20 Quick & Easy Dinner Ideas That Make Meals in Minutes

Fast & Healthy Chicken Parmesan

The easiest weeknight dinners that we all know and love aren’t always the leanest. Luckily you can update the ingredients to make a nutritious version of classics like chicken parm.

This recipe still has bread crumbs (but whole-wheat), fresh mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. But the focus is on the chicken breast, which makes this meal more protein than anything else.

You can keep the calories and carbs down by serving up this Italian chicken on top of zucchini noodles.

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Grilled Fish Tacos

Fish tacos are a real treat when you’re going out to your favorite Mexican place, or even better when vacationing by a coastline. But they’re actually pretty easy to make in your own backyard. Marinate a few filets of white fish, and fire up the grill.

This recipe may seem complicated, but keep in mind you don’t have to make the corn slaw and avocado cream sauce. Salsa verde, guacamole, and veggies will also make a delicious topping for fish tacos.

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Baked Chicken Breasts with Black Bean Rice Pilaf

By broiling chicken breast for about five minutes per side, it’ll get a great sear on the outside so it stays juicy as it finishes baking in the oven. As it roasts to perfection, you’ll have about a half hour to make a side dish like this black bean pilaf.

Keep in mind, however, that brown rice will take a while longer to cook. If that’s what you’re using to get those complex carbs, expect to increase the cooking time by about 20 minutes.

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Grilled Barbecue Chicken & Vegetables in Foil

If you’re afraid of overcooking meat on the grill, there’s one easy kitchen tool you can use. Aluminum foil is an excellent way to prepare any kind of meat with veggies because putting everything in a packet helps retain the moisture.

All the ingredients you put in will steam to a tender finish while you kick back and enjoy a beer or glass of greens, if that’s more your style.

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Oven-Baked Honey Lime Chicken Tacos

To make a quick taco dinner, you probably use a skillet. But there are other ways to prepare a tasty taco filling, such as slow-cooking a pork roast or baking chicken breast.

These oven tacos start with shredded chicken, which you can cook by roasting, boiling, putting it in a Crock Pot – or just grabbing a rotisserie chicken from the store.

Mix in seasoning, drizzle on a touch of honey, and squeeze the juice of a couple limes over the top. Fill taco shells, and bake until the cheese is melted.

For more Mexican flavor, top with cotija or queso fresco instead of pepper jack.

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Hawaiian Sloppy Joes

When you think of sloppy Joes, the sauce that comes to mind is usually tomato with a hint of barbecue. However, a lot of flavors can be integrated into the basic sandwich, like this teriyaki-style sloppy Joe with fresh ginger, pineapple juice, and soy sauce.

There’s so much going on that you can use ground turkey without anybody at the table missing the beef. These sandwiches are good as is, or you can go the extra mile and top with pineapple slices and red onion.

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Apricot Roasted Chicken with Beets

If you’re turned off by the earthiness of beets, you might be surprised that they can be a natural source of sugar. Cook them right – as in a simple oven-roasted preparation – and you’ll taste the sweetness of this root veggie.

The addition of apricot jam helps to further tone down the bitter flavor of the beets and create a savory-sweet roasted chicken dinner.

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Chili Chicken, Kale & Quinoa Casserole

Think casserole is limited to the few versions your mom made when you were a kid?

Reconsider the variety of ingredients that can be mixed together and baked in a deep dish – that’s all a casserole is, after all. And it’s a really convenient way to cook, especially if you start with shredded chicken.

First make the quinoa on the stove, and once drained, mix in the kale so it cooks down a bit from the heat of the grains. Then mix in all the other ingredients, setting aside enough cheese to sprinkle on top. Since the chicken is precooked, this only needs to be in the oven for a half hour.

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Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce doesn’t have much flavor, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a boring lunch or dinner. With this Sriracha-spiced chicken filling, even eaters who avoid salad will want to get in on this appetizer-turned-entrée.

This recipe is inspired by the Asian lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang’s, but these have less fat and more flavor than the original. In fact, you’re getting the same amount of protein that’s in a whole plate of restaurant lettuce wraps, only with half the fat and fewer calories.

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Quick Coq au Vin

A traditional coq au vin can take over an hour to simmer – not to mention the day or two required to marinate the meat.

If you use chicken breast instead of a rooster, you can cut down the time because it’s already tender. Then you can get the French coq au vin flavor by cooking the chicken with red wine, ideally a Syrah from France, and sautéing mushrooms and shallots.

