Quick Easy Dinner Ideas for 4 Less Than 5 Minute Prep

Need to find dinner recipes…fast? Try these easy dinner ideas! They're healthy and all made in under 30 minutes.

The question we get asked most often is, "What are your favorite fast and easy dinner ideas?" We get it. Life is busy. There are 101 things to do, and adding cooking to that list can be stressful.  But making delicious and healthy recipes doesn't have to take all day! The best easy dinner ideas balance big flavor and quick cooking methods. Here we're sharing fast dinner ideas you can make in 30 minutes or less. In many cases, making one of these easy dinner ideas is even faster than takeout!

And now…our top fast & easy dinner recipes!

Some pasta recipes stand a head above the rest, and this is one of them. Try this cheese tortellini in creamy marinara sauce! In just 15 minutes, you've got a pasta skillet that's a literalsymphony flavor. The fresh basil-infused marinara sauce is perfectly complimented with pillows of tangy goat cheese. (In fact, it's like this baked goat cheese dip made into a main dish.)

Total time: 15 minutes

Here's the very definition of easy dinner recipes: 5 Minute Tacos! Can dinner really be made in 5 minutes? Yes, dinner will materialize before your eyes! These tacos are filled with "chorizo-style eggs", which take on a meaty texture and flavor in a flash. Top them with salsa fresca, red onion slivers, cilantro & hot sauce, and prepare to be amazed.

Total time: 5 minutes

First up in our fast and easy dinner recipes: garlic shrimp! The shrimp come out impossibly juicy with the best garlic flavor. The best part? It takes under 10 minutes to make. Yep, that's pretty unheard of in dinnertime territory. Serve with pasta or couscous and a salad for a speedy meal. Also try Cilantro Lime Shrimp. Scroll down for the recipe!

Total time: 10 minutes

Who doesn't love a good grilled cheese sandwich? Here's one with a glamorous twist: the avocado grilled cheese.Simply adding an avocado and tomato to a standard grilled cheese makes it fit for serving to company! Although it's a simple dish, grilled cheese can be gussied up as much or as little as you like.

Total time: 10 minutes

It's simple, it's elegant, but it tastes like something you'd order at a restaurant: Sheet Pan Salmon and Asparagus! Roasting it up on a sheet pan with lemon slices and fresh herbs adds effortless flavor that feels fresh yet refined. This sheet pan meal is the perfect weeknight meal.

Total time: 20 minutes

Next up in our easy dinner recipes: this mushroom pasta! It's a fan favorite recipe because of the big flavor that's possible in under 30 minutes. Imagine: creamy goat cheese and savory mushrooms, seasoned with thyme and oregano and paired with the bite of chewy pasta. An absolute showstopper.

Total time: 25 minutes

This chickpea curry is the epitome of healthy weeknight dinners! It can be made in just 20 minutes, a speed record for sure. But there are no flavor shortcuts: it's bursting with garlic, ginger, cumin, and curry powder, with a bit of coconut swirled in for a creamy body. Serve with basmati rice and it's a true gem.

Total time: 20 minutes

Shrimp are one of the simplest paths to a fast and easy dinner, and this recipe makes them taste irresistible in minutes. Try this Cajun Shrimp! Toss these babies with a little Cajun seasoning and sauté them up in a skillet. The flavor is so savory, garlicky and irresistible, you'll hardly believe the prep time: it takes only 5 minutes to put together! Pair it with a quick veggie side or salad and you've got dinner.

Total time: 5 minutes

Here's a quick dinner idea that'salwayssatisfying and works for nearly every diet. That's right, the good old Burrito Bowl! We can thank Chipotle for its widespread popularity, but it really is a killer idea. Throw rice, veggies, and burrito fillings in a bowl and call it meal! You can make this one 15 minutes (really: we timed ourselves).

Total time: 15 minutes

Here's the ultimate quick weeknight meal, a filling vegetarian dinner that comes together in 20 minutes flat. Meet this soba noodle bowl! It's filled with stir fried broccoli, red pepper and onion, mix with a savory sauce with creamy peanut butter. Even better: eggs are scrambled right into the mix (like fried rice, but with noodles!).

