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A roundup of 28 easy meals for two that make leftovers to help simplify your weekly cooking routine.
Tired of cooking dinner every single night, or eating takeout more often than you’d like to? Simplify your routine and start cooking dinners with leftovers, so you can enjoy delicious home cooked meals more often without putting in any extra effort.
Whether you need a quick lunch the next day that you can reheat in the microwave, or want to skip a night of cooking altogether without having to spend money on takeout, these meals are the perfect solution. Check out some of our favorite dinners to make for the two of us when we want leftovers for the week ahead!
Fast And Easy Dinners For Two

1. Spicy Butter Chicken
This is one of our favorite dinners to make for leftovers, because just one meal of butter chicken is never enough! Enjoy this creamy, decadent Indian dish two nights in a row with just 30 minutes of hands-on cooking required. Note that you’ll need to plan ahead a bit to marinate the chicken.

2. Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos
How about some delicious and easy vegetarian tacos for dinner, and lunch for the next few days? These simple yet flavorful sweet potato tacos go a long way – and can even be served as taco bowls with rice, or made into burritos, if you want to change things up throughout the week.

3. Cauliflower Tikka Masala
This might just be our favorite 30 minute dinner that makes leftovers. It’s super easy to cook in just one pot, and easily makes 4 to 6 servings depending on how hungry you are! Pair it with rice and naan for a tasty and satisfying meal you’ll want to eat over and over again.

4. One Pot Spinach and Artichoke Pasta
Pasta is the ultimate quick and easy dinner – and this one pot pasta is no exception! Turn spinach and artichoke dip into a tasty meal for two in just 25 minutes. And then make your future self super excited about tomorrow’s dinner when you reheat the leftovers 🙂

5. Goat Cheese and Tomato Gnocchi
Make this restaurant-worthy creamy tomato gnocchi with goat cheese in just 10 minutes! It’s the perfect dinner when you need something super quick and easy, comforting, and with plenty of leftovers. Plus, we guarantee it’ll impress your significant other when you whip this up for dinner and tell them there’s plenty more to enjoy the next day.

6. Mediterranean Chicken and Rice
Not many ingredients on hand? Make a simple Mediterranean chicken and rice with pantry staples and serve it with hummus, tzatziki, and pita bread for an easy dinner that’ll give you some leftovers. Eat the same meal again the next day, or transform the ingredients into a pita pocket sandwich if you’re feeling adventurous.

7. Easy Baked Penne
This 3-ingredient baked penne pasta recipe is a no brainer when you need an easy big batch dinner. Simply cook the pasta, mix everything in a baking dish, and pop it in the oven. For basically zero effort, this recipe will easily get you a few days’ worth of meals after enjoying it for dinner.

8. Thai Drunken Noodles Recipe
Make this takeout favorite at home in about 20 minutes for a quick and easy dinner for two. Packed with fresh veggies and flavorful chicken, these drunken noodles are so satisfying. You won’t be sad to have leftovers for lunch the next day!

9. Thai Chicken and Rice Bowl With Peanut Sauce
If you want a lot of leftovers, then you definitely need to make this Thai style chicken and rice bowl! Toss the chicken, veggies, and rice together and you’ll get a meal that goes the distance all week long. Drizzle it with your favorite peanut sauce for effortless flavor, and enjoy it again and again (and again).
Vegetarian Dinners For Two

10. Vegetarian Lasagna With Cottage Cheese
Lasagna is a no-brainer when you want tons of leftovers! This simple recipe uses a blend of cottage cheese, parmesan, and mozzarella for a vegetarian-friendly and lighter version of your favorite comfort food dinner. Spend some time making this on Sunday, and enjoy it all week long.

11. Sweet Potato Black Bean Rice Bowl
Sweet potato, black beans, poblano, onion, and goat cheese come together in one delicious, nutrition-packed bowl with brown rice. This might have to be our favorite vegetarian recipe – especially because we can make it for dinner for the two of us, and then eat it again for lunch the next day!

12. Eggplant Parmesan
A big batch of eggplant parmesan is perfect for ensuring you have leftovers to get you through the week! This oven baked version is fairly easy to make in about 1 hour, and will leave you with plenty of eggplant to serve with pasta or on sub rolls when you need a quick meal.

