50 Inspiring 30-Minute Dinner Recipes (2024)

When you are in a rush and need to make dinner quickly, it can be easy to forgo the kitchen altogether and order takeout, but don’t succumb to the unhealthy side!

Whatever you have in your cupboard already could make the perfect dinner. You just need a quick recipe to help you create that masterpiece.

I have compiled a list of quick and easy recipes, all under 30 minutes to cook and most under 15 minutes!

All the ingredients are things you probably already have in your cupboards or your refrigerator, making it that much easier for you.

Browse this list until you find something that makes your tummy rumble, and know that you’ll have the time to whip up something delicious!

1.Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta

Recipe: Scrambledchef.com

The only things you might not already have in your cupboard are heavy cream and fresh parsley.

You can ignore the parsley if you don’t have it, and you can make your own heavy cream out of butter (¼ cup), milk (¾ cup), and a little bit of flour (8 grams).

Whisk it up and there you go.

This recipe has a wonderful creamy sauce, a hint of color from the peppers, and a delicate flavor from the garlic and parmesan.

2. Creamy Chicken Marsala

Recipe: Scrambledchef.com

If you don’t have marsala cooking wine, you can safely substitute it for white wine, brandy, sugar, and salt.

And my substitute for heavy cream is in the Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta section above.

Most of the ingredients on this list are herbs. Rosemary, thyme, parsley, and more all of which create a deep and homely flavor, with a thick creamy sauce.

3. One-Pot Basil Pasta

Recipe: Tasty

A one-pot recipe is always a good idea when you are in a rush, and this one is as easy as it comes.

The only alteration I would suggest is to use chicken stock or vegetable stock instead of water otherwise your meal might feel a little bland.

You end up with a light tomato sauce, with a hint of basil and a kick of chili.

4. Creamy Tomato Garlic Butter Shrimp

Recipe: Cafedelites.com

You can buy prawns pre-peeled which can cut down the time of preparation.

Other than that, there are no alterations that I would suggest for this recipe. The ingredients are common and the result is delicious.

A quick and cheap dish that feels expensive.

5. One-Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff

Recipe: Tasty.co

If you don’t have sour cream in your refrigerator, then you can swap it out for greek yogurt or coconut milk.

Either one will have the same thickness that you want, and a hint of a rich flavor.

This one-pot is a super easy dish that does all the work for you. Pop the lid on and leave it to cook, giving you more time in your busy schedule.

6. The Easiest BBQ Chicken Breast You'll Ever Make

Recipe: Scrambledchef.com

You can add potatoes, pasta, rice, or whatever to this dish, but the chicken is the star of the show!

Wow your friends with this easy and delicious recipe! You’ll be wondering why you haven’t been cooking your chicken like this your whole life.

7. Rich Vegetarian Mushroom Stroganoff

This filling and wintery meal will make you lean back on your chair and sigh in happiness.

The mushrooms make a nutty flavor and the source is creamy but thin. In just a short amount of time, you’ll feel the wonderfully warm sensation of a full stomach.

8. Ground Chicken Tacos With Poblanos

Recipe: Healthyseasonalrecipes.com

If you can't find any avocado oil then grapeseed oil, or olive oil will do the trick whilst giving you a flavor that harmonizes with the rest of the dish.

This recipe might look like it has a lot of ingredients but it’s the filling of the taco which bumps it up.

This is an easy and fun dish for everyone at your table.

9. The Ultimate Bourbon Chicken Recipe

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

Talking of recipes with a lot of ingredients, this one is hefty, but that's what you need when it comes to creating a tasty sauce!

You’ll forgive the number of herbs and spices laid out on your kitchen table when you taste this easy and quick, mouth-watering chicken.

10. One-pot Chickpea Curry

Recipe: Tasty.co

This recipe is super simple, packed with vegetables and under 300 calories! The cumin and turmeric give the chickpeas a rich flavor whilst the coconut cream and spinach create a smooth texture. It’s a quick and easy recipe, using mostly tins from your cupboard!

11. Korean Ground Beef and Rice

Recipe: ScrambledChefs

If you’re not used to cooking Korean dishes then you might not have mirin in your cupboards.

The best substitute for mirin is dry sherry or sweet marsala wine.

If those aren’t part of your normal stock either, then use rice vinegar or dry white wine, but add ½ teaspoon of sugar for every tablespoon of wine or vinegar.

Don’t let the mirin put you off though, as the dish is easy and basically cooks itself!

12. 15 Minute Lo Mein

Recipe: Pinchofyum.com

This light dish is as simple as mixing sauces and frying vegetables. You can make this dish often without it feeling repetitive by mixing up the vegetables you use.

After one bite you’ll get the sense of what will work with this dish, and it’s almost everything!

