Sunday dinner is the one meal of the week where a long cook time is a feature, not a problem. A braise in the oven or a roast in the slow cooker gives you an afternoon of good smells, a kitchen that stays warm, and a table full of people who showed up on time because they could smell it from the driveway.
This list gathers every recipe on the site tagged for Sunday dinner, plus the braises, roasts and long simmers that belong in the same company. A few faster dinners are at the end for the Sundays that get away from you, because a 35 minute chicken piccata still counts.
Each entry lists the real total time from the recipe card, including any marinating, resting or slow cooker hours, and the number of servings. The times are honest, so a nine hour pot roast says nine hours, even though only 20 minutes of that is work.
Roasts and braises
These are the centerpiece dinners. Most take hours, but the hands on work is 20 to 40 minutes at the start, and then the oven or slow cooker does the rest while you do something else.
For any slow cooker recipe here, put the meat in fully thawed, choose LOW when you have the day, and leave the lid closed. Every peek lets heat out and adds time.
Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables
A whole chicken rubbed with herb butter roasts over carrots, parsnips, potatoes and red onion in one pan, so the vegetables cook in the drippings and the pan is dinner. The skin comes out crisp because the butter and a hot oven render the fat, and the vegetables caramelize underneath. Pull it at 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh and let it rest 10 minutes before carving so the juices stay put.
Time: about 2 hours 5 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables recipe with the printable card
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Bone in short ribs are seared hard and then braised in red wine, beef broth, garlic and herbs until the meat slides off the bone. Four hours sounds like a lot, but three and a half of them are the oven working alone with the lid on. It is even better made a day ahead and reheated, which makes it ideal for company, and chilling it overnight lets you lift the fat off the top in one piece.
Time: about 4 hours | Serves: 6
Get the full Red Wine Braised Short Ribs recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Root Vegetables
A seared chuck roast cooks all day with carrots, potatoes and parsnips, and the juices become a simple gravy at the end. Searing first is the step that makes the gravy taste like something, so do not skip it even though the slow cooker does not require it. Put the roast in fully thawed, set it on LOW for the full time, and leave the lid alone until the meat pulls apart with a fork.
Time: about 8 hours 35 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Root Vegetables recipe with the printable card
Mississippi Pot Roast
A chuck roast, a stick of butter, ranch and au jus seasoning and a handful of pepperoncini go into the slow cooker and come out as tangy, shreddable beef. It is the least work of any recipe on this list, with no browning and no chopping, and it still tastes like you spent the day on it. Serve it over mashed potatoes or on toasted rolls, and save the juices for dipping.
Time: about 9 hours 5 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Mississippi Pot Roast recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
Beef is browned on the stove with bacon, then finishes in the slow cooker with red wine, mushrooms and pearl onions until it falls apart. The browning step is what gives the sauce its color and depth, so do not skip it or rush it. Nine hours on LOW turns a tough cut into something silky, and the recipe gives a HIGH option for days when you start late.
Time: about 9 hours 5 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon recipe with the printable card
Classic Beef Stew
Beef chuck braises in red wine and broth with carrots, potatoes and peas in one Dutch oven for a little over three hours. The gravy comes out glossy without any extra thickening because the flour on the beef does the work as it browns. This is the recipe for the first cold Sunday of the season, and it reheats so well that leftovers are a reason to make it.
Time: about 3 hours 10 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Classic Beef Stew recipe with the printable card
Long simmers and big bakes
Not every Sunday dinner is a roast. These take time, feed a crowd and leave leftovers for Monday, which is half the point of cooking on Sunday.
Three of them are excellent make ahead dinners. Lasagna can be assembled a day early, tikka masala marinates overnight, and red beans only get better sitting in the pot.
Classic Meat Lasagna
A beef and sausage meat sauce, seasoned ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan in traditional layers. The sauce simmers for a good while, and the finished lasagna needs a real rest before slicing, so plan for close to two and a half hours from start to table. It feeds twelve, which makes it the biggest yield on this list, and half of it can go straight into the freezer for another Sunday.
Time: about 2 hours 25 minutes | Serves: 12
Get the full Classic Meat Lasagna recipe with the printable card
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
A creamy chicken, vegetable and thyme filling bakes between two flaky crusts until the top is deep golden. Using already cooked chicken and store bought pie dough keeps it under an hour and a half without giving anything up in flavor. Vent the top crust well so the filling does not boil over, and let it rest 15 minutes so the filling thickens enough to slice.
Time: about 1 hour 25 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Homemade Chicken Pot Pie recipe with the printable card
Red Beans and Rice
Dried red beans simmer slowly with andouille sausage, a ham hock and the onion, celery and bell pepper base until they turn creamy and the pot thickens on its own. It takes close to three hours, and the pot mostly looks after itself with an occasional stir. Serve over white rice with hot sauce on the table, and expect eight generous servings.
