30 Best Meals To Make When You're Too Tired To Cook

Cooking anything is a labor of love. There are some days when you want to pour your entire heart and soul into a meal, like when you're preparing a romantic dinner for your special someone, or when you want to make beef Wellington to prove to yourself that you can. But there are also some instances when getting anything on the table is the goal. Long nights at the office, caring for kids, or balancing a ton of responsibilities can take a toll on our will to cook. 

As such, we wanted to create a list of our favorite low-effort meals for those times when you just can't summon the willpower to make something extravagant. We made it a point to include something for everyone — plant-based eaters, breakfast lovers, or folks who completely forgot about tomorrow's office potluck included. Although the recipes vary, you'll see some common threads, including a heavy reliance on slow cookers and sheet pans, and instructions that require very little know-how and attention to follow.

A bolognese is probably not a recipe you think can be made in a short amount of time, but our simple sauce recipe will have you thinking differently. It comes together in under half an hour and is perfect for spooning over your favorite pasta shape. 

Our recipe calls for ground beef, but there is no reason you can't swap it out with a lighter option, like chicken, turkey, or even lentils. It's also easy to double or triple the batch, so you can have pasta sauce for the entire week.

Recipe: Simple Weeknight Bolognese

We absolutely love basic "dump" dishes like this vegetarian chili. It just requires you to sauté peppers and onions, before dumping canned vegetables and basic seasonings into a pot and simmering it away.

Although there is no meat, it packs in the flavor with plenty of spices (which you can tailor based on your spice rack and energy levels). Serve it with a side salad, and top the bowls with avocado, sour cream, and chopped cilantro for a flavorful and easy bite. 

Recipe: Basic 3-Bean Vegetarian Chili

We absolutely love a sheet pan dinner on busy weekdays. The salmon is marinated ahead of time and then popped on a single sheet pan with green beans and broccolini. 

Our recipe includes stovetop rice as well, which you can easily prepare in a rice cooker to make it all the more hands-off. This recipe has everything you need for an entire meal, and it would go swimmingly (fish pun intended) with a glass of wine or your favorite cocktail.

Recipe: Roasted Miso Maple Salmon

Looking for a new way to enjoy pizza? Check out our one-pan pizza rice recipe, which only requires you to cook the vegetables in a pan before adding dry rice, a sauce made from pantry staples, and cheese. 

It contains no meat, though you could always add pepperoni on top for a protein and flavor boost. Prepare this one on a busy weeknight; the kids are bound to love it (just as much as you'll love saving money on takeout).

Recipe: One-Pan Veggie Pizza Rice

One-pot meals are about as low effort as it gets, and "low effort" is the best way we'd describe this flavorful turkey pasta recipe, which is packed with protein, inexpensive canned veggies, cheese, and pasta. After the meat and veggies are browned, you can add the pasta, broth, and other ingredients to it.

It's a one-pot staple, and it can be served with a side of extra veggies or bread for dipping. If you prefer, you can bake it rather than cook it on the stovetop, too. 

Recipe: 1-Pot Turkey Taco Pasta

You know we had to hit you with a slow cooker recipe. The turkey and aromatics are all browned in a separate pan before being added to the slow cooker with the rest of your veggies, canned beans, and sauce. It can be left to cook for four to six hours, so you can go about your day without having to worry about stirring or mixing it.

This chili is excellent eaten by the bowl. However, to make it a full meal, try serving it over baked potatoes. 

Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Spicy Turkey Chili

Comfort food doesn't have to be tiresome or take all day to prepare. The rice, sausage, and beans are all cooked in the same pot, which cuts down on the labor and the number of dishes you need to clean. 

All in all, this dish takes an hour to make, but a big chunk of that time is just letting the pot simmer away on your stove. Serve it with a side of cornbread, and be sure to make room in your fridge for the leftovers, which reheat well on day two.

Recipe: One-Pot Red Beans and Rice

You don't have to head to your favorite Thai restaurant when the craving for a rich, creamy curry strikes. This recipe comes together in less than half an hour and is made with mostly pantry staples — including canned pumpkin, coconut milk, and spicy red curry paste.

Aside from chopping and stirring, there is very little work that goes into this recipe — but it still yields a flavorful bowl every time. Plus, you can tailor the spices to your liking, and serve it with garnishes like Thai basil, scallions, or sliced Thai chili.

Recipe: Thai-Inspired Coconut and Pumpkin Soup

Grilled cheese is a lazy meal staple, but this version gives it a facelift. It swaps out the cheap American cheese for mozzarella and gives it a pizza spin with sizzled pepperoni, tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, and a whole lot of flavor.

