You know that feeling when you get home and your brain has completely checked out? The last thing you want to do is figure out what’s for dinner, let alone follow a complicated recipe. That’s exactly why you need a collection of stupidly simple meals that practically make themselves.
Crock Pot Ramen
When your brain is too fried to deal with dinner, this crock pot ramen is exactly what you need. Just dump everything in the slow cooker and come back hours later to a hot, flavorful bowl that tastes way better than the instant stuff.
Get the Recipe: Crock Pot Ramen
Hawaiian Sheet Pan Chicken
This 30-minute sheet pan dinner is perfect for those nights when you can barely think straight. Chicken, peppers, and pineapple all cook together on one pan with a sweet-tangy sauce, and cleanup is basically nonexistent.
Get the Recipe: Hawaiian Sheet Pan Chicken
Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
Toss chicken thighs in the slow cooker with your seasonings and walk away—that’s the kind of cooking exhausted people need. The chicken comes out tender and flavorful without you having to stand over a stove or think too hard about it.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
Baked Tortellini
When decision fatigue hits hard, this baked tortellini with sausage and marinara requires zero brainpower. It’s comfort food that comes together fast, tastes great, and doesn’t ask much of you after a long day.
Get the Recipe: Baked Tortellini
Walking Taco Casserole
This casserole takes all the flavors of walking tacos and turns them into an easy bake that’s perfect for exhausted weeknights. Ground beef, cheese, veggies, and Fritos come together in one dish that the whole family will actually eat.
Get the Recipe: Walking Taco Casserole
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Legs
For nights when even reading a recipe feels like too much, these slow cooker chicken legs are a lifesaver. Just coat the drumsticks in BBQ sauce, set the slow cooker, and forget about dinner until it’s ready to eat.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Legs
Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
This air fryer teriyaki chicken delivers takeout flavor in 25 minutes with way less effort than ordering in. The chicken gets crispy on the outside and stays juicy inside, all coated in a sweet sticky sauce that makes it worth turning on the air fryer.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
Meatball Sub Bubble Up
With just 5 ingredients, this meatball sub casserole is built for those nights when cooking feels impossible. It’s cheesy, saucy comfort food that comes together with minimal thought and maximum payoff.
Get the Recipe: Meatball Sub Bubble Up
Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
When you’re running on empty but still need to feed people, this Instant Pot chicken comes through in about 30 minutes. The honey garlic sauce adds tons of flavor without requiring you to do much beyond pressing a few buttons.
Get the Recipe: Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Taco Rice Skillet
This one-pan taco rice skillet gets dinner on the table in 20 minutes with only 8 ingredients. It’s the kind of simple, straightforward meal that saves you when your brain has clocked out for the day.
Get the Recipe: Taco Rice Skillet
Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper
This homemade version takes 30 minutes and happens in one pot, making it perfect for exhausted weeknights. You get creamy, cheesy pasta with ground beef that tastes way better than the boxed stuff without much extra effort.
Get the Recipe: Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
This slow cooker beef stew is a dump-and-go situation that’s perfect when you’re too tired to actually cook. Bacon, red wine, and tender beef create rich, deep flavors while you do literally anything else with your evening.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Chicken and Waffle Casserole
With just 5 ingredients, this breakfast casserole is easy enough to make when you’re running on fumes. The sweet and savory combo works for dinner just as well as breakfast when you need something simple that people will actually get excited about.
Get the Recipe: Chicken and Waffle Casserole
Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
Set this chicken in the crock pot with honey and lime, then forget about it until dinner time rolls around. It’s the kind of stress-free meal that works perfectly when you have zero energy left for actual cooking.
Get the Recipe: Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
Swamp Potatoes
This slow cooker sausage, potatoes, and green beans recipe is as simple as it gets for exhausted evenings. Everything goes in the crockpot together and comes out hearty and flavorful without you having to do anything complicated.
Get the Recipe: Swamp Potatoes
Mongolian Meatballs
These meatballs in savory-sweet sauce are easy to throw together when your energy is completely gone. The bold flavors make it seem like you put in way more effort than you actually did.
Get the Recipe: Mongolian Meatballs
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes
When you’re too wiped out to deal with dinner, these slow cooker sloppy joes do all the work for you. Buffalo sauce meets classic sloppy joe comfort in a recipe that cooks itself while you recover from your day.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes