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 877–888 of 2321 dinner recipes

A clay bowl of baiao de dois — rice and beans with dried beef, queijo coalho and spring onions

Brazil 1h 25m

Dinner •Sertão One-Pot Classic

Baiao de Dois

This baiao de dois recipe cooks rice and black-eyed peas together in one pot with carne seca, linguiça and queijo coalho, finished with spring onion and coriander — the hearty one-pot dish of Brazil's north-east. One serving is about 313 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Rice and black-eyed peas cooked together in one pot with dried beef, sausage and melting queijo coalho.

Pairs Well With
Farofa, a green salad and a cold beer or sugarcane juice

Tinga de Pollo, shredded chicken in tomato chipotle sauce with onion, served in a blue patterned bowl

Mexico 1h 5m

Dinner •Puebla Home Cooking

Tinga de Pollo

Tinga de Pollo is shredded chicken simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle sauce with soft onions, a Puebla home-cooking classic served on crisp tostadas or in warm tacos. One serving is about 300 g. This chicken tinga recipe is weeknight-friendly: poach the chicken, blend the sauce, and let the pot do the rest.

Smoky & Satisfying

Shredded chicken simmered in a tomato and chipotle sauce, spooned over tostadas or folded into tacos.

Pairs Well With
Crisp tostadas with refried beans, crumbled queso fresco and avocado.

Cannelloni al Forno, baked pasta tubes filled with beef and spinach under tomato sauce and melted cheese with pine nuts

Italy 1h 15m

Dinner •Emilia-Romagna Baked Pasta

Cannelloni al Forno

Cannelloni al Forno fills wide pasta tubes with seasoned beef, wilted spinach and creamy ricotta, then bakes them in tomato passata under melted mozzarella and Parmesan. One serving is about 425 g. This cannelloni recipe is the Sunday-dinner cousin of lasagna: same comfort, but every portion is a neat, sauce-filled tube.

Comfort & Warmth

Pasta tubes filled with beef, spinach and ricotta, baked under tomato sauce and bubbling mozzarella.

Pairs Well With
A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette and warm crusty bread.

Pasta & Noodles

Homard Thermidor, lobster halves in the shell with a golden creamy gratin topping and green salad leaves

France 55m

Dinner •Paris Restaurant Classic

Homard Thermidor

Homard Thermidor is lobster meat folded into a creamy mustard and cognac sauce, spooned back into its shell and baked under Gruyere until golden. One serving is about 213 g. This lobster thermidor recipe is a celebration dish from Paris, rich and dramatic, and it comes together in under an hour once the lobsters are cooked.

Luxury & Celebration

Lobster meat in a mustard-spiked cream sauce, returned to its shell and gratinated with Gruyere.

Pairs Well With
Buttered new potatoes and a crisp green salad, with a glass of dry white wine.

Crema Catalana, a golden caramelised custard in a traditional terracotta dish

Spain 30m

Snack & Tea •Catalan Classic Dessert

Crema Catalana

Crema Catalana is a silky milk custard flavoured with citrus zest and cinnamon, chilled until set and finished with a crackling layer of caramelised sugar. One serving is about 132 g. This crema catalana recipe is cooked on the stove, not baked, which is what makes it lighter and fresher-tasting than its French cousin.

Sweet & Light

A chilled milk custard scented with lemon, orange and cinnamon, under a shattering caramel top.

Pairs Well With
Carquinyoli, the crisp Catalan almond biscuit, and a small cup of coffee.

Two triangular onigiri wrapped in dark nori with white rice showing at the top

Japan 45m

Snack & Tea •Japanese Lunchbox Classic

Onigiri

Onigiri are Japan's hand-pressed rice balls: warm short-grain rice seasoned with a pinch of salt, shaped into triangles around a small savoury filling, and wrapped in a sheet of nori. This onigiri recipe makes 8 rice balls with three vegetarian fillings — salty-sour umeboshi plum, sweet-savoury kombu tsukudani and edamame — so a lunchbox never gets boring. One serving is about 188 g, two rice balls.

Portable & Satisfying

Hand-pressed balls of warm seasoned rice with a savoury filling inside, wrapped in crisp nori so they can be eaten with one hand.

Pairs Well With
Green tea, a small bowl of miso soup and a few pickles on the side.

