Dinner

Quick Meals Recipes

Browse 63 quick meals recipes with photos, prep and cook times, full ingredient lists, and step-by-step instructions.

Dinner

Chicken Piccata with Lemon Butter Sauce and Capers

This chicken piccata yields four servings: I thin the cutlets and measure the pan sauce first, then cook it right before serving, while the chicken still has a crisp coating with the glossy lemon-butter sauce. Capers add a salty brine to the lemon dish, contributing considerably to the overall flavor (they do a lot here).

30 minOct 22, 2026

Lunch

Cajun Shrimp with Pale Orange Sauce

Cajun shrimp fit into my dinner preparation when I measure the spice mix carefully before I start with leaving the skillet work until the end. Four portions are made from within one 12-inch pan. Then, I complete all of those portions with a pale orange sauce in addition to the toppings while the shrimp stay hot (I like the sauce cool).

20 minOct 22, 2026

Dinner

Yellow Curry Poached Cod with Watercress and Chili Oil

I prepare four portions at once whenever I want dinner plated and also ready on the table, with each cod fillet placed in its own shallow bowl that has room for the curry (I prefer the yellow sauce in a shallow bowl). The yellow coconut curry evenly coats the fish, and I systematically spoon on the watercress along with the infused oil just before serving.

25 minOct 21, 2026

Dinner

Crispy Fried Battered Chicken Tenders With Puffy Craggy Wet Batter

For family and tailgating meals, fried chicken strips taste and feel much like fair-style fried chicken. Seasoned chicken pieces are coated with a cold-water batter and fried until golden brown and crispy on the outside, with juicy chicken tenderloins on the inside, not a dry coating.

25 minOct 19, 2026

Lunch

Easy Shrimp Ceviche with Bright Citrus and Creamy Avocado

Make shrimp ceviche ahead of time to serve at parties, either in individual servings with tortilla chips or in salads or small cups. This ceviche recipe includes cooked shrimp and lemon and lime juice with other ingredients such as cilantro, red onion, tomato, and avocado to create a creamy taste.

Oct 17, 2026

Dinner

Chicken Chow Mein with Springy Noodles and Glossy Brown Sauce

For a weeknight meal, this chicken chow mein recipe features bouncy noodles, marinated chicken, and cabbage and carrots cooked in oyster sauce and Shaoxing wine and soy sauce. This Chinese takeout dish can be made in a single pan. The noodles need to be briefly boiled before cooking.

25 minOct 17, 2026

Dinner

Air Fryer Mummy Dogs with Golden Crescent Dough

Serve these at Halloween parties or as a quick Halloween meal. To make Air Fryer Mummy Dogs, place a hot dog inside a crescent roll that has been cut into strips. Leave some dough on the roll to create openings for pieces of candy to represent eyes. Air frying takes 6 to 8 minutes to brown the crescent dough.

18 minOct 16, 2026

Dinner

Gigi Hadid Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce and Rigatoni

To make this dish in advance for dinner, cook a 16-ounce box of rigatoni and save some of the pasta cooking water and rigatoni to mix with Parmesan cheese and butter when serving later. This Gigi Hadid pasta recipe is a tomato-based pasta recipe that includes sautéed tomato paste, crushed red pepper for a hint of heat, and fresh basil.

30 minOct 16, 2026

Dinner

Crispy Oven-Baked Dumplings with Peanut Sauce

I use this recipe to make one 9x13 pan of dumplings to feed four people if I plan to eat some right away and have leftovers for later meals. I add frozen dumplings to a 9x13 pan and cover them with peanut sauce to flavor the pleats. This is a simple one-dish meal.

35 minOct 15, 2026

Lunch

Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese Wraps with BBQ Pork

Pulled pork with barbecue sauce is the main ingredient in these mac and cheese wrap sandwiches. This recipe is a convenient option for a one-dish meal using two prepared ingredients. Select a prepared pulled pork product and wrap it with mac and cheese in a flour tortilla. The crunchy edges and pulled pork filling appeal to me.

25 minOct 14, 2026

Snacks & Appetizers

Healthy Tzatziki Sauce with Crisp Cucumber and Fresh Dill

Trimming and draining diced cucumber helps reduce excess liquid in the tzatziki to prevent it from thinning the Greek yogurt. This 10-minute recipe yields a chilled, thick tzatziki dip garnished with lemon juice, minced garlic and dill, and small pieces of cucumber.

10 minOct 11, 2026

Dinner

Zucchini Boats with Spinach Mushroom Ricotta Filling

These zucchini boats make a four-serving quick meal. Lower-fat ricotta cheese and other filling ingredients for the zucchini boats include spinach, mushrooms, and garlic. Bake the zucchini boats in a 350-degree oven or air fryer for 6 to 8 minutes for soft, tender zucchini boats with cooked mushrooms and tasty fillings.

