FEELING LAZY? THESE 30 DINNERS ARE A BREEZE THANKS TO STORE-BOUGHT INGREDIENT SWAPS
There are plenty of times that I’ll argue for making a recipe, as much as possible, from scratch, and going the extra mile to source only the finest, freshest ingredients, but to be honest, there are also as many times that you couldn’t force me to do all that extra work. On nights that call for lazy dinners, I find the easiest way to bridge the gap between a microwave dinner and a farm-to-table masterpiece is to swap in some pre-packaged store-bought ingredients, like doughs, rotisserie chicken, gnocchi, sauces, and plenty more. This way, you can skip a few steps in the cooking process without having to sacrifice any quality. These 30 recipes are a breeze thanks to store-bought swaps, and honestly, they’re so good that nobody will be able to tell anything came from a can.
The key to making a stunning dinner with pre-made ingredients is all about balance. While a recipe may call for store-bought pizza dough and sauce, it may also call for cooking the protein and veggies fresh on site and shredding your own cheese, like in our chicken broccoli Alfredo pizza. Similarly, as in the case of our Ritz Cracker chicken casserole and Cheez-It crusted chicken nuggets, we like to simplify weeknight dinners by using some of our favorite store-bought crackers to create flavorful crusts with minimal effort.
Whatever recipe you choose for dinner tonight, these store-bought hacks are sure to make things a bit easier (& tastier).
Marry Me Chicken Pizza
For this iteration of our beloved Marry Me Chicken, we added the signature sun-dried tomato sauce to a mix of rotisserie chicken and mozzarella spread across store-bought pizza dough. It's just what your next date night calls for.
Get the Marry Me Chicken Pizza recipe.
Ramen Chicken Noodle Soup
This extra-flavorful rendition of classic chicken noodle soup gets a helping hand from rotisserie chicken and instant ramen noodles and a flavor boost from soy sauce and several aromatics. The thin and chewy texture of ramen noodles just can’t be beat; they work perfectly in this cozy soup.
Get the Ramen Chicken Noodle Soup recipe.
Chicken Parm Pasta
Chicken Parm is a staple of Italian-American cuisine, and while it’s usually served on the side of or over spaghetti, we thought that cavatappi would not only add texture, but would make pasta a central player here. We used store-bought breaded chicken breasts and tomato sauce, so you don’t have to do any heavy lifting.
Get the Chicken Parm Pasta recipe.
Italian Grinder Chicken Salad Wrap
This wrap takes all the classic Italian grinder ingredients—like soppressata and ham, provolone, crunchy lettuce, and zingy banana peppers—and wraps them all up into a hearty lunch that’s easy to eat on the go. Beyond the multitude of cold cuts in it, it also has rotisserie chicken for added protein.
Get the Italian Grinder Chicken Salad Wrap recipe.
Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole
This easy weeknight casserole is creamy, chicken-y, cheesy, and covered in a crunchy Ritz cracker topping. The sauce starts with condensed cream of chicken soup and is bolstered with cottage cheese and sour cream for a rich, flavorful dinner.
Get the Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole recipe.
High-Protein Creamy Chicken & Gnocchi
Loaded with bacon and spinach in a garlic herb sauce, this one-pan dinner is sure to become your go-to weeknight meal. We use store-bought gnocchi to keep things simple, but the flavor is anything but.
Get the High-Protein Creamy Chicken & Gnocchi recipe.
French Bread Pizza
We've all been there: You're craving homemade pizza, but you want it fast—no time to deal with rolling out finicky pizza dough. The solution? Grab a loaf of French bread and get ready for the pizza hack of a lifetime.
Get the French Bread Pizza recipe.
Mongolian Beef Ramen
Here, we’re using instant noodles in a Mongolian beef-inspired stir-fry. Flank steak is accompanied by veggies spiked with ginger, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and scallions in this noodle skillet for an easy dinner that tastes a little extra special.
Get the Mongolian Beef Ramen recipe.
Chicken Parm Sliders
Crispy chicken, melty mozzarella, and marinara sauce combine in this shareable version of the classic Italian-American dinner. I kept things super-easy and convenient by using frozen breaded chicken tenders, jarred marinara, and shredded mozzarella—all tucked into soft, fluffy Hawaiian rolls.
Get the Chicken Parm Sliders recipe.
Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie
Wondering what could possibly make a classic chicken pot pie even more delicious? Enter: tater tots! Picture a creamy and comforting casserole made with onions, peas, and tender chicken, all topped with a crown of crispy potato tots. No fussing with pie crusts here—just a crunchy, seasoned potato in every bite.
Get the Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie recipe.
Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
In this weeknight dinner, classic chicken pot pie filling is baked into a stress-free casserole, then topped with buttery biscuits for that tantalizing golden brown finish. In a little more than an hour, you’ll have a crowd-pleasing weeknight dinner on your hands—no pie crust required.
Get the Chicken Pot Pie Casserole recipe.
Boursin Mac & Cheese
This four-ingredient, 20-minute Boursin mac and cheese is one that everyone can get behind. We admit that there is a time and place for a roux-based, gooey baked cheese with crispy toppings, but we’ll also admit that this is one of the best mac and cheeses we've ever made and by far the simplest.
Get the Boursin Mac & Cheese recipe.
Philly Cheesesteak Sliders
These sliders are like your favorite iconic Philly cheesesteak, made miniature. While you can switch up the ingredients somewhat, we recommend sticking with the sweet Hawaiian rolls here.
Get the Philly Cheesesteak Sliders recipe.
Pot Sticker Panzanella
In this spin on a classic panzanella salad, crispy deep-fried dumplings start crispy and chewy, but after a few minutes of swimming with soy- and chili-marinated tomatoes and cucumbers, they soak up some extra flavor, adding a bit of textural contrast to the dish.