Although it's more labor-intensive than slapping Kraft Singles between Wonder Bread, it yields a much more gourmet and satisfying result. Serve it with homemade (or canned) tomato soup to make it a more filling lunch — and don't forget to snap some photos of that cheese pull before digging in.

Recipe: Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese

Whether you are looking for a simple brunch, make-ahead breakfast, or breakfast for dinner, you'll want to keep these three-ingredient egg bites up your sleeve. The ingredients are popped into a blender before being poured into a greased muffin tin and baked. As such, it's so easy to customize them with whatever spare veggies you have in your crisper drawer, spices like thyme and herbes de Provence, cooked bacon, and/or cheese. 

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Egg Bites

If you're after a high protein and high fiber dinner that only requires one pan, you've come to the right place. The chickpeas, tomatoes, and onions are cooked ahead of time before the salmon is added and baked away until cooked through. 

The presentation of this dish, complete with mustard greens and capers, looks very gourmet — though you wouldn't expect it based on its simple ingredient list and preparation steps. This is one you can just as easily serve at a dinner party as you could for a weeknight meal with family.

Recipe: 1-Pan Baked Salmon with Mustard Greens and Chickpeas

Steak — from start to finish in 15 minutes? Say less. This dish is Asian-inspired, flavored with ingredients like sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce, and takes very little physical and mental effort to prepare.

It works well served over rice or with a side of steamed broccoli. Our recipe calls for sirloin steak, though you could also swap it out with flank or skirt steak if you would prefer. 

Recipe: Sticky Soy Steak Bites

Cacio e pepe is perhaps one of the easiest pasta dishes to make, coming together in under 15 minutes. There is no meat involved, though you could always serve it with a classic Italian main — or grilled shrimp or chicken — for extra protein and heartiness, or swap the standard bucatini for a higher protein pasta (like one made with chickpeas) for extra nutrients. As long as you are attentive to how long your pasta is cooking, and you have a good set of tongs for tossing, you'll be well on your way to a delicious, stress-free pasta dinner.

Recipe: Simple, Classic Bucatini Cacio e Pepe

Grabbing lunch in between meetings isn't easy, but our spicy Buffalo wrap recipe makes it easier. As long as you have shredded or diced chicken prepared (heck, you can even repurpose a rotisserie chicken), you can have this wrap on the table in less than 15 minutes. Use your favorite Buffalo or hot sauce (or omit it altogether for something less overtly spicy), and don't forget to load it up with plenty of blue cheese, carrots, celery, and lettuce.

Recipe: Spicy Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Of all the recipes on this list, we might just like the chopped Italian sub sandwich the most. It balances whimsy and practicality and is great for when you need to clean out your deli drawer. 

Toss all the components with dressing and layer them on your bread of choice. This is an easy recipe to scale, and it would be excellent for a picnic or if you need to bring something to a potluck but don't feel like cooking. 

Recipe: Chopped Italian Sub Sandwich

All you need is a little bit of foresight to prepare this slow cooker beef chili, which is ready to eat in just about four hours in the slow cooker. It contains all of the things you love about chili — beef, beans, and veggies — and turns it into a mealtime favorite perfect for enjoying on a chilly winter's day. Customize it to your liking by adding extra spice, or use canned or frozen veggies to make things even easier on yourself.

Recipe: Spicy Slow Cooker Beef Chili

Soup recipes can be quite labor- and time-intensive, but they don't have to be. Take this creamy potato leek soup, for example, which is made with a simple list of ingredients and comes together in under an hour (though most of this time is spent cooking the potatoes). This is one that arguably tastes better on day two, so you'll want to stock up on crusty bread so that you have something to eat the leftovers with.

Recipe: Classic Creamy Potato Leek Soup

This takeout-worthy dish comes together in 20 minutes and is like a cheaper (and far tastier) version of what you would get from your favorite Chinese-American restaurant. The boneless, skinless chicken breasts stay super juicy and soft, and the flavorful sauce made with chili paste, garlic, and rice vinegar drives it all home. Serve this protein-rich chicken dish with steamed broccoli or rice, or try your hand at pork fried rice and homemade egg rolls if you're feeling particularly adventurous (and have a little extra energy left).

Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Sesame Chicken

When you hear "mole," you may assume the recipe will take forever. While the sauce has a very close and time-honored connection with Mexico, our version gives you all of the fun and flavor with a fraction of the effort. 

The mole is prepared in a high speed blender before it's layered over the chicken thighs and cooked in — you guessed it — a slow cooker. This one comes with stovetop rice, but you can always turn to your rice cooker for a more hands-off side dish. Garnish both the rice and the mole with cilantro for a meal you probably didn't know you could pull together on a weeknight. 