13. Chicken Pasta Primavera

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

You could make this dish even easier by cutting out the chicken and letting the vegetables take center stage.

This is a quick and easy dish with no faffing about, the small vegetables cook quickly, giving you color and flavor for a healthy dinner meal.

14. One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

Recipe: Tasty.co

The parmesan and mozzarella make a wonderfully delicious team in this dish, creating a silky smooth sauce and combining effortlessly with the pasta.

If you don’t have bow tie pasta, don’t worry, any pasta will do for this dish as long as it gives the sauce something to hold onto.

15. Homemade Sloppy Joes

Recipe: ScrambledChefs

The American Classic sloppy joe is a fun and quick dish that everyone will enjoy. Making dinner time fun and flavourful!

16. Smokey Chili Mac Soup

Recipe: Bevcooks.com

This is a super filling dish that you can make in large batches ready for the week ahead!

The roasted tomatoes give an extra depth to the overall flavor, so you’ll be going back for more!

17. Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet

Recipe: Scrambledchef.com

This wholesome dish can be used to fill a taco, a burrito, or even be eaten on its own. It’s simple and filling, sure to make you smile with the first bite.

18. One-Pot Chicken Spinach Bacon Alfredo

Recipe: Tasty.co

With a title like Alfredo, I’d understand if you thought this recipe is difficult, but it isn’t.

Simply add the ingredients when the recipe says and wait for each part to cook. Done and Done! Simple and creamy, you’ll be showing off this recipe!

19. Copycat IKEA Swedish Meatballs

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

You can cook IKEA’s famous Swedish meatballs to the delight of everyone at your table!

The rich sauce will win over any crowd, and make you feel like you’ve spent a day shopping for furniture.

20. Cajun Chicken Pasta

Recipe: Whiskitrealgud.com

This is a hot dish, great for a summer's day! You can reduce the heat if you can’t handle the spice but want to keep the flavor, but this dish is best when the red pepper is utilized!

Keep your dinner fresh and zingy with this dish!

21. Juicy Garlic Baked Pork Chops with Sage Butter

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

Serve this dish with new potatoes and give them more of your homemade sage butter to carry on the delicate and delicious flavors from the pork.

You will be feeling fancy with this 25-minute dish.

22. One-Pot Taco Spaghetti

Recipe: tasty.co

This dish is super simple, to the point where you don’t have to be paying attention.

You can add more flavor by using cumin powder or garlic powder, but if it’s a quick meal you wanted this will sort you out. Giving you flavor, nutrients, and a full belly.

23. Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese

The bolognese is a classic dinner dish with a range of depth if done correctly.

The depth of your flavor isn’t hard to reach if you know what herbs and spices to use. This quick and easy spaghetti bolognese recipe will walk you through the simple process of making bolognese as it should be.

24. Chicken Snow Pea Green Curry

Recipe: Nutmegnanny.com

There are 5 steps to this recipe to make a crisp and light curry. The curry has a delicious fragrance that will call your family to the dinner table.

Perfect for the mid-week blues, this dish will lift your spirits!

25. Indian Potato Curry

A note to make this dish cook faster: cut the potatoes into small cubes!

A chef’s secret to share with you all, so you can hurry along to your busy lives and still eat delicious and nutritious foods!

26. One-Pot Sausage And Peppers Pasta

Recipe: Tasty.co

Sausages are an ingredient that most people have in their refrigerator but many often use them as a solitary food.

Well, it’s time to unpack that way of thinking, and start using sausages like they were meatballs! The idea sounds haphazard, but trust me when I say that this recipe is a hit!

27. Easy Orange Chicken with Black Sesame Seeds

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

This is the only orange chicken recipe you’ll ever need, so wow away your friends with this fresh and summery platter.

28.One-Pot Black Bean Enchilada Pasta

Recipe: Savorynothings.com

This super easy dish is made in just one pot, making the clean-up as easy as the cooking. An enchilada pasta? Sign Me Up!

29. Easy Crispy Mongolian Beef

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

Dishes like this will make you not want to get a takeout ever again! Save money and make it yourself with our Mongolian Beef recipe made easy!

30. One-Pot Pad Thai

Recipe: Tasty.co

I would swap out the parsley for cilantro, and the fish oil for fish sauce, but other than that this wonderful and quick recipe is a great mix-up from the daily grind of basic dinner dishes!

31. Classic Indian Green Curry

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

It’s called green curry because of the green chilies used in the dish, and if you didn’t know already, green chilies are a milder chili than the famous red.

If you want a curry with a bit of a kick, add more green chilies rather than adding red, because each spice holds its own flavor.

If you need something a bit more delicate, reduce the number of chilies you add and keep some extra yogurt on the table!

