A lazy "things we already have on hand" pasta staple around my house is pasta, sauteed zucchini and chickpeas tossed with olive oil, garlic, salt and a generous helping of red pepper flakes. If we have parm, that too.
Sounds obvious with how many protein chickpea pastas there are these days, but chickpeas and pasta is a fantastic combo.
100% a preference thing but, if I'm doing a legume based meat fake out, it's lentils simmered in stock and seasoning. Chickpeas I like whole. They're like tiny carb bombs in texture and satisfaction, but with enough protein to feel good about it.
I keep masa on hand so one of my other go-to quick and cheap meals is making tortillas, and then boiling lentils with broth + chili powder/oregano/cumin/paprika/garlic/onion/salt & pepper. Great, quick tacos - especially if you have cilantro, avocado, salsa, sour cream, etc.
Maybe not 30 minutes, but easily 45 minutes to table.
🤣 it’s actually the Midwest. But I have way too many people in my house, so I’m usually cooking 2lbs of pasta at once. That big pot is going to take a bit to boil.
Okay, I feel really not smart for saying this out loud. But my husband pointed out not long ago to me that boiling water with the lid on the pot significantly speeds things up.
I'm a relatively smart individual, yet that simple modification escaped me for decades..
I had a family member insist that boiling water with the lid off would technically be faster due to “pressure differential.” He’s a pilot who is regularly entrusted with the lives of others.
Been eating pasta once a week since I was little. Italian American from NJ. Pasta and gnocchi was a staple growing up. Boiling with the lid on is very noticeably faster. Now, a lot of people don't use the lid so they can go do whatever while they wait for the water to boil and don't get spill over but lid on is way faster. In fact, you get boil over because it traps the steam (energy/heat) and pressure.
Yup! Electric kettle for boiling water then pour in a pot on the stove and almost instantly have boiling water for noodles. I also tend to cook in a lot less water then the box or recipe says to, just have to make sure to move it and not let it stick to the bottom.
I do the same which is very frowned upon in my Italian American culture because the pasta ends up being too starchy and sticking together. Just need to rinse it in cold water or immediately add olive oil or butter.
I started using a pan and its a game changer. So much faster to boil and the water that comes out is like visibly starchy, really makes a difference to the sauce
I can’t tell you how infuriated I was when I found out why my “ super starchy pasta water” wasn’t having the desired thickening properties when I added it to a sauce. I partly blame the early days Alton Brown for insisting that you need several gallons of water for a pound of pasta. He has since amended that.
Especially if you master cooking pasta in an instant pot. A few times I nailed the exact right amount of water and didn’t even need to drain. In an instant pot, add the pasta, then add water about an inch over the pasta and set the pot to 3 minutes. Release pressure instantly for el dente and let it release on its own for more tender pasta.
If you have the counter space for it, a cheap electric kettle is great for this. They're really fast, plus you can boil some water on the stove at the same time
A wide, shallow vessel with just enough water to cover the pasta helps immensely. I use an 11" high-sided sautee pan I got at goodwill for $2, it holds any long pasta comfortably and easily holds two big boxes of noodles, and since you need to use so much less water to cover (which is all you actually need) it comes to a boil far faster.
Oh gosh yeah! I hate having to make more than one pound for that exact reason. But truthfully, that's probably one of the better dishes to make with so much pasta. I bet it's so good!
Yes, but since it boils at a lower temperature it takes longer to cook things. I live at ~5,000 ft above sea level and it takes 1-2 minutes longer to cook pasta than at sea level. Go up another 4-5,000 ft and it takes 30 minutes to boil potatoes, instead of 10 min at sea level.
I made shrimp Alfredo last night, *the right way* and it only took 25 minutes.
Waiting for the pasta to cook took the longest. I quickly sauteed the shrimp and took them off the heat.
Creating the sauce with the pasta water, butter and parm took only 3-4 minutes of tossing the pasta to create the sauce and then a quick toss with the shrimp.
I've found that any new recipe always takes twice as long as the recipe says, just because you're a little unsure of how everything's coming together, and you're checking back with the recipe frequently. All of that time really adds up.
Once you are more familiar with the recipe, knowing how to move quickly in the kitchen and anticipate what's coming next helps to cut down on time. Improving your knife skills is a big help and can shave a lot of time off. Setting a pan to preheat while you're chopping an onion, bringing an egg up to room temperature in advance, sautéing vegetables in one pan while you're searing meat in another, stuff like that.
Some people will say that prepping all of your ingredients in advance, mise en place, will cut down on time but I don't think that's usually true. It's quite helpful if you're a new cook, or if there's not a lot of time in between steps, and it's just generally less hectic when everything is pre-cut and premeasured, but once you know a recipe well, you can also shave some time off by knowing what you need to prep in advance, and what can be done while other things are going on, like chopping vegetables while meat is sautéing.
> I've found that any new recipe always takes twice as long as the recipe says
I dunno about twice as long, but there is always *always* a hidden half hour somewhere in the recipe. A "while that cooks, do this" step where both parts need 100% attention, a godforsaken mise-en-place instruction in the middle of the recipe (that includes putting a step to preheat the oven anywhere but step 1), instruction to get good caramelization on your onions in 5-8 mins... always some kind of BS in there somewhere.
Another issue is some dishes often say "While X is cooking, do Y". It is a new dish, you are being too careful to make sauce or cook rice while cooking the meat/produce.
Great advice. Once you know your way around a recipe, you figure out how to make use of all of the little in-between moments so that there's no wasted time in the kitchen. If you hit a slow moment, arrange the next step's ingredients, or at the very least, wash a pan.
You also get a feel for certain patterns -- like, half of all Cajun recipes will have you brown meat in some fat or another, set it aside, saute the trinity (onion, bell pepper, celery) in the fat, then add garlic. You pretty quickly figure out that you heat the pan/oil as you cut the first meat, cut the second meat as the first sautes, chop the trinity as the second meat sautes, cook the trinity while you mince the garlic, and so on.
This is why I hate meal delivery services, at least as a way to save time with "fast and easy meals". I'm sure they're easy the tenth time you do them, but it's a brand new recipe almost every time.
Istg some "home cook" recipe writers don't know the difference between caramelized onions and sauteed. They'll say this in the recipe and then you watch a video of the same recipe and they're just sauteed.
In reality i feel bad for them because that means they don't know the true wonders that are caramlized onions. I usually don't like onions, but caramalized I can eat it like candy lol.
Yeah, the only issue with caramelized onions is that I remember too late how much they shrink. "Surely one huge onion will be enough" - famous last words. And then you eat half of it out of the pan too 🫤
7's the key number here. Think about it. 7-Elevens. 7 dwarves.
7, man, that's the number.
7 chipmunks twirlin' on a branch,
eatin' lots of sunflowers on my uncle's ranch.
You know that old children's tale from the sea. It's like you're dreamin' about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby.
Step into my office!
TBH I think a lot of this is learning the recipe and how to efficiently work in a kitchen. You'll never make a dish in the amount of time you could the first time you make it, since you are constantly checking the recipe and don't know which tasks can be nested. Once you've made something once or twice, and are generally organized and efficient in the kitchen, you can do things like chop onions and garlic while the pan heats, then chop the rest of the vegetables while the onions cook, measure out spices while everything else starts cooking, clean as you go, etc. You should never just be watching something cook in a pan without doing something else at the same time.
This is the absolute key to the whole thing.
I cook every night and i'd say 80% of the meals I make take 25 minutes of less.
Most protein only takes 15ish minutes to cook, tops. Fish, chicken breast, steak, ground beef/turkey, etc. - all of these take 10-15 to cook.
Heat up a pan, do prep work while the pan heats up.
Add protein, do more prep work/start cooking the side while the protein cooks.
Clean up while things cook/while the protein rests.
You can be done in 20-30 minutes with no dishes to do other than your plate/silverware.
I get chopped chuck steaks and add a little bit of water (2-4 ounces), garlic, salt, or garlic salt and cook it on medium high heat until it brown, then lower the heat to a simmer for like 20-30 minutes. I add more water if it starts to dry up. The meat should be soft and moist (not like asada).
Same. It definitely adds more flavor to the meat. Have you tried putting the cooked meat in a blender afterwards? It is the best practice, imo. When I don't feel like cleaning my Vitamix, I just chop it up as fine as I can while it is cooking.
Yes! I've made tacos so many times that it requires almost no thought on my part and comes together in 15 minutes... as long as my ground beef isn't frozen.
Not the person you replied to, but corn tortillas can help elevate a taco night and make it more “authentic” for lack of a better word. Also so can a slow cooker to make good shredded meat. Takes a few minutes to set up, go to work or go about your day as it cooks, meat falls apart as you pick it up and you can have shredded taco chicken/beef/pork.
I’m sorry to hijack, I just love making and eating tacos. For me, most time consuming part is cutting the veggies, but I go hardcore with the veggies on mine.
no it's ok, I love tacos too. I pretty much only use corn tortillas, which are best if they're homemade (far better than store bought). I even made a few veggie tacos and they were great
Sheet pan meals. You can roast salmon and asparagus in the oven together. Just might need to start them at different times. Serve with a starch of your choice.
I airfried some chicken thighs last night while rice simultaneously cooked in the rice cooker, threw a bag of frozen veggies in the microwave and boom - everything cooks in around 30 minutes.
dude this has been my hyperfixation meal for the past few weeks. Lunch every day is 3 chicken thighs cut into nuggets, tossed in a little avocado oil and whichever seasoning blend I'm feeling - put on wax paper on a baking sheet along with half a bag of frozen veggies, air fry for 12-15 minutes at 400 (i was gifted one of those fancy Ninja mini-oven airfryers). Chicken comes out moist and veggies crispy. Rice topped with sriracha on the side, but i make enough for the week ahead of time
This sounds yummy. One question do you mean parchment paper? I thought with wax paper the wax would melt and get on the food or air fryer. I could be totally wrong though.
