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Break your takeout habit for good with these 15 meal ideas

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By Leah Ingram

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Are you looking to break your takeout habit? Sure, it’s the easy way out but it’s also expensive. That’s why you’re going to love these 15 meal ideas that will work for a dinner any day of the week.

A pan of linguine pasta mixed with tomato sauce and herbs sits on a green and red checkered cloth.
Easy Pasta Puttanesca. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Easy Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole

Close-up of cheesy hash brown casserole on a fork.
Easy Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Takeout from your local Mexican joint has no chance against this Easy Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole. With just five ingredients, you can grab leftover rice, chicken and cheese to make dinner fast.
Get the Recipe: Easy Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole

Fast No Rise Pizza Dough

A man is kneading dough in a metal bowl.
Fast No Rise PIzza Dough. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

With this fast, no-rise pizza dough recipe, you can have a pizza party at home in no time and for just pennies. So, go ahead and delete that pizza app from your phone. You won’t be needing it anymore.
Get the Recipe: Fast No Rise PIzza Dough

Broccoli Chicken Cheese Casserole

A close-up of a baked broccoli and cheese casserole in a white dish.
Broccoli Chicken Cheese Casserole. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

The broccoli in this Broccoli Chicken Cheese Casserole is hidden under layers or gooey, yummy cheese, so much so that your picky eaters won’t even realize they’re getting in their greens. Plus, it’s the tastiest casserole ever!
Get the Recipe: Broccoli Chicken Cheese Casserole

Fried Chicken in the Crock Pot

Two cooked chicken thighs on a red dish, a bowl of cherry tomatoes behind, and a slow cooker in the background.
Fried Chicken in the Crock Pot. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

A slow cooker or Crock Pot can really save your dinner butt on busy weeknights. This “fried” chicken recipe is one my family begs me to make over and over again. I’ll bet yours will, too, once they taste it.
Get the Recipe: Fried Chicken in the Crock Pot

Copycat Trader Joe’s Arancini Rice Balls

A person pulling apart a gooey, cheese-filled arancini with more of the fried rice balls and sauce in the background.
Copycat Trader Joe’s Arancini Rice Balls. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

This recipe for Copycat Trader Joe’s Arancini Rice Balls is one that you didn’t know you needed. If you have leftover risotto from another night, you can easily turn them into delicious fried rice balls you serve with sauce.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Trader Joe’s Arancini Rice Balls

Honey Chipotle Steak and Potatoes

A fork piercing a piece of a seasoned roasted potato.
Honey Chipotle Steak and Potatoes. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

This Honey Chipotle Steak and Potatoes recipe lets you serve up delicious seasoned potatoes with tender steak bites in a sweet and smoky sauce, all in under 30 minutes. Takeout couldn’t get here faster if it tried.
Get the Recipe: Honey Chipotle Steak and Potatoes

Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta in One Pot

A close-up of creamy macaroni and cheese garnished with parsley.
Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta in One Pot. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

It’s crazy to think that you can make an elaborate pasta dish with meat in one pot and in under 30 minutes. However, this Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta in One Pot recipe is all that and more.
Get the Recipe: Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta in One Pot

Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce

A hand holding a slice of freshly baked pizza with cheese stretching between the slice and the rest of the pizza.
Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Once you’ve made the fast, no-rise pizza dough mentioned earlier, the world is your oyster when it comes to making pizza at home. Try this tangy Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce. Your tastebuds with thank you.
Get the Recipe: Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce

Breakfast Charcuterie for Dinner

A spread of assorted breakfast foods including bagels, pastries, fruit, and coffee on a patterned tablecloth.
Breakfast Charcuterie. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Breakfast for dinner. That never gets old. So if you have all of the fixings for a Breakfast Charcuterie Board, you can wow your family when you whip this out for supper tonight.
Get the Recipe: Breakfast Charcuterie

Steak in the Air Fryer

Close-up of a fork holding a piece of medium-rare cooked beef steak, with visible seasonings and a slice of lemon in the background.
Steak in the Air Fryer. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Using your air fryer to cook steak is a great option when you want a grilled flavor without having to fire up the grill.
Get the Recipe: Steak in the Air Fryer

Easy Pasta Puttanesca

A pot of simmering tomato sauce next to another pot with boiling pasta on a stovetop, steam visible.
Easy Pasta Puttanesca. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Your family won’t believe that this Easy Pasta Puttanesca recipe didn’t come from your local Italian restaurant. You won’t believe how easy it is to cook and how fast you can get it on the table for dinner.
Get the Recipe: Easy Pasta Puttanesca

Barbecue Sauce Chicken Drumsticks in Air Fryer

A close-up of chopsticks holding a piece of glazed, grilled chicken. The chicken appears juicy and well-cooked.
Barbecue Sauce Chicken Drumsticks in Air Fryer. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

There are a couple of reasons we think you’re going to love learning about how to make BBQ drumsticks in the air fryer. One is it it is much neater than cooking them on the grill.
Get the Recipe: Barbecue Sauce Chicken Drumsticks in Air Fryer

Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

Close-up of a stack of seasoned, grilled chicken drumsticks, with one drumstick partially eaten, revealing moist, cooked meat inside. A lemon wedge and herbs are visible in the background.
Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

You can get the taste of fried chicken without oil or the mess when you make these chicken drumsticks in the air fryer. Prep and cooking time is 30 minutes.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

Easy Shrimp Scampi

A blue bowl filled with shrimp and rice, topped with green herbs, with a metal spoon in the bowl.
Easy Shrimp Scampi. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

Shrimp scampi is a quick and easy meal that will certainly impress your guests. With minimal prep time, it lets you serve up a meal that many will think came from a restaurant.
Get the Recipe: Easy Shrimp Scampi

Copycat Supermarket Chicken Rotisserie

Close-up of a roasted chicken with crispy, golden-brown skin seasoned with herbs and coarse salt, on a wooden cutting board.
Copycat Supermarket Chicken Rotisserie. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.

This recipe for how to cook a whole chicken in an air fryer will change your mind about supermarket rotisserie chicken forever. It is far cheaper and far more delicious.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Supermarket Chicken Rotisserie

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