32. One-Pan Balsamic Chicken And Veggies

Recipe: Chelseasmessyapron.com

Don’t be shy about chucking the raw chicken in with the vegetables, because this is a great way to have your veggies just as flavorsome as the meat!

The Italian seasoning seeps into every bit of this delicious bake, you will be wishing you made more!

33. Quick and Easy Sundried Tomatoes and Garlic Pasta

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

Sometimes all you want for dinner is pasta with a few bits added on for flavor.

Sundried tomatoes are a wonderful ingredient, pre-cooked, and can be eaten cold, so just chuck it onto your sauce 3 minutes before it’s done and you’ve turned an okay dish into a show stopper!

34. Creamy Dairy-free One Pot Pasta

Recipe: Tasty.co

If you want to keep the creamy texture that milk is so good at creating, but need to avoid it, then have a look at this vegan dish!

Nutritional yeast is the secret hero to many vegan dishes, and it can make any dish creamy. Try out this recipe to see for yourself!

35. Spicy Indian Chapli Kebabs

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

Making a kebab might seem like a slow-cooking dish, but using our recipe you can do it in 15 minutes!

Add some rice, fries, or naan to make this into a complete dish and you’ll never need to get takeout again!

36. One-Pot Hot Dog Pasta

Recipe: Tasty.co

So far most of the recipes I’ve shown you have been fancy but surprisingly quick dishes, but sometimes you don’t want to feel fancy.

Hot dogs always remind me of carefree child-like eating, so I wanted to share this feeling with you!

37. Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Garlic Parmesan Crust

Who doesn’t love the classic grilled cheese sandwich? Want to make it even better?! Add in some garlic!

I know what you’re thinking, “Why haven’t I thought about that before?!”.

38. One-Pot Cheesy Sausage Penne

Recipe: Crunchycreamysweet.com

We are back on the sausage train with this dish, and in particular, we are using Italian sausages for their natural herby taste, meaning you don’t need to use as many ingredients to bring out some delicious flavors.

Topped with tomato sauce and cheese, this is the perfect cheeky mid-week dinner!

39. 5 Ingredient Spicy Garlic Pasta

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

When all you need is substance and flavor, grab yourself some pasta and throw on some garlic and chili flakes.

These basic ingredients are enough to keep you going and not feel like you’ve eaten whatever is around in your cupboard.

Garlic and chili flakes are all you need to get your mouth watering, so when time is tight make sure you have these in your cupboard.

40. 20-Minute One-Pan Pizza

Recipe: Tasty.co

A quick make-it-yourself pizza is all we want after a hard day's work. You might be thinking that making the dough will take an age, but trust me when I say that it's quicker than you think!

A classic meal to make you feel like you’re treating yourself!

41. Cheesy Sriracha Chicken Quesadilla

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

Now this recipe is a little cheeky because you start with either boiled chicken or rotisserie chicken before you even get to the first step.

But if you are someone who is on the move and you want a simple life, then having these ingredients pre-cooked can help you stay healthy on those busy days!

42. Easy White Chicken Chili

Recipe: Twopeasandtheirpod.com

Again with some pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, you can cook some homely comforting chili to warm yourself up during the cold months.

43. Pesto Zucchini Spaghetti

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

You can get pesto in many forms, but making your own and making it with zucchini creates a wonderfully fresh recipe to delight your senses!

If you are really in a tight spot, you can use store-bought pesto instead, or even keep a jar of homemade pesto in the refrigerator waiting!

44. One-pan Roasted Chicken And Sweet Potatoes

Recipe: Tasty.co

A super easy dish where you put everything in one pan and chuck it altogether.

In the 20 minutes it takes to cook, you can whip around your home, do some tidying, help your kids with homework, or finish up a work assignment. Multitasking at its finest!

45. Greek Chickpea Salad

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

Maybe all you need is a quick and refreshing salad. Salads don’t have to be boring when you know what you’re doing!

46. Italian Chicken And Vegetable Skillet

Recipe: Reciperunner.com

A rich and diverse mix of ingredients, crafted by a simple recipe, to make you feel like you’ve been cooking it for years!

47. Filipino Pork Adobo

Recipe: Scrambledchefs.com

This is a popular Filipino dish, and there is a reason for it! The simple ingredients and the easy-to-follow recipe make reaching that divine taste easy!

48. One-pan Garlic Butter Salmon

Recipe: Tasty.co

Cook this dish with rice or without, as the broccoli florets give a lovely crunch to this delicate dish.

49. Sheet Pan Thai Glazed Salmon With Vegetables

Recipe: Therecipecritic.com

Another salmon dish, but this time cooked as easily as chicken when you let the oven do all the work for you!

50. Creamy Lemon Chicken

Recipe: Tasty.co

A light and creamy dish to finish off our list. Lemon Chicken is a national favorite, and with this recipe, you can taste the refreshing flavors in the thin sauce.