13. Sweet Potato Taco Bowls
These Mexican style taco bowls feature plenty of fresh veggies and a deliciously creamy avocado crema that you’ll be glad to eat a few days in a row. Make them for dinner tonight, and have easily reheatable lunches tomorrow!

14. Veggie Pita Pockets
We love a good sheet pan recipe that makes tons of leftovers. Roasted veggies, chickpeas, and quinoa come together for a tasty Mediterranean filling you can spoon into pita pockets (or eat on its own) with dips like hummus and tzatziki for extra creaminess. It’s just as good cold as it is warm, so leftovers are perfect for on-the-go lunches during the week!

15. Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas
If you need leftovers that’ll last all week long, make these sweet potato enchiladas (one batch will give you about 14 enchiladas!). We’ll typically eat one or two as a serving, so the leftovers can easily last about 5 days with two people eating them.
Slow Cooker Meals For Two

16. Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
Slow cooker more your style? Try this big batch chicken tikka masala for an easy dinner that doubles as lunch the next few days. Marinate the chicken overnight, toss everything in the crockpot the next day, and enjoy a cozy meal without having to do much cooking at all.

17. Creamy Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup
If you’re looking for comfort food to get you through a tough week ahead, make our crockpot potato soup for dinner and indulge for the next few days. Prepare toppings like bacon and shredded cheddar ahead of time so you can easily reheat leftovers and build your own loaded soup bowl!

18. Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
Make this sweet potato chili for an easy dinner for two, then have it for lunch or dinner for a few more meals after that – it makes plenty of servings! Using mostly canned ingredients and a slow cooker, this is a low effort, big reward recipe for sure.
Comfort Food Dinners For Two

19. Japanese Crispy Chicken Rice Bowls
Who doesn’t love crispy chicken and rice? Dress it up with two different savory sauces, fresh lemon, and pickled ginger for a delicious and comforting dinner you can make in under an hour. Then, enjoy leftovers the next day for lunch!

20. Pork Enchiladas Verde
Enchiladas are our go-to for easy, reheatable meals throughout the week. This recipe yields 8 hearty pork filled enchiladas for about 6 to 8 servings, depending on how hungry you are! Use a store bought verde sauce to make this a super easy dinner that cooks in about 30 minutes.

21. Healthy Green Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken enchiladas more tempting than pork? Try these healthy green chicken enchiladas for dinner, and reheat leftovers for easy lunches during the week. Thanks to a creamy cottage cheese queso and plenty of black beans, these enchiladas will help you get your protein fix too!

22. BLT Pizza
Sheet pan pizza to the rescue! This type of pie is perfect for having leftovers after a dinner for two – especially when it’s loaded with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a creamy garlic aioli. One or two slices is plenty for most, so you can enjoy this flavorful pizza at least one more time as leftovers.

23. Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese
How about a hearty cheeseburger mac and cheese? This decadent dinner for two will give you plenty of leftovers to indulge in throughout the week, if you’re craving savory, cheesy comfort. Plus, it makes a pound of ground beef go a long way if you’re trying to cut back on grocery spending.

24. Chick-Fil-A Pizza
What’s more comforting than chicken nuggets and fries, on a pizza? And what makes this the perfect meal for two with leftovers is how filling just one slice is, thanks to those hefty toppings. Go ahead and treat yourselves, then keep on treating yourself and your partner as you enjoy the leftovers all week long.

25. Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Casseroles are one of the best dinners that make leftovers! We love this flavorful chicken enchilada casserole for how easy it is to put together, and how much food it makes. Serve it as dinner for two and then easily reheat for lunch over the next few days, complete with a side of chips and guac.

26. Homemade Buffalo Chicken Pizza
What can we say, sheet pan pizzas are truly a winner when it comes to making dinner for two with leftovers! Loaded up with spicy buffalo chicken and plenty of cheese, this filling pie will definitely satisfy you for dinner and then some.

27. Fettuccine With Meat Sauce
Take comfort in a classic Italian pasta dinner with this easy fettuccine and meat sauce. One pound of beef and a can of tomatoes makes enough sauce for about 6 servings, so you can easily enjoy this as dinner for two with plenty of leftovers to spare.

28. Chicken Burritos Ranchero
Listen, if you’re going to make burritos for dinner, you might as well make enough to have them for lunch the next day, too! Have a fiesta two days in a row with these indulgent chicken burritos ranchero and make all the effort that went into cooking them worth it. Better yet, double the recipe and eat your heart out all week long – no judgment here!
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