30 Minute Meals for Busy People – A Couple Cooks

This trick is one of our favorites for a quick meal! Add hummus to a bowl with chopped fresh veggies and serve with pita wedges and feta cheese.

Serving ideas: Heat up pre-packaged rice or quinoa to make a more filling bowl, or make this couscous or orzo in 10 minutes.

This creamy Tuscan chicken recipe is the chicken dinner of your dreams! Juicy breasts are bathed in a dreamy sauce of sun dried tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and Parmesan. Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s a dinner idea that’s both easy and impressive!

Serving ideas: How on a pot of white rice before you start the chicken, or make a simple arugula salad.

Dive into this 30 minute shrimp linguine! Juicy shrimp bathe in a vibrant garlic cream sauce, all tossed with al dente pasta for a satisfying easy dinner.

Serving ideas: Make fuss free arugula salad or a purchased bagged salad.

Why eat broccoli on the side when you can stir it right in? This makes a tasty one pot meatless meal that kids and adults alike will go mad for. It comes out creamy, cheesy, and loaded with broccoli for a dose of nutrients and fiber: in just 20 minutes! What’s not to love?

Here’s a fan favorite under 30 minute meal that’s the perfect easy weeknight dinner: this chickpea curry! It takes only 20 minutes to make! Warm spices and coconut milk make it one the most tastiest things you can make in that short time window—hands down.

Serving ideas: Start a pot of rice before making the curry.

If there’s one meal we lean on time and time again, it’s the mighty quesadilla. This easy quesadilla recipe makes a crispy, deliciously seasoned tortilla melt every time: the perfect simple dinner idea for busy weeknights! Or, try Quesadillas in the Oven for feeding a crowd.

Serving ideas: Add a quick salad with premade dressing or a bagged salad.

This tofu broccoli stir fry comes to the dinnertime rescue! Broccoli florets and tofu cubes are tossed in a tangy, savory sauce for a vegetarian and vegan dinner everyone will love. Even better, it’s a 30 minute meal.

Serving ideas: Add rice for a complete meal.

We actually make a version of this dinner all the time, rotating the protein! It’s so simple to make with salmon if you use smoked salmon or canned salmon (seasoned with a little salt and olive oil). If you have time, our 5 minute Caesar salad dressing is amazing (but we won’t judge if you use purchased!).

Welcome to the sandwich of your dreams! This incredible vegan sandwich stars crispy breaded tofu, tangy Russian dressing, and crunchy pickles that create a flavor explosion everyone will love.

Serving ideas: Add a bag of purchased coleslaw, apple slaw, or make baked frozen fries

There’s nothing like the sweet savory combination of honey garlic glaze and juicy shrimp. The best part? It takes 10 minutes to make. This one is hits all the comforting, satisfying dinner notes with a lightning fast prep speed. 

Serving ideas: Add rice and sauteed broccoli.

If there’s one meal that’s a sure hit in our house, it’s creamy chicken skillets. And this one is an absolute family favorite: try this easy lemon garlic chicken recipe! For this 30 minute meal, you’ll coat the chicken in spices and pan fry it until tender and juicy, then top it with a quick pan sauce made with lemon, garlic and a little cream. 

Serving ideas: Add kale salad, arugula salad. lemon green beans, peas with lemon, baked asparagus, sauteed broccolini, lemon rice, couscous, or orzo.

You know those recipes where people rave and only you know the secret that it’s actually easy to make? That’s the case with this creamy sun dried tomato pasta! There’s major wow-factor to this pasta, which comes together in just 30 minutes.

Serving ideas: Add arugula salad or a bagged salad.

Sandwiches are the ultimate when it comes to 30 minute meals! This riff on the classic Italian salad from Capri layers the classic ingredients as a sandwich filling, with an irresistibly creamy, pesto aioli that adds a pop of savory brightness to each bite.

Serving ideas: Try chopped salad or a bagged salad.

