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Dinner Made Easy:

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Home Recipes by Ease of Preparation 30 Minutes or Less
30 30 Minutes or Less

30 Minute Meals (18 recipes!)

2 Comments
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 05/02/2023Updated: 05/08/2023

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Graphic with text that reads "18 delicious 30 minute meals."

Want dinner ideas that can be made in a half hour or less? Here is a collection of eighteen 30 minute meals that are delicious and filling!

Graphic with text that reads "18 delicious 30 minute meals."

“Dinner will be ready in 30 minutes!”

Wouldn’t you love to be able make that announcement when you and your family get home at 5:00 and everyone is starved and maybe even a little cranky? Thirty minutes. Same amount of time as the nightly news. Or a sitcom. Can you order a pizza and have it arrive in less than 30 minutes? Doesn’t happen in my neck of the woods. 

You can have dinner on your own table in less than thirty minutes with these easy and delicious recipes. Cooking is so much more economical, healthy, and satisfying than dining out. 

So many of you email me and share with me that it’s difficult to even think about cooking when you get home from a long day at work. You’re tired, hungry, and when you open the refrigerator, you just can’t think of what to make. The thought of spending an hour making dinner just depresses or frustrates you.

That’s why I love this collection of 30 minute dinners! Meals that can be prepared in just a half hour, some even less time than that. Meals that your family will love.

About these 30 minute dinners

You’ll find 30 minute dinner recipes for seafood, chicken, sausage and ground meat, and vegetarian recipes, too. Many of the meals are made in only one pan for quick clean up. Pastas, stir-fry recipes, tacos, wraps, bowls, soups, and skillet meals — they’re all included. I’m sure you’ll find several that you can’t wait to try. 

To make this as helpful to as many people as possible, I didn’t include any air fryer recipes or Instant Pot recipes, but many of those are made in 30 minutes or less, so make sure to click through to those links if you have either one of those handy kitchen appliances.

Tips for Success

  • Plan: Before you go grocery shopping this week, take a few minutes to choose a few of the 30 minute dinners that you’d like to try. Make a list of the ingredients you need and make sure you pick them up at the store. When it’s time to cook, you’ll have everything you need on hand and you’ll be ready to go! 
  • Meal Prep: Try some of my make ahead/meal prep ideas to expedite things even more. You can prepare food ahead and have these treasures in the fridge or freezer ready to use. I always have cooked shredded chicken on hand that I make in my Instant Pot or taco chicken I make in the slow cooker. Cooked quinoa is another staple in my freezer. When you make easy oven meatballs, make a double or triple batch and freeze them in serving size portions to use in soups, sandwiches, or pasta. Cut up a bunch of fresh veggies so they are ready to cook when you need them.

Delicious 30-Minute Meals

Chicken Bites
One of my absolute favorite quick meals, these chicken bites are perfect on burrito bowls, salad, or dipped in your favorite sauce! Serve with a bagged salad for a super quick meal.
Check out this recipe
Chicken bites on a plate with ranch dressing.
Beef Stir Fry With Vegetables
A stir-fry is one of the greatest fast meals! Make the recipe as is, or use up what you have in the fridge.
Check out this recipe
Beef and vegetable stir fry in a black wok.
Salmon Bites with Hot Honey
Okay, we love "bites!" These salmon bites are quick and easy and go wonderful with rice or quinoa.
Check out this recipe
Salmon bites being drizzled with hot honey.
Egg Roll in a Bowl
Another one of my favorite quick meals, egg roll in a bowl is quick, satisfying, and healthy!
Check out this recipe
Overhead view of egg roll in a bowl drizzled with sriracha.
Lemon Salmon Recipe
This lemon dill salmon comes together so quickly! You can throw some asparagus on the sheet pan as well if you want to add a vegetable.
Check out this recipe
Salmon on a white plate with lemon slices and fresh dill.
Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry
Another great stir-fry recipe, this shrimp and broccoli stir-fry is a winner every time!
Check out this recipe
Shrimp and broccoli in a brown sauce, sprinkled with sesame.
One Pan Gnocchi with Kale, Sundried Tomatoes, and Mushrooms
If you're craving pasta, this gnocchi will do the trick! It's quickly made in one pan and is total comfort food!
Check out this recipe
Close-up view of one pan gnocchi on a serving spoon. Sun-dried tomatoes are also visible.
Chicken Stir Fry with Ginger and Basil
Flavorful and easy to make, this chicken stir fry with ginger and basil can be made so quickly, making it a perfect weeknight meal!
Check out this recipe
Overhead view of a white plate filled with white rice, chicken, sugar snap peas, carrots, and red onions in stir fry form. It is garnished with fresh basil ribbons.
Spicy Garlic Shrimp
If you're a garlic fan, you're going to love this spicy garlic shrimp! It's ready in 20 minutes and is perfect served with rice.
Check out this recipe
Close up of cooked shrimp with spicy honey sauce and bits of crunchy garlic.
Sheet Pan Fajitas – Easy Recipe for Chicken Fajitas!
Fajitas, all on one pan! What could be easier?
Check out this recipe
Overhead of sheet pan with baked chicken fajitas, and foil wrapped tortillas.
Taco Pasta Recipe (One Pot)
The best kind of taco and pasta mash-up! One pan and under 30 minutes!
Check out this recipe
One pan taco pasta in a skillet.
Lemon Pepper Shrimp Recipe
You might be sensing a trend – shrimp is quick and easy to prepare! This lemon pepper shrimp is delicious on a tossed salad.
Check out this recipe
Lemon pepper shrimp in a black pan.
Pizza Pasta – One pan, 20 minutes!
One pan, twenty minutes, and tastes like pizza! Pizza pasta is always a winner.
Check out this recipe
Pizza pasta being scooped from a pan with a wooden spoon.
One Pan Sausage Dinner with Fall Vegetables
You might notice that we love one pan meals! This one pan sausage dinner with fall vegetables is a quick and easy meal for busy fall nights.
Check out this recipe
Sausage and vegetables in orange cast iron skillet.
Parmesan Baked Cod Recipe with Lemon
You will love the crunchy topping of this baked cod!
Check out this recipe
Image of parmesan baked cod.
Dill Chicken Salad – Healthy and Easy!
You can make this dill chicken salad even easier by using rotisserie chicken!
Check out this recipe
Dill chicken salad on a croissant.
Baked Salmon with Maple Mustard Glaze (5 ingredient recipe)
This is my family's favorite salmon recipe! Quick, easy, delicious.
Check out this recipe
This easy five ingredient baked salmon is going to be your weeknight go-to salmon recipe. The glaze is the perfect balance of spicy and sweet. Try it tonight!
Chickpea Salad Recipe with Yogurt, Dill and Lemon
This is the perfect quick meal for vegetarians!
Check out this recipe
If you’re looking for a healthy and easy to make vegetarian meal that will still fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied, look no further. This lemon dill chickpea salad recipe is just what you need. Get the recipe on RachelCooks.com!
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  1. Steven Gurgevich says

    April 2, 2020 at 2:27 pm

    Thank you, Rachel! These recipes all sound so delicious and easy to prepare. I don’t know which to prepare first.
    Thank you again… well done!

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      April 4, 2020 at 9:06 am

      I hope you love every single one you try! Let me know which one you go with!

      Reply

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