Get the Pot Sticker Panzanella recipe.
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pizza
Chicken Alfredo and pizza are two kings of the comfort food realm, so when they join forces, you get something truly magical. Creamy Alfredo sauce is topped with sliced chicken, broccoli, and oodles of gooey mozz for a rich, saucy pizza that will revolutionize your weeknight dinner routine.
Get the Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pizza recipe.
Pepperoni Pizza Biscuit Skillet
Forget stretching out pizza dough. To prepare this recipe, pop open a can of biscuits and separate them into individual biscuits. All you have to do is cut each one into 6 pieces and toss with some pizza sauce, mozzarella, chopped up pepperoni, fresh basil, and there you go!
Get the Pepperoni Pizza Biscuit Skillet recipe.
Hawaiian Roll Sliders
Ham, Swiss, and jammy caramelized onions are layered between the star of the show: buttery and soft Hawaiian rolls. You simply split the rolls, layer them, bake, and in a little over 10 minutes, you'll have a dozen hot, mind-blowing sandwiches ready to serve.
Get the Hawaiian Roll Sliders recipe.
Cheez-It Crusted Chicken Nuggets
Cheez-Its are a classic snack beloved by adults and kids alike. We love them so much, we're using them as breading here for another snack fave—chicken nuggets. These crunchy, cheesy crackers turn basic chicken nuggets into a fun (and ridiculously flavorful) meal that everyone will love.
Get the Cheez-It Crusted Chicken Nuggets recipe.
Chicken Nugget Parm Casserole
Craving chicken Parm but not in the mood for all the time it requires to prepare this labor of love dish? Opt for our chicken nugget Parmesan casserole instead. This comforting dish has all the cheesy flavor you know and crave, but with simple shortcuts to cut down on all that cooking time (and effort).
Get the Chicken Nugget Parm Casserole recipe.
Taco Gnocchi Bake
We’re no strangers to a one-pan dinner. On busy weeknights when we can’t be bothered to clean up a sink full of dishes, we love turning to our trusty skillets to build a meal from start to finish. And many of our favorite low-effort meals feature one trusty ingredient: store-bought gnocchi.
Get the Taco Gnocchi Bake recipe.
Sheet-Pan Crispy Ramen
Ramen is a go-to easy dinner, but have you ever thought about giving it a crispy upgrade? Stay with me. Baking your ramen on a sheet-pan—with chicken and veggies—gives your favorite comforting noodle dish a genius, textural twist—all with minimal effort.
Get the Sheet-Pan Crispy Ramen recipe.
Sausage Pinwheel
Not quite like the ham and cheese wrap your mom packed you for school lunches, old-school sausage pinwheels are as much a classic for a reason: They feature crescent dough with bits of sausage and red pepper layered within a creamy garlic cheese spread.
Get the Sausage Pinwheel recipe.
Crock-Pot Chicken & Dumplings
Chicken and dumplings has to be one of the ultimate comfort foods, perfect for chilly days or nights when you really need something warm and cozy to eat. This slow-cooker version is as simple as it gets, with the added help of canned biscuit dough forming the simplest, most delicious dumplings.
Get the Crock-Pot Chicken & Dumplings recipe.
Reuben Pinwheels
Made with store-bought buttery puff pastry and layered with corned beef, gooey Swiss cheese, creamy thousand island dressing, and crunchy sauerkraut, these bites have everything you love about the classic sandwich in a party-ready shape.
Get the Reuben Pinwheels recipe.
Marry Me Lasagna
We’re back with another iteration of Marry Me Chicken, and this time it’s lasagna(!!). We layered the Marry Me sauce between lasagna noodles, shredded rotisserie chicken, and mozzarella cheese for a dinner that’s sure to elicit some “oohs and ahhs.”
Get the Marry Me Lasagna recipe.
Caprese Chicken Gnocchi Skillet
In this recipe, we're adding in pan-roasted chicken and store-bought gnocchi as Caprese’s newest co-stars. Shallots, garlic, tomato sauce, and white wine are layered in to create this aromatic, rich dinner that celebrates everything Delish loves.
Get the Caprese Chicken Gnocchi Skillet recipe.
BBQ Chicken Pizza
While there are plenty of delicious versions of this now-classic pizza, we believe ours truly has it all: sweet BBQ sauce, tangy gouda, creamy mozzarella, and a hefty dose of red onions and cilantro for freshness. Plus, we chose to use store-bought, refrigerated pizza dough in this recipe to make things as simple as possible.
Get the BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe.
Tuscan Butter Gnocchi
We can’t get enough of Tuscan butter. Easy to make and extremely flavorful, it’s no wonder that every dish we add it to becomes one of our most popular recipes. For this recipe, we decided to skip the protein and turn this creamy tomato-and-basil sauce into a pasta dinner by adding one of our favorite power ingredients: store-bought gnocchi.
Get the Tuscan Butter Gnocchi recipe.
BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza
We have our own copycat CPK BBQ chicken pizza, but we don’t always want to go through the effort of shaping raw pizza dough. Enter: the BBQ chicken French bread pizza. This recipe combines the uniquely sweet and savory flavor of the BBQ chicken pizza with the ease of a Stouffer’s-style French bread pizza.
Get the BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza recipe.
White Chicken Chili Mac Skillet
When you combine chili and mac and cheese, incredible things happen. We started with our preferred chili variation—white chicken chili, of course—and added in all the creamy, cheesy goodness of mac and cheese for the perfect weeknight dinner. The shortcut here is store-bought rotisserie chicken, so you can spend more time creating a solid chili mac base.
Get the White Chicken Chili Mac Skillet recipe.
