Dinner in 30 Minutes or Less
Speed your way toward dinner with our recipes for quick and flavorful main dishes, including chicken stir-fry, beef with mushrooms and tortilla casserole.
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Skillet Lasagna Toss
Use up those stray lasagna noodles in this speedy, family-friendly pasta dish.
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Quick-Roasted Salmon with Lemon and Herbs
A side of salmon is as celebratory as a traditional meaty roast—in way less time. Elegant and easy, this recipe cleverly uses the same flavored mayonnaise for brushing and serving as a condiment.
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Mediterranean Chicken-Pomegranate Stir-Fry
Pomegranate seeds add a punch of sweet-tart flavor to this easy and healthy stir-fry. Thinly sliced pork tenderloin or peeled, deveined shrimp can be substituted for the chicken. For extra nutrition, serve with brown rice or quinoa.
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Chard and Sweet Potato Frittata
Breakfast, brunch or dinner—this colorful meat-free frittata is a 30-minute meal that tastes nutritiously delicious any time.
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Fast Paella
"Paella is a snap when you use precooked turkey sausage, precooked shrimp and pouch rice," says Colleen Weeden, Test Kitchen project supervisor. Serve this delicious dish with warm, crusty bread to sop up the juices at the bottom of your bowl.
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Mexican Chicken Meatball Subs
Although this recipe looks long, the sandwiches are actually quite efficient to make, even on a weeknight, because you saute the veggies while the meatballs bake.
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Tilapia Tacos with Chipotle Cream
Cumin and cinnamon spice up ordinary frozen tilapia fillets for a fragrant pan-fried fish taco filling. Just add margaritas for the full restaurant experience.
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Loaded Greek Chicken Pizza
Frozen spinach-artichoke dip is the secret ingredient in this fabulous pizza that delivers an authentically salty punch of kalamata olives and feta cheese.
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Italian Dinner Soup
Gail Gladding-Pullara of Oregon, Wisconsin, created this simple, crowd-pleasing soup. "My family loves this recipe," she says. "It’s easy and tastes like you’ve been cooking for hours."
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Pineapple Chicken Stir-Fry
Garden-fresh veggies and juicy pineapple give classic stir-fry a seasonal refresh. For an easy substitute, switch the chicken for thinly sliced boneless pork or peeled, deveined medium shrimp.
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Blue Cheese and Balsamic Chicken Pizza
Topped with blue cheese, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and a balsamic-spiked tomato sauce, this potent pizza has definite adult flavor.
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Potato Chips Meet Fish
How do you get your family to eat fish? By serving them tilapia coated with potato chips, herbs and honey-mustard dressing.
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Garlic Pork and Sweet Potato Hash
Get dinner on the table in 30 minutes with this one-skillet pork and sweet potato recipe.
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Pineapple Barbecue Chicken Pizza
We updated the modern-classic barbecue chicken pizza by adding sweet, juicy pineapple.
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Quick and easy chili
Ground Beef and Salsa Chili (left) uses a variety of canned ingredients for a fast-fixing chili. The recipe is from The Dakota Diner in Webster, South Dakota.
Another quick chili is Chunky Chili Supreme, a recipe from a reader in Phillips, Wisconsin. Purists might question the black-eyed peas, but our reader's family loves the combination of flavors.
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Ham Florentine Soup
Florentine-style dishes have one thing in common: heart-healthy spinach. In this case, the leafy greens combine with chunks of ham in a chowderlike soup. For best results, remove spinach stems before cooking.
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Coconut Chicken Noodle Bowl
Ready in 30 minutes, this restaurant-style noodle bowl is a breeze to throw together. Coconut milk and fish sauce—Thai staples available at the supermarket—impart authentic flavor.
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Tortellini, Spinach and Mushrooms in Wine-Butter Sauce
A simple pan sauce and fresh vegetables dress up family-favorite cheese tortellini for a meal that's ready in 25 minutes.
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Garden Veggie Linguine with Cilantro Pesto
You can customize this linguine recipe by substituting other in-season vegetables and herbs, such as asparagus, snap peas, spinach or mustard greens, tarragon and basil.
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Chicken Sausage and Peppers
Pair this hearty meat-lovers' dish with quinoa or whole wheat couscous and a crisp lettuce salad for a well-rounded meal. Chicken-apple sausage lends a pleasant sweetness to this dish, but you can take it in a kickier, more savory direction with hot Italian or roasted garlic sausage.
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Pomegranate-Sauced Turkey Cutlets
Prepare these sweet, saucy turkey cutlets with a side dish of kale sauteed in garlic and olive oil or microwave-baked sweet potatoes.
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Paella-Style Rice with Ham and Shrimp
Ham stands in for sausage in this one-skillet dinner inspired by traditional Spanish paella. Sop up the juices with warm crusty bread.
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Simple Salsa Skillet
For a change in routine, substitute green salsa for red in this easy Mexican-inspired meal.
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