18 Quick Sunday Night Dinner Recipes

Meatballs are the comfort food of choice for many of us. Mixing healthy grains and grated zucchini into these meatballs adds not just bulk and flavor, but also makes them a healthy option. Factor in the time to cook your grains or keep some pre-cooked in your freezer.

For those nights when you could use a rich, satisfying meal but you don't have a lot of time to give, there's this comforting dinner. You can make in about half an hour, and it all cooks in one skillet.

Add cooked barley, grated carrots, and ginger to a burger for their flavors and textures as well as their health benefits. It doesn't hurt that it makes these burgers an economical dinner, too.

Having a few specialty ingredients and condiments on hand can really help when it comes to pulling together a quick dinner—on Sunday or other nights. The Asian pantry staples needed for this meal can all be found in supermarket aisles, and keeping a bag of shrimp in your freezer is always a good idea.

Stirred into cooked pasta and vegetables at the last minute, ricotta makes a simple, creamy sauce. Adding half a cup or so of the pasta-cooking water to the pot will help melt the ricotta and coat all the ingredients. Don't forget to reserve some water before you drain the pasta.

Make this recipe for Sunday supper, but also consider making an extra batch of the fish cakes and storing them in the freezer for the next time you need a quick dinner solution. You could also make a different cod recipe for dinner one night, double the recipe, and save leftover cooked fish to turn into these fish cakes the next.

Baking chicken pieces instead of frying them saves time and clean-up; the chicken goes straight from a buttermilk dip to seasoned, crunchy coating before being popped into the oven.

This version of goulash may be quicker to make than the traditional stew, but it doesn't sacrifice the sweet and warming flavors of peppers, carrots, and paprika.

Cook this quick, simple dinner in one skillet and serve it over rice or with flatbread. You can adapt it using a favorite sausage instead of kielbasa or swapping sour cream or grated cheese in for the yogurt.

A creamy pot of chowder is a wonderful excuse to gather around the table. Serve with buttered, toasted rolls or a baguette, make a green salad, and a delicious dinner is done.

This white chili is seasoned with cumin, jalapeño, cilantro, and just a hint of tomato. Seek out dark-meat turkey instead of white for added richness.

Not only does it result in a quick, restaurant quality dinner, but this recipe also teaches an essential technique. Once you get the hang of folding parchment into an airtight packet, you'll see that this way of cooking has many advantages; it's healthy, minimizes cleanup, and concentrates flavors.

Here's a lighter, quicker version of the classic Chicken Parm. There's no frying, and a simple tomato-onion purée simmers in the oven with the chicken as it cooks.

Oh so versatile, a burrito can be what you want it to be; breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This one's got the meat and the potatoes; we call it a meal in one.

Here are two ingredients worth always keeping on hand: Chinese black bean-garlic sauce and sesame oil. Be sure the sesame oil says toasted on the label, for the distinctive flavor it adds to stir fries and other dishes.

The key to success with stir-frying is the concept of mise-en-place, the French term for having your ingredients ready to go. Once the ingredients are all lined up at the stove, give your full concentration to the wok and you'll turn out this delicious Chinese restaurant dish easily and in no time at all.

Dark meat turkey and pesto give lots of flavor to this bowl of comfort. Whether you've made your own pesto and chicken broth and stored them in the freezer or they're store-bought, this is what we like to think of as convenience food.