Theme night dinners are a fun and easy way to plan dinner (with less mental load required) and there are so many variations to choose from!
Check out this list of 50+ ideas, with specific nightly themes as well as flexible anytime themes so you can make planning a breeze. Includes a free printable for easy reference!
Raise your hand if you are always in need of simplifying your life. 🙋♀️
I know I’m not the only mom/woman/human who feels pulled in a million directions and is trying to keep all the balls afloat.
So whenever I can simplify and take some of the decision fatigue and mental load away, I am all for it.
Maybe that’s why I seriously adore organizing and planning. I know it’s a little gift to my future self to have things all set up.
Today, I’m hoping I can help you with the never-ending mental load of dinner time.
Theme night dinners are an easy way to lesson the load of figuring out dinner, plus they make for a fun and interesting rotation of different types of foods and cuisines.
Sure, they don’t completely take the guess work out, but you have a framework. You have a starting point. You’ve got something to fall back on.
Instead of the endless variety of possibilities and configurations, you know that it’s Tuesday and you’re gonna have some version of tacos.
Or maybe Friday is pasta night. Yes, you still need to decide which pasta recipe to make, but that’s a lot lighter of a lift.
Themed dinner nights help with narrowing down the dinner and also with menu planning and grocery shopping. Sort of a domino effect of helping you.
Using themes can also be a great way to get the rest of your family involved in helping to plan dinners.
Instead of, “pick a recipe for dinner,” you can say, “It’s your turn to pick for burger night. What kind of burger do you want?”
Narrowing things down is good for all of us. : )
Without further ado, here’s a BIG list of ideas for you to rotate in and out of your meal planning.
Theme Night Dinner Ideas
These are broken down into loose categories so you can pick and choose what works for you. At the bottom is a link to the free printable PDF.
Day-of-the-Week Themes:
- Meatless Monday
- Mediterranean Monday
- Meat & Three Monday
- Meatball or Meatloaf Monday
- Taco Tuesday
- Tapas Tuesday
- Tailgating Tuesday
- Wellness Wednesday
- Wing Wednesday
- Wine Wednesday (dishes with wine or that pair well)
- Throwback Thursdays (diner faves or childhood/nostalgic dishes)
- Takeout Fakeout Thursday
- Thai Thursday
- Fish Friday
- Fried Food Friday
- Fried Rice Friday
- Freezer Friday
- Fiesta Friday
- Sheet Pan Saturday
- Sushi Saturday
- Street Food Saturday
- Solo Saturday (we say YOYO: you’re on your own)
- Slow Cooker Sunday
- Soul Food Sunday
- Southern Sunday
- Spaghetti Sunday
- Side Dish Sunday (all side dishes)
Flexible Family Night Themes:
- Comfort Food Night
- International Night (Spanish, French, Indian, etc.)
- Restaurant Copycat Night
- Burger Night
- Pizza Night
- Pasta Night
- Curry Night
- Skillet Dinner
- Cookbook Night
- Magazine Night
- Chef Night (recipe from a favorite chef)
- Casserole Night
- Seafood Night
- Nacho Night
- Salad Night
- Grain Bowl Night
- Grilling Night
- Leftovers Night
- Breakfast for Dinner Night
- Soup & Sandwich
- Stuffed/Loaded Potatoes Night
- Snack Board Night (appetizers and finger foods)
Seasonal & Special Occasion Themes:
- Summer Salad Night
- Summer BBQ Night
- Fall Harvest Night
- Chili Night
- Holiday Night (St. Patrick’s, Mardi Gras, etc.)
- Spring Produce Night
- Fancy Food Night
- Book/Movie Theme Night (Harry Potter, Disney, etc.)
- Retro Night (50s Diner, 80s Favorites, Victorian style, etc.)
Also, you can build nights around specific ingredients.
For instance, maybe on Wednesdays you eat pork chops or pork tenderloin and have a regular Pork Night. Lots of options here, too.
Finally, as promised, here is that free printable PDF in case you want to have this list handy at home. (Or you can pin it to come back to later.)
And if you need more inspiration and meal planning help, check out my monthly meal plans and other resources. I love helping to take the stress off of your plate!
Happy cooking, friends!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Do you have a favorite go-to or other ideas or themes you use? Leave a comment below and share with us!
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