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 781–792 of 2311 dinner recipes

Golden toasted farofa de cebola in a white bowl, served with rice

Brazil 25m

Dinner •Brazilian Table Essential

Farofa

This farofa recipe toasts cassava flour in hot oil with onion and garlic until it turns golden, crisp and nutty — the crunchy side dish that belongs next to feijoada, grilled meats and rice and beans all over Brazil. It takes one pan and about fifteen minutes, and it keeps for days. One serving is about 94 g.

Simple & Satisfying

Cassava flour toasted in oil with onion and garlic until golden and crisp.

Pairs Well With
Feijoada, rice and beans, and grilled meat

Quick Prep (<30m)

Two carne asada tacos with grilled beef, salsa and guacamole on a paper plate with lime wedges

Mexico 45m

Dinner •Northern Mexico Street Food

Tacos de Carne Asada

This carne asada tacos recipe starts with skirt steak marinated in lime, garlic, cumin and chilli, grilled hot and fast until charred at the edges, then sliced thin and tucked into warm corn tortillas with diced onion, cilantro, tomato salsa and avocado. One serving is about 295 g (two tacos).

Bold & Satisfying

Char-grilled marinated skirt steak sliced thin and piled into warm corn tortillas with onion, cilantro and lime.

Pairs Well With
Charred spring onions, Mexican rice and a cold lime agua fresca

High Protein

A bowl of spaghetti cacio e pepe topped with grated Pecorino Romano and cracked black pepper, with a wedge of cheese beside it

Italy 30m

Dinner •Roman Classic

Cacio e Pepe

This cacio e pepe recipe tosses hot spaghetti with a creamy Pecorino Romano sauce and plenty of cracked black pepper — no cream, no butter, just cheese, pepper and starchy pasta water. One serving is about 272 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Three ingredients — spaghetti, Pecorino Romano and black pepper — turned into a silky, peppery sauce with starchy pasta water.

Pairs Well With
A crisp green salad and a glass of dry white wine

Pasta & Noodles • Quick Prep (<30m)

A croque monsieur with melted Gruyère and folded ham on toasted bread in a pan

France 35m

Lunch •Paris Café Classic

Croque Monsieur

This croque monsieur recipe layers cooked ham and Gruyère between slices of pain de mie with a spoonful of béchamel and a touch of Dijon, then bakes it until the top is golden and bubbling. One serving is about 280 g (one sandwich).

Comfort & Warmth

Toasted pain de mie layered with ham, Gruyère and béchamel, then baked until golden and bubbling.

Pairs Well With
A simple green salad with mustard vinaigrette and a glass of dry white wine

Quick Prep (<30m)

A bowl of white ajoblanco soup topped with two green grapes on a wooden table

Spain 20m

Lunch •Andalusian Classic

Ajoblanco

This ajoblanco recipe blends blanched almonds, crustless white bread, garlic and olive oil with cold water into a silky white soup, chilled and served with halved green grapes. One serving is about 276 g.

Light & Refreshing

Cold white soup of blanched almonds, bread, garlic and olive oil, served chilled with green grapes.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, a glass of fino sherry and a plate of olives

Soups & Broths

A white plate of pan-fried gyoza with crisp golden-brown bottoms

Japan 1h

Dinner •Japanese Home-Cooking Classic

Japanese Gyoza

This japanese gyoza recipe makes 24 pan-fried pork and cabbage dumplings: golden and crisp underneath, steamed tender on top, served with a soy, rice vinegar and chilli oil dip. One serving is about 195 g (6 dumplings with dip).

Comfort & Warmth

Crisp-bottomed pork and cabbage dumplings, steamed then fried, with a sharp soy-vinegar dip.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, miso soup and a small cucumber salad

A plate of Thai red curry with chicken, bamboo shoots and red pepper beside a mound of jasmine rice

Thailand 40m

Dinner •Central Thai Classic

Thai Red Curry

This thai red curry recipe fries red curry paste in coconut cream, then simmers chicken with red bell pepper and bamboo shoots until the sauce turns glossy and fragrant. One serving is about 500 g, rice included.