Total time: 20 minutes

Here's a quick and easy dinner recipe for weeknights: try these Mushroom Tacos! Portobello mushrooms have enormous savory flavor: throw them in a skillet with some punchy seasonings and they make plant-based magic. This recipe is for when you have just a few minutes to throw together a meal: combine those portobellos with creamy refried beans and the quickest slaw, and you've got dinner!

Total time: 20 minutes

Here's a genius trick that makes a fast and easy dinner withno cooking required. That's right, no need to grab your pan and spatula. Try this Smoked Salmon Salad! It's healthy, fresh, and 100% cook free. Imagine: savory smoked salmon, fresh greens, fluffy goat cheese dollops and a tangy shallot vinaigrette. It's ideal for a summer meal al fresco or fast lunch: and it comes together in 15 minutes flat.

Total time: 15 minutes

This chickpea bowls recipe is a common repeat in our easy dinner recipes repertoire. In just 25 minutes, you have a fresh bowl of veggies that's smothered in a tangy lemon tahini sauce. If you're just starting to eat plant based recipes or have been eating them for years, this one is a truly tasty way to eat your veggies.

Total time: 25 minutes

Here's a fun way to cook shrimp without all the hassle of a shrimp boil: try Old Bay Steamed Shrimp! Truth be told, this method is a combination of boiling and steaming: but it results in beautifully succulent, seasoned shrimp. Get this: the cook time is only 2 to 3 minutes! This easy preparation is fun to do and results in a seriously easy dinner recipe.

Total time: 15 minutes

Here's our ultimate fast and easy dinner recipe: Naan Pizza! Get this: it's faster than delivery pizza, healthier,andit tastes better. So why order out when you can make tasty pizza in? Packaged naan bread is easy to find these days, making it easy to run to the store on a naan pizza run. You'll never need delivery or frozen pizza again!

Total time: 15 minutes

Here's a meal that consistently makes everyone who takes a bite sayWow. Try this Pecan Crusted Salmon! It has an air of restaurant-style fancy, but it's fast and easy to whip up on a weeknight. It takes basic salmon to the next level, coating it in a crunchy topping of nuts, seasoned breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese. The flavors are elevated enough for dinner guests, but also tasty enough for kids to shovel in bites.

Total time: 20 minutes

Is there anything better than shrimp tacos? Add chips and salsa as a side, and we can't think of much better. The cilantro sauce drizzle is creamy like ranch, but with cilantro and cumin. This easy dinner idea is fast enough for weeknights and fancy enough for entertaining: making it a double whammy.

Total time: 20 minutes

Looking for a healthy and easy weeknight meal? Try this shrimp and broccoli!The pair are cooked with soy sauce and and rice vinegar until bright and savory. The contrast of the crisp tender broccoli against the juicy shrimp is really something. Serve it with rice or noodles to make it a complete meal that comes together quickly.

Total time: 20 minutes

Here's an easy sandwich recipe that hit the spot with both of us: the Avocado Club! It's full ofumami flavor and so satisfying that it surprised us both. The combination of smoky, rich, hearty, crunchy and savory is so irresistible…you'll want to eat it all over again once it's gone.

Total time: 10 minutes

This recipe makes the humble solo meal into a delicious fast and easy dinner, resulting in a big batch all at once on a sheet pan! All the quesadillas are done at the same time, and they come out with a beautifully crispy exterior. In fact, it feels like a whole new version of this classic: like Quesadillas 2.0. Here's how to whip up a pan of baked sheet pan quesadillas that are so good, everyone will be begging for more.

Total time: 25 minutes

For this creamy mac and cheese, Greek yogurt is stirred in at the end, to give a creamy texture. Fresh spinach is gently wilted in for all the added nutrients without a strong flavor, and turmeric gives a tiny immunity boost and some extra color. And the flavor? Spot on delicious. The combination of cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese and fresh garlic makes it irresistible.

Total time: 25 minutes

These loaded quinoa tacos are a true crowd pleaser and one of our go to's for quick weeknights! The quinoa filling is toasted and filled with taco spices and lime. Then combine it with a bell pepper slaw, spicy sour cream, salsa, and feta cheese, and you've got a new level of delicious. Oh and pickled red onions for color and crunch!

