Friday Night Dinner Ideas
Easily plan dinner for Friday night and kick off your weekend celebration with this Friday Night Dinner Ideas Roundup!
Each of these recipes are kid-friendly and kid-approved! They require minimal ingredients, are packed with flavor and only take 30 minutes or less to make!
![Easy Friday night dinner ideas are shown in a collage of images.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Roundup-Featured-Image-Collage.png)
We are kicking of this easy Friday night dinner ideas roundup with a BANG! This pesto tortellini pasta is seriously so crazy easy to make. You just need 4 ingredients — yep, just 4 — and 10 minutes!
![A close up photo of Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad tossed with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts in a white bowl.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/pesto-tortellini-pasta-recipe-square.jpg)
This is such a fun way to do Friday night pizza without having to make the dough, wait for it to rise, etc. etc. Using French bread makes it easy, quick and yet fun and delicious!
![Overhead view of French Bread Pizza with pepperoni on top and a basil garnish.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/French-Bread-Pizza-4.jpg)
This is an easy homemade meal that has simple ingredients and is very healthy, too! It’s a fun take on stuffed peppers and a quicker way to make them.
![A bowl of Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers on a white linen napkin.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/deconstructed-stuffed-peppers-featured.jpg)
This lemon pasta is creamy and delicious! It requires very few ingredients and yet is so tasty! It’s a favorite of ours and a frequent Friday meal for our family.
![A white plate with a helping of lemon pasta on it, garnished with fresh parsley.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/lemon-pasta-new.jpg)
Turn your pre-made/frozen chicken tenders into a restaurant-style menu item with this delicious homemade Wingers sticky fingers sauce! It’s a great dinner idea for a Friday night!
![](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Wingers-Sticky-Fingers-featured.jpg)
You may think the recipe list for this bucatini cacao e pepe is too simple, but believe me, it has a delicate and delicious flavor! It’s a great kid-friendly and easy dinner idea!
![Bucatini Cacio e Pepe noodles in a skillet pan with kitchen tongs turning the noodles over.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/bucatini-cacio-e-pepe-square.jpg)
I couldn’t make a Friday night dinner recipes roundup without including this sesame noodles recipe! My kids love it and so do my husband and I! It’s such a fun Asian take on noodles.
![A black pot with spaghetti noodles coated in a sesame cilantro sauce topped with chicken, green onions, and cilantro.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Sesame-Noodles-1.jpg)
Salmon is a perfect Friday meal because salmon cooks so quickly! Add in some delicious (seriously so stinking good!) homemade sauce and you just made a fancy meal for Friday night in no time at all!
![Salmon Burgers with dill sauce on a bun against a white background.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/salmon-burgers-dill-sauce.jpg)
You’ve probably heard me say this already, but I make this meal like 4 times a month. It comes together so quickly, doesn’t require many ingredients, is deliciously creamy and such a fun and unique flavor. It’s got everything going for it 😂
![A plate of Cajun Sausage Pasta with sliced green and red pepper in the dish, on a gray plate.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/cajun-sausage-pasta-featured.jpg)
Do you like doing Friday night pizza night? Mix it up with these homemade pizza rolls! Cut out some prep time by using store-bought pizza dough or pre-made pizza dough you’ve frozen and thawed! Queue up the movie night!
![Two hands pulling a pizza roll apart showing the stretchy mozzarella cheese and pepperoni inside.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/best-pizza-rolls.jpg)
A healthy burger? Really? Yes, truly. These taco turkey burgers are simple and easy to make and take a fun Mexican twist on hamburgers.
![A Taco Turkey Burger on a bun with lettuce and tomatoes and orange cheese, against a white background.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/taco-turkey-burger-featured.jpg)
I believe that adding goat cheese to a dish is a surefire way to make something not fancy totally fancy! So break out the goat cheese and make your family think you spent tons of time making a restaurant-style pasta dish (they don’t need to know it took less than 30 minutes 😉!)
![Asparagus Spinach Pasta in a black bowl on a dark gray colored linen napkin, with goat cheese garnishing the pasta.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/asparagus-spinach-pasta.jpg)
Before you see the 3 hours bit on this recipe, let me ease your mind! This recipe takes like 5 minutes max to put together and then it cooks in the crockpot for 3 hours. I decided to include it in this roundup because the amount of time you need to worry about dinner is only 5 minutes! Let the crockpot do the rest!