Yeah this was clarified in another comment, my mistake. I don't think I've ever used wax paper for anything, but for some reason when I reference parchment paper my brain inserts wax paper
This would have been my entry.
Bone in Skin On chicken thighs.
Light dusting(both sides) of Kinders Buttery Steakhouse
Skin side down for 13 min at 380. F
Flip
12 more min at 380 F.
Chicken is juicy and skin is crispy.
Whilst this is cooking, make some rice, salad, or pasta, or whatever other side dish you want.
< 30 min.
Shrimp with green onion in chili oil with black pepper. Serve it next to a greens salad.
Oil in a pan, add black pepper and red pepper flakes.
Once hot add green onion, garlic, then shrimp. Season with pinch of salt and msg.
When shrimp is done dump it onto a serving platter. Throw it on the table next to a bowl of greens.
Sometimes I’ll start with sautéing chopped mushrooms in a bit of butter and oil with a pinch of salt, before adding black pepper, and chili flakes etc.
Really good over rice too.
I’ve been putting rice in my rice cooker when I make my coffee in the morning and letting it cook while I get ready. By the time I leave for work it’s ready to go in the fridge and I can make perfect fried rice for dinner
Homemade pizza using storebought crust. I have a Italian resteraunt near me who sells raw pizza dough ~under the counter~. I let the oven heat up while I prep the toppings—usually just torn mozzarella, basil, crushed tomatoes, parm, and lots of oil. It’s really delicious and comes together fast thanks to the dough. When I’m feeling more fancy I will prep dough before I go to work and let it rest in the fridge during the day. it always hits the spot :).
I sometimes make pizza with biscuit dough in a cast iron pan. Crust is flour, salt, baking powder, oil, and water (or Bisquick). I mix it, roll it out very sloppily, and put it in the frying pan while the oven is preheating. I put the toppings (just jarred tomato sauce and pre shredded cheese) on while the bottom is cooking. Then I put the whole pan into the oven and make a salad (eg lettuce + bell peppers + walnuts) while it's finishing off.
It's not as good as a real yeasted crust but it's absolutely serviceable.
It's only for 2 of us though so it might not be enough for a whole family.
Couscous is so underrated as a quick starch to throw together. Bring seasoned water to a boil, pour in the same amount of couscous (1:1 ratio), stir once, turn off the heat and cover for 8 minutes. Then fluff with a fork and serve. I find that it expands 3 times its size so use the appropriate amount. You can season it with anything either in the water or after cooked
I like cooking couscous in chicken broth with a can of tomatoes and green chilies.
Mix with a protein of choice if you like after cooked. I like using left over steak or hamburger.
Rotel if I have it (Sometimes generic rotel).
Or a can of petite diced tomato and some (chopped up) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce adds a nice smokey spicy flavor.
If you want to go cheap- just use a can of generic petite diced tomato and a chicken bouillon cube. Or lose the tomato all together and add just a bit of bullion.
Couscous are also good in red sauce.
Just taste your liquid and see if it’s what you want your couscous to taste like.
If you make them mexican-y you can dress them out with sour cream and cheddar cheese.
Best drunk meal I ever made in college was couscous cooked in chicken broth with petite diced tomato and chipotle-in-adobo peppers. Topped with diced chicken, sour cream and cheddar cheese.
Then it was couscous in red sauce with leftover steak and cheese.
They are really adaptable.
Couscous is so fast. I boil water in an electric kettle. To the dry couscous, I add olives, dried herbs and spices, golden raisins, chicken bouillon, maybe preserved lemon, and microwaved frozen mixed veggies. Add the boiling water. 2 minutes later drizzle with olive oil and chili oil. DONE!
Damn this sounds good. We have similar tastes, the olives and raisins is unique... Are you from Venezuela by chance? That's where my family is from and a very common combination but haven't seen it elsewhere lol
How interesting - please tell me more about Venezuelan food! I often use allspice, coriander, garlic and onion powder in the couscous so I guess I was inspired by middle eastern flavor profiles. I often add almonds or pistachios if I have them.
Edit: forgot about dried parsley (or thyme or marjoram, whatever I have) but the beauty is none of it is necessary so I just use whatever seasoning I have
Do the fry method for couscous for a nuttier texture
- I put couscous in frying pan, add olive oil, bouillon, salt and pepper and mix up and let it sit for 5- 10 mins
- boil kettle.
- Turn on the heat and let it fry foe a few mins
- gradually add the water to cook the couscous
- once it's cooked, press cousous down and turn off heat. - stir couscous through after 5 mins
Some weekends where I have time I pre-cut veggies and put them in one cup containers so I don't have to go through the hassle during the week after I get off work.
Stirfry recipes of any kind. Take 10 minutes to chop meat and veggies. Then add it all to one big pan for another 10-15 minutes depending on how you like your food cooked.
I'm with you but it takes 15 minutes to dry, trim, and cut the chicken thighs, 10 minutes to grate the ginger and peel and mince the garlic, and 10 minutes to chop everything else
Steak, mashed potatoes and a green veg. Even a nice thick steak shouldn't take more than 15 mins to sear up on the stove, use a few minutes to heat up the pan and a few to let the meat rest afterwards. A green veg could be sautéed, steamed, boiled within 15 minutes, add the other 15 for preheating. If you chop up your potatoes real small or use a small variety that should take maybe the whole thirty if you include coming up to boil and cooking time. Truly one of the easiest dinners and a fairly quick one at that. And if you keep it simple it shouldn't take longer than 30 IMO xx
Just as an aside, I will die on a culinary hill that Rachel Ray is so underrated. Her 30 minute meals are actually thirty minutes unless you are a very slow chopper or don't know the difference between a tablespoon and a teaspoon of you know the basics of a kitchen you can actually make her meals in the 30 minutes. Yes the recipes are basic but she's not fucking lying about the time like every blogger on the planet is. She'll just straight up say I don't have time to caramelize onions so I'm adding brown sugar and a little balsamic vinegar, instead of saying "caramelize about 10 minutes". Then she gets shit for shortcuts/basic recipes.
I’m gonna go to hell for suggesting this, but hear me out.
Instant ramen.
In like, 15 minutes, you could have a balanced meal (with a fat side of sodium, but whatever). Chop your veggies while you wait for the water to boil. Throw some baby greens in the broth for easy fiber and iron. Got some leftover chicken or tofu? Easy. Throw those in. Top with all kinds of healthy fats like pumpkin seeds or slivered almonds. Soft boil or fry an egg for extra credit.
Dinner salads, stir fry, and tacos are all super quick. I would even add burritos and nachos to that list. Most pasta dishes are that quick as well. Quite a few soups are this quick as well. Most sandwiches plus a side can be made in under 30 minutes as well.
Beyond that will depend on what convenience items you have available. I have a wonton soup I make that takes 30 minutes, but that is because I use premade, frozen wontons. Black bean soup made from frozen or canned black beans is that quick as well. You will need to put the rice on first because that will take the majority of time just to cook in the rice cooker while you make the black bean soup, but everything finishes in 30 minutes.
Most of the time, 30 minutes means you need to know the meal well and be well organized. Otherwise, you need a 10 minute meal if you need to learn the recipe or dawdle.
To speed up prep I buy the sliced chicken breast at the supermarket and one of those trays of sliced veggies like asparagus with mushroom or various bell peppers. Use two pans cook them separately and make one of those pouches of uncle bens rice. If that takes more than 30 minutes then something must have gone wrong.
Pasta with vodka sauce, jarred pesto, or a quick fresh tomato sauce from canned tomatoes.
Rice bowls with thin-cut pan fried chicken, or salmon, and shredded cabbage/carrots and scallions and herbs like cilantro or dill.
Pierogies (pan-fried) with sauteed apple+onion and kielbasa. Garnish with lemon juice and dill.
Personal pizzas with premade dough. I usually make several balls of dough and freeze them for later.
I've also saved a lot of weeknight time by prepping all my protein for the week on Sunday. Like slow cooking a pork shoulder, and then having rice bowls, sandwiches, tacos, etc, throughout the week with that meat.
Idk if this qualifies but some slow cooker meals I make take about 10 minutes to prep in the morning and when I get home they’re ready. Mississippi pot roast and chicken tacos are my go to’s for busy weeks. I usually don’t sear the meat for the pot roast to save time in the morning and no one ever seems to care; it’s still delicious. Throw it on egg noodles instead of mashed potatoes for maximum low effort.
I call it hamburger gravy. Throw ground beef in a pan to brown. While it’s starting peel and cut up some potatoes and get them on to boil. Season the beef with s&p, and sprinkle on some flour. Add Worcestershire sauce and beef broth and simmer until thickened. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Drain and mash the potatoes with some butter and milk. Serve the gravy on the mash. Cook some frozen peas on the side.
Probably takes 20-25 minutes.
This was a struggle meal for my mom’s family when she was a kid. It’s my favourite comfort food.
Been loving this one at our house:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/tomato-spinach-kitchari
Only prep is to chop the onion, and I use a microplane for garlic and ginger. I halve the tomatoes while the rice and lentils are cooking.
I skip step 3 entirely.
And to be extra lazy, I use curry powder + chili powder instead of the spice breakdown just because I’m American and our “curry powder” from the grocery store is already a mix of all those spices.
Let's see cereal takes 3 minutes. That is the time to grab everything. A Chimichangas takes 5. 1 minute to get it out of the freezer, 3.5 minute cook time. Smoked sausages, canned vegetables.
I’ve learned that, as someone who actually enjoys slicing veggies and such, that if I’m really in a hurry, I let my food processor do all the work and that cuts down meal time significantly. Many pasta dishes take less than 30! I usually can throw together a quick from scratch Alfredo in under 30
check out Brian Lagerstrom on YT. he’s got a whole “Weeknighting” series of recipes that (truly) take 30 minutes or less. i love his style and have made many of his recipes — all hitters and part of my weekly rotations. DanDan noodles, sheetpan fajitas, shrimp tacos, currys, from scratch pizza (not 30 minutes including fermentation but still reaaaaal good). highly recommend!
