31 Restaurant Copycat Dinners That Are Easy to Make

Chicken Shawarma with Potatoes

Put your own spin on tasty restaurant dishes with one of these easy recipes. Whether you're in the mood for a panini from your neighborhood café, a sophisticated pasta dinner or a pan of cozy, restaurant-quality enchiladas, this mix of recipes has something delicious in store for you. Plus, each dinner requires just 20 minutes of active time or less, so you can get in and out of the kitchen in a flash. Recipes like our Salmon & Avocado Poké Bowl and Chicken Shawarma with Potatoes put a delicious spin on your favorite meals.

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Salmon & Avocado Poke Bowl

a bowl with salmon, avocado and greens

Poke (pronounced poh-kay), the bite-size marinated fish salad famous in Hawaii, is so popular that it's sold by the pound in supermarkets. Now it has crossed the Pacific to become the meal-in-a-bowl du jour, served in eateries from Los Angeles to New York. But it's easy to make at home with this quick recipe. Sriracha and Chinese-style mustard add a touch of heat to the classic poke seasoning of soy sauce and sesame oil. Serving it over a brown rice salad makes it a meal.

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Chicken Pesto Panini

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In this chicken pesto panini recipe, the extra-thin bread gets nice and crispy, the mozzarella melts beautifully and the arugula adds a fresh and peppery note to complement the pesto. It's a delicious and easy panini to throw together!

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Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos

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In this mahi-mahi fish taco recipe, chili-coated fish gets a lovely crust from the hot pan. The creaminess of the avocado sauce complements the crisp crunch of the jicama, and it's all pulled together in 20 minutes.

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Chicken Shawarma with Potatoes

Chicken Shawarma with Potatoes

Cook once; eat thrice: this chicken shawarma recipe makes a satisfying single-serving dinner, plus extra chicken, potatoes, and onions that you can use later in the week.

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Jackfruit Carnitas

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Jackfruit, a tropical fruit with a dense, meatlike texture, absorbs the flavor of spices and sauces well. In these jackfruit carnitas tacos, the meat substitute is simmered in a spicy sauce and shredded for a nearly authentic vegan carnitas.

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Beefless Vegan Tacos

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Take taco night in a new direction with these healthy vegan tacos. We've swapped crumbled tofu for the ground beef, without sacrificing any of the savory seasonings you expect in a taco. You can also use the filling in burritos, bowls, taco salads and to top nachos.

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BBQ Chicken Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw

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This zippy, creamy slaw is so good you might find yourself making it for other sandwiches. Still, it pairs beautifully with the tangy pulled chicken for an incredibly quick dinner you can make even on your busiest nights. To save even more time, use a preshredded coleslaw blend.

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Grilled Blackened Shrimp Tacos

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Give juicy shrimp tacos a Cajun flavor spin with spices and a quick sear on a hot grill. An easy avocado mash adds creaminess to cool off the spicy kick.

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Korean BBQ Tempeh Grain Bowl

Korean BBQ Tempeh Grain Bowl

If you're a tempeh skeptic, you've probably never had the firm soy-based slabs slathered with a sweet-and-spicy barbecue sauce. We give this easy BBQ tempeh combo a punch of umami with tamari and add a little heat courtesy of gochujang. It's easy to put your own spin on this recipe; see Variations (below) for some riffs.

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Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burgers

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These vegan sweet potato-black bean burgers spiced with curry powder are easy to make. Blending the mixture with your hands gives you a soft, uniform texture then the outside gets crispy by cooking in a cast-iron pan. To make this recipe gluten-free too, use gluten-free oats and serve the patty in a lettuce wrap, omitting the bun.

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Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce

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In this easy chicken enchiladas recipe, we make a white sauce from chicken broth and sour cream that coats corn tortillas rolled up with shredded chicken, onion, peppers and spices. Poblano peppers tend to be mild, but if you really want to cut the heat, use a green bell pepper instead.

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Slow-Cooker Shrimp Vindaloo

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This delicious dump-and-go, Indian-inspired curry comes together in a snap. The rich tomato sauce nicely coats the vegetables and slow-cooker shrimp, and the garam masala (Indian curry seasoning) and paprika amp up the spice. Serve this one-dish meal with naan, crushed red pepper flakes and thinly slice the lemon wedges, if desired.

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Slow-Cooker Shrimp & Chorizo Paella

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Paella is an iconic Spanish dish made with rice, seasonings and various meats or seafood, depending on the paella type. Our slow-cooker paella recipe features shrimp, brown rice, turmeric, a host of vegetables and Spanish chorizo--not to be confused with Mexican chorizo, which isn't dried or cured like the Spanish variety.

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Slow-Cooker Octopus with Red Wine Sauce Over Linguine

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Don't be afraid to put octopus in the slow cooker! Expand your palate and enjoy this tender, light meat that tastes similar to chicken. This red wine sauce is very rich, briny and deeply flavored, so much so that you only need to serve half of it with the octopus.