Comfort & Warmth

Creamy coconut curry with red chillies, chicken, red pepper and bamboo shoots.

Pairs Well With
Jasmine rice and a cucumber salad

A plate of stir-fried lemongrass chicken with onion and a mound of steamed rice

Vietnam 40m

Dinner •Southern Vietnamese Home Cooking

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

This vietnamese lemongrass chicken recipe marinates chicken thighs in lemongrass, garlic and fish sauce, then stir-fries them until caramelised at the edges and glossy with a salty-sweet glaze. One serving is about 315 g, rice included.

Comfort & Warmth

Fragrant lemongrass chicken, caramelised at the edges, with chilli heat and a salty-sweet glaze.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice, cucumber and pickled carrot

High Protein

A plate of twice-cooked pork belly slices stir-fried with leeks and red chilli bean sauce

China 50m

Dinner •Sichuan Home-Cooking Classic

Twice-Cooked Pork

This twice-cooked pork recipe boils pork belly until tender, chills and slices it, then stir-fries it with leeks and doubanjiang until the edges curl and the sauce turns glossy and spicy. One serving is about 330 g, rice included.

Comfort & Warmth

Rich pork belly, boiled then stir-fried with leeks and spicy doubanjiang.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice and a light cucumber salad

Sliced kimbap rolls on a white plate, showing sesame rice, egg, cucumber and carrot inside dark nori

South Korea 1h 5m

Lunch •Korean Picnic Classic

Kimbap

This kimbap recipe shows how to season short-grain rice with sesame oil, cook the fillings one by one, and roll neat, tight seaweed rolls that slice cleanly. Every filling is cooked — no raw fish — so the rolls keep well for a picnic or lunchbox. One serving is about 300 g (one roll, cut into 8 pieces).

Fresh, Colourful & Portable

Sesame-oil rice rolled in nori with bulgogi beef, egg and crisp vegetables — a complete lunch you can carry anywhere.

Pairs Well With
Serve with kimchi, pickled radish and a small bowl of soy sauce for dipping

A round golden kunefe in a metal tray, topped with ground green pistachios

Turkey 50m

Snack & Tea •Hatay Cheese Dessert

Kunefe

This kunefe recipe layers crisp, buttery shredded kadayif around a centre of melted mozzarella, bakes it in a round tray until golden, and soaks it with a lemon syrup that keeps the top crunchy. It is the famous cheese dessert of Hatay in southern Turkey, best eaten hot from the tray. One serving is about 225 g (one quarter of the tray).

Crisp, Gooey & Sweet

Shredded kadayif baked crisp around melted cheese and soaked in lemon syrup — a hot, sweet cheese dessert from Hatay.

Pairs Well With
Serve with strong Turkish coffee, unsweetened tea and a few extra pistachios

A white plate of gigantes plaki — large white beans in a glossy tomato sauce with dill and a fork

Greece 1h 50m

Dinner •Greek Classic

Gigantes Plaki

This gigantes plaki recipe slow-bakes giant white beans in a tomato and olive oil sauce with onion, carrot and dill until the beans are creamy inside and the sauce is thick and glossy. It is a classic Greek meze and a satisfying vegan main, served warm with bread for dipping. One serving is about 335 g.

Hearty, Rustic & Wholesome

Giant beans baked in tomato, olive oil and dill — a slow, comforting Greek classic that is naturally vegan.

Pairs Well With
Serve with crusty bread, olives and a crisp white wine

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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Chad

Chile

China

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Republic of the Congo

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North Korea

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Oman

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Portugal

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Romania

Russia

Rwanda

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

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Samoa

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Saudi Arabia

Senegal

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Trinidad and Tobago

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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