5 Easy Paleo Dinner Recipes for Busy Weeknights

Try one of these easy paleo dinner recipes when you need to get supper on the table—they're perfect for busy weeknights. These go-to recipes make eating paleo and gluten-free every day easier.

It's the end of the day and you have nothing planned for dinner. Or you want to just throw something in the slow cooker before you run out the door in the morning. What's your go-to?

Paleo Dinner Ideas

When you're eating paleo you can't just open a package to make dinner. The paleo diet avoids all the additives, gluten, dairy, and soy products that are in processed foods. So coming up with dinner ideas is a little more challenging.

One of the best tips for easy paleo dinners is having a list of go-to dinners you know you can make fast—and that your family loves. Choose a favorite dinner that's no-cook, one you can cook in the crock pot, a sheet pan dinner, an easy paleo chicken dinner, and one with ground turkey or ground beef. Make sure the recipes are simple and only use a few ingredients like these.

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That way, even if nothing is planned you can just pick up a few fresh ingredients to make one of your go-to meals. As long as your pantry is well-stocked with the non-perishable staple ingredients to complete the meal, you've got a paleo-friendly dinner.

Of course, if all else fails, a plain rotisserie chicken can be a lifesaver. Just make sure you read the ingredients and get one with no additives. You should be able to recognize all the ingredients as real food like chicken, salt, and pepper.

Easy paleo dinner recipes

Here are five family favorite paleo dinner recipes to get you through your busy week. Each one has minimal hands-on time and just a few easy steps. They can be on the table 30 minutes or less after you walk in the door. And they're all paleo, gluten-free, and grain-free.

Garlic Roasted Shrimp with Zucchini Pasta

This garlic roasted shrimp with zucchini pasta is an easy paleo recipe for weeknight dinners—you can have it on the table in 20 minutes. I always keep a bag of shrimp in the freezer for quick dinners. Just put them in a bowl of cold water to thaw while you preheat the oven. The only fresh ingredient needed is the zucchini. The rest of the ingredients can be stocked in your pantry so you'll always have them ready to go when you need them.

Antipasto Salad

This is one of my favorite no-cook weeknight meals. A little slicing and a quick shake of the Italian dressing ingredients, and dinner is ready. Antipasto salad is hearty and full of flavor—perfect when you don’t want to turn on the stove.

Chili Roasted Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs are one of my go-to weeknight dinners. You can roast them simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper—or dress them up with whatever flavors you have in the kitchen. With my chili powder blend all the spices are in the mix, so the chicken is ready to go in the oven in less time than it takes to preheat. Serve with sweet potatoes roasted in the slow cooker and you'll have this easy paleo dinner on the table in no time.

Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles

This paleo take on Bolognese sauce couldn’t be easier. Just dump everything in the slow cooker before you leave in the morning. You don't even have to brown the ground turkey—it cooks in the tomato sauce! The zucchini noodles take just a few minutes to make when you get home. This hearty sauce is also delicious over spaghetti squash. You can pre-cook the spaghetti squash and just heat it up when you get home.

Sheet Pan Salmon with Roasted Asparagus

This recipe is incredibly simple and one of my go-to meals when I don’t have time to cook. I can get this mustard crusted salmon with roasted asparagus on the table in 15 minutes using one sheet pan. Serve this alongside a quick cauliflower rice. It’s faster than ordering takeout.

Paleo meals made simple

Looking to make paleo meals even easier? Using a weekly meal plan takes the stress out of getting dinner on the table on busy weekdays. Paleo meal plans keep you organized so you can just follow the plan without having to think about what you're having for dinner.

You can get 4 weeks of *printable* paleo meal plans free from Real Plans (my favorite meal planner)! Each week's plan includes a timeline for meal prep, a complete shopping list, and a full set of recipe cards. Just sign up with your email and they'll send your free paleo meal plan—no strings attached.

Get your Free Paleo Meal Plan here!