15 Best Vacation House Dinner Ideas Perfect for Family Getaways
Easy prep and easy cleanup are the way to go.
Hooray, you’re finally getting away! You’ve found the right vacation house for your family to enjoy some much-needed time away. But now comes a bit of a challenge: You can’t go out for every meal, but you may have limited resources to cook like you normally would. When you get there, first assess your access to groceries and also what cooking supplies are available. Then browse this list of easy vacation meals to plan your dinners accordingly.
The vacation-house dinner ideas you’ll find here include one-pot wonders and sheet-pan dinners for locations with limited cookware options. Plus, they cut down on cleanup. And speaking of which, if you do have access to a grill, you’ll find easy grill recipes that take advantage of disposable pans and foil packets. That means no grate scrubbing afterward and no hot kitchen, either. Woo hoo!
How about some 30-minute summer dinners? There are quite a few (including some that only require one pan), so you can spend more time enjoying your family and friends and less time hovering over the stove. Lazy summer dinners are a must when you’re trying to maximize your vacation time! But don’t worry, these vacation-house dinners are all still full of family-friendly flavor to keep everyone happy during their time away.
Lemon Pasta
All you need is one pot with ten minutes of prep to get this simply delicious dish on the table. It’s amazing how much flavor basic ingredients like garlic, lemon, and parmesan can give to plain pasta.
Get the Lemon Pasta recipe.
Caprese Chicken
Jazz up basic chicken cutlets with seasonal tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, jarred pesto, and store-bought balsamic reduction. All you need to serve with it is a big chunk of bread to sop up all the juices.
Get Ree’s Caprese Chicken recipe.
Sheet-Pan Ranch Pork and Veggies
The hack to this easy one-pan meal is a packet of ranch dressing mix. It works double duty to flavor both the pork chops and the seasonal veggies. Also, cleanup is even easier if you line the pan with foil.
Get Ree's Sheet-Pan Ranch Pork and Veggies recipe.
Grilled Tilapia
Speaking of foil, it’s the trick to grilling fish for no-fuss cooking. The tilapia and veggies cook right in the foil packets together for a one-and-done meal. Lemon slices perfume everything as the packets cook.
Get the Grilled Tilapia recipe.
Beef Taco Skillet
Instead of making the parts of a taco and having to assemble them all, throw everything in one big skillet and serve it that way! You can get creative with the toppings and not waste a bunch of dishes in the process.
Get Ree’s Beef Taco Skillet recipe.
Sheet-Pan Cajun Chicken and Corn
When you cook everything on a sheet pan all at the same time, both the prep and cleanup are so much easier. Cajun seasoning does most of the work for you here, flavoring both the chicken and the veggies.
Get Ree's Sheet-Pan Cajun Chicken and Corn recipe.
Blackened Salmon with Edamame Succotash
You can also cook salmon in the oven. It only takes about 15 minutes for it to come out perfectly flaky yet moist. Bonus: You can skip most of the veggie prep when you use the frozen variety.
Foil-Packet Shrimp Pasta
Yes, you can even make pasta in foil packets! You use canned tomatoes for easy prep, shrimp cooks up super fast, and cleanup is a breeze. Sprinkle with basil and parsley for a pop of freshness at the end.
Get Ree’s Foil-Packet Shrimp Pasta recipe.
Pepperoni Pizza Burgers
If you’ve got requests for both pizza and burgers, combine them for the ultimate bite. Fry up some burger patties, cover them with cheese and pepperoni, and pop them on marinara-sauced buns. Grab the jarred kind at the store!
Get Ree’s Pepperoni Pizza Burgers recipe.
Tex-Mex Chicken Caesar Salad
If you’ve got access to a store that sells rotisserie chicken, meal prep just got so much easier. Here, classic Caesar salad gets a zesty twist with smoky, spicy chipotle dressing. Top with tortilla chips for extra crunch.
Get Ree's Tex-Mex Chicken Caesar Salad recipe.
Sheet Pan Sausage and Summer Vegetables
Seasonal veggies look good at the local market? Chop them up and toss them on a sheet pan with store-bought sweet Italian sausage. Dinner will come together in no time!
Grilled BBQ Chicken Nachos
Did you know that you can make nachos on the grill? Pile them high in a disposable pan for easy cleanup. This recipe also uses rotisserie chicken and jarred BBQ sauce, so it’s a cinch to throw together.
Get Ree’s Grilled BBQ Chicken Nachos recipe.
Pork Fried Rice
If you have leftover rice from another meal, the best way to repurpose it is fried rice. You can also use frozen veggies here to cut down on the prep. It will be done in just 30 minutes, which is even faster than takeout.
Get Ree’s Pork Fried Rice recipe.
Gnocchi Alfredo with Peas
Two of the best cooking hacks for an easy meal: refrigerated gnocchi and frozen peas. It takes just 20 minutes to whip up this creamy family favorite, and that even includes a from-scratch sauce.
Get Ree’s Gnocchi Alfredo with Peas recipe.
Zucchini Pizza Bites
Zucchini is everywhere in the summer. Make the most of the local produce and turn slices into mini pizzas! They’re both kid- and adult-friendly. Plus, when you use store-bought sauce, they come together in no time.
Get the Zucchini Pizza Bites recipe.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Cauliflower Soup
Easy Foil Packet Recipes for a Grill or Campfire
The Pioneer Woman’s Favorite Sandwich
