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 733–744 of 2301 dinner recipes

A Brazilian churrasco grill loaded with skewers of picanha, chicken hearts, sausages, chicken drumsticks and garlic bread over charcoal

Brazil 1h 10m

Dinner •Gaucho Barbecue Tradition

Brazilian Churrasco

This Brazilian churrasco recipe is a mixed grill in the gaucho style: picanha, chicken thighs, pork sausages and chicken hearts, all salted and cooked over charcoal on long skewers, then carved straight onto the plate. Garlic bread and a sharp tomato vinaigrette come along for the ride. One serving is about 299 g.

Hearty & Social

A mixed grill of picanha, chicken, sausage and hearts cooked over charcoal and carved at the table.

Pairs Well With
Garlic bread, tomato vinaigrette and cold beer or caipirinha

High Protein

A grilled ear of elote corn on the cob in its husk, charred and dusted with red chile powder, held in a hand

Mexico 25m

Snack & Tea •Mexican Street Food Classic

Elote

This elote recipe grills corn on the cob over high heat until the kernels are charred and sweet, then brushes each ear with butter and mayonnaise, rolls it in crumbled cotija cheese and finishes it with lime and chile powder. One serving is about 200 g.

Street Food & Snacking

Charred corn on the cob brushed with butter and mayonnaise, rolled in salty cotija and dusted with chile.

Pairs Well With
Cold beer, agua fresca and a squeeze of lime

Quick Prep (<30m)

Braised osso buco veal shanks with the marrow bone visible, cooked with carrots and celery in a glass baking dish

Italy 2h 55m

Dinner •Milanese Classic

Osso Buco

This osso buco recipe browns cross-cut veal shanks, then braises them low and slow in white wine, tomato and soffritto until the meat is fork-tender and the marrow in the bone turns silky. A fresh gremolata of parsley, lemon and garlic goes on top. One serving is about 450 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Cross-cut veal shanks braised slowly in white wine and tomato until the meat falls from the bone, finished with lemon gremolata.

Pairs Well With
Risotto alla Milanese, crusty bread and a glass of red wine

High Protein

A salade nicoise on a green plate with halved eggs, anchovies, tuna, cherry tomatoes, green beans and lettuce

France 40m

Lunch •Nice Provençal Classic

Salade Niçoise

This salade nicoise recipe layers flaked tuna, jammy eggs, warm potatoes, crisp green beans and sweet tomatoes over lettuce, then tops it with anchovies and Niçoise olives and dresses it with a sharp Dijon vinaigrette. One serving is about 420 g.

Fresh & Light

Tuna, eggs, potatoes, green beans and tomatoes arranged on lettuce with anchovies, olives and a sharp Dijon vinaigrette.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, chilled rosé and a lemon wedge

A pot of fabada asturiana with large white fabes beans, chorizo, morcilla and pancetta in a rich red broth

Spain 2h 50m

Dinner •Asturian Classic

Fabada Asturiana

This fabada recipe soaks large fabes beans overnight, then simmers them gently with chorizo, morcilla and pancetta until the beans are creamy and the broth is rich with paprika and saffron. The meats, called compango, are sliced and served on top. One serving is about 350 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Large fabes beans slow-cooked with chorizo, morcilla and pancetta in a saffron broth — the hearty bean stew of Asturias.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, Asturian cider and a green salad

A golden okonomiyaki pancake on a hot griddle, topped with dark okonomiyaki sauce, white mayonnaise zigzags, green aonori and bonito flakes

Japan 45m

Dinner •Osaka Street Classic

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki means roughly 'grilled as you like it', and this Osaka version lives up to the name: a thick, fluffy cabbage pancake held together with a light flour-and-egg batter, topped with thin slices of pork belly, then brushed with sweet-savoury sauce and zigzagged with mayonnaise. The outside turns crisp and golden while the inside stays soft and steamy, and the bonito flakes on top curl and dance in the heat. One serving is about 310 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A thick Osaka-style savoury pancake of cabbage, egg and pork belly, finished with sweet sauce, mayonnaise and bonito flakes.

Pairs Well With
A small bowl of miso soup and a cold barley tea, with pickled ginger on the side.

