3 Easy Dinner Ideas That Are Already (or Almost) Paleo

When the family chef goes Paleo, one of the biggest challenges is getting the rest of the family on board. While you may not ask your kids or spouse to follow The Paleo Diet® with you, naturally you want to be able to share a dinner without having to eat something completely different. Fortunately, many traditional, easy dinner recipes are pretty close to Paleo already.

If the generational family recipe isn’t exactly Paleo, a few subtle changes can be made to swap out the grains, dairy, salt, or added sugars. To demonstrate how simple this can be, we’re sharing three easy dinner ideas that are already close to Paleo and can be served to the family without them even knowing. If you need a little more guidance or inspiration, we’ve also linked a full Paleo recipe underneath each meal idea.

Roasted Chicken with Salad

Everyone loves the taste and texture of roasted chicken. The meat is tender and flavorful, the skin is crispy, and each family member can claim their favorite part to eat. Roasted chicken can also be served with a wide variety of sides, so a little strategic Paleo selection is easy to do. We suggest a fresh batch salad which can be made up with just a few simple ingredients to suit each family member’s preferences.

You can roast your own chicken at home with very little effort. For the rest, you just need salad fixings and fresh fruit for a fruit salad dessert.

Oven-Roasted Chicken Essentials

• Whole Chicken
• Olive Oil
• Spices

Recipe Inspo: Whole Roaster Herb Chicken

Salad Essentials

• Salad Greens
• Chopped Hard-Boiled Egg
• Diced Tomato
• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Cooked Broccoli
• Oil & Vinegar Dressing or Paleo Ranch

Recipe Inspo: Spring Cobb Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Optional Dessert: Fruit Salad

• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Orange Juice

Recipe Inspo: Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Meatloaf and Veggies

Meatloaf is one of those meals that can be made a million different ways. Some people use breadcrumbs (which are not Paleo), but you don’t have to. The key is to flavor the meat with spices, soften with tomato paste, and bind with egg—which are all Paleo ingredients (just watch for preservatives in canned tomato paste). All you have to do is knead the meatloaf ingredients together, press it into a loaf pan, and top with a little extra tomato paste or Paleo ketchup.

Seasoned roasted veggies make a great side to this entrée, and they bake on a sheet pan in the same oven so everything comes out together. Even the cinnamon apples can be roasted for a time-saving savory dessert—or sauteed over the stove for an extra soft texture.

Meatloaf Essentials

• Lean Ground Beef
• Italian Spices
• Tomato Paste
• Eggs

Recipe Inspo: Veggie-Packed Turkey Meatloaf

Roasted Vegetables Essentials

• Carrots
• Onion
• Sweet Potato
• Zucchini
• Cauliflower
• Olive Oil
• Italian Spices

Recipe Inspo: Roasted Fall Vegetable Salad

Optional Dessert: Roasted Cinnamon Apples

• Cored or Sliced Apples
• Almond Oil
• Cinnamon 

Recipe Inspo: Crockpot Applesauce

Beef Stew

If you take out the starchy white potatoes and make sure not to use any processed ingredients, a traditional beef stew is another easy dinner idea that is essentially Paleo. You only need to combine beef, vegetables, a Paleo-friendly fat (beef fat or tallow in this case), and beef stock and let them stew until the broth is thick and everything is tender. And one great thing about beef stew is that it takes care of its own vegetable side.

For dessert, we suggest a two-ingredient, dairy-free “ice cream” that only needs a few seconds in the blender to prep. For more minimal-ingredient Paleo desserts like this one, check out these four easy dessert ideas.

Beef Stew Essentials

• Stew Beef
• Beef Stock
• Beef Fat
• Carrots
• Onion
• Celery
• Tomatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Pepper

Recipe Inspo: Paleo Bring-It-On Beef Stew

Optional Dessert: Dairy-Free Banana Ice Cream

• Frozen Banana Slices
• Coconut Milk or Nut Butter (Optional)
• Blender

Recipe Inspo:PaleoFLEX™ Almond-Coconut Ice Cream

Easy Dinner Ideas That Work for You

If you’re trying to feed the whole family while keeping to your own Paleo goals, it helps to have a few traditional recipes under your belt that are already close to Paleo. These recipes can please every member of your family—and they might not even guess that you’ve cut out the butter or breadcrumbs.

If you’re interested in seeing your own easy dinner ideas made Paleo, explore our Recipe Library or send us a request at help@thepaleodiet.com.