57 Delicious Sunday Dinner Ideas for the Table

These Sunday dinner ideas are many of my faves, and I make on repeat. Something goes on early, the house starts smelling like garlic and onions by the afternoon, and dinner takes as long as it takes.

SOme of my fondest memories as a kid were Sunday dinners. Wathcing my mom play cards (which she still does more than once a week), eating and laughing/ I didn’t know it then, but it’s moments like those that leave a long lasting impression.

Some of these meals are prep, place in the oven and go, and some are one-pot meals. Easy sides, simple desserts using shorcuts. You don’t need to overwhelm yourself, just have so much fun. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The best gatherings happen without a plan.

What Makes These The Best Sunday Dinner Ideas

Many of these Sunday dinner ideas are prep/make ahead, you can season a whole chicken and roast it the next day. These are easy recipes, with easy to find ingredients. You want something you can start and then walk away from. It should leave enough leftovers that Monday gets easier (maybe even make lunch for the next day). And it has to be worth sitting down for which is really the only reason any of us love Sunday dinner.

In my home, it was never about prime rib. It was a pot of rice, with a pot of sancobo or beans that my mom soaked the night before with diced papas, platanos, and a protein, always enough for seconds.

The Sunday Dinner Ideas That Become The Centerpiece

Something goes in early and that’s really the some of the best Sunday dinner ideas. These are the proteins that you set it and walk away take the time to get ready, and by the afternoon it smells like you’ve been cooking since morning. Most of these make more than enough for seconds.

Super Crispy Pollo Empanizado (Breaded Chicken)

Breasts sliced thin, breaded in panko and breadcrumbs, fried crisp. I put white rice or cilantro lime rice and a little salad alongside and that’s Sunday dinner.

Lemon Dill Baked Chicken Thighs and Potatoes

Everything on one sheet pan at 400. Whatever drips off the thighs soaks into the baby potatoes underneath, so the side cooks itself.

Cuban Beef Picadillo That Solves Weeknight Dinner

Ground beef with olives and warm Cuban spices. I make a double batch for the best leftovers because it’s better the second day. Serve it with fluffy white rice, or garlic bread.

Fall Off the Bone Pot Roast Chicken in the Most Incredible Tomato Broth

I start this one early. Chicken braised in tomato broth falls off thebone, and you serve it in bowls with the broth spooned over everything. Put out bread or rice for whoever wants to soak up the last of it. I love to serve this with a light side salad.

Herb Butter Apple Cider Roast Chicken

Cider goes in the pot with a red apple, and the bird gets a herb butter rub. Two hours at 350, which is perfect for a Sunday. The aromas alone, make this the perfect Sunday dinner idea.

Lemon Herb Butter Roast Chicken

Lemon juice over the whole bird, then a rub of butter with thyme and rosemary. An hour and a half covered, then the broiler for the skin. One bird covers Sunday and two lunches after.

Citrusy Garlicky Cuban Roasted Chicken (Pollo Asado Cubano)

Navel orange and lemon with vinegar, standing in for sour orange, plus a lot of garlic. Two and a half hours. It’s a top favorite Sunday chicken.

Citrusy and Garlicky Roasted Cuban Mojo Pork (Lechon Asado)

Pork shoulder marinated overnight in citrus and garlic, then roasted till it pulls apart. Start the marinade Saturday. We make it at Christmas, and it’s worth an ordinary Sunday too.

Rabo Encendido (Cuban Oxtail Stew)

As a kid, oxtail was my favorite – it was also 1/3 of the price it is today. This oxtail is braised for hours till it falls off the bone. YUMMM – serve with rice and it’s exceptional.

How To Make Homemade Beef Birria With Consome

Chuck roast simmered with three kinds of dried chile till it shreds. Close to four hours. The consome goes in little bowls so everybody can dip.

No-Marinate Tender and Juicy Costillas (Baked Baby Back Ribs)

No marinating, which I appreciate more than I probably should. They roast until right before they fall off the bone.

The Secret To The Best Carnitas Fajitas In The Oven

Pork butt roasted with citrus and garlic till it shreds. It takes most of the afternoon. I put the pan right on the table.

Big Pots That Simmer All Afternoon Some of The Best Sunday Dinner Ideas

A pot on the stove is the most Sunday thing I know. Most of these only improve sitting there, and every one of them leaves enough for Tuesday.

Mexican Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Canned black beans and diced tomatoes with chicken breast. I top mine with avocado and lime, and there’s enough left for Monday.

