Kitchen Tips How To Dinner Fix 12 Low-Effort Dinners That Include Meat Solve the weeknight dilemma with these easy recipes featuring hamburger, chicken, pork, and more. By Stacey Ballis Stacey Ballis Stacey Ballis is a novelist, cookbook author, freelance food and lifestyle journalist, and recipe developer who specializes in culinary fiction, and empowering home cooks to create extraordinary cooking and dining experiences for themselves and their loved ones. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Published on July 26, 2023 Trending Videos Photo: DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS We’ve all been there: a weeknight when you’re stressed and want an easy meal that’s going to please everyone…but everyone at your table wants meat at suppertime. Can you pull off a protein-forward dinner that’s low on effort but high on flavor? The answer is yes, thanks to these 12 easy recipes that feature hamburger, chicken, pork, and even corned beef! 01 of 12 Cheesy Hamburger Rice Casserole Dotdash Meredith Food Studios With just five ingredients and absolutely no muss and no fuss, this casserole was called “Hamburger Jazz” by the recipe submitter’s grandmother. It’s a complete meal in one dish, but you can add a small salad if you are craving some crunch. View Recipe 02 of 12 Simple Beef Stroganoff Snacking in the Kitchen This classic beef stroganoff ups the protein ante when you might have been thinking of whipping up just pasta for dinner. And buttery egg noodles topped with a creamy meat sauce is peak comfort food for a cozy weeknight at home. View Recipe 03 of 12 Reuben Casserole DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS If you love a Reuben sandwich, you’ll adore this casserole version of the traditional deli treat. Layers of sauerkraut, corned beef, Swiss cheese, rye bread crumbs, and Russian-style salad dressing make for a baked dish that comes together quickly and satisfies completely. View Recipe 04 of 12 Super Easy Sloppy Joes mominml One of the easiest meat-forward suppers to throw together will always be sloppy joes. This sweet and savory meat sauce can be served in the traditional way inside a bun, or you can get inventive. Try it as a topper for a baked white or sweet potato, on top of rice or pasta, or even with polenta. View Recipe 05 of 12 Broccoli Chicken Divan Reyna This chicken dish may feel a bit retro–my mother made it on the regular back in the 70s–but it was popular for a reason. A true one-dish meal, broccoli, chicken, and cheese come together with a sauce made of cream of broccoli soup that is at once nostalgic and new all over again. View Recipe 06 of 12 Chicken Pesto Pizza fabeveryday Think homemade pizza can’t be simple? This version leans into store-bought crusts, precooked chicken strips, and a jar of pesto for a take on pizza that dare we say brings a bit of elegance to a toss-together dish. View Recipe 07 of 12 Creamy Chicken Marsala fabeveryday If you have 20 minutes, this chicken marsala can be on your table! Pair this classic recipe with microwaved or boil-in-bag rice to make your life even easier. View Recipe 08 of 12 Mississippi Pot Roast bb Sometimes easy dinners mean some early-in-the-day prep. This slow-cooker recipe can be tossed together at breakfast and simmered all day so that you come home to a hot meal. View Recipe 09 of 12 Slow Cooker Dump and Go Cheesy Chicken Paula T Another slow-cooker fave, this cheesy chicken is so simple your kids can make it! Just five ingredients and a low simmer in your slow cooker, and you have the basis for a great dinner with hands-off ease. View Recipe 10 of 12 Oven-Fried Pork Chops DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS Pork chops are a great cut for simple dinners, but when you don’t have the bandwidth for fussing over a pan, let the oven do the work! You’ll have all the crunch of a fried pork chop in less than 20 minutes. View Recipe 11 of 12 Bacon and Parmesan Penne Pasta Christina If you love carbonara-style pasta but don’t want to fool around with eggs, try this updated version of bacon and Parmesan penne, which packs a great bacon punch in a quick and easy weeknight supper. View Recipe 12 of 12 One Pan Orecchiette Pasta We love a one-pan pasta dish, and this version of a traditional orecchiette with sausage and greens has everything you need for a hearty and satisfying dinner. And there’s just one pot to wash when you’re finished! View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit