36 20-Minute Recipes That Will Save Your Weeknights

Between work, school, family, and a host of other responsibilities, cooking a meal at the end of a long day can feel like an insurmountable task. This can leave us in a never-ending cycle of weeknight dinners that are boring, bland, unhealthy, and a host of other unappetizing adjectives. But it doesn't have to be this way.

There are plenty of delicious meals you can make in less than a half hour that will satisfy you and whoever else you're cooking for — friends, family, and even the pickiest of little ones. Our round-up of 20-minute dinner recipes aren't just quick and easy to make, they're also hearty and flavorful meals that taste like they took hours to prepare.

From Chinese food staples to classic pasta dishes to familiar American comfort food like pork chops, there's a recipe here for everyone. There are different cooking methods throughout the collection as well, with some recipes prepared on the stove and others made with Instant Pots, air fryers, grill tops, and the oven. Here are our favorite dishes ready in 20 minutes or less — these easy recipes are sure to keep your weeknight dinner menu on point.

There are few meals as hearty and comforting as chicken noodle soup. Generally, dishes with those adjectives require a significant amount of time to make — but not ours. Use shredded, diced, or full chicken breasts, or even meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Once you have all the ingredients, it's just a matter of tossing them all in a pot or Dutch oven. Top servings of soup with sliced scallions or parsley and dig in.

Recipe: 20-Minute Chicken Noodle Soup

This homemade mac and cheese takes hardly any more time than store-bought boxed mac and cheese, but it is so much creamier and delicious. Plus it has a blend of three cheeses — cheddar, parmesan, and mozzarella — so you know it's going to be wonderfully gooey and melty. The recipe has a clever trick of cooking the pasta right in the sauce, no draining needed. Ready in 20 minutes, the recipe makes enough to feed your whole family or all your friends for dinner. 

Recipe: One-Pot Mac And Cheese

When everyone is hungry for dinner and there isn't much time, fish is an excellent choice: It's full of protein and in many cases, cooks up very quickly. For this recipe, swing by the market or grocery store to pick up boneless flounder filets. They're topped with a savory blend of minced garlic (fresh or jarred) and dried herbs. Pop the filets in the oven and they're ready in 15 minutes. Pair baked flounder with salad, rice, or steamed vegetables.

Recipe: Garlic Butter Baked Flounder

Any fans of Stouffer's French bread pizzas out there? You're going to love this homemade take on that frozen classic. Because you make it yourself, this pizza bread is fresher, more delicious, and can be customized with any toppings or spices you want. It's fantastic for lunch and your family will be psyched to have pizza bread for dinner. They're quick to assemble with store-bought French bread, pizza sauce, fresh mozzarella, and toppings like pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives, or sausage crumbles. 

Recipe: Pizza Bread

It's such a simple dish, but the combination of flavors is out of this world. Prepared in an air fryer, all of the ingredients cook up together in no time. The sliced bell peppers and onions become soft and caramelized, while the cubed potatoes and sausage get beautifully browned with crisp edges. The dish is so tasty all on its own, or you can layer it inside a soft hoagie roll. 

Recipe: Air Fryer Sausage And Potatoes

It can be difficult to replicate a restaurant meal, but we think our beef and broccoli lo mein may even be better than takeout. The steps in this recipe move quickly, so have all your ingredients ready to go. These include cooked lo mein or ramen noodles, sliced steak, broccoli florets, and a sauce of brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. Stir fry the ingredients, let the mixture simmer until the sauce thickens, and you're all done.

Recipe: 20-Minute Beef And Broccoli Lo Mein

It's tempting at the grocery store to grab a bag of processed, frozen meatballs, especially if you assume that they take too long to make at home. However, this recipe proves that you can make tender, seasoned meatballs from scratch so easily: From start to finish they take only 20 minutes. The beef meatballs have lots of Parmesan cheese and garlic, and you can add a dash of Italian seasoning blend too, if you wish. Pair the meatballs with pasta, mashed potatoes, or use them to make savory sandwiches.

Recipe: 20-Minute Italian Meatballs

If you have a grill handy or a grill top on your stove, then you can easily make these grilled shrimp for a fast meal. You can save even more time by picking up shrimp that have already been cleaned and deveined. They're simply dressed with butter, garlic, and pepper, then threaded onto skewers for grilling. Serve the shrimp with salad, over pasta, or fold them into tacos. Served with a dipping sauce, they're also a great appetizer idea. 

