20 Quick Dinners To Make When You Don’t Feel Like Spending Too Much Time Cooking
These meals come together in 30 minutes or less.
Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
When you get home after a busy day, oftentimes the last thing you want to think about is what the heck you’re going to have for dinner. Afterall, who has the brainpower to plan a whole meal after hours spent working, watching little ones, or even enjoying some much-needed alone time? That’s why we’ve compiled this list of 20 quick dinners to make when you just don’t feel like spending a ton of time in the kitchen. Each of these meals is ready in 30 minutes (or less!) and you don’t need to sacrifice taste or quality to get them on the table in a hurry. Some of our favorite quick and easy dinner ideas include Gnocchi With Spring Vegetables and Chile-Lime Salmon Cakes with Arugula Salad. Ready for more delicious meals you can whip up in a snap? Scroll down!
Related: 19 Easy, Healthy Dinner Ideas Your Whole Family Will Love
Honey-Chipotle Shrimp Tostadas
GREG DUPREE; FOOD STYLING BY EMILY NABORS HALL, PROP STYLING BY CLAIRE SPOLLEN
If you’re unfamiliar with tostadas, they are crisp-fried tortillas garnished with an array of satisfying toppings. In the case of this 30-minute meal, we’ve got store-bought refried beans, sweet-and-spicy shrimp, cabbage, and a dusting of crumbled Cotija cheese. The undisputed star, though, is the shrimp, which are marinated in a smoky chipotle and sweet honey mixture. Garnish each tostada with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime and you’re good to go.
Spring Minestrone
While some soups need to simmer for hours, this one is ready in just 30 minutes from start to finish. Here, some of spring’s finest produce, including lemon, basil, crisp green beans, and silky Swiss chard, are joined by toothsome ditalini pasta, leeks, and celery for a comforting meal. Opt for high-quality store-bought broth for this easy dish, or make your own.
Gnocchi With Spring Vegetables
Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayliss
Stock up on some of spring’s best produce for this 25-minute gnocchi recipe. Here, asparagus, snap peas, and peas mingle with pan-seared gnocchi in a quick lemony garlic sauce made with vegetable stock, lemon zest, and butter, among other ingredients. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and dig into your new favorite vegetarian meal.
Antipasto Salad
This dish reimagines melon and prosciutto—a classic Italian combo—as an ace salad that’s ready in just 15 minutes. In addition to that sweet and savory duo, you’ll find crisp Little Gem lettuce, buttery Castelvetrano olives, creamy burrata, and crunchy pistachios. Since this salad is so packed with flavor, the only dressing you need is a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Crispy Chicken Cutlets With Artichoke Dressing
You can't go wrong with crispy chicken cutlets for a quick, scrumptious dinner. Breadcrumb-coated chicken bakes with roasted asparagus and is topped with a lemony dressing made from briny artichoke hearts, fresh parsley, and salty Parmesan cheese. It’s so tasty that it's hard to believe you can whip it up in just 25 minutes.
Spicy Dumpling Soup
Jen Causey
The secret to this 30-minute meal is store-bought frozen dumplings. The bold, vegan soup is flavored with soy sauce and chili crisp, and also includes healthy bok choy and mushrooms. If you don’t like either or both of those veggies, use spinach and carrots instead. The cooking time doesn’t change.
Chile-Lime Salmon Cakes with Arugula Salad
Jennifer Causey
The time-saving trick here is canned salmon, which forms the base of these zesty fishcakes along with lime juice, fresh cilantro, and chile-garlic sauce. The patties stay together thanks to egg, mayonnaise, and breadcrumbs, and are served alongside lime juice-dressed arugula and a garlic-spiked mayonnaise sauce. Even with all of those components, this meal is still ready in 30 minutes.
Skillet Gnocchi With Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
Greg DuPree
For nights when you’re craving comfort food, this 30-minute dinner is the one to make. In this easy meal you’ll find pillowy gnocchi, tender fennel, meaty sausage, and pleasantly bitter broccoli rabe. The standout, however, is the dollop of rich ricotta that rounds out the meal. Top with freshly ground black pepper for a contrasting bite, and dig in.
Sesame-Scallion Steak Lettuce Wraps
Jennifer Causey
Inspired by Korean ssäm, this dish uses lettuce as a wrap for meat and rice. More specifically, hearty Bibb lettuce encases thinly sliced rib eye that’s flavored with sherry vinegar, light brown sugar, and punchy fish sauce, as well as fluffy white rice. You’d never guess this steak recipe is ready in just 30 minutes!