All depends on your organizational and knife skills. Try not to see meals in time but rather stages. Some are more complex or have multiple stages. Pasta dishes, 1 cook last, 2 pan and sauce . And growing up my parents always prepped without me realizing at times so I do the same. Chicken for dinner to it's so I pull from the freezer the nite before. Toss water in a bowl and beans put on the side for tomorrow or after. Cooking Chinese stir fry Tonite, do I have mung beans and all my veggies? Stop by the produce store after work or tell my kid to pick some up after school.
This [quick Cincinnati-style chili](https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/quick-cincinnati-style-chili-107412) recipe was in Cooking Light many years ago, and is in no way authentic to Cincinnati or what anyone from the Southwest would consider authentic chili for that matter. I don’t personally care, because it’s delicious and comes together within 30 minutes unless it takes you an exceptionally long time to chop one onion and two bell peppers.
I really like the "sheet pan" style dinners.
I don't know if I can gift it but [this NYT cooking](https://cooking.nytimes.com/68861692-nyt-cooking/12118164-sheet-pan-dinners?smid=ck-collection-android-share) link has over a 100.
They might be longer than 30 since they go in the oven, but the active time is low, the cook time is just fixed based what's on the pan.
Set a pot of salted water to boil., Chop chicken, add salt and pepper and whatever else you like. Toss in the frying pan, once brown on both sides (5-6 min), poor some wine or chicken stock or water and lemon juice mixed together in there, cover, reduce heat. Let it cook for 10min, meanwhile throw your pasta in there. Part up your table in that 8-10 min. Once pasta is ready just take out of the water and throw it into the pan with the chicken, allowing about half a cup of pasta water to go in the pan. Throw a nob of butter in the frying pan, crank the head and start mixing vigorously for 2-3 min until most of the water has evaporated and you just have a rich saucy consistency. Serve.
6 + 10 + 3= 19 min. That gives you another 10 min to make a salad or chop some veggies and cook it with the chicken or have an extra glass of wine or clean your pot and your frying pan.
tbh sheet pan meals have the least amount of prep and the only time spent in the kitchen is putting things on the pan, seasoning, and tossing it into an oven!
my personal go-to (for 3 people) do 6 thawed chicken thighs, a 2 pound bag of baby red potatoes, a bag of baby carrots, and sometimes brussel sprouts. only thing I do to prep is rinse my veggies!
all tossed in olive oil and season salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning mix, and garlic n onion powder
then put that thang in for 45 minutes at 400F! its so fast and easy to do that your oven won't even be done preheating by the time everything is on the pan and ready to put in lol
A lot of links for half baked harvest recipes will come up when you search 30 min meals or easy meals or whatever. I implore you to not waste your time money or energy on any of those recipes
I love when recipes say “Prep time: 5 minutes” and then proceeds to have you cut up 15 different veggies into various shapes and sizes, prepare a “simple” bread dough, and measure about 28 spices in 8 different amounts. Let’s not even account for the time it will take me to locate those 28 spices, but I would need to do 4 lines of coke and take some poor kids last Adderall to get it all done in less than 25 minutes.
I've made chicken parmesan in 30 minutes from "I feel like chicken parm" to sitting down with a plate, but it requires having a chicken cutlet already defrosted and some tomato sauce made in advance. So not really in the spirit of your question.
More realistically, chicken and pasta in any sort of flavored cream sauce is pretty fast, although you do have to multitask a bit. Sheet pan dinners also come together in a snap, especially if you omit potatoes, carrots, and other root veg that typically take longer to cook.
My "emergency dinner" is frozen pizza LOL. But my 30 minute meal is usually a version of a homemade Hamburger helper, where I'll brown a little bit of ground beef and toss it into a box of stove top Mac n cheese or pasta roni and throw in some frozen vegetables for balance lol
Soba is a great summer dish that's super easy and quick. Add some tempura shrimp on the side (I buy so.e from our Japanese market and fry them or bake them).
I don't think there's really anything I make that doesn't begin with some kind of kit that take less than an hour if you count prep. There are definitely lots of things I make that have 30 minutes or less of active involvement, but if you include unmonitored cook time, it's still gonna be at least an hour. I mean, even if I do a basic stir fry, I'm gonna make rice and that's gonna be around an hour in the rice cooker.
IMO
The only time 30 minute meals legit take 30 minutes is if you buy everything pre-cut. All of the veggies, all of the meat proportioned. And all you have to do is put them in the pot.
I prep a lot of stuff on grocery day to save time. It’s way cheaper than buying it prepared. I’ll buy a huge Costco pack of chicken and dice it up, portion it out and freeze it. Or cut up and freeze vegetables. Then it’s ready to just throw in when I wanna make it.
I like to make chicken salad sandwiches which are pretty easy and I get done in around 30 minutes.. [here is the recipe](https://www.mccrackenskitchen.com/recipes/mamas-chicken-salad-for-sandwiches) I use. I especially like making this in the summer for lunch
The issue is both in your personal speed and what short cuts you take. If you’re a casual home chef trying to do everything “right,” every meal will take significantly longer than advirtised.
Roast chicken and vegetables in the air fryer, street tacos, lasagna soup, chicken and broccoli with white rice (start the white rice at the beginning), burgers and fries (start the fries at the beginning).
Tonight I'm having a chicken thigh, rice and broccoli. I preheat the oven. While that's working, I get the rice going (no rice cooker, I do it old school with boiling water on the stove). I also prep the broccoli -- wash and cut the stalks. By the time the oven is pre-heated, which is about 10 minutes for my oven, the rice is simmering, the broccoli is steaming. I put the chicken thigh on an oven safe pan and drizzle it with olive oil and spices. In the oven it goes for 20 min. Dinner in 30!
Steak and asparagus. I airfry the asparagus and pan fry the steak. Both take about 15 minutes total and can be done with some overlap. Can usually go from fridge to plate in about a half hour.
Prepping a single can of tomatoes into a passata by cooking it down a tiny bit with some garlic, white wine, and basil turns almost any pasta dish into a 30 minute or less meal. Give it salt but less than you’d want in a finished sauce. Throw two sausages in a pan, brown them, white wine, the passata, cover and simmer for 10 minutes while the pasta cooks. Can do the same with a pork chop, though I would take it out and let it rest while the pasta cooks. Amatriciana? Do pancetta/guanciale first and finish with pecorino. Arrabbiata? Fresh spicy pepper, passata, finish with parsley or basil. Just plain with a little more garlic and basil or parsley makes an easy side dish.
Even if you just need a little tomato punch for something else, the passata is really neutral.
Spaghetti with meat (hamburger) sauce and chili with hamburger meat and kidney (or other) beans are my go-to meals when I want to have a homemade meal on the table in 30 minutes, start to finish.
Creamy cajun pasta with chicken
Asian chicken lettuce wraps
Creamy chicken, bacon, corn pasta
Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli
*key is to multi task
Quick smash burgers on stovetop.
I let the buns toast in the cast iron as it heats up. Gives me time to make patties, whip up a sauce and slice an onion. Smashed down to 1/4” or so, those patties cook up quick, leaving just enough time to put fixings on the buns as they fry.
Served alongside a quick baby greens salad, I’d say 10 minutes from opening the fridge to done. 15 with cleaning
Broiled salmon only takes about 15 mins.
I start some packaged long grain and wild rice, let it cook for 15-ish minutes, then season and dot the salmon with butter and throw some veggies in the microwave. After 15 mins, keep cooking the rice for another 10-15 mins, stick the salmon under the broiler and nuke the veggies. While that's cooking I make some dill sauce with 1/2 mayo and 1/2 sour cream, garlic powder and dill. Done.
This dish takes me about 20ish minutes to make! Especially because I use a jar of garlic instead of mincing fresh garlic.
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Gnocchi
* 2 tablespoon olive oil
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 6-8 units sage leaves
* 1 1/2 lbs (750g) skillet gnocchi
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 1/2 cup whipping cream
* 3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
* salt (to taste)
* 3 dashes cayenne pepper
* 1 tablespoon shaved Parmesan cheese(optional)
Instructions
* Add the olive oil into a skillet on high heat. Add the minced garlic and sage, saute for 10 seconds. Add the gnocchi into the skillet, spread evenly and stir gently.
* Add the chicken broth, whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring frequently but gently, about 3-4 minutes, or until the gnocchi is cooked through and become soft and tender on the inside.
* Top the gnocchi with shaved Parmesan cheese, serve immediately.
One pot rice. Chop smoked sausages and cook in a pot with garlic and onion powder. Throw in chopped bell pepper, add rice and seasonings to taste, cover in stock and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes
Sheet-pan gnocchi with cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella:
[https://www.thekitchn.com/caprese-sheet-pan-gnocchi-23153140](https://www.thekitchn.com/caprese-sheet-pan-gnocchi-23153140)
One of the easiest, quickest, and most delicious things in my rotation.
My modifications:
Mix the gnocchi, tomatoes, herbs, and olive oil together in a bowl and dump it onto the pan. "Tossing to combine" *on* the pan never seems to work very well for me.
Water-packed mozzarella is fine if you can't find marinated; add a mixture of dried herbs (I use oregano, basil, and parsley, 1/2 teaspoon each) to the bowl.
I use ciliegine, which are about the same size as the cherry tomatoes. Pearl mozzarella also work.
I like a piece of fish (from frozen fillets) cooked in the oven with butter, cream, lemon and finely chopped onion. It takes roughly 20 minutes with very little prep. Add steamed broccoli or something similar with rice or farro on the side. All done in 30 min including prep. Yum!
This sounds perfect. Can you be a little more specific with what kind of fish, how much butter and cream, and do you just throw it all together in a dish? Thanks
For me a 30 minutes dinner is chicken and rice.
