This ceviche de concha recipe cures fresh black clams — concha prieta — in lime juice with tomato, red onion, chilli and cilantro, until the clams' own dark juice turns the whole bowl deep brown-black. It is the Ecuadorian way with conchas negras: tomato and sliced onion instead of the Peruvian aji limo, served ice-cold with crisp fried plantain chifles. One serving is about 429 g.

Fresh & Zesty

Raw black clams cured in lime juice with tomato, red onion and chilli — the dark, briny ceviche of Ecuador's mangrove coast.

Pairs Well With
Serve ice-cold with crisp chifles and a cold beer or lemonade

A bowl of sopa de pollo with shredded chicken, carrots, chayote and potato in a clear golden broth

Honduras 1h 20m

Lunch •Honduran Heritage

Sopa de Pollo

This sopa de pollo recipe simmers boneless chicken thighs with yuca, corn on the cob, potatoes, carrots and chayote in a clear broth seasoned with cumin and a chicken bouillon cube, finished with fresh cilantro. It is the chicken soup of Honduras and Central America, served with white rice and warm corn tortillas on the side. One serving is about 763 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A steaming bowl of chicken and root vegetables in a clear, cilantro-scented broth — the soup Honduras serves when someone needs feeding up.

Pairs Well With
Serve the soup with white rice and warm corn tortillas, with lime wedges to squeeze over the top

Soups & Broths

Five grilled chorizo sausages with browned, blistered skins arranged in a row on a worn wooden board

Paraguay 2h 20m

Dinner •Paraguayan Heritage

Paraguayan Chorizo

This paraguayan chorizo recipe makes fresh pork-and-beef sausages the Paraguayan way, seasoned with garlic, sweet paprika, red pepper flakes and oregano, mixed with a splash of beer and stuffed into hog casings. The links are grilled over charcoal until browned and juicy, then served with boiled mandioca and salsa criolla. One serving is about 350 g, two links with mandioca, and carries about 940 calories.

Hearty & Satisfying

Homemade pork-and-beef sausages seasoned with garlic, paprika and oregano, grilled until they snap — a rich asado plate with boiled mandioca.

Pairs Well With
Serve the grilled chorizo with boiled mandioca and salsa criolla, and a cold drink on the side.

A plate of huevos con chorizo — scrambled eggs with chorizo — with refried beans and a folded corn tortilla

El Salvador 25m

Breakfast •Salvadoran Heritage

Huevos con Chorizo

This huevos con chorizo recipe browns fresh pork chorizo in its own fat, then pours in beaten eggs and scrambles them gently with onion and tomato until just set. It is the breakfast El Salvador and Central America eats on busy mornings, served with refried beans, crumbled queso fresco and warm corn tortillas. One serving is about 382 g.

Quick & Satisfying

Eggs scrambled with fresh chorizo, with refried beans, crumbled queso fresco and warm corn tortillas — a fast, filling Salvadoran breakfast.

Pairs Well With
Serve the eggs with refried beans, crumbled queso fresco and warm corn tortillas

Quick Prep (<30m)

A baked eggplant half stuffed with seasoned minced beef and melted cheese on a white plate

Uruguay 1h 20m

Lunch •Montevideo Heritage

Berenjenas Rellenas

This berenjenas rellenas recipe roasts eggplant halves until soft, scoops out the flesh, and mixes it into a filling of seasoned ground beef, onion, tomato and breadcrumbs, bound with egg and finished with melted mozzarella. The shells go back into the oven until the cheese bubbles and browns. One serving is about 355 g.

Hearty & Satisfying

Roasted eggplant shells filled with seasoned beef and melted cheese — a filling lunch straight from the oven.

Pairs Well With
Serve the hot eggplant halves with white rice and a green salad

A glass of creamy pale eggnog dusted with cinnamon, with a cinnamon stick resting across the rim, on a red cloth

Venezuela 35m

Snack & Tea •Caracas Heritage

Ponche Crema

This ponche crema recipe makes Venezuela's Christmas eggnog: egg yolks whisked with sweetened condensed milk and whole milk, gently cooked with cinnamon and lemon zest until thick and silky, then finished with aged Venezuelan rum and vanilla. It is rich, sweet and warmly spiced, and it is served ice-cold in small glasses at Christmas. One serving is about 138 g.

Festive & Indulgent

A thick, creamy Venezuelan Christmas liqueur of egg yolks, condensed milk and aged rum, served ice-cold in small glasses.

Pairs Well With
Serve ice-cold ponche crema in small glasses with pan de jamon and hallacas

Golden, crispy roast pork ribs from a chancho a la cruz served on a white plate with white mote corn and a boiled potato

Bolivia 7h

Dinner •Tarija Heritage

Chancho a la Cruz

This chancho a la cruz recipe roasts a whole piglet on an iron cross over wood embers, the way Tarija in southern Bolivia has done it for generations. The piglet is brined overnight, opened flat and tied to the cross, then smoked and roasted slowly for hours, turned now and then and basted with beer, lemon and oil, until the meat is tender and the skin is deep gold and crackling. It is carved at the table and served with mote, boiled potatoes and tomato-onion salad, with llajwa on the side. One serving is about 500 g.

Festive & Hearty

A whole piglet smoked and roasted on an iron cross over embers — the centrepiece of Tarija festivals, carved at the table and shared.

Pairs Well With
Serve the carved pork with mote, boiled potatoes and tomato-onion salad, with llajwa on the side

High Protein

A bowl of Chilean carbonada soup with diced beef, potato, carrot, pumpkin, rice and peas in a golden broth

Chile 1h 20m

Lunch •Chilean Winter Classic

Carbonada Chilena

This carbonada chilena recipe simmers diced beef chuck with potato, pumpkin, carrot, corn, green beans and peas in a golden beef broth, with rice cooked right in the pot. One serving is about 500 g — a full bowl — and carries about 347 calories. It takes about 80 minutes, most of it simmering, and is a classic Chilean winter lunch.

Hearty Winter Soup

A brothy Chilean beef and vegetable soup with rice, cooked in one pot.

Pairs Well With
Pebre, a slice of marraqueta, or a simple tomato and onion salad

Soups & Broths

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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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