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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193

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4 Slots

Breakfast to Snack

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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1177–1188 of 2321 dinner recipes

Feijão tropeiro in a pan — beans with cassava flour, chopped egg, pork cracklings and parsley

Brazil 45m

Dinner •Minas Gerais Tropeiro Cooking

Feijao Tropeiro

This feijao tropeiro recipe is the Minas Gerais classic: tender carioca beans folded in a hot pan with crisp bacon, calabresa sausage and scrambled egg, then bound with toasted cassava flour and fresh collard greens until the whole pan turns dry, crumbly and smoky. It is the food the tropeiros — the mule drivers of colonial Brazil — carried on their long journeys, and it is still the dish of the Mineirão stadium on match days. One serving is about 325 g.

Hearty, Smoky & Rustic

Feijão tropeiro is a Minas Gerais one-pan dish — beans, bacon, sausage and egg folded through toasted cassava flour until dry and crumbly.

Pairs Well With
Serve with white rice, shredded collard greens and a slice of orange, with a cold beer or sugar-cane juice on the side.

Mexican shrimp ceviche with tomato, red onion and cucumber piled on a crisp tostada with avocado

Mexico 45m

Lunch •Sinaloa Heritage

Mexican Shrimp Ceviche

This mexican shrimp ceviche recipe cures small pieces of raw shrimp in fresh lime juice until they turn opaque and firm, then folds them with tomato, red onion, cucumber and jalapeno in a tomato-clam juice. It is served cold on crisp tostadas with avocado — bright, spicy and sour, with no cooking at all. One serving is about 360 g.

Light & Refreshing

Raw shrimp cured in lime juice with tomato, onion and chilli, served cold on crisp tostadas.

Pairs Well With
Crisp corn tostadas, sliced avocado and an ice-cold Mexican lager or agua fresca.

Pasta primavera with tagliatelle, asparagus, peas and grated Parmesan on a white plate

Italy 40m

Dinner •Italian Heritage

Pasta Primavera

This pasta primavera recipe tosses tagliatelle with asparagus, peas, green beans, zucchini and cherry tomatoes in a light cream sauce with garlic, lemon and Parmesan. It is the spring pasta of Italy — green, fresh and quick, on the table in 40 minutes. One serving is about 430 g.

Fresh & Green

Tagliatelle tossed with spring vegetables — asparagus, peas and green beans — in a light cream and Parmesan sauce.

Pairs Well With
A simple green salad and crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Pasta & Noodles

Ile flottante with a white meringue island in vanilla custard with caramel and a raspberry

France 45m

Snack & Tea •French Heritage

Ile Flottante

This ile flottante recipe poaches soft meringue clouds in milk, then floats them on a vanilla creme anglaise with a drizzle of caramel. It is the classic French dessert — light, sweet and elegant, and it uses the whole egg: whites for the island, yolks for the custard. One serving is about 220 g.

Light & Elegant

Clouds of poached meringue floating on vanilla custard, finished with golden caramel.

Pairs Well With
A small cup of black coffee or a glass of dessert wine.

Whole roast suckling pigs with golden crackling on a tray in a Segovia restaurant, being cut with a plate

Spain 3h 30m

Dinner •Segovian Heritage

Cochinillo Asado

This cochinillo asado recipe roasts a whole suckling pig the Segovian way — salted, basted with its own fat and a little lard, and cooked slowly until the meat is tender and the skin shatters. In Segovia it is famously cut with the edge of a plate to prove how tender it is. One serving is about 300 g.

Rich & Celebratory

A whole milk-fed suckling pig, salted and slow-roasted in a clay dish until the skin turns to golden crackling.

Pairs Well With
Roast potatoes, a simple green salad and a glass of Ribera del Duero red.

High Protein

A glass bowl of hiyashi chuka — cold noodles topped with ham strips, egg strips, cucumber, tomato, bean sprouts and wakame

Japan 35m

Lunch •Sendai Summer Classic

Hiyashi Chuka

This hiyashi chuka recipe is Japan's classic cold ramen: chilled wheat noodles topped with strips of egg, ham, cucumber, tomato, bean sprouts and wakame, all dressed in a tangy soy-vinegar sauce with a dab of mustard. There is no hot broth — the noodles are dressed, not submerged. One serving is about 410 g.