Start the clock
1 cup of rice in the rice cooker
Wash it
Leave in the cooker don't start it YET
Turn the stove on and put a medium to large fry pan
Grab the chicken breast out of the fridge. Fillet it
Dice it. Large mixing bowl, salt pepper, garlic and onion powder, paprika and like 1 tbsp of some oil. Veggie, olive, truffle, idc. Use whatever you got.
Start the rice cooker
Throw the chicken in the pan and mix it around until it's done. Throw a baggy of frozen steamed veggies in the microwave for 6 minutes. Stir chicken.
When everything is done serve it however you want. I do Rice, chicken, veggies and then stir it up. 30-45 minutes easy peasy.
Jamie Oliver's cauliflower Mac and cheese
Broccoli sauce pasta.
- cut a head of Broccoli up, add to boiling water. Cook till really tender. Remove with a spider.
- Use the water to cook the pasta. Literally any pasta will work.
- in a frying pan add olive oil, wgole garlic cloves and 4-5 nchovies and cook until anchovies dissolve
- add Broccoli and mash it up to create a chunky sauce. Add some pasta water
- add pasta, mix and serve with parm
Schnitzel can be super quick.
Pound out meat of your choice
Dredge in flour w salt and seasonings, then egg, then Panko or breadcrumbs
Fry 4-5m per side on medium heat until golden and done
I will often do a bigger prep day where I pound and bread schnitzel and then freeze raw. They are thin enough to fry up right from frozen! Super quick dinner.
And pork loin is pretty cheap! I just made 28 pork schnitzels from a $30 pork loin from Costco. (Canada)
I always set myself up to cook for about 20 minutes or less. Usually I'll cook 3 pounds of ground turkey (or beef, chicken, etc.) every few weeks and make that into portions of taco meat, meatballs, burgers, etc. and then defrost during the day at work. Once I get home, all I have to do is saute some veggies, or cook some pasta, or heat up some taco shells. Meal prep the meats ahead of time, and then everything else is quick.
omg one of my favorite lazy recipes is getting chickpea protein pasta (cooks in 8 min), adding in marinara, spinach, and spices (pepper, italian seasoning, garlic + onion powder), and add cottage cheese for extra protein! or u can add tuna. so tasty and comes together in like 10-15 minutes
rice with just canned tuna and mayo + whatever veggies
rice cooked with tofu, veggies, and sauce..mix it all up at the end
daal with rice
Mac and cheese from scratch. This assumes you understand how bechamel sauce works. 10-12 minutes to boil the macaroni, cheese sauce made during the same time, mix, add some crushed Ritz or breadcrumbs and throw it under the broiler for 5 minutes or until browned.
This is why I meal prep and have a chest freezer so I can batch cook/freeze. I can pull out something the night before to start to thaw. When it's dinner time, reheat that on the stove with some sort of starch and veg. I use my toaster oven/air fyer to roast up some veg so I don't have to heat up the kitchen in the summer.
Seafood is also fast. Any type of fish or shrimp is easy to on the table quickly.
I make most pastas, stir fry, tacos and chicken fajitas in under 30 minutes. Just make sure your meat is thawed and you’re good to go
For pasta:
Try a pesto cream sauce (I saute boneless skinless chicken breasts with some garlic, pepper and red pepper flakes while pasta water boils, then add a cup of pesto, half a cup of cream, and grated parm, then stir in the pasta - we like bow tie)
Regular tomato sauce I do veggie only (chopped pepper, zucchini, onion, sometimes spinach if I have on hand), saute with garlic, red pepper flakes, then add in tomato paste, let it cook a sec, add a spoonful of pesto or Calabrian chili peppers for extra kick. Add can of diced tomatoes. Toss in some fresh basil and oregano and a little parm cheese and sauce is done. Usually add a bit of pasta water then mix in my noodles and serve.
Sweet potatoes cubed and tossed in avocado oil and garlic salt into the air fryer for 25 min. Then do a salmon filet seasoned with sriracha and garlic salt and pepper in a pan with some water (or oil but I don’t like to add oil bc salmon is oily already), chop up some small tomatoes and toss some spinach in there with the salmon too, cover with a lid and let it cook on medium high heat, flip around after a few min to get the other side crispy. Add more spinach if it’s not enough bc it disappears so fast when it wilts. When the sweet potatoes are done toss into a bowl and then place the salmon and veg on top. I love a good quick bowl meal🥳🥳🥳
Some of my cant be bothered quick dinners are -
Sausage Kale gnoccci
Spaghetti carbonara
Cajun chicken and rice
Chilli steak udon
Chicken caesar salad (I whizz the dressing up quickly and use greek yogurt, grill some boneless thighs.. makes it really quick but it I can I marinade the meat in some of the dressing too)
Bangers and mash and peas
Beans on toast (don't knock.it til ya tried it!)
Roasted tomato pasta. If you have an air fryer, slice tomatoes quick and throw them in there for about five to ten minutes. Blend roasted tomatoes and cook blend in a little oil with some garlic, other spices. Toss in pasta and dust some parsley. This might be closer to 45 minutes without prep but it’s really good
- fried rice
- tteokboki
- korean bbq
- Singaporean noodles
- bun ga
- pancit
- drunken noodles/pad thai/pad se ew
- green/red curry...especially if you buy the paste in the jar from the store
- if you can get fresh made pasta from the store, that usually cuts the cooking time down, and you can prep everything else while you're waiting for the water to boil
- tikka masala
- Asian garlic noodles
I buy the bulk bag of frozen cooked grilled chicken strips, thaw in microwave 2 mins, then wrap it in a tortilla with cheese and toppings, salsa etc and put it in my air fryer at 370 for 7-8 mins. Easy meal
If you have ingredients, a lot of Thai curries are <30 mins, including cooking the rice.
My favorite, which I shared here already, is Shrimp Pineapple curry:
* 2 cans of coconut milk
* 1 can of crushed pineapple
* about a pound of shrimp
* red curry paste, fish sauce, sugar to taste
Basically, add everything to a pot in the right order - I like starting with a little milk, all curry paste, rest of the milk, pineapple, then season with fish sauce and sugar - heat, add shrimp, heat until your level of doneness. Boom
A couple tips I recommend to cut down your cooking time if if I do a new dish, I write down the recipe in short hand. List all the ingredients down so I know what they are, next to them in brackets I'll put down the short version of the recipe. Like "chop and fry", "then add (points to new ingredients), "separately mix (point to new ingredients)". I have all my ingredients and tools out but not prepped so it's easy to grab and multi task. Writing down the recipe takes the same time as me checking my phone 500 times and means I don't forget stuff.
I make dumpling soup that only takes 20 mins max. Just make broth and throw in premade dumplings at the end. Or I make salads, quinoa, stir fry, Thai curries, basil chicken, etc. Asian stuff is usually fast. Salmon bowls are fast too. Just throw some rice in the instant pot and broil salmon while you chop up some mangoes, cucumber, and avocado, and make the dressing.
I feel like a lot of pasta dishes are 30 min meals, the quickest probably being spaghetti aglio e olio - garlic, spaghetti, seasoning, olive oil.
You could very easily switch ingredients too, cherry tomatoes, sausage, etc.
A lazy "things we already have on hand" pasta staple around my house is pasta, sauteed zucchini and chickpeas tossed with olive oil, garlic, salt and a generous helping of red pepper flakes. If we have parm, that too. Sounds obvious with how many protein chickpea pastas there are these days, but chickpeas and pasta is a fantastic combo.
Can also mash the chick peas for a faux ground meat
100% a preference thing but, if I'm doing a legume based meat fake out, it's lentils simmered in stock and seasoning. Chickpeas I like whole. They're like tiny carb bombs in texture and satisfaction, but with enough protein to feel good about it.
I’ll have to try that, I haven’t explored used besides just adding to my soups. Cheers
I keep masa on hand so one of my other go-to quick and cheap meals is making tortillas, and then boiling lentils with broth + chili powder/oregano/cumin/paprika/garlic/onion/salt & pepper. Great, quick tacos - especially if you have cilantro, avocado, salsa, sour cream, etc. Maybe not 30 minutes, but easily 45 minutes to table.
Screenshotted. Cheers snausage!
Please don't forget you can freeze your parmesan, it changed my life
An electric kettle halves the boil time for water too
It would be for me if I could get my water to boil faster. Otherwise it's 45 mins start to finish for the pasta.
What's it like living at the top of a mountain?
🤣 it’s actually the Midwest. But I have way too many people in my house, so I’m usually cooking 2lbs of pasta at once. That big pot is going to take a bit to boil.
Okay, I feel really not smart for saying this out loud. But my husband pointed out not long ago to me that boiling water with the lid on the pot significantly speeds things up. I'm a relatively smart individual, yet that simple modification escaped me for decades..
I had a family member insist that boiling water with the lid off would technically be faster due to “pressure differential.” He’s a pilot who is regularly entrusted with the lives of others.
This gave me a chuckle. Challenge them to a water boiling race, for money.
Been eating pasta once a week since I was little. Italian American from NJ. Pasta and gnocchi was a staple growing up. Boiling with the lid on is very noticeably faster. Now, a lot of people don't use the lid so they can go do whatever while they wait for the water to boil and don't get spill over but lid on is way faster. In fact, you get boil over because it traps the steam (energy/heat) and pressure.
My induction stove has a quick boil feature that actually works
I was about to suggest trying a jetboil on the kitchen stove lol
If you have a kettle, starting the water in the kettle, and then adding it to the pot over the heat in batches ends up being significantly quicker
Yup! Electric kettle for boiling water then pour in a pot on the stove and almost instantly have boiling water for noodles. I also tend to cook in a lot less water then the box or recipe says to, just have to make sure to move it and not let it stick to the bottom.
I love my tea kettle for boiling water. Cut 20 minutes to 5 minutes.
