Anything But Dinner Dinner Decision Tree

This anything-but-dinner dinner decision tree matches you with a delicious family-friendly recipe that's usually seen at breakfast, lunch or as an appetizer. Walk through the questions to find your match!

Today, we're finding a dinner that is NOT dinner. Cause some nights, that feels like just what we need.

Anything But Dinner Dinner Decision Tree

Follow the path and answer the questions to find a delicious and do-able non-dinner dinner recipe.

Here are your recipe results in a quick view-and-click format. Read on below for more details.

Breakfast For Dinner Recipes

Whether you want to make one big dish that everyone shares or you want to customize the order to each person, breakfast for dinner makes for a fun night. 

(Breakfast grilled cheese is what my dad made for us growing up; I'm guessing on nights when my mom was over it with making dinner!)

Classic sausage and egg casserole is a make-ahead overnight breakfast casserole that's hot, bubbly, cheesy and seriously delicious. It's a holiday staple for my family and also great for a special breakfast or brunch.

Breakfast pizza has fluffy, scrambled eggs, cooked, crumbled bacon and plenty of cheese for a warm, melty and seriously fun breakfast! We love this for a low-key group dinner with friends.

Breakfast grilled cheese with melty cheese, soft scrambled eggs and crispy bacon is the ultimate breakfast sandwich and crazy delicious!

Breakfast quesadillas are a fun and filling breakfast with eggs, cheese and additional fillings of choice, made quick and easy with a TikTok hack! I make one of these every single week for my teenage son.

Get lots more breakfast for dinner ideas here. It's a regular thing in our house!

Lunch Vibes Recipes

You can customize these first two recipes, which is helpful if you have picky eaters or else busy teens coming and going. Or make a tray of sliders or nachos and let everyone serve themselves. 

Sandwich melts are a super quick and easy lunch or dinner to make, great for kids and teens, and can be endlessly customized. Get tons of ideas and variations to try!

Folded wraps, the viral TikTok tortilla hack, are easy to make and endlessly customizable! Get the how-to and 25 combinations for breakfast, lunch and even dessert.

Pepperoni pizza sliders are layered with marinara sauce, melty mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices. They're brushed with a buttery mixture and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese then baked until warm, soft and melty.

Loaded chicken nachos with black beans and plenty of cheese are made in a double layer to ensure tons of good stuff on every chip. Add ALL your favorite toppings and dig in!

Snack Board Dinner

The idea here is to mix and match a few appetizer or snack types of foods to make a complete meal. 

But please, don't overdo it! Use some store-bought shortcuts so you're not actually cooking MORE things instead of simplifying. (Guilty as charged.)

Air Fryer BBQ chicken legs are deliciously saucy and sticky and perfectly cooked in under 25 minutes! These easy chicken drumsticks are great for parties, game day or an easy family dinner.

Air Fryer breaded shrimp are seasoned, breaded and then cooked until golden, crispy and seriously delicious! Serve with cocktail sauce, tartar sauce or warm marinara for a tasty appetizer everyone will love.

Baked southwestern egg rolls with chicken, black beans and cheese make a perfect game day or party appetizer - these are always a hit!

Quick and easy potato skins (using a simple hack) are loaded with cheese and bacon for a fun appetizer for parties or game day!

Air Fryer zucchini fries are breaded and cooked until well-browned and super crunchy. These make a great healthy appetizer or snack and are ready in less than 20 minutes!

Buffalo chicken dip is creamy, slightly spicy and seriously delicious as an appetizer served with celery, crackers, chips or bread. You can make it as a cold dip or bake it and serve warm!

Get tons more tips, ideas and recipes about serving snacks for dinner, including lots of store-bought help ideas. It's also a regular thing in our house, especially on a Friday night!

Hopefully this gives you tons of new ways to have NOT dinner at dinnertime! 

You might also be interested in this energy-level dinner decision tree based on how much energy you have tonight. Or try this time-based dinner decision tree that matches you with a recipe based on how much time you have to spend on cooking. Or figure out dinner based on who you're feeding.

Happy cooking! You got this. 👊

XO,

Kathryn