Since chicken breast isn’t as flavorful as dark meat, you can use bacon to add a rich element.

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Baked Risotto with Peas, Asparagus & Pancetta

To make a risotto, you have to stand at the stove stirring the rice until the liquid reduces and your arm is exhausted, right? Not when you use this method, preparing it in on the stove using a Dutch oven and then letting it finish in the oven.

The trick is to pull the risotto out before it’s fully cooked. For the last few minutes, stir in vegetables, butter, Parmesan, and lemon zest.

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Lasagna Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

It might be hard to believe, but all the delicious parts of a lasagna – including Italian sausage – are just as easy to layer on top of a mushroom as in a casserole dish. And this way, you can enjoy the flavors of the comfort food without any pasta.

Portobellos are sometimes referred to as the steak of the vegetarian world, so no doubt this is a filling dinner. Remove the stem, top the massive mushroom cap with sauce, and finish with cheese.

This is also a great dinner-for-one and is especially convenient if you have a toaster oven.

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Slow Cooker Spicy Pepper Beef

If you have a slow cooker, you should also have a freezer stocked full of shredded meat – or the makings of a tender roast at the ready. The only problem with using a Crock Pot is that you need to have your wits together in the morning to get everything in there on time.

The trick is to toss all the ingredients in a plastic freezer bag, and then you won’t have to do anything but dump dinner in the slow cooker and turn it on.

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Ginger Chili Fish Stir Fry

Stir-fry is a go-to dinner for nights when there’s barely time to think about dinner let alone cook it. Yet you’re probably tired of chicken and beef every night.

Fish is just as quick to cook, and if you choose a mild fish like tilapia or cod, it can be paired with any of your favorite Asian stir fry sauces. This recipe uses a simple combo of ginger, garlic, mild chili pepper, and sesame oil.

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Chickpea & Sausage Minestrone

A classic Italian soup, this minestrone is bursting with savory flavor thanks to the inclusion of spicy sausage. It only takes one link to make a robust minestrone, although you can double it if you want more protein.

But it’s not necessary to add more meat to make a filling soup because there’s plenty of veggies: onion, carrot, celery, and tomatoes. And whereas most minestrones use white beans, this one has chickpeas for more nutrient density.

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Sautéed Shrimp with Artichokes

This one-skillet dinner will feed four people in under a half hour – and that’s including the prep work, which is only peeling the shrimp, mincing garlic, and opening a couple cans of pantry goods.

The actual cooking time is under 10 minutes since shrimp are quick to cook. Serve with rice, quinoa, or roasted veggies to make this a more substantial meal.

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Spice-Rubbed Steak Salad

Not all steak has to be served with a side of potatoes. To upgrade your veggies, make a substantial salad by adding marinated skirt steak.

This is not a salad for the faint of heart; it’s like the giant bowls served up at steakhouses. That makes it an awesome meal to serve up when you’re in the mood for a cookout with friends and family but don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen or at the grill.

If you’d rather lighten this up a bit, look for a low-fat blue cheese dressing, or make your own using Greek yogurt.

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Niçoise Sandwich

This sandwich sounds fancy, but don’t let that intimidate you. Named for Nice, France, it features simple ingredients available in the French Riviera.

Start with a can of tuna, and then mix in chopped black olives and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil – a couple teaspoons if you want to lower the fat by about five grams – and spoon onto a baguette.

For even more protein, slice a hard-boiled egg to add on top along with a handful of baby spinach.

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Moroccan-Spiced Cod with Carrots & Cauliflower Cous Cous

This dinner-for-one is lean and nutritious; yet it’s also full of flavor thanks to the carrots, olives, and Moroccan seasoning. Ras el hanout may sound fancy, but it just stands for “head of the shop” in Arabic.

In other words, the spice blend itself can vary, using up to a dozen ingredients including cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili peppers, and paprika. If you can’t find a blend in your grocery store, know there are lots of recipes to help you cull together a blend from what’s available in your area.

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Salmon Quinoa Salad

Rethink salad with wild salmon, and lunch will be anything but boring. You don’t even need greens for this salad if you’d rather leave out the fresh cilantro.

On the other hand, if you want some baby spinach or peppery arugula, you can mix in a handful of two of leafy greens to boost your vitamin intake for the day. No matter how you prep it, this salmon salad will be filling with quinoa, edamame, and feta.

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