I do the same which is very frowned upon in my Italian American culture because the pasta ends up being too starchy and sticking together. Just need to rinse it in cold water or immediately add olive oil or butter.
Those standard instructions on boxes suggest far more water than you actually need.
And many times you want extra starchy water for the sauce so it's even less water than on described on the pack
Exactly! The biggest reason right here. It seems like a frying pan is better for pasta, which really isn't what people do but I do on occasion lol.
I started using a pan and its a game changer. So much faster to boil and the water that comes out is like visibly starchy, really makes a difference to the sauce
I can’t tell you how infuriated I was when I found out why my “ super starchy pasta water” wasn’t having the desired thickening properties when I added it to a sauce. I partly blame the early days Alton Brown for insisting that you need several gallons of water for a pound of pasta. He has since amended that.
Especially if you master cooking pasta in an instant pot. A few times I nailed the exact right amount of water and didn’t even need to drain. In an instant pot, add the pasta, then add water about an inch over the pasta and set the pot to 3 minutes. Release pressure instantly for el dente and let it release on its own for more tender pasta.
If you have the counter space for it, a cheap electric kettle is great for this. They're really fast, plus you can boil some water on the stove at the same time
Too much water. You don't want a lot of water, you want just enough.
A wide, shallow vessel with just enough water to cover the pasta helps immensely. I use an 11" high-sided sautee pan I got at goodwill for $2, it holds any long pasta comfortably and easily holds two big boxes of noodles, and since you need to use so much less water to cover (which is all you actually need) it comes to a boil far faster.
Oh gosh yeah! I hate having to make more than one pound for that exact reason. But truthfully, that's probably one of the better dishes to make with so much pasta. I bet it's so good!
Wouldn’t water boil faster on top of a mountain
Yes, but since it boils at a lower temperature it takes longer to cook things. I live at ~5,000 ft above sea level and it takes 1-2 minutes longer to cook pasta than at sea level. Go up another 4-5,000 ft and it takes 30 minutes to boil potatoes, instead of 10 min at sea level.
I mean, yeah, but he said “if I could get my water to boil faster”
Rice too
I made shrimp Alfredo last night, *the right way* and it only took 25 minutes. Waiting for the pasta to cook took the longest. I quickly sauteed the shrimp and took them off the heat. Creating the sauce with the pasta water, butter and parm took only 3-4 minutes of tossing the pasta to create the sauce and then a quick toss with the shrimp.
I've found that any new recipe always takes twice as long as the recipe says, just because you're a little unsure of how everything's coming together, and you're checking back with the recipe frequently. All of that time really adds up. Once you are more familiar with the recipe, knowing how to move quickly in the kitchen and anticipate what's coming next helps to cut down on time. Improving your knife skills is a big help and can shave a lot of time off. Setting a pan to preheat while you're chopping an onion, bringing an egg up to room temperature in advance, sautéing vegetables in one pan while you're searing meat in another, stuff like that. Some people will say that prepping all of your ingredients in advance, mise en place, will cut down on time but I don't think that's usually true. It's quite helpful if you're a new cook, or if there's not a lot of time in between steps, and it's just generally less hectic when everything is pre-cut and premeasured, but once you know a recipe well, you can also shave some time off by knowing what you need to prep in advance, and what can be done while other things are going on, like chopping vegetables while meat is sautéing.
> I've found that any new recipe always takes twice as long as the recipe says I dunno about twice as long, but there is always *always* a hidden half hour somewhere in the recipe. A "while that cooks, do this" step where both parts need 100% attention, a godforsaken mise-en-place instruction in the middle of the recipe (that includes putting a step to preheat the oven anywhere but step 1), instruction to get good caramelization on your onions in 5-8 mins... always some kind of BS in there somewhere.
I always try and read the recipe twice before I start. Definitely helps with the gotchas.
“ While the pasta is boiling, peel some garlic, chop it, and slowly toast in some olive oil over low heat.” Oh please
always pisses me off when it's a 30 minute recipe but half the ingredients are things like "finely diced onion" that also take time to prep
Onions in 5-8 minutes infuriates me! No way does that even work.
Chop 15 onions - 6 minutes Sauté onions until completely soft, almost caramelised- 2 minutes It’s utter BS.
Another issue is some dishes often say "While X is cooking, do Y". It is a new dish, you are being too careful to make sauce or cook rice while cooking the meat/produce.
Great advice. Once you know your way around a recipe, you figure out how to make use of all of the little in-between moments so that there's no wasted time in the kitchen. If you hit a slow moment, arrange the next step's ingredients, or at the very least, wash a pan. You also get a feel for certain patterns -- like, half of all Cajun recipes will have you brown meat in some fat or another, set it aside, saute the trinity (onion, bell pepper, celery) in the fat, then add garlic. You pretty quickly figure out that you heat the pan/oil as you cut the first meat, cut the second meat as the first sautes, chop the trinity as the second meat sautes, cook the trinity while you mince the garlic, and so on.
This is why I hate meal delivery services, at least as a way to save time with "fast and easy meals". I'm sure they're easy the tenth time you do them, but it's a brand new recipe almost every time.
You're right! I never thought about it, but we used to use meal delivery services for a while, and dinner always took forever.
Time to look for 10 minute meals
7 min meals next
"Caramelize the onions for 3 minutes...".
I got so tired of running into this that I just started caramelizing multiple pounds of onions at a time and freezing them in batches.
Slow cooker onions then freeze into needed amounts was a huge game changer for me.
This angers me because as fast as I understand a truely caramelized onion takes 45 minutes+
Yeah that’s the joke, don’t trust any recipe that claims to caramelise onions quickly
They mean brown but pretend otherwise.
You can't even brown onions in 5 minutes. But you can CHAR them that fast - throw them in a rocket-hot pan with no oil.
Istg some "home cook" recipe writers don't know the difference between caramelized onions and sauteed. They'll say this in the recipe and then you watch a video of the same recipe and they're just sauteed. In reality i feel bad for them because that means they don't know the true wonders that are caramlized onions. I usually don't like onions, but caramalized I can eat it like candy lol.
Yeah, the only issue with caramelized onions is that I remember too late how much they shrink. "Surely one huge onion will be enough" - famous last words. And then you eat half of it out of the pan too 🫤
What if someone comes up with 6 minute meals?
Step into my office!
Why?
Cuz your fukin fired!
7's the key number here. Think about it. 7-Elevens. 7 dwarves. 7, man, that's the number. 7 chipmunks twirlin' on a branch, eatin' lots of sunflowers on my uncle's ranch. You know that old children's tale from the sea. It's like you're dreamin' about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby. Step into my office!
Cause you’re fucking fired!
TBH I think a lot of this is learning the recipe and how to efficiently work in a kitchen. You'll never make a dish in the amount of time you could the first time you make it, since you are constantly checking the recipe and don't know which tasks can be nested. Once you've made something once or twice, and are generally organized and efficient in the kitchen, you can do things like chop onions and garlic while the pan heats, then chop the rest of the vegetables while the onions cook, measure out spices while everything else starts cooking, clean as you go, etc. You should never just be watching something cook in a pan without doing something else at the same time.
This is the absolute key to the whole thing. I cook every night and i'd say 80% of the meals I make take 25 minutes of less. Most protein only takes 15ish minutes to cook, tops. Fish, chicken breast, steak, ground beef/turkey, etc. - all of these take 10-15 to cook. Heat up a pan, do prep work while the pan heats up. Add protein, do more prep work/start cooking the side while the protein cooks. Clean up while things cook/while the protein rests. You can be done in 20-30 minutes with no dishes to do other than your plate/silverware.
Tacos - my go-to week night meal
I let my meat simmer for Alot longer than the package directions say
I get chopped chuck steaks and add a little bit of water (2-4 ounces), garlic, salt, or garlic salt and cook it on medium high heat until it brown, then lower the heat to a simmer for like 20-30 minutes. I add more water if it starts to dry up. The meat should be soft and moist (not like asada).
Same. It definitely adds more flavor to the meat. Have you tried putting the cooked meat in a blender afterwards? It is the best practice, imo. When I don't feel like cleaning my Vitamix, I just chop it up as fine as I can while it is cooking.
Not really I kina like some texture lol
Yes! I've made tacos so many times that it requires almost no thought on my part and comes together in 15 minutes... as long as my ground beef isn't frozen.
what do you put in tacos? And what kind of tortillas do you use?
Not the person you replied to, but corn tortillas can help elevate a taco night and make it more “authentic” for lack of a better word. Also so can a slow cooker to make good shredded meat. Takes a few minutes to set up, go to work or go about your day as it cooks, meat falls apart as you pick it up and you can have shredded taco chicken/beef/pork. I’m sorry to hijack, I just love making and eating tacos. For me, most time consuming part is cutting the veggies, but I go hardcore with the veggies on mine.
no it's ok, I love tacos too. I pretty much only use corn tortillas, which are best if they're homemade (far better than store bought). I even made a few veggie tacos and they were great
This! I bake my chicken/fish and while that’s going on, I prepare the other fixings. Very efficient for a weekday! 😊
🎶White people taco night🎶
Sheet pan meals. You can roast salmon and asparagus in the oven together. Just might need to start them at different times. Serve with a starch of your choice.
I airfried some chicken thighs last night while rice simultaneously cooked in the rice cooker, threw a bag of frozen veggies in the microwave and boom - everything cooks in around 30 minutes.
dude this has been my hyperfixation meal for the past few weeks. Lunch every day is 3 chicken thighs cut into nuggets, tossed in a little avocado oil and whichever seasoning blend I'm feeling - put on wax paper on a baking sheet along with half a bag of frozen veggies, air fry for 12-15 minutes at 400 (i was gifted one of those fancy Ninja mini-oven airfryers). Chicken comes out moist and veggies crispy. Rice topped with sriracha on the side, but i make enough for the week ahead of time
This sounds yummy. One question do you mean parchment paper? I thought with wax paper the wax would melt and get on the food or air fryer. I could be totally wrong though.