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BBQ Shrimp with Garlicky Kale & Parmesan-Herb Couscous

BBQ Shrimp with Garlicky Kale & Parmesan-Herb Couscous

In the U.S., dry whole-wheat couscous has been partially cooked, making it a quick-cooking (5 minutes!) whole-grain weeknight dinner champ. And when you buy peeled shrimp, plus a bag of prechopped kale and bottled barbecue sauce, the savings in prep time helps to get this healthy dinner done in a jiff.

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Creamy Lemon Pasta with Shrimp

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Yogurt makes a fine substitute for cream in the sauce for this easy pasta recipe. Just warm the yogurt (do not boil) and add some pasta-cooking water to thin it out. Lemon and fresh basil brighten up the whole-wheat pasta and complement the shrimp in this quick dinner recipe.

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Sweet & Sour Chicken with Broccoli

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This easy chicken and broccoli recipe makes a delicious, healthier alternative to Chinese takeout--and it takes just 20 minutes to make, so it's ideal for an easy weeknight dinner. When toasted, ramen noodles make a tasty, crunchy topping for a stir-fry or salad.

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California Turkey Burgers & Baked Sweet Potato Fries

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Inspired by an option at the West Coast chain In-N-Out Burger, this turkey burger recipe keeps the carbs in check with a lettuce wrap instead of a bun. The side of sweet potato fries bakes while you prep the burgers, so this entire healthy dinner is ready in under 30 minutes.

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Greek Grilled Salmon Kebabs with Tzatziki & Green Beans

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This easy grilled salmon recipe is sure to help you win your next backyard BBQ. Lemon, garlic and herbs make a simple, flavorful marinade for the healthy fish souvlaki (souvlakia is the Greek word for kebabs), and the yogurt-based tzatziki sauce is one of the traditional pleasures of Mediterranean cuisine. A side of Greek-style green beans completes this healthy dinner recipe that's as suited to entertaining as it is to family meals.

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Shrimp Cobb Salad with Dijon Dressing

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We've replaced chicken with shrimp in this delicious and easy spin on the classic Cobb salad. This satisfying salad takes just 20 minutes to make, so it's perfect for weeknight dinners, but it's elegant enough to serve to guests.

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Jackfruit Barbacoa Burrito Bowls

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Jackfruit, a tropical fruit with a dense, chewy texture, is a blank canvas that takes on flavors well. In these vegan burrito bowls, the jackfruit is simmered in a warm and spicy chile sauce that's so good you'll never know you're eating a plant-based protein instead of pork or beef.

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Open-Face Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches

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This cheeseburger and eggpant Parm fusion recipe is a winning combination. Breaded eggplant slices are topped with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and a delicious grilled lean beef burger--it's American classic meets Italian restaurant favorite! To make it a complete meal, serve with spaghetti with a side of steamed vegetables.

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Meal-Prep Falafel Bowls with Tahini Sauce

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These quick Mediterranean-inspired couscous bowls come together in 20 minutes thanks to healthy convenience items like frozen falafel and steam-in-bag fresh green beans. Whisk together the simple tahini sauce while the other ingredients cook.

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Slow-Cooker Butter Chicken

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Browning the chicken and sautéing the aromatics before everything goes into the crock pot is key to building the flavors in our version of this popular curry.

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Beef Pad Thai

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We've bulked up the serving size of beef pad thai by adding in lots of healthy veggies like matchstick carrots, snap peas and scallions. Look for whole-grain brown-rice pad thai noodles to add an additional 3 grams fiber to each serving.

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Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry

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To make this 20-minute vegan curry even faster, buy precut veggies from the salad bar at the grocery store. To make it a full, satisfying dinner, serve over cooked brown rice. When shopping for simmer sauce, look for one with 400 mg of sodium or less and check the ingredient list for cream or fish sauce if you want to keep this vegan. If you like a spicy kick, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce at the end.

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Flank Steak Tostadas

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Quick-pickled onions and a simple yogurt-lime cream sauce lend complex flavors to these crispy steak tostadas.

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Maple-Bourbon Chicken with Grilled Sweet Potatoes

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The sweetness in this Maple-Bourbon Chicken recipe is from the real maple syrup and grilled sweet potatoes. Bacon is also included!

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Skillet Steak with Mushroom Sauce

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This steak, broccoli rabe and pea dinner is a one-skillet meal that will be on your table in just 25 minutes! The pan drippings combine with mushroom, broth and grainy mustard to make a thick and delicious sauce.

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Vegan Eggplant Parmesan

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Classic eggplant Parm is filled with cheese, but this vegan eggplant Parmesan combines nondairy mozzarella cheese with nutritional yeast for a dairy-free cheesy substitute that gives you the comfort food factor without animal products. For the breading, use egg replacer, which you can find in natural-foods stores and the special-diet section of large supermarkets.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajitas

Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajitas

One sheet pan is all you'll need to whip up these zesty chicken fajitas. They're quick and easy to make and cleanup is even faster!

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