Related: 21 Steak Dinner Ideas That’ll Satisfy Any Craving For Red Meat
Za’atar Tofu Skewers with Tomato Salad & Hummus
Jennifer Causey
Easy and filling, you can get this vegetarian recipe on the table in just 30 minutes. You’ll start by making the zesty tomato-cucumber-olive salad to go alongside, and will then switch gears and season and cook the tofu with za’atar—a Middle Eastern spice blend made with thyme, marjoram, sumac, and sesame seeds. Once the tofu is done cooking, all that’s left to do is grab your store-bought hummus and plate this feast. Easy enough, right?
Soba Noodle Salad with Chili-Glazed Shrimp
Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Resist the urge to order takeout and whip up this flavorful noodle salad instead. This 30-minute meal features a peanut sauce spiked with hoisin, sesame oil, lime juice, and chili garlic sauce to dress the noodles, as well as store-bought vegetable salad mix to add nutritional value and some crunch. The shrimp, which are glazed in a sweet and savory marinade made with zesty lime and chili garlic sauce, add a hefty dose of lean protein.
Creamy Enchilada Soup
Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Not all soups require hours of simmering, and this creamy enchilada number is proof. Here, vegetable broth is amped up with onion and garlic and then combined with store-bought salsa verde, which mingles with white beans, corn, green chiles, and pre-made taco seasoning. After a quick simmer, you’ll whisk in some sour cream until combined, and dress the soup with your desired toppings. We’re partial to sliced avocado, crushed tortilla chips, and shredded cheese.
Rosemary Lamb Chops
Greg DuPree
Lamb may seem like it’s complicated to make, but we promise it’s not. For this 15-minute recipe, you’ll season and top lamb chops with a flavorful combination of mayonnaise, Castelvetrano olives, and plenty of fresh rosemary. The meat is served alongside olive-and-rosemary bulgur with smashed cucumber, which rounds out this easy yet delicious meal.
Italian Sausage Burgers
Greg DuPree
In this 15-minute dinner recipe, Italian sausage is removed from its casings to form burger patties. Those flavorful patties are then topped with quick-pickled onions, a slice of provolone cheese, and jarred roasted red peppers. If you’re looking to save even some money, feel free to top the burgers with ingredients you already have at home instead.
Lemony Linguine With Olives and Feta
This 25-minute pasta recipe packs plenty of zesty, tangy flavor without breaking the bank. Aside from the noodles and other common ingredients such as garlic, crushed red pepper, and Parmesan cheese, all you need is buttery Castelvetrano olives, pine nuts, and crumbled feta cheese. How’s that for a short grocery list?
Crunchy Salad With Chicken and Ginger
Fred Hardy
If a salad made with wilted lettuce isn’t your jam, give this one a try instead. This easy recipe features strips of marinated and seared chicken, shredded cabbage, carrots, and red bell peppers, as well as a topping of sliced almonds and fresh mint leaves. A dressing made with orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive oil, fresh mint, and grated ginger ties the whole healthy dish together.
Miso Noodle Soup
Greg DuPree
A trio of flavor-packed ingredients—tofu, vegetable stock, and ramen noodles—form the base of this savory soup. For even more flavor you’ll turn to pantry staples such as soy sauce, white miso paste, and dried seaweed snacks. If you can, pick up some fresh scallions to slice and top the soup with. They’ll add those unmistakable onion-y notes, and will make the finished product look even more delicious.
Carbonara Pizza
Jen Causey
Fresh pizza dough and a handful of other ingredients is all that stands between you and this 30-minute pizza. The homemade pie is a perfect canvas for mozzarella and Pecorino Romano cheeses, crispy pancetta, and eggs, which are added part way through the cooking process, to ensure they don’t get too done. Who’s ready for pizza night?
Related: These 18 Pizza Recipes Are So Good, You'll Never Order In Again
Caprese Mac and Cheese
Fred Hardy
This lighter take on mac and cheese is inspired by the classic Caprese salad. In this 30-minute dish, as is the case with the Italian salad, you’ll find mozzarella, tomato, and basil. Since it is mac and cheese, this meal also includes orecchiette pasta, plenty of butter and milk, and a dash of Dijon mustard for just a little bit of spice.
Lemony Chopped Salad With Pita
No matter what you’re craving, this 30-minute salad will (likely) hit the spot. It’s packed with crispy roasted chickpeas, toasted pita bread croutons, crunchy cucumbers, spicy radishes, and tart cherry tomatoes. You’ll also find salty goat cheese and a sprinkling of fresh mint, and everything is slathered in a simple vinaigrette. This recipe is vegetarian, but we promise you won’t miss the meat!
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