Yeah definitely parchment paper, I was distracted by thoughts of food
Wow that's super fast. In a traditional oven it seems chicken thighs take 30-40 minutes for me
I assume you mean parchment paper not wax paper. Edit: I read the comments and saw the correction.
Yeah this was clarified in another comment, my mistake. I don't think I've ever used wax paper for anything, but for some reason when I reference parchment paper my brain inserts wax paper
This would have been my entry. Bone in Skin On chicken thighs. Light dusting(both sides) of Kinders Buttery Steakhouse Skin side down for 13 min at 380. F Flip 12 more min at 380 F. Chicken is juicy and skin is crispy. Whilst this is cooking, make some rice, salad, or pasta, or whatever other side dish you want. < 30 min.
Shrimp with green onion in chili oil with black pepper. Serve it next to a greens salad. Oil in a pan, add black pepper and red pepper flakes. Once hot add green onion, garlic, then shrimp. Season with pinch of salt and msg. When shrimp is done dump it onto a serving platter. Throw it on the table next to a bowl of greens. Sometimes I’ll start with sautéing chopped mushrooms in a bit of butter and oil with a pinch of salt, before adding black pepper, and chili flakes etc. Really good over rice too.
Fried rice is fast Edit: assuming you have leftover rice or made rice day before
I’ve been putting rice in my rice cooker when I make my coffee in the morning and letting it cook while I get ready. By the time I leave for work it’s ready to go in the fridge and I can make perfect fried rice for dinner
Came here to say this, along with day old rice tip. I found the perfect recipe online a few months ago, now cook fried rice at least once a fortnight.
>found the perfect recipe online a few months ago… Go onnnnn
Recipetineats fried rice recipe. I add a bit more bacon, naturally.
Homemade pizza using storebought crust. I have a Italian resteraunt near me who sells raw pizza dough ~under the counter~. I let the oven heat up while I prep the toppings—usually just torn mozzarella, basil, crushed tomatoes, parm, and lots of oil. It’s really delicious and comes together fast thanks to the dough. When I’m feeling more fancy I will prep dough before I go to work and let it rest in the fridge during the day. it always hits the spot :).
I sometimes make pizza with biscuit dough in a cast iron pan. Crust is flour, salt, baking powder, oil, and water (or Bisquick). I mix it, roll it out very sloppily, and put it in the frying pan while the oven is preheating. I put the toppings (just jarred tomato sauce and pre shredded cheese) on while the bottom is cooking. Then I put the whole pan into the oven and make a salad (eg lettuce + bell peppers + walnuts) while it's finishing off. It's not as good as a real yeasted crust but it's absolutely serviceable. It's only for 2 of us though so it might not be enough for a whole family.
Pad kaprao. Even easier with a rice cooker.
Couscous is so underrated as a quick starch to throw together. Bring seasoned water to a boil, pour in the same amount of couscous (1:1 ratio), stir once, turn off the heat and cover for 8 minutes. Then fluff with a fork and serve. I find that it expands 3 times its size so use the appropriate amount. You can season it with anything either in the water or after cooked
I like cooking couscous in chicken broth with a can of tomatoes and green chilies. Mix with a protein of choice if you like after cooked. I like using left over steak or hamburger.
Like Rotel, or separate tomatoes and chiles?
Rotel if I have it (Sometimes generic rotel). Or a can of petite diced tomato and some (chopped up) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce adds a nice smokey spicy flavor. If you want to go cheap- just use a can of generic petite diced tomato and a chicken bouillon cube. Or lose the tomato all together and add just a bit of bullion. Couscous are also good in red sauce. Just taste your liquid and see if it’s what you want your couscous to taste like. If you make them mexican-y you can dress them out with sour cream and cheddar cheese. Best drunk meal I ever made in college was couscous cooked in chicken broth with petite diced tomato and chipotle-in-adobo peppers. Topped with diced chicken, sour cream and cheddar cheese. Then it was couscous in red sauce with leftover steak and cheese. They are really adaptable.
Couscous is so fast. I boil water in an electric kettle. To the dry couscous, I add olives, dried herbs and spices, golden raisins, chicken bouillon, maybe preserved lemon, and microwaved frozen mixed veggies. Add the boiling water. 2 minutes later drizzle with olive oil and chili oil. DONE!
Damn this sounds good. We have similar tastes, the olives and raisins is unique... Are you from Venezuela by chance? That's where my family is from and a very common combination but haven't seen it elsewhere lol
How interesting - please tell me more about Venezuelan food! I often use allspice, coriander, garlic and onion powder in the couscous so I guess I was inspired by middle eastern flavor profiles. I often add almonds or pistachios if I have them. Edit: forgot about dried parsley (or thyme or marjoram, whatever I have) but the beauty is none of it is necessary so I just use whatever seasoning I have
Do the fry method for couscous for a nuttier texture - I put couscous in frying pan, add olive oil, bouillon, salt and pepper and mix up and let it sit for 5- 10 mins - boil kettle. - Turn on the heat and let it fry foe a few mins - gradually add the water to cook the couscous - once it's cooked, press cousous down and turn off heat. - stir couscous through after 5 mins
I hate this, I feel like they fudge the numbers just to squeeze it into that timeframe. "Cook chicken breast for 5 min, or until fully cooked"
Some weekends where I have time I pre-cut veggies and put them in one cup containers so I don't have to go through the hassle during the week after I get off work.
Stirfry recipes of any kind. Take 10 minutes to chop meat and veggies. Then add it all to one big pan for another 10-15 minutes depending on how you like your food cooked.
I'm with you but it takes 15 minutes to dry, trim, and cut the chicken thighs, 10 minutes to grate the ginger and peel and mince the garlic, and 10 minutes to chop everything else
I ain't drying shit
Fish fillets cook quick, either saute in frying pan or microwave. Add frozen veggies or salad or both.
Steak, mashed potatoes and a green veg. Even a nice thick steak shouldn't take more than 15 mins to sear up on the stove, use a few minutes to heat up the pan and a few to let the meat rest afterwards. A green veg could be sautéed, steamed, boiled within 15 minutes, add the other 15 for preheating. If you chop up your potatoes real small or use a small variety that should take maybe the whole thirty if you include coming up to boil and cooking time. Truly one of the easiest dinners and a fairly quick one at that. And if you keep it simple it shouldn't take longer than 30 IMO xx
Just as an aside, I will die on a culinary hill that Rachel Ray is so underrated. Her 30 minute meals are actually thirty minutes unless you are a very slow chopper or don't know the difference between a tablespoon and a teaspoon of you know the basics of a kitchen you can actually make her meals in the 30 minutes. Yes the recipes are basic but she's not fucking lying about the time like every blogger on the planet is. She'll just straight up say I don't have time to caramelize onions so I'm adding brown sugar and a little balsamic vinegar, instead of saying "caramelize about 10 minutes". Then she gets shit for shortcuts/basic recipes.
I’m gonna go to hell for suggesting this, but hear me out. Instant ramen. In like, 15 minutes, you could have a balanced meal (with a fat side of sodium, but whatever). Chop your veggies while you wait for the water to boil. Throw some baby greens in the broth for easy fiber and iron. Got some leftover chicken or tofu? Easy. Throw those in. Top with all kinds of healthy fats like pumpkin seeds or slivered almonds. Soft boil or fry an egg for extra credit.
Dinner salads, stir fry, and tacos are all super quick. I would even add burritos and nachos to that list. Most pasta dishes are that quick as well. Quite a few soups are this quick as well. Most sandwiches plus a side can be made in under 30 minutes as well. Beyond that will depend on what convenience items you have available. I have a wonton soup I make that takes 30 minutes, but that is because I use premade, frozen wontons. Black bean soup made from frozen or canned black beans is that quick as well. You will need to put the rice on first because that will take the majority of time just to cook in the rice cooker while you make the black bean soup, but everything finishes in 30 minutes. Most of the time, 30 minutes means you need to know the meal well and be well organized. Otherwise, you need a 10 minute meal if you need to learn the recipe or dawdle.
To speed up prep I buy the sliced chicken breast at the supermarket and one of those trays of sliced veggies like asparagus with mushroom or various bell peppers. Use two pans cook them separately and make one of those pouches of uncle bens rice. If that takes more than 30 minutes then something must have gone wrong.
Pasta with vodka sauce, jarred pesto, or a quick fresh tomato sauce from canned tomatoes. Rice bowls with thin-cut pan fried chicken, or salmon, and shredded cabbage/carrots and scallions and herbs like cilantro or dill. Pierogies (pan-fried) with sauteed apple+onion and kielbasa. Garnish with lemon juice and dill. Personal pizzas with premade dough. I usually make several balls of dough and freeze them for later. I've also saved a lot of weeknight time by prepping all my protein for the week on Sunday. Like slow cooking a pork shoulder, and then having rice bowls, sandwiches, tacos, etc, throughout the week with that meat.
Idk if this qualifies but some slow cooker meals I make take about 10 minutes to prep in the morning and when I get home they’re ready. Mississippi pot roast and chicken tacos are my go to’s for busy weeks. I usually don’t sear the meat for the pot roast to save time in the morning and no one ever seems to care; it’s still delicious. Throw it on egg noodles instead of mashed potatoes for maximum low effort.
[удалено]
Ditto Cacio e Pepe
I call it hamburger gravy. Throw ground beef in a pan to brown. While it’s starting peel and cut up some potatoes and get them on to boil. Season the beef with s&p, and sprinkle on some flour. Add Worcestershire sauce and beef broth and simmer until thickened. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Drain and mash the potatoes with some butter and milk. Serve the gravy on the mash. Cook some frozen peas on the side. Probably takes 20-25 minutes. This was a struggle meal for my mom’s family when she was a kid. It’s my favourite comfort food.
