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

2321 dinner ideas matching filters

Reset Filters ×

What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 961–972 of 2321 dinner recipes

A bowl of canjica — creamy white corn pudding with chopped peanuts

Brazil 1h 30m

Snack & Tea •Festa Junina Classic

Canjica

This canjica recipe soaks dried white corn overnight, then simmers it in milk, coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk with cinnamon and cloves until the kernels turn plump and the pot turns creamy. One serving is about 292 g.

Sweet & Creamy

Plump white corn kernels simmered in sweet spiced milk with coconut.

Pairs Well With
Strong Brazilian coffee, cinnamon tea and toasted peanuts

A bowl of creamy arroz con leche rice pudding dusted with cinnamon in a brown clay bowl

Mexico 1h

Snack & Tea •Mexican Home Classic

Arroz con Leche

This arroz con leche recipe simmers rice in water, then in milk with cinnamon, vanilla and sweetened condensed milk until thick and creamy. One serving is about 265 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Creamy cinnamon rice pudding, served warm or chilled.

Pairs Well With
A cup of coffee or Mexican hot chocolate

A slice of golden spinach frittata on a white plate

Italy 40m

Breakfast •Italian Home Classic

Italian Frittata

This frittata recipe beats eggs with spinach, soft onion and Parmesan, cooks the mixture slowly in a pan, then finishes it under the grill until golden. One serving is about 175 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A thick, golden egg cake with spinach, onion and Parmesan.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread and a simple tomato salad

Quick Prep (<30m)

A folded buckwheat galette with ham, melted cheese and a fried egg on a white plate

France 1h 35m

Breakfast •Brittany Creperie Classic

Galettes Bretonnes

This galettes bretonnes recipe rests a buckwheat batter, then cooks it into thin, crisp-edged crepes filled with ham, melted cheese and a fried egg. One serving is about 246 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Crisp buckwheat crepes filled with ham, egg and cheese.

Pairs Well With
Dry Breton cider and a green salad

A bowl of callos a la madrilena, a reddish tripe stew with chorizo and chickpeas

Spain 3h 40m

Dinner •Madrid Tavern Classic

Callos a la Madrilena

This callos a la madrilena recipe braises beef tripe with pig's trotter, chorizo, morcilla and chickpeas in a smoky paprika and tomato sauce until meltingly tender. One serving is about 312 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Slow-braised tripe with chorizo, morcilla and chickpeas.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread and a glass of red wine

Grilled eggplant halves glazed with sweet miso and sprinkled with sesame seeds on a ceramic plate

Japan 30m

Dinner •Japanese Classic

Nasu Dengaku

This nasu dengaku recipe turns a humble eggplant into the star of the table: long Japanese eggplants are grilled until their skins blister and their flesh turns soft and custardy, then brushed thick with a sweet miso glaze and slipped under the heat again until the topping bubbles and caramelises at the edges. The glaze is salty, sweet and deeply savoury all at once, and it sinks into the scored flesh so every bite is flavoured through. One serving is about 165 g.

Sweet & Savory

Grilled eggplant halves brushed with a sweet-savoury miso glaze, finished with sesame and scallion.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice and a light miso soup

A bowl of Thai glass noodle salad with shrimp, minced pork, peanuts, onion and herbs

Thailand 30m

Lunch •Thai Street Classic

Thai Glass Noodle Salad

This Thai glass noodle salad recipe is Thailand's answer to a hot day: springy, translucent glass noodles tossed while still warm with plump shrimp, savoury minced pork, crunchy peanuts and a dressing that hits all four Thai notes at once — sour lime, salty fish sauce, a little sugar, and the sharp heat of bird chillies. Unlike pad thai, which is a stir-fried rice-noodle dish with a sweet tamarind sauce, this is a salad: the noodles are never fried, the dressing is lime-bright, and the whole thing is served cool or just warm, with tomatoes, shallot and herbs for crunch. One serving is about 265 g.