Here’s a go-to 30 minute meal: shrimp stir fry! This one is packed with flavor with a glossy, savory stir fry sauce that coats the juicy shrimp and colorful veggies. Use your favorite vegetables to make a super-satisfying dinner that pleases everyone around the table. 

Serving ideas: Add rice or quinoa.

This black bean tacos recipe takes just 15 minutes! It’s a fast and easy dinner idea that’s easy to customize and pleases everyone. It stars our 5 minute black beans, a quick taco filling idea that’s bursting with flavor in just a few minutes. Top it with all the best taco toppings: corn, avocado, pickled onions: and a sprinkling of feta cheese. 

A soup as a 30 minute meal? Yes, these doughy pillows of tortellini float in a tangy, tomato broth seasoned with Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese. It’s loaded up with nutrient-dense spinach and tender vegetables like carrot and fennel, which add nuance and crunch.

Serving ideas: Add purchased or homemade artisan bread, or a salad.

Shrimp, butter, garlic, lemon, and white wine: what could be better? There’s no right way to make a scampi: it’s a thing of elusive beauty that’s up to the chef to define. But we think this version is pretty stellar: juicy, garlicky shrimp swimming in a rich, tangy butter sauce. It’s divine and takes just 15 minutes to put together!

Serving ideas: Sop it up with crusty bread, or pour it over pasta:

Here’s a fun way to infuse loads of veggies into your life: in 30 minutes! This mess of vibrant vegetables is just as tasty as it looks. It’s all smothered in a tangy, zingy vegan stir fry sauce that you’ll want to drizzle on just about everything. We love serving with soba noodles for a 30 minute meal.

Try the signature Italian dish Pasta alla Norma! This impressive recipe hails from Sicily and like any classic Italian dish, it’s all about elegant simplicity. Sauteed eggplant tastes savory and meaty against a tangy tomato sauce, al dente pasta and salty ricotta salata cheese.

Here’s a weeknight meal with your name on it: this tasty shrimp and rice skillet recipe! Succulent, juicy shrimp sit atop a bed of fluffy rice flavored with garlic, dill and spinach. Give it a good sprinkling of feta cheese and a few spritzes of lemon juice, and it’s a total homerun. We’re always in need of a good 30 minute meal, and this one hits the spot in so many ways. 

Serving ideas: Add a crisp green salad.

Here’s a quick dinner idea that’s always satisfying and works for nearly every diet. That’s right, the good old Burrito Bowl! Throw rice, veggies, and burrito fillings in a bowl and call it meal! Want a burrito bowl that’s lightening fast to make? We’ve got you. In fact, you can make this one 15 minutes (we timed ourselves).

This tender, flaky fish is covered in a lemon garlic sauce, cozied up with burst cherry tomatoes, Mediterranean seasonings and gooey bits of feta cheese. If you think baked fish sounds boring, this recipe is for you! Each bite is savory with just the right pop of brightness. It’s ready in just over 30 minutes and great for impressing on weeknights or dinner parties.

Serving ideas: Add kale salad, arugula salad, lemon green beans, peas with lemon, baked asparagus, sauteed broccolini, lemon rice, couscous, or orzo.

Craving a good old, classic diner style sandwich? Try this classic tuna melt: it’s the stuff dreams are made of! Between crusty bread is sandwiched a creamy, savory mess of tuna and crunchy veggies so perfectly seasoned that you won’t be able to stop taking bites. Even better, it’s a 15 minute meal!

Serving ideas: Add a bagged salad or veggies and ranch for a quick meal.

Try this cheese tortellini in creamy marinara sauce! In just 15 minutes, you’ve got a pasta skillet that’s a literal symphony of flavor. The fresh basil-infused marinara sauce is perfectly complimented with pillows of tangy goat cheese.

Serving ideas: Add a crisp green salad.

Last up, a 30 minute meal that consistently makes everyone who takes a bite say Wow. Try this Pecan Crusted Salmon! It has an air of restaurant-style fancy, but it’s quick 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. 

Serving ideas: Pair with rice, couscous, orzo, asparagus or garlic green beans.