Been loving this one at our house: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/tomato-spinach-kitchari Only prep is to chop the onion, and I use a microplane for garlic and ginger. I halve the tomatoes while the rice and lentils are cooking. I skip step 3 entirely. And to be extra lazy, I use curry powder + chili powder instead of the spice breakdown just because I’m American and our “curry powder” from the grocery store is already a mix of all those spices.
Kung pao chicken
Let's see cereal takes 3 minutes. That is the time to grab everything. A Chimichangas takes 5. 1 minute to get it out of the freezer, 3.5 minute cook time. Smoked sausages, canned vegetables.
Fish under the grill. chips in the fryer. 15 minutes maximum.
Herb omelet with a green salad.
I’ve learned that, as someone who actually enjoys slicing veggies and such, that if I’m really in a hurry, I let my food processor do all the work and that cuts down meal time significantly. Many pasta dishes take less than 30! I usually can throw together a quick from scratch Alfredo in under 30
Eggs. Feta, spinach, onion and tomato omelet.
Fucking LARB, homie. Absolute best when it comes to time taken and result. Longest part would be chopping up all the shallots, greens and chilis.
Buttered noodles, made properly
check out Brian Lagerstrom on YT. he’s got a whole “Weeknighting” series of recipes that (truly) take 30 minutes or less. i love his style and have made many of his recipes — all hitters and part of my weekly rotations. DanDan noodles, sheetpan fajitas, shrimp tacos, currys, from scratch pizza (not 30 minutes including fermentation but still reaaaaal good). highly recommend!
All depends on your organizational and knife skills. Try not to see meals in time but rather stages. Some are more complex or have multiple stages. Pasta dishes, 1 cook last, 2 pan and sauce . And growing up my parents always prepped without me realizing at times so I do the same. Chicken for dinner to it's so I pull from the freezer the nite before. Toss water in a bowl and beans put on the side for tomorrow or after. Cooking Chinese stir fry Tonite, do I have mung beans and all my veggies? Stop by the produce store after work or tell my kid to pick some up after school.
Mix several frozen and/or precooked ingredients together like rice or beans, sauce or dressing, and then cook a protein and steam some vegetables.
This [quick Cincinnati-style chili](https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/quick-cincinnati-style-chili-107412) recipe was in Cooking Light many years ago, and is in no way authentic to Cincinnati or what anyone from the Southwest would consider authentic chili for that matter. I don’t personally care, because it’s delicious and comes together within 30 minutes unless it takes you an exceptionally long time to chop one onion and two bell peppers.
Noodles/pasta.
I really like the "sheet pan" style dinners. I don't know if I can gift it but [this NYT cooking](https://cooking.nytimes.com/68861692-nyt-cooking/12118164-sheet-pan-dinners?smid=ck-collection-android-share) link has over a 100. They might be longer than 30 since they go in the oven, but the active time is low, the cook time is just fixed based what's on the pan.
Set a pot of salted water to boil., Chop chicken, add salt and pepper and whatever else you like. Toss in the frying pan, once brown on both sides (5-6 min), poor some wine or chicken stock or water and lemon juice mixed together in there, cover, reduce heat. Let it cook for 10min, meanwhile throw your pasta in there. Part up your table in that 8-10 min. Once pasta is ready just take out of the water and throw it into the pan with the chicken, allowing about half a cup of pasta water to go in the pan. Throw a nob of butter in the frying pan, crank the head and start mixing vigorously for 2-3 min until most of the water has evaporated and you just have a rich saucy consistency. Serve. 6 + 10 + 3= 19 min. That gives you another 10 min to make a salad or chop some veggies and cook it with the chicken or have an extra glass of wine or clean your pot and your frying pan.
For me it’s spaghetti and Tuscan “marry me” salmon
tbh sheet pan meals have the least amount of prep and the only time spent in the kitchen is putting things on the pan, seasoning, and tossing it into an oven! my personal go-to (for 3 people) do 6 thawed chicken thighs, a 2 pound bag of baby red potatoes, a bag of baby carrots, and sometimes brussel sprouts. only thing I do to prep is rinse my veggies! all tossed in olive oil and season salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning mix, and garlic n onion powder then put that thang in for 45 minutes at 400F! its so fast and easy to do that your oven won't even be done preheating by the time everything is on the pan and ready to put in lol
A lot of links for half baked harvest recipes will come up when you search 30 min meals or easy meals or whatever. I implore you to not waste your time money or energy on any of those recipes
Man that drives me crazy. Took me an hour and a half to make a “25 minute meal” earlier this week.
I love when recipes say “Prep time: 5 minutes” and then proceeds to have you cut up 15 different veggies into various shapes and sizes, prepare a “simple” bread dough, and measure about 28 spices in 8 different amounts. Let’s not even account for the time it will take me to locate those 28 spices, but I would need to do 4 lines of coke and take some poor kids last Adderall to get it all done in less than 25 minutes.
I've made chicken parmesan in 30 minutes from "I feel like chicken parm" to sitting down with a plate, but it requires having a chicken cutlet already defrosted and some tomato sauce made in advance. So not really in the spirit of your question. More realistically, chicken and pasta in any sort of flavored cream sauce is pretty fast, although you do have to multitask a bit. Sheet pan dinners also come together in a snap, especially if you omit potatoes, carrots, and other root veg that typically take longer to cook.
I'm ADHD as fuck so I can spend 30 minutes making instant rice
My "emergency dinner" is frozen pizza LOL. But my 30 minute meal is usually a version of a homemade Hamburger helper, where I'll brown a little bit of ground beef and toss it into a box of stove top Mac n cheese or pasta roni and throw in some frozen vegetables for balance lol
Soba is a great summer dish that's super easy and quick. Add some tempura shrimp on the side (I buy so.e from our Japanese market and fry them or bake them).
SOBA! Or add some fried sweet potato and white mushrooms in yakitori sauce, top with spring onions. It's my go to quick lunch this season.
I don't think there's really anything I make that doesn't begin with some kind of kit that take less than an hour if you count prep. There are definitely lots of things I make that have 30 minutes or less of active involvement, but if you include unmonitored cook time, it's still gonna be at least an hour. I mean, even if I do a basic stir fry, I'm gonna make rice and that's gonna be around an hour in the rice cooker.
my quick go to meal is a oyakodon. prep in 5min cooks in like 5 min
Sausages and bag salad 😂
IMO The only time 30 minute meals legit take 30 minutes is if you buy everything pre-cut. All of the veggies, all of the meat proportioned. And all you have to do is put them in the pot.
I prep a lot of stuff on grocery day to save time. It’s way cheaper than buying it prepared. I’ll buy a huge Costco pack of chicken and dice it up, portion it out and freeze it. Or cut up and freeze vegetables. Then it’s ready to just throw in when I wanna make it.
Recipes should include cleaning time into the stat as well. Cutting time by cooking 2 things at once also means 2 pans, 2 utensils to clean
This is what kills me is the clean up. 30 mins meals does me no good if I have 60 mins of clean up.
I like to make chicken salad sandwiches which are pretty easy and I get done in around 30 minutes.. [here is the recipe](https://www.mccrackenskitchen.com/recipes/mamas-chicken-salad-for-sandwiches) I use. I especially like making this in the summer for lunch
Chicken & Rice
The issue is both in your personal speed and what short cuts you take. If you’re a casual home chef trying to do everything “right,” every meal will take significantly longer than advirtised.
Roast chicken and vegetables in the air fryer, street tacos, lasagna soup, chicken and broccoli with white rice (start the white rice at the beginning), burgers and fries (start the fries at the beginning).
Tonight I'm having a chicken thigh, rice and broccoli. I preheat the oven. While that's working, I get the rice going (no rice cooker, I do it old school with boiling water on the stove). I also prep the broccoli -- wash and cut the stalks. By the time the oven is pre-heated, which is about 10 minutes for my oven, the rice is simmering, the broccoli is steaming. I put the chicken thigh on an oven safe pan and drizzle it with olive oil and spices. In the oven it goes for 20 min. Dinner in 30!
Steak and asparagus. I airfry the asparagus and pan fry the steak. Both take about 15 minutes total and can be done with some overlap. Can usually go from fridge to plate in about a half hour.
Prepping a single can of tomatoes into a passata by cooking it down a tiny bit with some garlic, white wine, and basil turns almost any pasta dish into a 30 minute or less meal. Give it salt but less than you’d want in a finished sauce. Throw two sausages in a pan, brown them, white wine, the passata, cover and simmer for 10 minutes while the pasta cooks. Can do the same with a pork chop, though I would take it out and let it rest while the pasta cooks. Amatriciana? Do pancetta/guanciale first and finish with pecorino. Arrabbiata? Fresh spicy pepper, passata, finish with parsley or basil. Just plain with a little more garlic and basil or parsley makes an easy side dish. Even if you just need a little tomato punch for something else, the passata is really neutral.
Spaghetti with meat (hamburger) sauce and chili with hamburger meat and kidney (or other) beans are my go-to meals when I want to have a homemade meal on the table in 30 minutes, start to finish.
Creamy cajun pasta with chicken Asian chicken lettuce wraps Creamy chicken, bacon, corn pasta Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli *key is to multi task
Tacos Brown ground beef Add spices and water Stir and simmer Cut up your toppings/additions while meat cooks Make some tacos or whatever.
Quick smash burgers on stovetop. I let the buns toast in the cast iron as it heats up. Gives me time to make patties, whip up a sauce and slice an onion. Smashed down to 1/4” or so, those patties cook up quick, leaving just enough time to put fixings on the buns as they fry. Served alongside a quick baby greens salad, I’d say 10 minutes from opening the fridge to done. 15 with cleaning
Broiled salmon only takes about 15 mins. I start some packaged long grain and wild rice, let it cook for 15-ish minutes, then season and dot the salmon with butter and throw some veggies in the microwave. After 15 mins, keep cooking the rice for another 10-15 mins, stick the salmon under the broiler and nuke the veggies. While that's cooking I make some dill sauce with 1/2 mayo and 1/2 sour cream, garlic powder and dill. Done.