A plate of Thai fried rice with chicken, egg and spring onions, served with cucumber slices and a lime wedge

Thailand 30m

Dinner •Bangkok Street Classic

Thai Fried Rice

Thai fried rice, or khao pad, is the wok dish Thailand reaches for when there is leftover rice: jasmine rice fried fast and hot with garlic, onion and tomato, chicken and egg folded through, and the seasoning kept simple — fish sauce, a little soy sauce and a pinch of sugar, with a lime wedge on the side. There is no sweet soy sauce here and no shrimp paste, which is what sets it apart from Indonesian nasi goreng. One serving is about 350 g.

Quick & Satisfying

A fast wok dinner of day-old jasmine rice, chicken and egg, seasoned with fish sauce and finished with lime.

Pairs Well With
Cool cucumber slices, a lime wedge and a small bowl of prik nam pla, with iced tea to drink.

A bowl of cao lau in Hoi An with thick noodles, sliced pork, crispy rice crackers, lettuce and fresh herbs

Vietnam 1h 5m

Lunch •Hoi An Heritage

Cao Lau

Cao lau is the dish Hoi An is proudest of, and it is not a soup: thick, chewy noodles are served almost dry, with just a spoonful of rich braised-pork sauce, slices of five-spice pork, crisp bean sprouts, lettuce and a pile of fresh herbs, plus crunchy rice crackers on top. The noodles are made with lye water, which gives them their firm bite and pale yellow colour, and the pork is marinated in soy sauce and five-spice the way Chinese char siu is. One serving is about 350 g.

Comfort & Heritage

A Hoi An noodle bowl of thick chewy noodles, five-spice pork and fresh herbs, with only a little rich sauce.

Pairs Well With
A small bowl of chilli sauce and a glass of iced tea, with extra herbs on the side.

Pasta & Noodles

A plate of Yangzhou fried rice with golden egg, pink shrimp, diced char siu and green spring onions

China 30m

Dinner •Yangzhou Huaiyang Classic

Yangzhou Fried Rice

Yangzhou fried rice is the gold standard of Chinese fried rice, and its trick is restraint: day-old rice fried fast with egg, diced char siu, shrimp and peas, seasoned with just a little soy sauce and Shaoxing wine so the rice stays pale gold and every ingredient keeps its own flavour. There is no fish sauce, no kimchi and no sweet soy sauce here — that lightness is what sets it apart from Thai fried rice and from Indonesian nasi goreng. One serving is about 310 g.

Comfort & Balanced

A light, golden fried rice of egg, char siu and shrimp, seasoned gently so every ingredient shows.

Pairs Well With
A small bowl of hot-and-sour soup and a cup of jasmine tea, with extra spring onions on the side.

A bowl of kimchi fried rice topped with sesame seeds and sheets of roasted seaweed

South Korea 25m

Lunch •Korean Home-Cooking Classic

Kimchi Fried Rice

This kimchi fried rice recipe turns day-old rice, well-fermented kimchi and a fried egg into a fast, fiery lunch. The kimchi and its brine do most of the seasoning, gochujang deepens the colour, and pork belly adds richness. One serving is about 350 g.

Quick & Satisfying

Day-old rice, fermented kimchi and egg fried fast in one pan for a quick, filling lunch.

Pairs Well With
Fried egg, roasted seaweed and a cold barley tea

Quick Prep (<30m)

Grilled lamb shish kebab skewers served with flatbread, rice pilaf, grilled peppers and onion salad

Turkey 40m

Dinner •Turkish Charcoal-Grill Tradition

Shish Kebab

This shish kebab recipe is the Turkish classic: cubes of lamb leg soaked in grated onion and milk, then grilled over charcoal until charred at the edges. It is lamb, not pork, and the onion-milk marinade is what sets it apart from the lemon-and-oregano souvlaki of Cyprus. One serving is about 364 g.

Charcoal-Grilled & Juicy

Lamb leg marinated in onion and milk, grilled over charcoal and served with flatbread.

Pairs Well With
Warm flatbread, grilled peppers and sumac onions

High Protein

Three golden slices of galaktoboureko with crisp phyllo and a pale semolina custard layer

Greece 1h 20m

Snack & Tea •Greek Custard-Dessert Classic

Galaktoboureko

This galaktoboureko recipe layers a silky semolina custard between crisp, buttered phyllo sheets, bakes it golden and finishes it with a light lemon syrup. It is one of Greece's best-loved desserts — custardy inside, shattering outside. One serving is about 244 g.

Sweet & Comforting

Semolina custard baked in crisp phyllo and soaked in lemon syrup.

Pairs Well With
Greek coffee and a spoonful of sour-cherry preserve

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