56 Dinner Ideas That You Can Make In A Half Hour Or Less (2024)

On the stovetop or in the oven risotto can take close to an hour, but thanks to your handy Instant Pot, this version is ready in a fraction of the time.

Recipe: Instant Pot Wild Mushroom Risotto

Pick your favorite pasta shape, add cherry tomatoes, diced bacon, romaine lettuce, and plenty of shredded cheese. Mix it all up with ranch dressing and dig in.

Recipe: BLT Pasta Salad

Turn instant ramen noodles into a stir fry that rivals that of your favorite take-out spot.

Recipe: Chicken and Ramen Skillet

Tired of the same old baked salmon recipe? Give this one a try. Salmon is topped with a mixture of panko bread crumbs, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and plenty of fresh herbs. Then it's baked until crispy on the outside but moist and flaky on the inside.

Recipe: Herb Crusted Baked Salmon

Tender chicken breasts smothered in a creamy mushroom gravy with plenty of sweet leeks. Serve this dish with egg noodles or rice to sop up all the delicious sauce.

Recipe: Creamy Mushroom and Leek Chicken Breasts

Whip up this lunch or dinner with naan, hummus, whatever veggies are in your fridge, and chicken breasts. If you want to make things even easier, use a store bought rotisserie chicken.

Recipe: Chicken Hummus Naan Wraps

This sweet and sticky glaze tastes amazing on just about any protein, but you'll love it on salmon with a side of your favorite veggie.

Recipe: Honey Soy Salmon

Never underestimate the combination of chickpeas and pasta. You can keep both ingredients right in your pantry for lazy nights when you're low on groceries and whip them up into a cozy meal. Add your favorite greens, garlic, lemon, and Parmesan and call it dinner.

Recipe: Broccoli Rabe Pasta With Smoky Chickpeas

If store-bought teriyaki sauce is all you've got, by all means go for it. But you'll never regret whipping up this sweet and spicy homemade version from scratch with soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, and chili flakes.

Recipe: Teriyaki Shrimp With Broccoli

If you have ground beef in your fridge or freezer, turn it into an easy skillet dinner Sauté it with your favorite veggies and a bunch of spices. For something more filling, serve over rice or your favorite grain.

Recipe: Southwest Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Skillet

Diced chicken, celery, chestnuts, mushrooms and garlic are tossed in ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce and chili paste. Serve the chicken in butter lettuce cups sprinkled with cashews, carrots, and scallions.

Recipe: Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Take the frozen shrimp that's hiding in your freezer and toss it with spaghetti in a simple white wine, lemon, and garlic sauce for a dinner that tastes restaurant quality.

Recipe: Shrimp Scampi

Make a big batch of this salad dressing because you're going to want to use it all the time. It's made with nut butter, soy sauce, ginger, lime juice, maple syrup, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce.

Recipe: Gingery Kale Salad with Cashew Dressing

Cool nights call for big bowls of chili. This recipe, made with white beans and shredded chicken, will warm you right up and keep you feeling full.

Recipe: White Chicken Chili

These salmon skewers call for simple ingredients, but the Thai flavors are incredible. Drizzle the cooked skewers with sesame oil, cilantro, sesame seeds, and Thai chili if you like a little kick.

Recipe: Sweet Thai Chili Salmon Skewers

Those $2 instant ramen packages can actually go a long way towards a gourmet meal. Stir fry the boiled noodles with some juicy garlic shrimp and voilà.

Recipe: Garlic Shrimp Ramen

There's nothing like this creamy, umami-packed stroganoff sauce, which is made with butter, onion, garlic, white wine, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, flour and either sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

Recipe: 30-Minute Beef Stroganoff

Pro tip: stop boiling your gnocchi. Instead, take your fresh or frozen gnocchi and spread it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Roast until the gnocchi is just golden brown with a deliciously crispy exterior.

Recipe: Sheet Pan Gnocchi With Tomatoes and Mozzarella

What could be more satisfying than tender chicken breast nestled in juicy tomato sauce beneath a layer of bubbly, melty cheese?

Recipe: Baked Chicken Caprese

If you can get your hands on tuna steaks, this medium-rare seared tuna tastes incredible. But you can always opt for something more accessible and affordable like canned tuna fish or salmon.

Recipe: Tuna Niçoise

There's no marinating required in this super simple sheet pan supper. Just toss cubes of tofu, diced veggies, and cashews in the coconut and soy sauce, then let it bake for 20-25 minutes.

Recipe: Sheet Pan Chinese Tofu

Classic ratatouille is delicious, but every now and then you might crave something a bit more filling. Enter: this riff on the French classic, which is made with lots of fresh veggies and chicken breasts in a single skillet.

Recipe: Chicken Ratatouille

No meat, no problem. These vegetarian balls are made with cauliflower, quinoa or brown rice, flour, eggs, and spices. You can pan-fry them or bake them in the oven until golden, then serve with veggies, pasta, or your favorite grain.

Recipe: Vegetarian Meatballs

If you're not already adding a heaping spoonful of pesto to your soup, you're doing it wrong.

Recipe: Pesto Minestrone Soup

You can start with any pasta at the base of this antipasto salad, but cheese-filled tortellini is absolutely next-level delicious.

Recipe: Italian Antipasto Tortellini Pasta Salad

This homemade creamy tomato and basil blend is so incredibly easy. Top your bowl with anything from fresh herbs and grated Parmesan to pine nuts and croutons.

Recipe: 20-Minute Tomato Soup

This entire recipe cooks in a single pan, which means you don't even have to boil water separately to cook the orzo. It doesn't get much easier than that.

Recipe: 30 Minute Shrimp and Orzo with Sun Dried Tomatoes

How can you make lasagna even cozier? Turn it into soup, of course, and top it with a big dollop of ricotta cheese and some fresh torn basil.

Recipe: One-Pot Lasagna Soup

You can substitute the asparagus and Brussels sprouts for just about any vegetable like sweet potato, cauliflower, or broccolini.

Recipe: Ginger Glazed Salmon with Asparagus and Brussels Sprouts

Garlic, onion, sausage, white beans, gnocchi, tomatoes, and spinach walk into a skillet. The result is hearty, savory, cheesy, and oh-so tasty.

Recipe: One-Skillet Sausage and White Bean Gnocchi

This vegetarian friendly recipe comes together with mostly pantry staples, so it's a great one to bookmark for nights when your fridge is feeling bare.

Recipe: Coconut Chickpea Curry

The best thing about curry is that you can swap in pretty much whatever ingredients are in your fridge. Simmered in a blend of coconut milk, lime juice, ginger, fish sauce, Thai chili sauce, and sugar, you can't go wrong.

Recipe: Thai Red Chicken Curry With Vegetables

Make a bunch of this herbaceous chimichurri sauce loaded with parsley, oregano, and garlic because you can drizzle it on anything from salmon to shrimp.

Recipe: Skillet Flank Steak With Veggies and Chimichurri