Work schedules for many individuals are getting tighter and tighter. This means that being able to sit down for a dinner is becoming more and more extinct. Still, over 50 percent of all Americans continue to sit down for a dinner together. This means that there’s still hope to rescuing this art, even among busy schedules. The solution is ensuring flavorful meals can be prepared in less time. Below, we have ten quick recipes that can be ready to eat in a half and hour or less.
1. Eggplant Sandwiches
If you are looking for a great vegetarian dinner option, that is also filling, then you’ve found it with this Eggplant Sandwich. Discovered at the University of California, Irvine campus, this dinner idea can easily become vegan if you replace mayonnaise for a vegan alternative and nix the feta cheese.
2. Balsamic-Glazed Salmon Filets
This is a wonderful, fish recipe that is sweet with the honey while still a bit tangy with the addition of the dijon mustard. It takes ten minutes to prepare the marinate and 20 minutes to finish baking. When you’re done, your family and/or significant other will love you for this meal. They’ll think you struggled in the kitchen for hours, not just 30 minutes.
3. Green Curry Chicken
Spice up the night with some Indian flair. This green curry chicken recipe from Jamie Oliver, with a kimchee slaw and rice noodles with ensure that your evening’s dinner is unique. The recipe calls for cooking the chicken in the curry sauce for about twenty minutes. While the chicken requires a little bit of your attention, you can work on the simple kimchee slaw recipe. Top off the chicken with rice noodles.
4. Spring Lamb and Vegetables
Another Jaime Oliver recipe to make the night a hit is the spring lamb and vegetables. Once the lamb seasoning is arranged and added to the meat, it only takes 14 minutes to get the meat to medium rare. The recipe includes a mint sauce to top off the meat. The vegetables and potatoes boil while you are preparing the chocolate fondue in the microwave.
5. Black Bean Burritos
Burritos are a great, hearty meal that can be cooked in a snap. This recipe is full of flavor, featuring jalapeño peppers and cilantro. The burritos are all topped off with a tomato sauce. Best thing about this recipe is that it is ready to be served in 25 minutes.
6.Tostachos
What I love best about this recipe is how it’s a simple open face meal while still also being full of flavor. The ground beef, which takes up a majority of the cooking time and you’ll find it stuffed with peppers, cheese, and sour cream. Tostachos is the ultimate new Tex-Mex comfort food.
7. Black Beans and Rice
Black beans and rice is the simple but hearty meal that is so popular in various Central and South American countries. Not only is it popular for how simple the base ingredients are (rice and black beans), but it is also popular in how well the recipe can be tweaked. Add a few peppers here, a couple of spices there, and you transform this meal into something amazing! Why not whip up some plantains while at it.
8. Indian-Style Steak
Travel to India with this amazing streak dinner with spinach and Naan. Finish off the Indian style meal with a refreshing mango dessert. The recipe also includes a very simple yoghurt dip and curry sauce that can act as a nice complement to your meal. This recipe is a great deviation from the norm for your family dinner, only requiring 30 minutes to cook.
9. Mustard Chicken
The next recipe, and the last from Jaime Oliver is a simple mustard chicken with a side of greens and affogato. With the chicken only requiring eighteen minutes of your time, the rest of the time is devoted to the sides of affogato and Swiss chard and spinach.
10. Spanish Stew Chicken Thighs
This Spanish Stew Chicken recipe, courtesy of Rachael Ray requires only ten minutes to cook the chicken, that requires a couple of minutes to prepare. After leaving the vegetables and chorizo on for only less than five minutes, the remainder of the recipe left for the tomatoes and chicken to simmer. This recipe is very traditional, served in one pot, and simple but very flavorful.
Featured photo credit: Leapfrog via s7.leapfrog.com
