35 Theme Night Meal Planning Dinner Ideas

Use these theme night dinner ideas to give your meal plan a boost! Themed dinner nights are a great way to organize your favorite meals or try out some new recipes.

35 Theme Night Meal Planning Dinner Ideas

Coming up with meal plans is a real challenge for many of us. Finding meal ideas that are easy, healthy, and something that all of your family members enjoy is a tough task to manage!

One creative way to approach meal planning is with theme nights.

There are several things I really like about theme night dinners.

For one, you can get as specific or as broad as you want. You could have tacos every Tuesday, or just have one night where you serve a variety of Mexican foods.

You can even have Chicken Night or Beef Night where you serve a different chicken or beef dish every week. The sky really is the limit when it comes to picking themes!

One great thing is that there is a lot of flexibility with this meal planning process.

The idea is not necessarily to lock yourself into the same thing every week, but just to have a framework you can use to simplify what could otherwise be an un-fun chore.

By using dinner themes to plan out your meals for each night of the week, you may even find a new family favorite or two!

Dinner Theme Nights for Each Day of the Week

I’ve put together 35 theme night dinner ideas that cover each day of the week.

But don’t lock yourself into following this list exactly as it’s written!

The idea is to make meal planning more enjoyable and manageable.

Feel free to move different themes around to different days of the week in a way that works best for your family’s needs, tastes, and budget.

Having some flexibility with what you put on your dinner table makes meal planning less of a chore, particularly on busy nights.

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Monday Theme Night Dinner Ideas

Chicken Night – Each Monday night, you could have a chicken dish. It might be the same thing each week such as Instant Pot Whole Chicken or Chicken Cacciatore.

Or you could have a different chicken dish each Monday night for variety. Some meal planners like to keep things simple by having the same thing every single week while other prefers to mix things up to add some variety to their weeknight dinner ideas.

If you’re short on time, you could pick up a precooked rotisserie chicken. This is one of our go-to family dinners when we don’t have time to cook an evening meal.

Meatless Monday – With grocery prices going through the roof, everyone is looking to find ways to spend less at the grocery store. That’s one reason why meatless meals can be a great addition to your meal plan.

Meals like Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice or Caribbean Beans and Rice are tasty but also more affordable than meat-based meals.

More Budget-Friendly Meals: Best Ideas for Large Family Meals on a Budget

Chinese Night – My family loves Chinese food, so having Chinese themed dinners would be a huge hit in my house!

Leftovers Night – This idea may not be as exciting as some others, but using up leftovers is another good option for a dinner.

Even if you don’t have enough leftovers to make a full meal, you won’t have to make as much new food to go along with the leftovers. Plus you’ll be saving money as a bonus!

Kids’ Night – Let the kids pick what you eat, or just prepare a type of food that you know is a favorite of your kids.

Tuesday Theme Night Dinner Ideas

Beef Night – We eat a lot of beef in our home, so this food theme idea works perfectly for us. Pot roast is one of our go-to beef recipes that we like to have.

There are so many different beef ideas that you’re sure to find several recipes that work for you.

Italian Night – Italian food is another great choice for a theme night dinner. There are a lot of Italian dish recipes from which to choose. Add a side of bread sticks and a salad and you’re ready to go!

Finger Foods Night – One really fun dinner idea is having finger foods. I can think of a lot of different foods that could work for this idea.

Pigs in a blanket would be a great choice, as would pizza rolls or cheese balls with fresh fruit or a fruit cocktail. This would also be a great choice for dinner parties.

Cheap Meals Night – Another fun meal idea is to see how little you can spend on a meal. Here are some great ideas for cheap and easy meals.

Taco Tuesday – Having a taco night is another great thing to include in your themed weekly meals. Tacos are easy to make and perfect paired with salsa and sour cream!

Here’s an easy recipe for homemade taco seasoning.

Wednesday Theme Night Dinner Ideas

Pork Night – If your family enjoys pork, you could find different ways or new recipes for pork dinners. Pork chops and pork ribs are always good options.

Potato Bar Night – When my kids were younger, having a baked potato bar night was always one of their favorite meals.

We used toppings like sour cream, cheese, and sometimes chili to top the potatoes.

Sandwich Night – Sandwiches are usually a hit in many homes. You could do homemade sub sandwiches, tuna melts, or something like sloppy joes.

Casserole Night – Casseroles are a classic go-to meal for family dinners. You may think of Betty Crocker comfort food when you hear “casserole,” but really there are so many good casserole recipes available!

Air Fryer Night – To be honest, I haven’t yet jumped on the air fryer trend. But I know a lot of people have air fryers and enjoy using them.

So why not have a night where you use your air fryer to help make an easy dinner?

Thursday Theme Night Dinner Ideas

Fish Night – There are a lot of delicious fish recipes that make satisfying family dinners.

Baked fish, fried fish, or fish patties are just a few options. This gluten-free fried fish recipe is one of our family favorites.