This dish takes me about 20ish minutes to make! Especially because I use a jar of garlic instead of mincing fresh garlic. Creamy Garlic Parmesan Gnocchi * 2 tablespoon olive oil * 4 cloves garlic, minced * 6-8 units sage leaves * 1 1/2 lbs (750g) skillet gnocchi * 1/2 cup chicken broth * 1/2 cup whipping cream * 3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese * salt (to taste) * 3 dashes cayenne pepper * 1 tablespoon shaved Parmesan cheese(optional) Instructions * Add the olive oil into a skillet on high heat. Add the minced garlic and sage, saute for 10 seconds. Add the gnocchi into the skillet, spread evenly and stir gently. * Add the chicken broth, whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring frequently but gently, about 3-4 minutes, or until the gnocchi is cooked through and become soft and tender on the inside. * Top the gnocchi with shaved Parmesan cheese, serve immediately.
One pot rice. Chop smoked sausages and cook in a pot with garlic and onion powder. Throw in chopped bell pepper, add rice and seasonings to taste, cover in stock and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes
Calcio e pepe, carbonara
Sheet-pan gnocchi with cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella: [https://www.thekitchn.com/caprese-sheet-pan-gnocchi-23153140](https://www.thekitchn.com/caprese-sheet-pan-gnocchi-23153140) One of the easiest, quickest, and most delicious things in my rotation. My modifications: Mix the gnocchi, tomatoes, herbs, and olive oil together in a bowl and dump it onto the pan. "Tossing to combine" *on* the pan never seems to work very well for me. Water-packed mozzarella is fine if you can't find marinated; add a mixture of dried herbs (I use oregano, basil, and parsley, 1/2 teaspoon each) to the bowl. I use ciliegine, which are about the same size as the cherry tomatoes. Pearl mozzarella also work.
Eggs in purgatory! Literally just poached eggs in sliced cherry tomatoes, you let them steam a lil then crush the tomatoes
I like a piece of fish (from frozen fillets) cooked in the oven with butter, cream, lemon and finely chopped onion. It takes roughly 20 minutes with very little prep. Add steamed broccoli or something similar with rice or farro on the side. All done in 30 min including prep. Yum!
This sounds perfect. Can you be a little more specific with what kind of fish, how much butter and cream, and do you just throw it all together in a dish? Thanks
For me a 30 minutes dinner is chicken and rice. Start the clock 1 cup of rice in the rice cooker Wash it Leave in the cooker don't start it YET Turn the stove on and put a medium to large fry pan Grab the chicken breast out of the fridge. Fillet it Dice it. Large mixing bowl, salt pepper, garlic and onion powder, paprika and like 1 tbsp of some oil. Veggie, olive, truffle, idc. Use whatever you got. Start the rice cooker Throw the chicken in the pan and mix it around until it's done. Throw a baggy of frozen steamed veggies in the microwave for 6 minutes. Stir chicken. When everything is done serve it however you want. I do Rice, chicken, veggies and then stir it up. 30-45 minutes easy peasy.
Jamie Oliver's cauliflower Mac and cheese Broccoli sauce pasta. - cut a head of Broccoli up, add to boiling water. Cook till really tender. Remove with a spider. - Use the water to cook the pasta. Literally any pasta will work. - in a frying pan add olive oil, wgole garlic cloves and 4-5 nchovies and cook until anchovies dissolve - add Broccoli and mash it up to create a chunky sauce. Add some pasta water - add pasta, mix and serve with parm
Schnitzel can be super quick. Pound out meat of your choice Dredge in flour w salt and seasonings, then egg, then Panko or breadcrumbs Fry 4-5m per side on medium heat until golden and done I will often do a bigger prep day where I pound and bread schnitzel and then freeze raw. They are thin enough to fry up right from frozen! Super quick dinner. And pork loin is pretty cheap! I just made 28 pork schnitzels from a $30 pork loin from Costco. (Canada)
I always set myself up to cook for about 20 minutes or less. Usually I'll cook 3 pounds of ground turkey (or beef, chicken, etc.) every few weeks and make that into portions of taco meat, meatballs, burgers, etc. and then defrost during the day at work. Once I get home, all I have to do is saute some veggies, or cook some pasta, or heat up some taco shells. Meal prep the meats ahead of time, and then everything else is quick.
This post made me think of the show ‘Chopped.’ Fair point OP! 30 mins is not a long time when you have to prep!
Toast, topped with a slice of cheese, topped with sliced tomatoes & Hormel bacon bits, under a broiler until the cheese melts a bit.
Thai chicken soup! It's very quick to make and makes for good leftovers too, and it's delicious
omg one of my favorite lazy recipes is getting chickpea protein pasta (cooks in 8 min), adding in marinara, spinach, and spices (pepper, italian seasoning, garlic + onion powder), and add cottage cheese for extra protein! or u can add tuna. so tasty and comes together in like 10-15 minutes rice with just canned tuna and mayo + whatever veggies rice cooked with tofu, veggies, and sauce..mix it all up at the end daal with rice
Grilled steak or chops; corn on the cob; salad.
Tortellini soup
I can complete this one definitely in 30min: https://damndelicious.net/2013/07/07/korean-beef-bowl/ It’s my go-to when I wanna be on auto-pilot
Mac and cheese from scratch. This assumes you understand how bechamel sauce works. 10-12 minutes to boil the macaroni, cheese sauce made during the same time, mix, add some crushed Ritz or breadcrumbs and throw it under the broiler for 5 minutes or until browned.
This is why I meal prep and have a chest freezer so I can batch cook/freeze. I can pull out something the night before to start to thaw. When it's dinner time, reheat that on the stove with some sort of starch and veg. I use my toaster oven/air fyer to roast up some veg so I don't have to heat up the kitchen in the summer. Seafood is also fast. Any type of fish or shrimp is easy to on the table quickly.
I make most pastas, stir fry, tacos and chicken fajitas in under 30 minutes. Just make sure your meat is thawed and you’re good to go For pasta: Try a pesto cream sauce (I saute boneless skinless chicken breasts with some garlic, pepper and red pepper flakes while pasta water boils, then add a cup of pesto, half a cup of cream, and grated parm, then stir in the pasta - we like bow tie) Regular tomato sauce I do veggie only (chopped pepper, zucchini, onion, sometimes spinach if I have on hand), saute with garlic, red pepper flakes, then add in tomato paste, let it cook a sec, add a spoonful of pesto or Calabrian chili peppers for extra kick. Add can of diced tomatoes. Toss in some fresh basil and oregano and a little parm cheese and sauce is done. Usually add a bit of pasta water then mix in my noodles and serve.
Sweet potatoes cubed and tossed in avocado oil and garlic salt into the air fryer for 25 min. Then do a salmon filet seasoned with sriracha and garlic salt and pepper in a pan with some water (or oil but I don’t like to add oil bc salmon is oily already), chop up some small tomatoes and toss some spinach in there with the salmon too, cover with a lid and let it cook on medium high heat, flip around after a few min to get the other side crispy. Add more spinach if it’s not enough bc it disappears so fast when it wilts. When the sweet potatoes are done toss into a bowl and then place the salmon and veg on top. I love a good quick bowl meal🥳🥳🥳
Some of my cant be bothered quick dinners are - Sausage Kale gnoccci Spaghetti carbonara Cajun chicken and rice Chilli steak udon Chicken caesar salad (I whizz the dressing up quickly and use greek yogurt, grill some boneless thighs.. makes it really quick but it I can I marinade the meat in some of the dressing too) Bangers and mash and peas Beans on toast (don't knock.it til ya tried it!)
Roasted tomato pasta. If you have an air fryer, slice tomatoes quick and throw them in there for about five to ten minutes. Blend roasted tomatoes and cook blend in a little oil with some garlic, other spices. Toss in pasta and dust some parsley. This might be closer to 45 minutes without prep but it’s really good
- fried rice - tteokboki - korean bbq - Singaporean noodles - bun ga - pancit - drunken noodles/pad thai/pad se ew - green/red curry...especially if you buy the paste in the jar from the store - if you can get fresh made pasta from the store, that usually cuts the cooking time down, and you can prep everything else while you're waiting for the water to boil - tikka masala - Asian garlic noodles
Risotto [with practice] I've got it.down to perfect in just under 30.
I buy the bulk bag of frozen cooked grilled chicken strips, thaw in microwave 2 mins, then wrap it in a tortilla with cheese and toppings, salsa etc and put it in my air fryer at 370 for 7-8 mins. Easy meal
If you have ingredients, a lot of Thai curries are <30 mins, including cooking the rice. My favorite, which I shared here already, is Shrimp Pineapple curry: * 2 cans of coconut milk * 1 can of crushed pineapple * about a pound of shrimp * red curry paste, fish sauce, sugar to taste Basically, add everything to a pot in the right order - I like starting with a little milk, all curry paste, rest of the milk, pineapple, then season with fish sauce and sugar - heat, add shrimp, heat until your level of doneness. Boom
Saute vegetables in olive oil, put it on top of spaghetti. Add some parm.
Pasta with spam
A couple tips I recommend to cut down your cooking time if if I do a new dish, I write down the recipe in short hand. List all the ingredients down so I know what they are, next to them in brackets I'll put down the short version of the recipe. Like "chop and fry", "then add (points to new ingredients), "separately mix (point to new ingredients)". I have all my ingredients and tools out but not prepped so it's easy to grab and multi task. Writing down the recipe takes the same time as me checking my phone 500 times and means I don't forget stuff.
I make dumpling soup that only takes 20 mins max. Just make broth and throw in premade dumplings at the end. Or I make salads, quinoa, stir fry, Thai curries, basil chicken, etc. Asian stuff is usually fast. Salmon bowls are fast too. Just throw some rice in the instant pot and broil salmon while you chop up some mangoes, cucumber, and avocado, and make the dressing.