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Mole

Tuna casserole might strike you as a "struggle meal," but this flavorful, upgraded version is anything but. The ingredients are all cooked in the same pot, which is prepared on the stovetop before being thrown in the oven to finish. 

Most of the cooking time here is spent simmering or baking, which means less work for you. Serve it with a glass of your favorite Spanish wine for a crowd-pleasing dinner that bears little resemblance to the soggy and sad tuna casserole of yesteryear.

Recipe: Spanish Romesco-y Tuna Casserole

It turns out you don't have to travel to Chili's to get your hands on tasty fajitas. This recipe is so simple; you just need to remember to let the chicken marinate for a couple of hours. The actual hands-on work is very minimal, and you can customize your fajitas with your favorite toppings, including salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and refried beans. May we suggest a homemade chocolate molten lava cake for dessert?

Recipe: Simple One-Pan Chicken Fajitas

It doesn't get much more hands-off than pulled pork made in a slow cooker. The massive cut of pork sits in the appliance for six to eight hours before it's removed, shredded, and cooked with your favorite sauce. Barbecue is a favorite, though you can also spice it up with a Tex-Mex-inspired seasoning blend for a play on carnitas. Eat the leftovers within a couple of days, or freeze it so you can enjoy it some other time.

Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Why slave over a conventional layered lasagna when you can throw all of the components in a bowl and get the same effect? Okay, maybe it's not the same thing as your Nonna's lasagna recipe, but this one is still soup-er flavorful. It's made with sausage, which adds extra fat and flavor that are soaked up by the lasagna sheets, spinach, and alliums. In true lasagna fashion, each bowl is garnished with a dollop of seasoned ricotta and cheese.

Recipe: Super Creamy One-Pot Lasagna Soup

There is something very homey and cozy about soup, and it gets even better when you find a recipe that requires so little work and mental effort. It's made with ingredients that you may already have on hand, including tomato paste, onions, canned chickpeas, and (frozen) green peas. Though the ingredient list is simple, it's very wholesome and tastes even better when enjoyed with a side of bread.

Recipe: Basic Tomato and Herb Vegetable Soup

What can't you do with leftover rotisserie chicken? We won't answer that question, but we will offer you a recipe made with this versatile protein instead. 

It has all of the ingredients you know and love in Asian-inspired soup, including bean thread noodles, soy sauce, and garlic cloves, and is just as approachable as other soups on this list. Most of its 35-minute cooking time is spent simmering away on the stove, which means you can focus on other things instead of babysitting the pot.

Recipe: Hawaiian-Style Chicken Long Rice

We can probably all be better about meal-prepping. This recipe makes it easy, especially for folks who have never made their own granola bars before. After a few minutes on the stove, the oat mixture is mixed, molded, and left to sit for a couple of hours until it holds together as a bar.

It's easy to customize this recipe with dried fruit, unique nut butters, and warming spices. Kids are bound to love them just as much as adults love how easy they are to make. 

Recipe: No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Breakfasts can't get easier than overnight oats. This recipe packs in tons of flavor, thanks to the earthy matcha, fresh blueberries, and slivered almonds. Pack everything into a jar the night before, and grab a jar on your way out the door in the morning. The jars need to sit for at least eight hours so the oats can soak up all the liquid, so remember to bookmark this recipe for when you need to meal-prep breakfasts for the week. 

Recipe: Matcha Almond Overnight Oats

It's time to, once again, reach for your slow cooker to prepare this chunky split pea soup. You can make it on the stovetop, but adding all of your ingredients to a slow cooker is just so much easier. 

The prep itself only takes 10 minutes, and as long as you give it the full five or so hours in the slow cooker, you'll be setting yourself up for soup success. Serve with crusty bread, and don't skimp on the herbs.

Recipe: Chunky Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

This recipe is so easy that it doesn't even require you to crack any eggs! As long as you have a container of liquid egg whites, you will be setting yourself up for one of the simplest breakfasts possible. 

Each well is filled with feta, seasoning, diced ham, and sun-dried tomatoes, which give the bites a uniquely Mediterranean spin. Most of the 40-minute cook time requires little work on your part, and you can always customize this recipe based on what you have in the fridge. 

Recipe: Ham and Feta Egg White Bites

Skip over the uber-complicated eggs Benedict and make this slow-cooker steel-cut oatmeal for a crowd instead. All of the ingredients are added to a slow cooker where they simmer for about seven hours before being garnished with nuts and brown sugar. The steel-cut oats add a ton of texture, while the warming spices make this a dish perfect for fall, especially when paired with a cozy cup of coffee.

Recipe: Apple-Cinnamon Slow Cooker Steel-Cut Oatmeal