25+ Dinner Recipes Ready in 20 Minutes or Less

Get a delicious meal on the table in a matter of minutes with these quick and easy dinner recipes! Perfect for busy evenings, these dishes take no more than 20 minutes before they’re ready to enjoy. Options like our Garlic-Butter Mushroom Steaks and our Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup are hearty dinners that will make dinner a breeze all month long.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell

This sick-day chicken noodle soup, packed with tender chicken, warm broth and soft noodles, is designed to soothe and nourish when you’re feeling under the weather. The combination of tender chicken breast, ginger and garlic boosts flavor, while the warm broth helps clear congestion and keep you hydrated.

Garlic-Butter Mushroom Steaks

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jasmine Smith, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser

Garlic-butter mushroom steaks are a savory and delicious plant-based dish perfect for mushroom lovers and steak enthusiasts alike. We pair juicy portobello mushroom “steaks” with a buttery garlic sauce flavored with rosemary, for a mouthwatering combination that’s sure to impress.

No-Cook White Bean & Spinach Caprese Salad

This easy white bean and spinach caprese salad features the classic combination of juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, fragrant basil and tangy balsamic vinegar, but adds tender white beans and fresh baby spinach to the mix.

Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

The Greek lemon-chicken soup avgolemono is the inspiration for this 20-minute recipe. Eggs and lemon are tempered into the broth to add richness and creaminess. You can use microwaveable brown rice or use 1 cup leftover rice if you have it on hand.

Tajín Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

Greg DuPree

Tajín, a Mexican chile-lime seasoning, adds a spicy and acidic punch to sweet and mild shrimp. Opt for a low-sodium chile-lime seasoning, or improvise by combining chili powder, a little lime zest and a healthy squeeze of lime juice. Look for pineapple that’s already been peeled and cored for speedier prep.

20-Minute Creamy Mushroom Soup with Sherry

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

This quick creamy mushroom soup is loaded with earthy wild mushrooms enhanced by the flavor of dry sherry.

Chopped Italian Sandwiches

Photographer: Stacy K. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf

This mouthwatering chopped Italian sandwich is assembled using a method where all the ingredients are arranged in a single layer, finely chopped together and then layered onto the bread. It’s a straightforward yet efficient technique that you’ll find yourself using again and again.

Creamy Spinach-Artichoke Salmon

Photographer / Brie Passano Styling / Annie Probst / Holly Raibikis

For this quick and easy dinner for four, the vegetables and sauce come together in one skillet in a matter of minutes while the salmon broils. Plus, salmon is swimming in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and loaded with vitamins and nutrients like B vitamins and potassium.

20-Minute Udon Noodle Soup with Buttery Tomato Broth

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

The scents of cinnamon and star anise add big flavors to this quick soup. Butter adds body and a silky texture. Fresh udon noodles take only a few minutes to cook, but dry udon noodles work well here too.

Penne with Zucchini & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Courtesy Photo

First created by Chef Maria Grazia, who served her signature zucchini pasta in the idyllic village of Nerano on the Amalfi Coast, this version stays close to the original, with zucchini, a rather flavorless vegetable on its own, caramelized until the flavor intensifies to what can only be described as transformative.

Sheet-Pan Beef & Cabbage Noodles

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell

This stir-fry recipe comes together in only 20 minutes on one baking sheet under the broiler. The trick to a perfect sheet-pan stir-fry is making sure your ingredients are spread out well on the pan so everything cooks evenly.

20-Minute Broccoli-Feta Soup

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This 20-minute version of classic cream of broccoli soup is smooth and creamy after a quick whirl in the blender. To make prep even faster, opt for pre-cut broccoli florets. Serve this comforting soup with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side for dipping.

Creamy Pesto Shrimp with Gnocchi & Peas

Photographer: Greg DuPree, Prop stylist: Shell Royster, Food stylist: Emily Hall

This speedy dinner recipe combines shrimp with pillowy gnocchi, pesto and peas in a creamy sauce. Feel free to substitute the peas with other veggies such as broccoli or asparagus. For a bit of heat, sprinkle in some crushed red pepper, or garnish with grated Parmesan cheese to enhance the savory flavor.

