17 Best Sunday Dinner Ideas

A quintessential Chinese-American dish, beef and broccoli is a classic that graces the menu at almost every takeout spot across the country. In terms of popularity, it’s right up there with orange chicken, and for very good reason: The combination of tender, seared beef and broccoli tossed in a garlicky, velvety sauce is practically impossible to resist.

Get the Beef & Broccoli recipe.

Our recipe is extra-creamy due to a generous amount of cheese (in our book, no grits are complete without) and butter. We also took this recipe to the next-level by adding in crispy bacon. Not only does this amp up the texture of our dish, but cooking our shrimp in bacon fat adds heaps of flavor. The result is a rich and decadent weeknight dinner (or filling brunch!) we’ll happily dig into any time of year.

Get the Shrimp & Grits recipe.

Rightfully exalted for its brazen, punchy, pull-no-punches demeanor, chicken piccata is a crowning achievement of Italian-American cooking. Salmon piccata is no different—it comes together in one pan, and you don’t need a quintillion ingredients to make it.

Get the Salmon Piccata recipe.

Sunday sauce is a long-standing Italian-American tradition that originated in New York and New Jersey. Also referred to as “Sunday gravy” or “sugo,” Sunday sauce is a tomato and meat sauce that is cooked low and slow all day to develop deep flavor and tenderized meat, but we promise it’s way easier to cook than you think.

Get the Sunday Sauce recipe.

A breaded fried cutlet is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and these cabbage schnitzels are no exception. Coated in crispy golden brown bread crumbs and drizzled with a luscious mushroom gravy, this vegetarian spin on a meaty classic will delight meat lovers and vegetarians alike.

Get the Cabbage Schnitzel recipe.

Coq au vin, or rooster with wine, is a classic French dish that isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Chicken is braised in a silky wine sauce and finished off with butter for the most perfect sauce. Use a nice red wine here and even better if it’s from Burgundy!

Get the Classic Coq Au Vin recipe.

This is certainly not a quick weeknight dinner, BUT, that doesn’t mean it’s hard. Here’s the basic rundown: Sauté bacon, sear beef in bacon fat (yum!), add veggies and stir to coat with flour, add wine and broth, transfer to oven, bake until beef is super-tender, make Julia Child proud.

Get the Beef Bourguignon recipe.

To add another layer of complexity to the finished product, brush the seared tenderloin with mustard. Feel free to use your favorite type—we love a variety with some heat like dijon or spicy brown mustard.

Get the Beef Wellington recipe.

I am firmly in the camp that everyone should know how to properly roast a chicken, and this should be the recipe you try. Tomato butter works wonders on chicken. Not only does it keep the bird moist, but the healthy dose of tomato paste brings a slightly sweet, umami acidity, which chicken could often use. Plus, there are no better veggies than ones that have been roasted underneath a chicken, collecting all of that flavor-packed schmaltz. This is a great way to add some excitement to a classic roast chicken.

Get the Tomato-Butter Roast Chicken recipe.

Even if you’re plant-based, you can *still* get your French onion soup fix! Finishing the “cheese” toasts right in the soup pot makes for an impressive presentation, for sure. But if you’re meal prepping, it’s best to do that job on a sheet tray instead to avoid losing soggy pieces of bread in your leftovers (if there are are any, that is!)

Get the Vegan French Onion Stew recipe.