Browse 72 quick meals recipes with photos, prep and cook times, full ingredient lists, and step-by-step instructions.
LunchThese chicken wraps can be cooked in 30 minutes. All cooking is done in one pan, cooking the chicken and heating the tortillas. The final wrap has seared chicken and mozzarella filling and garlic sauce, as well as light char marks on the tortilla.
DinnerCajun chicken Alfredo orzo takes 35 minutes to make and feeds four; it's a one-skillet meal with minimal cleanup that includes Cajun chicken, orzo, and Alfredo sauce with Parmesan cheese. I make this dish when I'm looking for a fast, full meal.
DinnerA 35-minute pork tenderloin recipe that uses just one oven dish and a few other ingredients would be suitable for a weeknight meal. Maple syrup and two kinds of mustard are used as a glaze for the pork tenderloin, which is browned first and then baked.
DinnerYou need 20 minutes and a baking sheet to make this maple Dijon salmon dish. The glaze is sweet and tangy, and the salmon flakes easily with a fork. I often serve this dish for dinner when I'm short on time. Using parchment paper on the baking sheet can help prevent the loss of syrup and other glaze ingredients. Maple syrup is sticky.
DinnerChicken chow mein skillet meal takes 30 minutes. Noodles are lightly crisped as the sauce thickens around them. Cabbage and carrot provide additional texture. I make chicken chow mein when I don't want to order delivery and prefer to make skillet noodles at home.
Side DishesHoney butter skillet corn takes 15 minutes to make in one pan. I usually make honey butter skillet corn as a quick side dish for dinner on nights when I'm busy and making other dishes for dinner. Sweet corn is cooked in a pan with honey and butter. It gets a sauce with smoked paprika and garlic at the end (I like that little note).
DinnerThis white miso pasta sauce takes 20 minutes to prepare and is an easy weeknight meal. The sauce can be made using just a few ingredients and a single pan. White miso provides deep flavor to the sauce. Parmesan cheese and pasta cooking liquid give the sauce body to pair well with long pasta. I recommend serving this dish with long pasta like linguine.
Snacks & AppetizersPizza chips take 15 minutes to make and are made with tortillas and other pizza ingredients, including mozzarella cheese and smaller slices of pepperoni. I make pizza chips when a warm snack needs to happen fast. Other ingredients on pizza chips, including smaller slices of pepperoni, crisp up. I serve marinara sauce on the side.
LunchBang bang chicken noodles are prepared in 30 minutes. Sauce preparation can be done concurrently with cooking the noodles and chicken in a hot pan. Wheat noodles are coated with a mild orange chili sauce and topped with chicken, scallions, and sesame seeds.
DinnerThese mummy hot dogs take 27 minutes to make with hot dogs and crescent dough. They bake at 375°F until the hot dog is cooked and golden and can be served as an appetizer or entree during Halloween. Uncut strips of dough create a mummy effect for the hot dog.
Side DishesWarm water activates fermentation in active dry yeast quickly and contributes to rising when proofed dough is placed in a warm oven. These 30-Minute Dinner Rolls yield 15 soft, fluffy rolls with golden-brown crusts.
DinnerFor a recipe that works well as a family meal for busy people, these ground chicken meatball nuggets produce around 20 nuggets that are much like fast-food items. Parmesan cheese and Worcestershire sauce in the breading give the nuggets flavor and a crispy golden brown crust.
DinnerPrecooked vegetables and sauce can be cooked with leftover marinated beef in a frying pan for a small- or large-batch meal. Mongolian beef: Stir-fried sliced steak with red and other vegetables and onions in a sauce of ginger, garlic, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder, and other ingredients.
Side DishesChoose 16-20 raw jumbo shrimp, like black tiger shrimp, to provide large, juicy shrimp that retain their shape when fried. Bang bang shrimp is an appetizer dish featuring fried shrimp served with sweet chili and sriracha mayo.
DinnerBaking the rolls seam-side down in the oven retains the crescent dough wrapped around the ham together with cheese as it puffs, rather than allowing the filling to loosen on the baking sheet. These hot ham and cheese roll ups bake into soft, warm crescents. They feature layers of ham and melted cheese inside, ready for serving directly from the baking sheet.
DinnerFor a quick and fast weeknight dinner, this Korean ground beef bowl places saucy beef over rice along with fresh vegetables and atop a perfectly fried egg. Soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, and red pepper flakes combined give the beef a savory-sweet flavor that possesses gentle heat, while green onions provide a fresh finish at the conclusion.
Snacks & AppetizersChoose ready-to-cook and cleaned calamari rings or whole squid with added weight to compensate for the weight of squid parts such as the cuttlebone that you will discard. Other preparation details for frying calamari rings with marinara sauce include a salted milk marinade and breading with flour and cornmeal.
Side DishesThis 13-minute garlic bread recipe includes a loaf of bread bought from a bakery and an 8-minute garlic butter recipe. Bread slices are broiled for 3 to 5 minutes. The bread is crispy and topped with melted Parmesan and cheddar cheeses. This garlic bread is a fast side dish to serve with pasta dishes.
DinnerBrowning beef and cooking flour helps eliminate raw flavors and make the broth less watery. One-pot hamburger stew recipe features potatoes and carrots cooked with ground beef, peas, and tomato sauce.
DinnerPan-searing salmon refers to cooking salmon fillets with the skin left on in a hot pan. I pan-sear salmon when I prefer not to marinate the salmon but want crisp skin and flaky meat. Applying pressure to the fillets during the first few seconds of pan-searing helps ensure that all the skin is in contact with the pan and easy to peel off. Applying pressure at the start of cooking is important.
LunchTurkey Dijon Melt is a sandwich that can be eaten for lunch or dinner. Ingredients in this sandwich are sliced deli turkey and Gruyère and Provolone cheeses and Dijon mustard on thick slices of sourdough bread. I cook the Turkey Dijon Melt in a skillet to serve warm, easy-to-pull-apart sandwich bread.
DinnerPan-frying the chicken breast helps form a brown crust. Oven baking helps cook the chicken breast through. Resting the pan-fried chicken breast for a few minutes helps the juices redistribute. This spinach-stuffed chicken breast recipe uses a garlic and spinach filling, Roma tomato slices, and mozzarella as a topping.
DinnerCooking chicken at 400°F gives it crispy skin. Lower oven temperatures are used to cook whole bone-in chicken parts more slowly. Baked chicken seasoned with paprika, garlic, and other spices has crispy, browned skin and moist meat.
DinnerQuickly pan-searing the shrimp helps it retain a pink color when returning to the sauce to maintain tenderness. One-Pan Shrimp and Creamed Corn includes chili powder, smoked paprika, and lime in the sauce made with melted feta cheese and sweet corn.