Time: about 2 hours 50 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Red Beans and Rice recipe with the printable card
Chicken Tikka Masala
Yogurt marinated chicken thighs are broiled until charred at the edges, then simmered in a creamy, warmly spiced tomato sauce. The two hours include marinating time, and the actual cooking is much shorter, so it fits a Sunday afternoon with room to spare. Rice and warm naan turn it into a full spread, and the sauce is excellent the next day.
Time: about 2 hours | Serves: 6
Get the full Chicken Tikka Masala recipe with the printable card
Classic Meatloaf with Brown Sugar Glaze
A tender beef meatloaf bakes free form on a sheet pan so the outside browns all over and the brown sugar and ketchup glaze caramelizes instead of steaming in a loaf pan. Cook it to 160°F in the center and let it rest 10 minutes before slicing so it holds together. Eight servings means meatloaf sandwiches on Monday, which many people consider the better meal.
Time: about 1 hour 30 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Classic Meatloaf with Brown Sugar Glaze recipe with the printable card
Faster Sunday dinners that still feel special
For the Sundays that fill up with errands and sports, these four take 35 minutes to an hour and still look like you made an effort. Two are skillet dinners with pan sauces and two are risottos.
Serve them with something from the oven, like roasted vegetables or warm bread, and nobody will notice that dinner started at five thirty.
Chicken Piccata
Thin chicken cutlets dusted in flour are pan seared until golden, then finished in a bright lemon, white wine and caper butter sauce. It is a restaurant plate in 35 minutes, and the sauce comes together in the same pan in a couple of minutes. Pound the cutlets to an even thickness so they cook through at the same time, and cook them in two batches so they brown instead of steam.
Time: about 35 minutes | Serves: 4
Get the full Chicken Piccata recipe with the printable card
Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin is seared, roasted to 145°F and glazed with a sticky honey garlic soy sauce made in the same skillet. Rest it five minutes before slicing so the juices stay in the meat, then slice it thick and spoon the glaze over. Six servings from one tenderloin in about 35 minutes makes it the best value for time on this list.
Time: about 35 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin recipe with the printable card
Mushroom Risotto
Deeply browned mixed mushrooms, Arborio rice, white wine, Parmesan and thyme come together in one pot in about 45 minutes. It feels like a special occasion dish because it is served the moment it is done, glossy and just loose enough to spread on the plate. Warm the stock before you start adding it, and finish with cold butter off the heat.
Time: about 45 minutes | Serves: 4
Get the full Mushroom Risotto recipe with the printable card
Butternut Squash Risotto with Sage
Squash cooks into the rice until it melts, and roasted squash and sage fried in brown butter go on top for contrast. It takes a little over an hour because the squash roasts first, and the roasting can be done in the morning. Serve it as the main course for four, or as a first course before the roast chicken when you want a two course Sunday.
Time: about 1 hour 5 minutes | Serves: 4
Get the full Butternut Squash Risotto with Sage recipe with the printable card
How to use this list
Pick the recipe by how much time you have, not by how impressive it sounds. The short ribs, pot roasts and bourguignon need a whole afternoon or a full day in the slow cooker. The stew, red beans and lasagna need three hours or less. The last four need under an hour and still land on the table looking like Sunday.
Shop on Saturday. Chuck roast, short ribs and whole chickens are the pieces most likely to be out of stock late Sunday morning, and a fully thawed roast is a must for any slow cooker recipe. Buy the wine for the braises at the same time and pick something you would drink.
Make the braises a day ahead if you can. Short ribs, beef stew and bourguignon improve overnight and reheat well on the stove, which frees Sunday afternoon and lets you skim fat off the top before serving. Lasagna assembles a day ahead too and bakes from cold with an extra 15 minutes.
Round out the plate with something simple from the fall side dishes list. Mashed potatoes or crusty bread for the braises, a green salad for the lasagna and pot pie, and roasted vegetables for the roast chicken if you want more than what is in the pan. If Sunday dinner leaves you with leftovers, the freezer meal prep guide covers what freezes well, and the Thanksgiving make ahead timeline scales the same planning up for the holiday.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Sunday dinner that takes the least work?
Mississippi pot roast is the least work on this list. The roast, butter, seasonings and pepperoncini go into the slow cooker with no browning and cook all day. Slow cooker pot roast is nearly as easy with one searing step at the start.
Which Sunday dinners can be made a day ahead?
Red wine braised short ribs, classic beef stew, slow cooker beef bourguignon and both pot roasts all reheat well and often taste better the next day. Lasagna can be assembled a day ahead and baked on Sunday.
What internal temperature should a roast chicken reach?
Cook a whole chicken to 165°F measured in the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone. Let it rest 10 to 15 minutes before carving so the juices settle.
Do I need to sear meat before it goes in the slow cooker?
It is optional but worth it for pot roast and bourguignon. Searing builds browned flavor that the slow cooker cannot create on its own. Always add the meat fully thawed and keep the lid closed while it cooks.
How many people do these Sunday dinners serve?
Most serve six. Classic lasagna serves twelve, meatloaf, red beans and rice and Mississippi pot roast serve eight, and chicken piccata, mushroom risotto and butternut squash risotto serve four.
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