10 Dinner Ideas That Cen Be Done In 30 Minutes
At the end of a long day of work or classes, cooking dinner is the last thing anyone wants to do. If crafted with care, there are many dinner ideas that can create a satisfying conclusion to any day. Put away the bland ramen packets—here at ten dinner ideas that can be done in thirty minutes!
1. Tuna Melt
Ingredients
-2 slices of Bread
-1 can/Packet Tuna
-about 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
-about 1 tablespoon of mustard
Combine one packet of preferred tuna with a tablespoon of mustard, a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise, and a few shakes of black pepper in a small bowl. Assemble the sandwich—spread the tuna mixture atop a slice of sharp Cheddar and blanket with another slice of sharp Cheddar cheese. Butter the outside of the sandwich and return to the skillet, frying until the cheese is melty along the edges.
2. Pasta With Broccoli and Sausage
This is a variation of an NYT Cooking recipe. Find it here.
Ingredients
-1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
-1 pound of Italian pork sausage, sweet or spicy
-half a bag of frozen broccoli
-about 3 cloves of garlic
-1 box of pasta, preferably a short or curly shape
-1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
-1 cup of chicken stock
Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the sausage and cook until nicely browned—breaking the sausage to the desired size. Move the sausage to a small bowl, and add the remainder of the olive oil, frozen broccoli, and garlic to the skillet. When the broccoli is cooked through, add the broccoli to the bowl with the sausage. Keeping the skillet hot, add the chicken stock, stirring, and let it come to a nice boil, add the pasta, half the cheese, and allow to cook. Just before the pasta is cooked through, return the sausage and broccoli to the pan from the remainder to the cooking time. Plate, sprinkling with the Parmesan cheese.
3. Chickpeas With Baby Spinach
This is a variation of an NYT Cooking recipe. You can find it here.
Ingredients
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-2 tablespoons of minced garlic
-3 ounces of tomato paste
-1 teaspoon of cumin
-1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
-1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
-1 6-ounce bag of Spinach
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick saucepan over medium heat, adding the garlic, cumin, and tomato paste. Stir and cook until tomato paste starts to brown, add drained chickpeas, preferred stock, and begin to a gentle simmer. Cook, covered, for about ten minutes. Add spinach by the handful, cooking until wilted. A tiny squeeze of lemon at the end brightens up the dish. This is one of the many fantastic dinner ideas that can be eaten on its own, over pasta, or with toasted bread.
4. Ham and Cheese Melt
Ingredients
-2 slices of bread
-2 slices of deli-sliced ham
-2 slices of Cheddar cheese
-a few pads of butter
-a pinch of garlic or red pepper flakes, for taste
First, apply slices of deli-sliced ham to a hot skillet with a small pad of butter and a pinch of garlic—allow to cook untouched, flipping once to ensure even browning. In a second skillet, melt enough butter to thinly coat the bottom of the skillet and fry two slices of bread individually, flipping occasionally, until the bread is crisp and golden on all sides. Remove browned ham from the skillet and allow it to drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. To assemble the sandwich, apply a thin layer of butter to bottom bread, a slice of sharp Cheddar, the slices of ham, and blanket it all with another slice of sharp Cheddar cheese. Butter the outside of the sandwich and return to the skillet, frying until the cheese is completed melted.
5. “Breakfast” Toast
Ingredients
-2 slices of bread
-one large egg
-a few slices of deli-sliced ham
-a slice of favorite cheese
First, apply slices of deli-sliced ham to a hot skillet with a small pad of butter and a pinch of garlic—allow to cook untouched, flipping once to ensure even browning. Place ham off to one side and, in the same skillet, melt enough butter to thinly coat the bottom of the skillet and fry two slices of bread individually, flipping occasionally, until the bread is starting to crisp. Once the bread has toasted nicely, smear with mayonnaise or butter and dress with cheese and ham. Crack an egg in the pan and cook over low heat until desired doneness—preferably sunnyside-up. Place the egg atop the toast, add spices to your liking, and you have a simple breakfast-like dinner meal.
6. Pasta With Spinach and Bacon
Ingredients
-1 pound of pasta
-4 strips of bacon
-3 tablespoons of minced garlic
-2 tablespoons of olive oil
-1 pound of Spinach
First, apply bacon splices directly to a cold skillet—cook, untouched, until browned and crisp. Move bacon to paper towel-lined plate, and drain excess bacon fat from pan. Add olive oil and garlic to the pan, stirring until the oil shimmers, then add the spinach by the handful. Cook until the spinach is wilted and move to the same plate as the cooked bacon, leaving the garlic in the pan.
While the skillet is still hot, add a cup of chicken broth to the pan. Once the broth is boiling gently add the pasta and allow to cook, stirring once to avoid sticking. Drain the pasta of excess broth and add the spinach and bacon, stirring until combined. After plating, top generously with Parmesan cheese. This is one of the many fantastic dinner ideas that can be eaten on its own, over pasta, or with toasted bread.
7. Marinara Baked Eggs
Ingredients
-1/2 cup of Marinara sauce
-1 tablespoon of basil
-1 tablespoon of oregano
-3-4 large eggs
In a large saucepan, heat marinara sauce over medium-high heat until simmering gently, adding the basil and oregano, and stir until well combined. With the back of a wooden spoon, create three or four indents in the sauce and crack an egg in each one. Cook until eggs are set—sprinkling black pepper, red pepper flakes, or Perasam cheese if so desire. This is one of the many fantastic dinner ideas that can be eaten on its own, over pasta, or with toasted bread.
8. Baked Tofu with Sauce
This is a modified version of an NYT Cooking recipe. You can find it here.
Ingredients
-two tablespoons of peanut oil
-1 cup of smooth peanut butter
– 1 tablespoon of red miso
-1 tablespoon of honey
-2 packages of extra firm tofu
First, heat the oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet. Combine peanut butter, honey, red miso, and two tablespoons of oil and whisk until smooth. Drain, slice tofu to desired thickness, and arrange on the oiled baking sheet—drizzling the peanut sauce on top of the tofu in a way that allows the sauce to spill over the sides of the tofu. Bake for about twenty minutes, until the tips are nicely glazed. This is one of the many dinner ideas that can be eaten on its own or atop rice or noodles.
9. Baked Chicken With Crispy Parmesan and Tomatoes
This is a variation of an NYT Cooking recipe. You can find it here.
Ingredients:
-1 can of whole peeled tomatoes
-4 tablespoons of minced garlic
-1 tablespoon of thyme
-1 tablespoon of oregano
-1 tablespoon of rosemary
-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-2 tablespoons of olive oil
-3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
First, heat the oven to 425 degrees and place drained tomatoes in a baking dish along with the garlic, thyme, and oregano. Season the chicken breasts well with rosemary and black pepper, fitting snugly into the baking dish amongst the tomatoes and drizzling with olive oil. Bake for about ten minutes, remove from oven, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and continue to bake until chicken is cooked through. This is one of the many fantastic dinner ideas that can be eaten on its own or alongside pasta.
10. Grilled Chicken Breast with Turmeric and Lime
Ingredients
This is a variation of an NYT Cooking Recipe. You can find it here.
-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
-2 tablespoons olive oils
-3 tablespoons of lime juice
-1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
-1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
-2 teaspoons of dried rosemary
-1 teaspoon of minced garlic
-2 tablespoon melted butter
Heat a broiler on low. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, chili powder, turmeric, rosemary, and garlic with a shake of black pepper and blend well. Coat chicken thoroughly with marinate. Broil chicken, above five minutes per side, or until cooked through. This is one of the many chicken dinner ideas that would be particularly tasty served over rice.
