Are you worn out after a busy work day and too tired to prepare a five course meal? Treat your loved ones to tasty dinners even when you’re short on time. Here are some fast and easy main dishes and weeknight meals for busy moms and dads. Add a light salad and a soup to any of these and you have a satisfying evening meal.
Take it further by adopting the German concept of Abendbrot. Traditionally served between 6 and 7 pm, Abendbrot is a lighter evening meal usually consisting of bread, cheese, deli meat, and pickles. Browse our collection of Abendbrot recipes for inspiration.
Zucchini Potato Pancakes
Adding grated zucchini to the ever popular potato pancake ups the nutritional content and flavor factor too.
Cabbage Strudel
Starting with store-bought puff pastry helps this savory strudel come together in under half and hour. Serve with salad and maybe soup, and you’ve got a light and tasty healthy dinner.
Corn Soup Express
Corn kernels (fresh, frozen or from a can) combine with stock, potatoes and garnished with cubed bacon and parsley brings a quick nutritious meal to the table. Just add bread and salad.
Spinach Gnocchi with Ham and Egg
Shortcuts such as fresh store-bought gnocchi and frozen creamed spinach help bring this meal to the table in under 30 minutes.
Noodle Soup with Fresh Peas & Prosciutto
Creamy, heavy split pea soup is traditional in Germany. This modern take is a much lighter, more healthful version, with lean German smoked prosciutto and fresh spring peas. It would be an appropriate Abendbrot meal, along with some hearty German bread or a thin cheese sandwich.
Beet Salad
This light salad would be perfect with a thin sandwich of hearty German bread and Black Forest ham. Instead of using cheese and walnuts separately, it saves a step by using a walnut-studded soft cheese imported from Germany. And the pickled beets bring only 8 calories to the recipe per serving.
Potato Pancakes with Caramelized Onions and Apples
Starting with a mix makes these potato pancakes quick and easy; the added flavors of apples, caramelized onions and sour cream or quark make them delicious.
Sausage Skewers with Mango and Bell Pepper (Bratwurstspiess mit Mango und Paprika)
With only three ingredients, this dish is surely simple, and the mango brings unexpected color and flavor to grilled sausage skewers.
Stuffed Veal Cutlet (Gefülltes Kalbsschnitzel)
These breaded cutlets have a filling of mozzarella, basil and tomato.