Healthy Ground Chicken Taco Soup

Ground chicken with cumin and coriander in a tomato broth. One pot, and it feeds everybody twice.

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup to Save Dinner Tonight

Enchilada sauce and broth do most of the work. This is what I make when the afternoon got away from me.

Smoky Tomato Chicken and Corn Soup

The broth goes smoky and a little sweet at the same time. It freezes well, so one Sunday turns into two more dinners.

Creamy Elote Chowder, Mexican Street Corn Soup

Poblano and yellow corn cooked down into a thick chowder. Fifty minutes, with cotija and lime on top, and a bowl is the whole meal.

The Best Poblano Chicken Tortilla Soup From Scratch

Poblanos and tomatillos make the base, with a little jalapeno behind it. I set out tortilla strips and avocado. Everybody tops their own bowl.

Puerto Rican Sancocho

Beef, chicken thighs and pork shoulder with yautia, yuca, green plantain and calabaza. Two hours in one pot, which is what a slow Sunday is for. I serve it with white rice on the side.

Colombian Chicken Stew (Sudado de Pollo)

Thighs and drumsticks stewed with red potatoes and tomato. I grew up eating this over white rice. It’s better on Monday.

Puerto Rican Shrimp Stew (Asopao de Camarones)

The stock gets made from the shrimp shells first, which is what makes it so robust in falvor. Lighter than most of this list, and it’s perfect for the family.

Delicious Sopa De Lentejas with Plantains

Green lentils simmered with green plantain till the pot goes thick. It’ll sit happily on the stove all afternoon. The crispy plantain crumble on top is my favorite part.

Extra Cheesy Creamy Lasagna Soup

Italian sausage or ground beef, and everything lasagna has without the layering. Layering is what eats a whole Sunday, so this skips it.

Rice and Beans for the Sunday Table

Nothing ever left my mom’s kitchen without one of these beside it. They stretch the meal, and they’re what everybody goes back for.

Vegan Arroz con Gandules

Pigeon peas and recaito cooked into the rice with coconut oil. This is holiday food in my family. It belongs on a Sunday table too.

Puerto Rican Style Stewed Black Beans (Habichuelas Negras)

Dried beans soaked overnight and simmered slow, or canned when the week has gotten away from you. Spoon them over white rice and that’s a plate.

Black Beans and Rice with Green Chiles

Long grain rice with a can of green chiles and chicken broth. Easy to put together while the roast finishes.

The Best Colombian Coconut Rice (Arroz con Coco)

Coconut milk and cream with raisins stirred through. The bottom caramelizes into a crispy layer called titote, and that’s the part everybody goes for.

A Delicious Chimichurri Rice Recipe

Chimichurri stirred through the rice, and it’s good under anything saucy on the table.

Easy and Delicious Cilantro Lime Rice

Jasmine rice cooked in coconut oil with cilantro and lime. Make it at the last minute.

The Sides That Make It a Sunday

This is where the table starts looking like something. Most of these slide into the oven beside whatever’s already in there.

Honey Garlic Herb Butter Roasted Carrots

Raw honey and a splash of white wine vinegar with the butter. The edges caramelize and go sticky. The pan slides in beside whatever’s already in the oven.

30-Minute Oven-Roasted Parmesan-Garlic Carrots

Garlic and oregano, with parmesan grated over the top. They cost almost nothing for a full table.

Baked Corn Pudding Casserole

Frozen sweet corn and canned creamed corn baked with cornmeal till it sets. It holds its shape, so this is the one I bring when dinner’s somewhere else.

Creamed Corn From Scratch in Just 20 Minutes

Frozen corn cooked down in butter and cream with a little honey. I make it while the roast rests, and it’s the side everybody goes back for.

Crispy Zaatar Roasted Cauliflower with Hummus

Cauliflower roasted with zaatar till the edges crisp, spooned over hummus. I put it out first, while everybody’s still standing around the kitchen with warm pita bread.

Easy Fried Sweet Plantains (Maduros)

Ripe plantains fried till the edges caramelize. I put these out whenever there’s a roast on the table, because the sweetness cuts everything savory.

Crispy Fried Patacones Made With Green Plantains

Green plantains smashed flat and fried twice, fifteen minutes start to finish. I salt them hot and set them out with hogao while everybody’s still in the kitchen.

Honey Butter Biscuits (Small Batch)

Buttermilk biscuits with raw honey, small batch so you’re not left with two dozen. I make them whenever there’s a pot of something on the table to mop up.