![Overhead photo of easy crock pot BBQ Pineapple Meatballs in a bowl.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/BBQ-pineapple-meatballs.jpg)
Want to make a special Friday night meal but don’t have the time to spending an hour in the kitchen? I’m telling you, salmon is the key! This easy salmon recipe is so flavorful and delicious and yet quick and easy to make!
![Seared Lemon Honey Glazed Salmon in a black skillet.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/honey-lemon-salmon-featured.jpg)
My kids love these English muffin pizzas! They can help make them and customize them by choosing whatever toppings they’d like. It’s a fun way to make dinner time a family activity, too!
![Three English muffin pizzas topped with mini pepperoni's on a gray plate.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/English-Muffin-Pizzas-4.jpg)
Dinner is ready in 20 minutes with this chickpea gyros recipe! You can spend an extra 5 minutes and make my homemade tzatziki sauce, or don’t even worry about it and grab some homemade sauce from the store if you have 20 minutes and that’s it. Such a tasty recipe in no time at all!
I know you are tempted to grab one of those store-bought bottles of Alfredo sauce, but with just a few ingredients and a few extra minutes you have have the best homemade alfredo sauce! You’ll taste the difference while being grateful it didn’t take long at all!
![Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo in a black skillet with kitchen tongs being used to mix the creamy pasta.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Fettuccine-Alfredo.jpg)
This creamy Tuscan chicken tastes great on its own or you can put it on top of pasta or rice. It’s a fun Italian dish the entire family will love!
![Creamy Tuscan Chicken in a black skillet with sun dried tomatoes and spinach in the sauce.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/creamy-tuscan-chicken-featured.jpg)
You can probably tell my kiddos love pasta! Which is why I’ve had to get creative and find new and healthy ways to make pasta for dinner. This tuna carbonara is a fun twist, while still keeping the noodles simple for those young eaters!
![Tuna Carbonara on a plate that's resting on a mauve napkin.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Tuna-Carbonara-featured.jpg)
Elevate your quick cheesy quesadillas by making this Greek spin! Quesadillas can be delicious and packed with flavor and healthy ingredients while still being easy to make! Give them a try and let me know what you think!
![Cut Greek Quesadillas against a white background.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/greek-quesadillas-square-.jpg)
Pesto pasta is a frequent request for dinner. Adding some tiny mozzarella and some cherry tomatoes and a seemingly simple dinner is now fun, fancy and delicious!
![A bowl of creamy pesto pasta with tomatoes and mozzarella balls.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Pesto-Pasta-with-Tomatoes-featured.jpg)
Another delicious and creamy chicken recipe added to the docket with this creamy dijon chicken! Eat it alone with a side of vegetables or put it over rice.
![A spoon pouring creamy mustard sauce over a Chicken Dijon breast.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/chicken-dijon.jpg)
Take a trip to southern Italy this weekend with this classic penne pomodoro pasta recipe! It’s easy and quick to make but packed with fresh flavors.
![A white plate full of red Penne Pomodoro pasta topped with fresh basil.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Penne-Pomodoro-6.jpg)
This is a fun creamy pasta recipe with zucchini that everyone in the family will love! Feeding younger mouths? Cut out or reduce the red pepper flakes; dinner for two? Kick up the heat and double the red pepper flakes instead!
![A close up photo of Pasta with Zucchini and Ricotta in a black pot.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/zucchini-and-ricotta-pesto-pasta-square.jpg)
This recipe from How Sweet Eats is so simple and so delicious! I’m telling you, adding goat cheese is an easy fancy factor!
![20 Minute Summer Squash Pasta with Brown Butter & Goat Cheese.](https://www.howsweeteats.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/squash-pasta-skillet-5.jpg)
Did you make one of these recipes? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below the recipe card on each recipe post you made and let me know how you liked it! Stay up-to-date by following us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
One Comment on “Friday Night Dinner Ideas”
Hello Whitney and thanks for this great list.
is there anyway to contact you directly?