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 277–288 of 2290 dinner recipes

Golden baked Argentine beef empanadas with crimped edges on a plate

Argentina 1h 25m

Lunch •Buenos Aires Heritage

Argentine Empanadas

Argentine empanadas are half-moon pastries of short, flaky wheat pastry — no yeast, no puff — folded over a savoury filling of seasoned ground beef, onion, hard-boiled egg, green olives and a few raisins, then sealed with the classic rope crimp called the repulgue and baked until deep gold. This is the beef empanada de carne found in bakeries and rotisseries across Buenos Aires. One serving (two empanadas) is about 260 g.

Hearty & Satisfying

Golden baked pastry wrapped around spiced beef, olive and egg — the hand-held lunch Argentina runs on.

Pairs Well With
Chimichurri & a simple green salad

Sliced flat iron steak topped with green chimichurri on a plate

Argentina 32m

Dinner •Pampas Asado Heritage

Chimichurri Steak

Chimichurri steak is the centrepiece of the Argentine asado: a thick sirloin grilled over high heat until charred outside and juicy inside, rested, sliced, and served with chimichurri — the raw sauce of parsley, garlic, oregano, red wine vinegar and olive oil that Argentina puts on almost everything grilled. The sauce is made first so its flavours can meld while the steak cooks. One serving is about 215 g.

High-Protein & Satisfying

A thick grilled sirloin, rested and sliced, drowned in bright garlicky chimichurri — the heart of the Argentine asado.

Pairs Well With
Roasted potatoes & grilled vegetables

High Protein

Breaded milanesa steak topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese

Argentina 45m

Dinner •Buenos Aires Heritage

Milanesa a la Napolitana

Milanesa a la napolitana starts as a milanesa — a thin beef steak pounded flat, dredged in flour and egg, coated in breadcrumbs and fried until crisp — and then becomes something else entirely: topped with tomato sauce, a slice of ham and a blanket of mozzarella, it goes back into the oven until the cheese bubbles. It is the dish Argentine families order at the neighbourhood bodegon, always with French fries. One serving is about 350 g, before the fries.

Comforting & Satisfying

A crisp breaded steak, fried golden, then finished in the oven under tomato sauce, ham and bubbling mozzarella — Argentina's favourite comfort plate.

Pairs Well With
French fries & a green salad

A slice of golden meat pie with rich beef filling on a plate

Australia 1h 25m

Lunch •Australian Classic

Australian Meat Pie

The Australian meat pie is a single-serving pie with a shortcrust base, a filling of ground beef simmered in a thick, dark gravy with onion and carrot, and a golden pastry lid. It is the food of football grounds, bakeries and road trips across Australia, eaten by hand with tomato sauce. This recipe makes four individual pies with a proper gravy that stays inside the pie instead of running out. One pie is about 360 g.

Hearty & Satisfying

A hand-held pie with a crisp shortcrust base, a rich beef gravy filling and a golden lid — Australia's most famous food.

Pairs Well With
Tomato sauce & mashed potato

Pavlova meringue cake topped with whipped cream, strawberries and blueberries

Australia 2h 40m

Snack & Tea •Australian Classic

Australian Pavlova

Pavlova is a meringue cake with a crisp, crackled shell and a soft, marshmallowy middle, crowned with softly whipped cream and fresh fruit. It is named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who toured Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s, and both countries claim it — in Australia it is the dessert of Christmas Day and summer barbecues, served with strawberries, kiwi and blueberries. One serving is about 135 g.

Light & Celebratory

A crisp meringue shell with a soft marshmallow centre, piled with whipped cream and fresh fruit — Australia's celebration dessert.

Pairs Well With
Fresh berries & passion fruit

Chocolate and coconut lamington squares on a plate

Australia 1h

Snack & Tea •Australian Classic

Australian Lamingtons

Lamingtons are squares of light vanilla sponge, dipped in a thin chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut until every side is coated. They are named after Lord Lamington, Governor of Queensland in the 1890s, and they are the cake of Australian school fetes, bake sales and afternoon tea — best eaten the day after baking, when the icing has soaked slightly into the sponge. This recipe makes 16 lamingtons; one serving is two squares, about 155 g.

Sweet & Comforting

Squares of vanilla sponge dipped in chocolate icing and rolled in coconut — the cake Australia eats with its afternoon tea.