Light & Refreshing

Chilled ramen noodles with colourful cold toppings and a tangy soy-vinegar dressing — a light Japanese summer lunch, served cold.

Pairs Well With
Iced barley tea and pickled vegetables

Pasta & Noodles • Quick Prep (<30m)

A platter of grilled river prawns with charred shells and a small bowl of Thai seafood dipping sauce

Thailand 30m

Dinner •Thai Street Grill Classic

Thai Grilled Shrimp

This thai grilled shrimp recipe is goong yang, the Thai street-grill classic: large river prawns grilled over high heat until their shells turn orange-red and the meat is just opaque, served with nam jim — a fiery seafood dipping sauce of garlic, chilli, lime, fish sauce and palm sugar. One serving is about 270 g.

High-Protein Grill

Large prawns grilled over high heat and served with a fiery garlic-lime seafood sauce — a lean Thai street-food dinner.

Pairs Well With
Sticky rice and green papaya salad

A bowl of mien vit tiem — egg noodles and roast duck in dark herbal broth with bok choy and green onions

Vietnam 2h

Lunch •Saigon Chinese-Vietnamese Classic

Mien Vit Tiem

This mien vit tiem recipe is Vietnam's dark, herbal duck noodle soup: duck legs braised in a five-spice broth with shiitake mushrooms, jujubes and goji berries, served over slippery yellow egg noodles with bok choy. The broth is dark and aromatic, not clear like pho, and that is what sets it apart. One serving is about 600 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Duck legs braised in a dark five-spice herbal broth with mushrooms and egg noodles — a rich, warming Vietnamese noodle soup.

Pairs Well With
Pickled green papaya and iced tea

Soups & Broths • Pasta & Noodles

A plate of scallion oil noodles topped with crisp fried scallions, fresh green onion and sesame seeds

China 30m

Lunch •Shanghai Street Classic

Scallion Oil Noodles

This scallion oil noodles recipe is Shanghai's cong you ban mian: thin wheat noodles tossed in a fragrant oil made by frying scallions low and slow until they turn golden and crisp, seasoned with light and dark soy sauce and a pinch of sugar. No meat, no oyster sauce, no lard — just noodles, scallions, oil and soy. One serving is about 280 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Thin wheat noodles tossed in slow-fried scallion oil with soy sauce and a pinch of sugar — a quick Shanghai classic, fully vegetarian.

Pairs Well With
Smashed cucumber salad and hot and sour soup

Pasta & Noodles • Quick Prep (<30m)

A white plate of glossy deep-red stir-fried octopus in gochujang sauce, with curled tentacles visible

South Korea 35m

Dinner •Mugyo-dong Spicy Classic

Nakji Bokkeum

This nakji bokkeum recipe stir-fries tender small octopus in a fiery gochujang and gochugaru sauce with onion, cabbage and carrot, finished with sesame oil and green onions. One serving is about 306 g.

Bold & Fiery

Tender small octopus in a fiery gochujang sauce — one of Korea's most famous spicy mains.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, bean sprout soup and cool pickled cucumber

A white bowl of turlu, a Turkish mixed vegetable stew with potatoes, green beans and eggplant in a tomato sauce

Turkey 1h 10m

Dinner •Ottoman Everyday Stew

Turlu

This turlu recipe braises potatoes, green beans, eggplant, zucchini, carrots and peppers in one pot with tomatoes, tomato paste and paprika — a gentle water-braise, not a roast, with no Provençal herbs. One serving is about 549 g.

Light & Wholesome

A one-pot braise of potatoes, green beans, eggplant and zucchini in tomato and paprika — vegan and gluten-free.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, plain rice and a spoonful of yoghurt on the side (omit yoghurt to keep it vegan)

A slice of Kefalonian kreatopita, a Greek meat pie with a golden crust and a beef and rice filling

Greece 2h

Dinner •Kefalonian Festive Pie

Kreatopita

This kreatopita recipe bakes diced beef, rice, tomato, cinnamon and mint in a golden olive-oil pastry kneaded with white wine — a deep, festive pie from the island of Kefalonia, finished with feta and egg. One serving is about 300 g.

Hearty & Festive

Spiced beef and rice baked in a golden wine-kneaded pastry — the festive meat pie of Kefalonia.

Pairs Well With
Greek salad, lemon potatoes and a glass of red 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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Antigua and Barbuda

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Central African Republic

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Republic of the Congo

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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

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.