20 Dinner Recipes You Can Make in 15 Minutes (or Less)

Dinner's on the table in no time with these ultra-quick recipes.

soy-honey-glazed arctic char
Photo: Christina Holmes

Sometimes, you just need dinner fast. Bookmark these 15-minute meals for those nights when time is extra tight, and everyone is hungry. Keep your freezer stocked with frozen shrimp and peas—and make sure you have some fresh vegetables in your crisper drawer. Eggs and jarred salsa should be on hand in the refrigerator, and pasta and rice in your pantry. (If there's leftover cooked rice in the fridge or freezer, all the better.)

These ingredients will help you make dinner quickly, whether it's an easy pasta, main dish salad, quick chicken entrée, or dinner-party-worthy fish dish.

01 of 20

Crispy Panko Shrimp Salad

Crispy Panko Shrimp Salad
Ren Fuller

We give shrimp an extra dose of flavor by coating them in Dijonaise (a genius combination of Dijon mustard and mayonnaise) and crispy panko breadcrumbs. Serve them over spring-mix greens for a hearty dinner salad.

02 of 20

Soy-Honey-Glazed Arctic Char

soy-honey-glazed arctic char
Christina Holmes

Arctic char is the start of this 15-minute dinner for two. It's similar to salmon and just as delicious and nutritious. The fish is glazed with soy sauce, lime juice, and honey, and served with sautéed baby bok choy.

03 of 20

15-Minute White Bean Soup

white bean soup

A quick route to a delicious, healthy dinner is to top store-bought, whole-wheat flatbread with baby spinach, thinly sliced red onion, and fried eggs.

04 of 20

Broken Noodles With Tomato Sauce and Ricotta

ed104694_0309_mar007a.jpg

All you need is four ingredients for this 15-minute meal—jarred marinara sauce, pappardelle pasta, ricotta cheese, and fresh basil. It's creamy, comforting, and guaranteed to please your family.

05 of 20

Pasta With Preserved Lemon and Anchovies

Anchovy and Preserved-Lemon Pasta
Marcus Nilsson

Dress your choice of noodles—think spaghetti or linguine—with minced garlic, oil-packed anchovies, chopped preserved lemon, flat-leaf parsley, and plenty of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

06 of 20

Tofu With Ginger-Cilantro Sauce

tofu with ginger cilantro sauce served on a black plate
Elizabeth Cecil

Extra-firm tofu is brushed with olive oil, then grilled and served with a flavor-packed sauce made from fresh cilantro, chopped jalapeño, fresh ginger, lime juice, and scallions in this vegan main. Serve over spring greens or noodles or sandwich in a fluffy bun for dinner.

07 of 20

Spaghetti With Collard Greens and Lemon

pasta-012-mbd109398.jpg
Johnny Miller

In just 15 minutes, you can make this nutritious and satisfying meal. We used farro or whole-wheat spaghetti, but whatever you have on hand works here. Toss the cooked pasta with toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, collard greens, and plenty of freshly grated Pecorino Romano.

08 of 20

Sriracha Shrimp

sriracha shrimp
Armando Rafael

A spicy mayonnaise mixture keeps shrimp moist and tender while adding a kick of flavor as they quickly cook up. Serve them over rice or a salad, or tuck them into tortillas for tacos in a flash. 

09 of 20

Tagliatelle with Herbs and Buttery Egg Sauce

Tagliatelle with Herbs and Buttery Egg Sauce
Jonathan Lovekin

Butter and eggs lend carbonara-style richness to this quick and easy pasta recipe. Finish it with a mix of whatever fresh herbs you have on hand to lend some last-minute freshness. 

10 of 20

Seared Halibut Tacos With Grapefruit-Avocado Salsa

halibut tacos
Marcus Nilsson

When Taco Tuesday rolls around, make these refreshing bites. Serve pan-seared halibut filets with segmented ruby red grapefruit, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, and shredded Napa cabbage.

11 of 20

15-Minute Lentil Soup

15-minute lentil soup - finished

Julia Hartbeck

This hearty soup is made with canned lentils and store-bought vegetable or chicken broth—that's why it's so fast. There are also onions, carrots, and celery in the soup. All you need for serving is some crusty bread.

12 of 20

Broccoli Rabe Pesto With Whole-Wheat Pasta and Turkey Sausage

Broccoli Rabe Pesto with Whole-Wheat Pasta and Turkey Sausage

Lean, spicy turkey sausage adds heat and might to this simple pasta dish. The recipe calls for whole-wheat linguine, but use any long noodles you have to make this quick dinner.

13 of 20

Chicken, Red Cabbage, and Carrot Salad With Soy-Lime Dressing

Asian Chicken Salad

Use rotisserie chicken, leftover roast chicken, or extra chicken thighs you grilled on the weekend to top this colorful salad of shredded red cabbage and carrots, fresh cilantro, and mint leaves. Everything is tossed with a lively dressing made with soy sauce, lime juice, and minced jalapeño.

14 of 20

Tuna-Salad Hand Rolls

Tuna-Salad Hand Rolls recipe
Lennart Weibull

Our easy homemade sushi hand rolls are a fabulous way to use good-quality canned tuna in something other than a sandwich. Toss the tuna with a little mayonnaise, lemon juice, and cilantro, then arrange the mixture on toasted nori sheets along with rice, sliced vegetables, and avocado. Roll up and enjoy!

15 of 20

Avocado, Salsa, and Cilantro Omelet

omelet with salsa and avocado
Chris Simpson

Breakfast for dinner is a fast and satisfying way to get a meal on the table stat. Our avocado-and-salsa stuffed omelet gives the concept a fresh flavor and takes less than 15 minutes to make. Pair with toast or tortillas—or chips.

16 of 20

Easy Chicken Posole

easy chicken posole

Using store-bought ingredients like chicken stock, guajillo chile salsa, and shredded cooked chicken in this simple soup means dinner comes together in 10 minutes.

17 of 20

One-Pot Penne with Zucchini and Parmesan

zucchini-pasta-046-d112023.jpg
Aaron Dyer

Draining cooked pasta over freshly grated zucchini helps the squash warm through before tossing both with a simple combination of olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. 

18 of 20

Broiled Mustard-Crusted Flounder

broiled flounder
Anson Smart

Your broiler is the key to whipping up this speedy fish dinner, which takes only five minutes to cook (yes, you read that right). Pair the filets with lightly dressed greens for an elegant midweek meal.

19 of 20

Tortellini Soup with Peas and Spinach

Tortellini Soup with Peas and Spinach
Johnny Miller

Having frozen peas and chicken stock on hand is always a good idea. Here, the two staples mingle with store-bought tortellini and baby spinach for a pasta-soup hybrid that's ready in no time. 

20 of 20

Brown-Butter Sweet-Potato Gnocchi With Seeds

brown butter sweet potato gnocchi
Paola + Murray

It's hard to beat the heavenly combination of nutty browned butter and earthy sage. And while you can certainly use homemade gnocchi in this recipe, a package of the shelf-stable ones from the store works just as well. 

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