Pairs Well With
A cup of tea & fresh berries

A plate of golden-brown Bahamian conch fritters with two small bowls of dipping sauce

Bahamas 45m

Snack & Tea •Nassau Heritage

Bahamian Conch Fritters

This bahamian conch fritters recipe turns tender queen conch into crisp, golden balls: the conch is minced and folded into a cornmeal batter with onion, sweet pepper, celery and a little heat from jalapeno, then deep-fried until the outside shatters and the inside stays soft and savoury. They are the snack every Bahamian fish fry starts with, best eaten hot from the oil with cocktail sauce or a squeeze of lime. One serving is about 200 g (5 fritters).

Island Snack & Sharing

Crisp golden balls of minced queen conch, cornmeal and island peppers, fried hot and served with a cool dipping sauce.

Pairs Well With
Cocktail sauce, lime wedges & a cold Kalik beer

A plate of golden fried cracked conch with peas and rice, plantain and tartar sauce

Bahamas 45m

Dinner •Nassau Heritage

Bahamian Cracked Conch

This bahamian cracked conch recipe is the national dish of the Bahamas: queen conch is pounded thin — 'cracked' — dipped in seasoned flour, egg and cracker crumbs, then fried until the crust is golden and shattering while the conch inside stays tender. It arrives at the table as a proper main plate, usually beside peas and rice, with tartar sauce and lime. One serving is about 212 g.

National Dish & Island Classic

Pounded conch steaks in a crisp cracker-crumb crust, fried golden and served with peas and rice.

Pairs Well With
Peas and rice, tartar sauce & lime

Two bowls of Bahamian conch salad — finely diced raw conch with tomato, onion and peppers — garnished with orange and lime wedges at a Nassau fish-fry stall

Bahamas 45m

Lunch •Nassau Heritage

Bahamian Conch Salad

This bahamian conch salad recipe is the Bahamas' answer to ceviche: raw queen conch, tenderised and diced small, tossed with tomato, sweet onion, green pepper, celery and cucumber, then cured in fresh lime and orange juice with a little goat pepper heat. No stove, no frying — the citrus does the work, firming the conch and turning it opaque at the edges while the vegetables stay crisp. It is the dish Nassau's fish-fry vendors chop to order, piled high in a bowl and eaten cold with a spoon. One serving is about 362 g.

Fresh & Light Island Lunch

Raw queen conch cured in lime juice with tomato, onion and peppers, served cold as a bright, high-protein salad.

Pairs Well With
Johnny cake, crackers & a cold Kalik beer

High Protein

A platter of golden Bahraini machboos rice with chicken, raisins and almonds

Bahrain 1h 35m

Dinner •Manama Heritage

Bahraini Machboos

This bahraini machboos recipe is Bahrain's national dish, and its character comes from three things no other Gulf pilaf leans on in quite the same way: warm baharat spice, dried lime (loomi) for a gentle sourness, and saffron for colour and fragrance. Chicken thighs are braised until tender, lifted out, and the basmati rice is cooked in that same spiced broth, so every grain tastes of the chicken and the lime. One serving is about 350 g.

National Dish & Family Feast

Chicken braised with baharat, saffron and dried lime, then basmati rice cooked in its broth.

Pairs Well With
Salata, pickled lime & hot black tea

High Protein

A plate of golden balaleet vermicelli topped with a folded omelette

Bahrain 30m

Breakfast •Manama Heritage

Balaleet

This balaleet recipe is the Gulf breakfast that surprises first-timers: thin vermicelli noodles are cooked until tender, then tossed with sugar, cardamom, saffron and rose water until they turn sweet and golden — and then a thin, savoury omelette is laid over the top. The contrast is the whole point: sweet noodles below, salty egg above, eaten together in one forkful. One serving is about 238 g.

Gulf Breakfast Classic

Sweet saffron vermicelli topped with a golden, savoury omelette.

Pairs Well With
Hot black tea & fresh fruit

Quick Prep (<30m)

A plate of golden fried triangular Bahraini samboosa pastries

Bahrain 1h

Snack & Tea •Manama Heritage

Bahraini Samboosa

This bahraini samboosa recipe makes the crisp, triangular pastries that appear on Bahraini tables all year and on every iftar table in Ramadan: a thin, blistered pastry wrapped around spiced ground beef, potato and green peas, then fried until it shatters. They are crisp triangles with a drier, more savoury filling than many South Asian samosas, so they stay crisp for hours. One serving is about 240 g (4 pieces).

Ramadan Snack & Sharing

Crisp fried triangular pastries filled with spiced beef, potato and peas.

Pairs Well With
Mint chutney, dates & karak tea

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