Breakfast Night – Another fun theme night dinner idea is a breakfast night.

Breakfast foods like pancakes, eggs, waffles, or a breakfast casserole can make for a satisfying dinner meal.

Breakfast Recipe Inspiration:

Mediterranean Night – One delicious but lesser-known type of cuisines comes from the Mediterranean Region.

From Greek chicken thighs to Turkish soups and all kinds of Italian pasta dishes and side dishes, this could be one of the tastiest dinner theme night ideas!

Salad Night – Having a salad for dinner may not seem too exciting at first glance. But there are some pretty amazing salad recipes from which to choose.

From classics like Caesar salad to salads topped with grilled chicken or beef strips, salads can be a fun way to enjoy a family dinner. Using prepackaged salads can make this meal idea even more convenient.

Snack Night – Another favorite choice in this list of themed dinner ideas is having a snack night.

The first thing people usually think of are things like chips and pretzels as snacks. But you won’t want to limit your snack night to just these high-carbohydrate snacks.

Add some cheese cubes, summer sausage, and fruits and veggies for a delicious but simple meal.

Friday Theme Night Dinner Ideas

Pizza Night – Many families try to have a special meal on Friday night to mark the end of the school or work week. For our family, Friday nights are pizza night!

You can use store bought pizza or make your own hot and delicious homemade pizza!

Season Night – This next idea for theme dinner nights is basing your meal on the specific season of the year.

So for autumn you could have fall-themed dishes, with winter you could have meals suitable for winter, and so forth.

Mexican Night – Mexican food is a favorite of many families, so why not have a Mexican-themed night?

Taco salad, burritos and enchiladas are just a few food options. These sourdough tortillas are perfect for Mexican meals.

Soup Night – If your family enjoys soup (or at least is open to trying it), consider having a soup night.

There really is a huge variety of soup recipes available, or you could even purchase premade soup.

Soup can be made on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or Instant Pot.

Soup Recipe Inspiration

Stir Fry Night – One of my favorite meal recipes is stir fry. We’ve been making this vegetable beef stir fry (or a close variation) for years, and everyone still loves it!

You could either find a favorite stir fry recipe that you make each week, or try something new for variety.

Saturday Theme Night Dinner Ideas

Pasta Night – Pasta is a go-to option for many families. It’s quick, easy and affordable.

You could have spaghetti night (with meat or meatless), shrimp pasta, or find a tasty new pasta recipe!

My husband and I have been eating gluten-free for a while, and we really enjoy this grain-free pasta.

Barbecue Night – If you love barbecue (and who doesn’t), having barbecue themed nights would be a great option.

Here are some good barbecue recipes if you need some inspiration.

Charcuterie Night – This next idea is one of my favorites! I love charcuterie (cold cuts), and making a serving platter or board of cold cuts, cheese and nuts or veggies is so amazing!

There are so many possibilities with making your own charcuterie board. It can be as elaborate or simple as you want it to be.

This can be an easy meal if you buy presliced meats and veggies, cubed cheese, and mixed nuts.

Greek Night – I honestly haven’t eaten a lot of Greek food, but some of the photos I’ve seen look really good!

Although names such as Souvlaki and Dolmades may be hard to pronounce, eating Greek could become a new family tradition.

Egg Night – Another great themed meal option is egg night. You could make egg salad, omelets, quiche, or even hard-boiled eggs.

Sunday Theme Night Dinner Ideas

Turkey Night – Although some people think of turkey as mostly Thanksgiving Day fare, it’s actually a versatile and tasty food.

We roast whole turkeys in our roaster oven a few times throughout the year. After deboning the turkey, we make bone broth and then use the stock to make a nourishing soup.

Ground turkey is also a versatile meat that may be used in place of ground beef.

Slow Cooker Night – Last (but definitely not least!) is slow cooker night. There are literally so many recipes for slow cookers.

I love being able to put everything in our Crock Pot earlier in the day, knowing dinner will be ready in the evening.

This is my favorite ham and beans recipe for the slow cooker. And here are some great slow cooker freezer meals that can also save on time.

Burger Night – Just about everyone loves burgers, so why not have a night that’s all about burgers?

If you have an outdoor grill, this would be the perfect opportunity to fire up your grill. Add some coleslaw, baked beans, or your favorite side dish and you’ve got a meal!

Chili Night – One of the easier meal options is chili, particularly if you use canned beans.

This easy homemade chili has good reviews. We like to add sour cream, grated cheese, and diced onions to make our chili even tastier.

Hawaiian Night – If you enjoy fish tacos, garlic shrimp, and pineapples, try having a Hawaiian night.

You could make this a fun dinner theme by playing Hawaiian music or bringing out some leis.

Do you have any favorite theme night dinner ideas? If so, let me know in the comments below.

35 Theme Night Meal Planning Dinner Ideas

35 Theme Night Meal Planning Dinner Ideas