Spaghetti with Creamy Lemon-Spinach Sauce

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

Give your veggie servings a boost with this easy spaghetti with spinach sauce recipe. Loosely inspired by the flavors of classic pesto, this vibrant pasta packs in plenty of spinach and basil with a garnish of nutty walnuts and savory Parmesan cheese.

20-Minute White Bean Soup

Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

This fiber-rich soup is an easy, healthy dinner when you’re pressed for time. This brothy soup features frozen sweet potatoes and collard greens to keep the prep to a minimum and gets finished with a bit of heavy cream for body and richness.

Mushroom-Ricotta Tartines

Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco,

Enjoy the art of presentation with a tartine—a sandwich that’s a feast for the eyes and taste buds, served open-faced. Here, we slather a thick slice of good crusty whole-wheat bread with a creamy pesto-ricotta spread and top it with golden-brown sautéed mushrooms.

Easy Chicken Tenders with Lemon & Garlic

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

The secret to this easy chicken tenders recipe lies in the tangy lemon-and-garlic drizzle that picks up the savory flavors left in the pan from pan-searing.

Eat-the-Rainbow Vegetable Soup

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This vibrant and wholesome soup helps support your well-being. It’s packed with a variety of colorful vegetables, like tomatoes, which contain lycopene, a phytochemical that may help reduce inflammation.

Lemon & Panko-Crusted Salmon

Jacob Fox

Mayonnaise helps the dill-infused panko crust stick to salmon fillets in this ultra-quick recipe. A squeeze of lemon along with the mayo adds tanginess to the crispy crust.

Chicken & Spinach Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing

Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

The creamy feta dressing steals the show in this protein-rich salad that makes a perfect lunch or quick and easy dinner. While you can buy feta cheese already crumbled, we like crumbling our own fresh from the block for this salad.

Pan-Roasted Sesame Salmon

The sesame seeds in the sweet sauce atop this salmon add nutty flavor and a little texture. Finishing the salmon in the oven turns the sauce into a thick, caramelized glaze.

Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry

Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco

Look for pre-sliced pepper-and-onion mix in the produce section of the supermarket. It helps save prep time in this quick five-ingredient dinner. This easy dinner calls for hot cooked brown rice, which is perfect if you have leftovers. If not, look for microwaveable brown rice or frozen brown rice to keep prep minimal.

Pea Pesto Gnocchi with Burrata

Jacob Fox

Here we pan-fry gnocchi to get them crispy, then coat them with a pesto-like sauce made with sweet peas, spinach, basil and cashews.

Cucumber Chickpea Salad with Feta & Lemon

Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Annie Probst

This cucumber chickpea salad with feta and lemon is tangy and refreshing. You can enjoy it on its own or toss it with greens for an easy lunch or dinner. We love the grassy flavor of dill, but another fresh herb like oregano, parsley or chives will work well in its place.

Sea Bass with Citrus Salsa

Dinner-party elegance in a 20-minute dish? It’s possible, when you start with great ingredients that require little embellishment. Here, we use sea bass, a tender, mild-flavored fish with a lovely buttery quality, which takes well to the bright flavors of the simple citrusy topping.

High-Protein Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

Make this grab-and-go Tex-Mex–inspired soup when you have leftover chicken, or use rotisserie chicken for this easy meal-prep soup. The frozen pepper-onion mix adds flavor and saves time in the kitchen, while the black beans add fiber and protein.

20-Minute Pasta al Limone

Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco

This tart and lucious pasta al limone recipe is ready in 20 minutes. The origins of this recipe lie in Sorrento, Italy, famous for its delicious lemons that brought the world limoncello and this zesty pasta dish.

Pistachio-Crusted Halibut

Ali Redmond

A layer of pistachios combined with panko breadcrumbs on top of the mild-flavored halibut fillets provides a delicious crunch and a pop of vitamin B6, a nutrient important for blood sugar regulation.

Greek Salad Omelet Wrap

Sara Haas

Would you rather have a salad or a wrap for dinner? Wait, why not both! This protein-packed meal features Greek salad tucked into an egg-white wrap. It also makes for a delicious breakfast.

Creamy Lemon & Dill Skillet Chicken

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

This creamy lemon and dill skillet chicken recipe is a true crowd-pleaser and makes for a perfect weeknight dinner. Chicken cutlets cook quickly, taking this recipe from skillet to table in only 20 minutes.

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