Oct 11, 2026

Dinner

Creamy Chicken Feta Pasta with Tomato Cream Cheese Sauce

To serve four servings of this meal, prep the chicken, garlic, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil. Make and serve the pasta at serving time. Creamy chicken and feta pasta with a tomato and cream cheese sauce, with feta folded in and short pasta shapes covered on all sides with sauce, are options.

30 minOct 10, 2026

Dinner

Moqueca Brazilian Fish Stew with Coconut Milk, Peppers, and Lime

Choose firm, white-meat fish fillets such as cod and halibut for poaching in this Brazilian fish stew, moqueca baiana, to prevent the fish from disintegrating. Other ingredients in moqueca baiana, including coconut milk, tomatoes, peppers, and lime zest, make the broth creamy and bright and the fish gently tender.

30 minOct 9, 2026

Dinner

Creamy Salmon Pasta with White Wine Sauce and Mixed Greens

Prep the salmon, shallot, garlic, and greens ahead of time. Make the pasta and sauce just before serving. This dish serves six and includes creamy pasta with seared salmon, dry white wine, cream, and a mix of greens.

30 minOct 9, 2026

Lunch

Teriyaki Shrimp Rice Bowls With Garlic Teriyaki Shrimp

For two servings, cook shrimp and jasmine rice together at similar times and serve them in separate portions. Top shrimp and rice with avocado, cilantro, lime, and sauce at the table. Teriyaki Shrimp Rice Bowls feature large, fast-cooking shrimp topped with teriyaki and garlic sauce.

10 minOct 8, 2026

Side Dishes

Homemade Brown Gravy: Rich Roux-Based Sauce Without Pan Drippings

Use this brown gravy as a side dish with other foods at mealtimes if you want to serve gravy with mashed potatoes, roasted meat, or other vegetables. This brown gravy recipe does not use meat drippings. It uses a roux made from browned butter and flour. Other liquids and ingredients are added and cooked for 15 minutes to make a dark brown gravy.

15 minOct 8, 2026

Dinner

Ground Beef Quesadillas with Black Beans and Two Cheeses

Precook the beef and black bean filling the day before. Make tortillas right before cooking. The recipe makes four quesadillas filled with shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and beef and jalapeño, served in crispy flour tortillas.

30 minOct 8, 2026

Dinner

Crispy Chicken and Tagliatelle Alfredo with Parmesan Cream Sauce

Dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes. We offer crispy panko chicken and tagliatelle noodles topped with a Parmesan Alfredo sauce. Minced garlic cooked in olive oil is stirred into the sauce. Pasta cooking water is added to the sauce to make it easier to coat the noodles without other preparation.

20 minOct 8, 2026

Dinner

Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Orange, Thyme, and Rosemary Glaze

Choose a trimmed pork tenderloin of good quality. The tenderloin is a thinner cut that adds moisture and flavor to the final dish when topped. Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin is a baked main course featuring a glaze of honey, soy sauce, orange juice, garlic, thyme, and rosemary served over broiled pork tenderloin.

40 minOct 7, 2026

Lunch

Mariscos al Ajillo: Mixed Seafood in Creamy Garlic Wine Sauce

For a seafood dish that can be partially prepared ahead of time, shell and cut shrimp, squid, and scallops, and measure other sauces and ingredients the night before you intend to serve the seafood dish. Prepare the dish the night you serve it. Mariscos al ajillo is a mixed seafood dish cooked in a garlic and white-wine cream sauce and garnished with chopped fresh parsley. This is a good dish to prepare on a weeknight.

25 minOct 7, 2026

Lunch

Sriracha Shrimp and Rice Bowl with Grilled Shrimp and Spicy Mayo

High heat on the grill helps keep the Sriracha shrimp tender and tasty without overcooking. Check out this recipe for Sriracha Shrimp and Rice Bowl, featuring Sriracha shrimp and rice bowl with edamame, cucumber, and spicy mayo.

20 minOct 7, 2026

Dinner

Marinated Salmon with Garlic, Herbs, and Lemon Zest

Serve this marinated salmon recipe as a quick meal for families during the week. Marinate salmon fillets in olive oil, honey, soy sauce, garlic, lemon zest, and herbs. Cook the fillets until opaque. The cooked fillets will be sweet and savory with lemon and herb flavors.

20 minOct 6, 2026

Dinner

Honey Garlic Salmon Bites with Crisp Golden Edges

Choose skinned salmon with firm, evenly colored meat. You can use fresh or thawed frozen salmon fillets that have been patted dry. Honey garlic salmon bites are one-inch salmon pieces sautéed until golden brown and coated in a honey garlic sauce made with soy sauce and ginger.

25 minOct 6, 2026

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