The Best Colombian Papas Rellenas (Beef Stuffed Potatoes)

Russet potatoes stuffed with seasoned ground beef and fried golden. They take about an hour, which is exactly the kind of thing I only attempt on a Sunday.

Lazy Sunday Dinner Ideas

Some Sundays I’ve got nothing in me, and those nights that I love to make these recipes with prepared ingredients. For example a rotisserie chicken rice, tacos or quesadillas.

Healthy Rotisserie Chicken and Rice Skillet

Leftover rice, pulled chicken, frozen corn and broccoli in one skillet. This is my Sunday when there’s nothing left in me.

Cheesy Crispy Rotisserie Chicken Tacos

Shredded rotisserie chicken crisped with cheese inside the tortilla. I make these on the Sunday that got away from me.

Extra Cheesy Chiles Rellenos Quesadillas

Roasted poblanos with Oaxaca and Monterey Jack in a big flour tortilla. Everything chiles rellenos has, none of the frying, and I lean on it most lazy Sundays.

Stuffed Sweet Corn Poblano Quesadillas

Corn and roasted poblano with Oaxaca cheese inside. Mild enough that the kids eat it, so I only make one batch for the table.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Quesadillas

Chicken with lime and garlic, melted into a tortilla with two cheeses. I stack them up and set them out for everybody.

20-Minute Cheesy Elote Quesadilla with Cumin Lime Crema

Fresh corn cut off the cob with Oaxaca and cotija, and a cumin lime crema to dip. Meatless and fast, and the one I make on a Sunday that doesn’t need to be heavy.

Rotisserie Chicken Blue Corn Tostadas

Store-bought tostadas with shredded rotisserie chicken, roasted corn and Oaxaca cheese, all set out so people build their own.

Rotisserie Chicken Quesadillas with Veggie Fajitas

Store-bought chicken with sweet onion, bell pepper and poblano. I make these the night after a roast chicken.

30-Minute Seared Salmon with Lemon Orzo

Salmon seared in butter and garlic while the orzo cooks beside it. I make it on the Sundays I want something lighter on the table.

30-Minute Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta

Chicken with honey and chipotle over penne. Half an hour, and I love that it still tastes like a Sunday.

Creamy Marry Me Chicken Pasta

The sauce gets built on the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, which is what makes it. Forty minutes, and it’s the one my family asks for.

Loaded Cheesy Beef Nachos

Seasoned ground beef over a whole sheet pan with everything piled on. I put it in the middle of the table and nobody uses a plate.

Bean and Cheese Burritos With Refried Beans

A can of refried ranchero beans with salsa and pickled jalapeno. The oven does most of it, so I can sit down before dinner.

Sunday Dinner Desserts

Dessert on a Tuesday feels like a lot to ask. On a Sunday it just makes sense, and most of these happen while something else finishes.

Delicious Homemade Lemon Tres Leches Cake

Three milks soaked into a lemon sponge overnight. I make it Saturday and it’s ready when Sunday dinner is.

Traditional Colombian Natilla

Panela and milk cooked down with Ceylon cinnamon and grated coconut. This is what we eat every December, and I start making it in October.

6-Ingredient Arroz con Leche (Colombian)

Rice pudding with three milks and plenty of Ceylon cinnamon. I start it on the stove while dinner’s in the oven, so dessert handles itself.

Easy Apple Crisp Recipe

Apples under a buttery oat topping, one dish, no fuss. I bake it right after the roast comes out while the oven’s still hot.

3 Ingredient Cuban Guava Pastries

Guava and cream cheese in store-bought puff pastry. Three ingredients. They look like you spent your whole afternoon on them, but honestly these are the easiest to make. They’re delish!

Cheesy Crispy Colombian Bunuelos

Queso fresco with cornstarch and tapioca flour, fried till they puff and go golden. We eat them with natilla at Christmas, and I make them any Sunday in December.

If You Like This You’ll Love These

Here are a few others I’ve made and loved:

Family-Friendly Meals That Work for Dinner and Leftovers for the ones that keep feeding you.

45 Family Dinner Ideas When You’re Craving Mexican for the rest of the week.

32 Cheap Family Dinners Your Family Will Love for the weeks that get tight.

The Best Quesadilla Recipes To Try since half the lazy section lives here.

If you make any of these Sunday dinner ideas, leave a comment. I love reading your comments and will try to get back to every single one.