Recipe: Grilled Shrimp

Perfectly prepared pork chops are easy to achieve in your Instant Pot, and they cook through so fast. All of the steps for this dish happen inside the appliance, which means fewer dishes to clean up after dinner. Once the pork chops are finished, the cooking liquid with soy sauce, stock, mushrooms, and onion is whisked into a thick gravy. Serve smothered pork chops with mashed potatoes or stuffing. 

Recipe: Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops

This vegetarian combination of egg noodles, cabbage, and onion is a satisfying dish to make for a simple, meat-free meal any night of the week. The vegetables are sautéed on the stove with butter and spices until they're tender and browned. Toss them with tender, cooked egg noodles and dinner is ready in only 20 minutes. You can also add diced, leftover chicken or ham to make a more filling meal, or serve the noodles as a side dish. 

Recipe: Cabbage And Noodles

Dal is an Indian stew that can be made with different types of legumes, like the red lentils used in our recipe. They cook up quickly when made in an Instant Pot, in a broth of tomatoes, onion, curry, and coconut cream. Serve this vegetarian dish over white or brown rice for a warming, filling meal. Dal can also be frozen to have on hand for an easy dinner down the road.

Recipe: Instant Pot Red Lentil Dal

This classic pasta dish is so creamy, delicious, and indulgent that it's easy to assume it's a recipe fit only for special occasions or when you have lots of time to spend in the kitchen. In truth, pasta carbonara is easy to prepare and will be ready in only 20 minutes. Our recipe uses whole wheat spaghetti for extra nutrition, and it's cooked in the same pot you'll use to cook the pancetta and the sauce.  

Recipe: One-Pot Whole Wheat Pasta Carbonara

It's fun to break up the weekly meal routine with a "breakfast for dinner" night. This is a great recipe to choose for these nights, for two reasons: First, instead of serving your family something overly sweet like pancakes with syrup, you can surprise them with this healthy, savory dish. And second, breakfast tacos filled with eggs, potatoes, peppers, and cheese take only 20 minutes to prepare. That's totally manageable, no matter how busy the weeknight. Of course, breakfast tacos are also tasty for breakfast!

Recipe: 20-Minute Breakfast Tacos

For a fast dinner for two, plug in that air fryer and grab a juicy steak. It's coated with a savory spice blend before going in to cook, and when the steak is finished (which only takes 15 minutes) it's browned and has a flavorful crust. Try our blend of spices, or others like chili powder, cumin, rosemary, or a premixed steak seasoning blend. Serve the steaks with roasted vegetables, wild rice, or steak fries. 

Recipe: Air Fryer Steak

To make these vegetarian tacos, pick up a package of tofu, some corn tortillas, and ingredients to make a simple coleslaw. We keep the seasoning on the cubed tofu pretty simple, but you can always add more zing with cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, and other taco seasonings. After pan-frying, the tofu cubes are crispy and delectable. The recipe makes enough to feed eight hungry people any busy night of the week.

Recipe: 20-Minute Tofu Tacos

This dish is so flavorful you won't believe how quickly it comes together. Serve with a fried egg and cooked white or brown rice, it has plenty of protein and looks gorgeous on the plate. The ingredients include ground chicken, soy sauce, and garlic, and the dish is ready to serve in just 15 minutes. Don't forget the star of the dish: A bunch of fresh, Thai basil, which has a stronger anise flavor than Italian basil.

Recipe: Thai Basil Chicken

Use leftover, pulled or smoked chicken to make an easy and filling meal. Don't for one second think that this recipe uses a jarred alfredo sauce: There's no need when making an alfredo sauce from scratch takes about six minutes. (It's a simple blend of cream, butter, Parmesan, and garlic.) Spoon the sauce and chicken over cooked fettuccine, then add some Italian bread and a bottle of red wine. 

Recipe: Smoked Chicken Alfredo

Chimichurri is an Argentinian condiment with the consistency of pesto, but it's made with garlic, parsley, and cilantro. It's bright, tangy, and flavorful, and that makes it perfect for these quick vegetarian tacos. The filling is a blend of cooked mushrooms and black beans. Top the tacos with salsa, avocado slices, fresh tomatoes, and several spoonfuls of chimichurri. The whole recipe, including making the chimichurri sauce, takes only 20 minutes. 

Recipe: 20-Minute Chimichurri Tacos