Total time: 30 minutes

If you've got no time at all: spring for tuna salad! This classic tuna salad is surprisingly satisfying: it hits all the right savory notes to make the very best sandwich! To make it ultra creamy, it uses both mayo and Greek yogurt; Greek yogurt ups the creamy factor while keeping calories low. Also try: Tuna Salad with Egg or Avocado Tuna Salad

Total time: 10 minutes

Ready in just 30 minutes, we affectionately call this soup "pizza soup" because it tastes like liquid pizza! The pizza flavor comes in part from the San Marzano tomatoes, an Italian variety of tomato that's available canned. Combine with fennel and smoked paprika, throw in some Tuscan kale to the mix, and you've got one delicious soup that reminds you of your favorite pizza pie.

Total time: 30 minutes

Salmon is so quick to prepare and full of nutrients that it prominently features in our easy dinner recipes. Here this 10-minute baked salmon recipe makes for an ultra quick dinner, paired with a bright green pesto sauce. Serve with a whole grain like our pesto quinoa or rice.

Total time: 30 minutes

What people are saying…

Does this sound too good to be true: recipes that are easy AND taste good? Well let us assure you, it's absolutely possible! Here are a few recent testimonials from readers who have emailed us about the easy dinner recipes they've been trying:

• "My husband has a heart condition and I have borderline high cholesterol. My son bought me your cookbook and I am continuing to try new recipes from your book and website. While we still eat meat, we have cut back considerably. I have managed to lose about twenty pounds and my cholesterol has improved. This week I made your teriyaki stir fry and mushroom and goat cheese pasta. Both were TERRIFIC!" – Debbie
• "My husband and I decided to take our family down the vegetarian road about 9 months ago.  I used to LOVE cooking, but have been in a slump since we went vegetarian.  Often I find vegetarian/vegan recipes try to do too much with too many ingredients. Well, tonight, the tides have turned! I made FOUR of the five sandwich recipes I got from your blog and every single one was a winner!  I have not felt this satisfied in the kitchen in such a long time! " – Terra-Leigh

Top concepts for easy dinners

Turns out, you can find dinner recipes made in less than 30 minutes with big flavor. These are recipes with fresh, high quality flavor that's achieved without using cheap shortcuts. Outside of the easy dinners above, here are some of our favorite concepts for fast and easy dinner ideas for you to riff on:

• Simple pasta is a go to for quick dinner ideas: be it pasta salad or our speed demon 15-minute creamy gnocchi or pesto gnocchi
• Quesadillas are always quick: like our loaded veggie quesadilla or avocado quesadilla
• Sandwiches are the ultimate simple dinner ideas, like our 5 minute sandwich (for brinner!) or our vegan bahn mi
• Tacos are all about speed, like our BBQ bean tacos or quinoa tacos
• Pita pizzas are perfect for "no think" dinners, like these Easy Pita Pizzas

More easy dinner ideas

Want more? Pick from these easy dinner recipes:

• 20 Easy Dinner Ideas for Two
• 40 Healthy Dinner Ideas
• 30 Dinner Ideas for Tonight
• 20 Breakfast for Dinner Ideas
• 10 Favorite Weeknight Dinners

Print

Description

Cheese tortellini makes the best easy dinner idea! Serve it up in a creamy marinara sauce flavored with goat cheese and basil.

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• 12 to 16 ounces frozen or refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 28 ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes (or best quality crushed tomatoes)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups baby spinach leaves, tightly packed (or chopped spinach)
• 8 fresh basil leaves
• 4 ounce goat cheese log

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1. Boil the tortellini according to the package instructions (fresh usually takes 2 to 3 minutes and frozen takes 2 to 5 minutes to boil). Then drain it.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, place the crushed tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, oregano, kosher salt, spinach, and whole basil leaves. Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer while the pasta cooks or at least 10 minutes.
3. When the pasta is done and drained, add it to the skillet. Crumble in the goat cheese into the sauce and stir until a creamy sauce forms (if you'd like, save out a few crumbles for topping). Serve immediately.

• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Vegetarian
• Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Easy Dinner Ideas, Fast Dinner Ideas, Easy Recipes, Quick Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Find dinner recipes

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

steinerhouggettere85.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.acouplecooks.com/easy-dinner-ideas/

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