Quick Prep (<30m)

Golden pineapple fried rice with cashews, egg and shrimp served in a hollowed pineapple shell

Thailand 35m

Dinner •Thai Pineapple Boat Classic

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

Thai pineapple fried rice, or khao pad sapparot, is the showpiece version of Thailand's everyday fried rice: day-old jasmine rice tossed in a hot wok with curry powder until golden, then folded with shrimp, egg, sweet pineapple chunks, cashews and raisins. What sets it apart from plain khao pad is the fruit, the nuts and the curry powder, and the way it arrives at the table — piled into a hollowed-out pineapple shell. One serving is about 375 g.

Sweet, Salty & Festive

Golden curry-spiced jasmine rice fried with shrimp, egg and sweet pineapple, studded with cashews and raisins, and served in a hollowed pineapple shell.

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

A plate of steamed banh cuon rice rolls topped with fried shallots, fresh herbs and cucumber

Vietnam 1h 5m

Breakfast •Hanoi Breakfast Classic

Banh Cuon

Banh cuon are Vietnam's steamed rice rolls: a thin rice-flour batter is steamed for seconds into a silky sheet, then rolled around minced pork and wood-ear mushroom and cut into bite-sized pieces. This banh cuon recipe makes about 16 rolls, served warm with fresh herbs, crisp fried shallots, cucumber, slices of cha lua pork sausage and a bowl of nuoc cham for dipping. One serving is about 373 g, four rolls with all the trimmings.

Delicate & Comforting

Silky steamed rice sheets rolled around savoury minced pork and wood-ear mushroom, served warm with herbs, fried shallots and sweet-sour nuoc cham.

Pairs Well With
Nuoc cham for dipping, fresh herbs, cucumber and slices of cha lua, with hot tea.

Scrambled eggs folded through tomato wedges in a light red sauce in a white bowl

China 20m

Lunch •Chinese Home-Cooking Classic

Tomato Egg Stir-Fry

Tomato egg stir-fry, or fan qie chao dan, is the dish Chinese home cooks reach for when there is nothing in the fridge but eggs and tomatoes: the tomatoes are fried until they collapse into a glossy sweet-sour sauce, then soft scrambled eggs are folded through so every bite is half egg, half tomato. This tomato egg stir-fry recipe serves 4 as a side with steamed rice, and it is on the table in 20 minutes. One serving is about 192 g.

Quick & Comforting

Soft scrambled eggs folded through juicy tomatoes that have cooked down into a sweet-sour sauce, ready in 20 minutes with one wok.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice, a quick cucumber salad and a bowl of hot and sour soup.

Quick Prep (<30m)

A pot of spicy Korean ramyeon noodles in red broth, topped with spring onion, mushroom, red chilli and egg yolk

South Korea 20m

Lunch •Seoul Street-Food Classic

Korean Ramyeon

This korean ramyeon recipe turns two packs of instant noodles into a proper lunch: a spicy, savoury broth, a soft egg, melted cheese and crunchy kimchi on the side. One serving is about 668 g, and the whole bowl is ready in 20 minutes.

Comfort & Warmth

A hot, spicy bowl of springy noodles in a rich broth, finished with egg, melted cheese and kimchi.

Pairs Well With
Serve with kimchi and a cold drink; the salty-sour kimchi cuts through the rich, spicy broth.

Pasta & Noodles • Quick Prep (<30m)

Red cig kofte patties served on green lettuce leaves with a lemon wedge

Turkey 25m

Snack & Tea •Southeastern Turkey Street-Food Classic

Cig Kofte

This cig kofte recipe makes soft, spicy Turkish bulgur patties with walnuts, tomato and red pepper paste, and pomegranate molasses — no meat, no cooking, just kneading. One serving is about 221 g, and the patties are ready in 25 minutes.

Light & Fresh

Soft, spicy bulgur and walnut patties with pomegranate molasses — the modern meat-free cig kofte.

Pairs Well With
Serve wrapped in lettuce with lemon wedges; the cool lettuce and sharp lemon balance the spicy, tangy patties.

A green bowl of pale, creamy skordalia potato dip with a drizzle of golden olive oil

Greece 35m

Snack & Tea •Aegean Meze Classic

Skordalia

This skordalia recipe turns boiled potatoes and raw garlic into a smooth, punchy Greek dip, whipped with olive oil, vinegar and lemon. One serving is about 201 g, and the dip is ready in 35 minutes.

Light & Fresh

A bold, creamy potato and garlic dip whipped with olive oil and lemon.

Pairs Well With
Serve with fried cod, warm bread or raw vegetables; the garlicky creaminess loves something crisp or salty alongside.

Quick Prep (<30m)

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