Light & Zesty

Translucent mung-bean glass noodles tossed with shrimp, minced pork, lime, chilli and herbs — a cool, sharp Thai salad.

Pairs Well With
Grilled chicken skewers and a cold Thai iced tea

Crispy salt and pepper shrimp with sliced chillies and scallions in a takeaway container

China 30m

Dinner •Cantonese Classic

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

This salt and pepper shrimp recipe is Cantonese cooking at its most direct: jiao yan xia, big shrimp in a whisper-thin cornstarch coat, fried fast in hot oil until the shells of flavour turn crisp and golden, then tossed in the wok with garlic, fresh chilli, scallion and a salt-and-pepper mix sharpened with Sichuan peppercorn. There is no sauce to hide behind — the crunch of the coating, the sweetness of the shrimp and the warm tingle of the pepper are the whole dish, which is why the frying has to be quick and the oil has to be properly hot. One serving is about 180 g.

Crispy & Bold

Lightly coated shrimp fried crisp, then tossed with garlic, chilli, Sichuan pepper and scallion.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried greens

High Protein

A steaming pot of gamjatang, Korean pork spine soup with potatoes, perilla leaves and a ladle

South Korea 2h

Dinner •Korean Classic

Gamjatang

This gamjatang recipe is Korea's great restorative soup: pork spine and neck bones simmered low and slow until the meat loosens from the bone, in a deep red broth built on doenjang, gochugaru and garlic, with potatoes that cook until they are soft enough to break with a spoon. Perilla leaves and bean sprouts go in at the end for freshness, and the whole pot comes to the table bubbling, to be eaten with rice and kimchi. It is the soup Koreans reach for after a long night or a long week — rich, spicy and deeply comforting. One serving is about 600 g, including the bone-in meat and broth.

Comfort & Warmth

Pork spine simmered until tender in a spicy, savoury broth with potatoes, perilla leaves and bean sprouts.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, kimchi and a cold beer

Soups & Broths

A tray of golden sekerpare — round Turkish semolina cookies with a hazelnut pressed into the centre of each one

Turkey 1h 5m

Snack & Tea •Turkish Bakery Classic

Sekerpare

This sekerpare recipe shapes soft semolina cookies by hand, bakes them golden, then soaks them in a cool lemon syrup until they turn tender and glossy. One serving is about 103 g.

Sweet & Buttery

Soft semolina cookies soaked in lemon syrup, each one topped with a hazelnut.

Pairs Well With
Turkish tea, strong coffee and a spoon of kaymak

A whole golden roast chicken with roasted potato wedges, tomato and feta on a black plate

Greece 1h 35m

Dinner •Greek Sunday Roast Classic

Kotopoulo Lemonato

This kotopoulo lemonato recipe roasts a whole chicken with lemon, garlic and oregano over a tray of potato wedges, so the potatoes cook in the chicken juices and turn golden. One serving is about 317 g.

Zesty & Hearty

A whole chicken roasted with lemon, oregano and potatoes until the skin is crisp and the meat falls off the bone.

Pairs Well With
Greek salad, crusty bread and a glass of white wine

High Protein

Queijadinha — golden-brown coconut and cheese cakes with crisp tops on a glass plate

Brazil 40m

Snack & Tea •Minas Gerais Bakery Classic

Queijadinha

This queijadinha recipe is Brazil's chewy coconut and cheese cake: grated coconut, sweetened condensed milk, grated cheese and eggs, stirred together in one bowl and baked in muffin cups until the tops turn deep golden and crisp. Inside they stay soft, sweet and coconutty, with a salty whisper from the cheese that keeps them from tasting one-note. One serving (one cake) is about 75 g.

Chewy Coconut Treat

Grated coconut, condensed milk, cheese and eggs baked in muffin cups into golden, chewy little cakes with crisp tops.

Pairs Well With
Strong black coffee, fresh fruit, and a light Brazilian lunch beforehand

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