Food & Cooking Recipes Dinner Recipes Quick & Easy Dinner Recipes Our Most Popular 30-Minute Meals By Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan Kelly is a former associate digital food editor for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Published on March 23, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Dana Gallagher On nights when you're pressed for time but still want to serve your family a delicious dinner, these 30-minute meals are just what you need. But these aren't just any quick weeknight dishes—these recipes are our most popular of all time, which means they're the 30-minute dishes that our readers have come back to time and time again, such as the Cioppino that's pictured here. This elegant seafood stew looks like a labor of love, but it comes together in just half an hour and features a spectacular display of shrimp, king crab legs, littleneck clams, and firm white fish. It's our favorite recipe for holidays and special occasions because it looks impressive, but won't require you to stand over a stove for hours. If you're looking for a less expensive, family-friendly dinner option for weeknights, we have plenty of simple pasta recipes such as basic spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccine alfredo, and our beloved one-pan pasta recipe. In that simple meal, linguine cooks in a large straight-sided skillet with cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic, and fresh basil. The starchy pasta water naturally forms a thickened sauce that gets even creamier when Parmesan cheese is sprinkled on top. In this collection, you'll also find easy ways to cook protein such as steak, salmon, mussels, and chicken that you can pair with a quick salad or side dish recipe. Our most popular 30-minute cooking methods including pan-searing, roasting, grilling, and baking. We promise that you (and your entire family) will love these 30-minute recipes—everyone else already does! 01 of 30 One-Pan Pasta Maxwell Cozzi Our most popular 30-minute recipe of all time is this pasta dish. All of the ingredients—linguine, cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, and onions—cook together in one skillet. View Recipe 02 of 30 Pan-Seared Steak David Loftus Follow this recipe to learn how to cook a rib-eye or New York strip steak in a skillet. Serve with a flavorful compound butter, such as garlic-herb or blue cheese, and a quick side dish. View Recipe 03 of 30 Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine A combination of heavy cream and grated Parmesan cheese makes this 30-minute pasta recipe ultra-rich and creamy. A pound of chicken breasts are sliced into thin strips and sautéed until they're cooked through. View Recipe 04 of 30 Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs Make spaghetti and meatballs in just 30-minutes with this recipe. The meatballs are made from a combination of ground beef chuck, breadcrumbs, chopped fresh parsley, grated Parmesan, and garlic, then sautéed until golden brown. View Recipe 05 of 30 Soy-Glazed Salmon Minh + Wass A sweet-savory glaze made from light brown sugar, olive oil, soy sauce, and fresh lemon juice pairs so well with salmon. The fillets only need 15 minutes to bake in the oven. Serve them alongside a fast side dish such as our Quick Carrots and Snap Peas with Lemony Mustard Dressing. View Recipe 06 of 30 Chicken with Mushrooms Andrew Purcell In 25 minutes, this quick chicken dinner recipe comes together. Chicken cutlets are sautéed with button mushrooms, fresh thyme leaves, dry white wine, and butter. Serve it with one of these quick vegetable side dishes that you can make in 30 minutes or less. View Recipe 07 of 30 Spaghetti Carbonara This quick take on the classic pasta comes together in 30 minutes and requires just five ingredients: spaghetti, bacon, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and half-and-half. It's an all-around winner. View Recipe 08 of 30 30-Minute Chili Some chili recipes require hours of simmering on the stove, but we've adapted this one to work for any night of the week. It's packed with flavor from ingredients such as chopped canned chipotle in adobo, lager beer, and a dash of cinnamon. View Recipe 09 of 30 Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce Marcus Nilsson Keep things simple and so delicious with this understated pasta recipe. Spaghetti is tossed with a homemade uncooked tomato sauce made from ripe tomatoes, fresh basil and parsley, and garlic. It's the perfect meal thanks to the balance of fresh and comforting flavors. View Recipe 10 of 30 15-Minute Lentil Soup Julia Hartbeck Pre-cooked lentils help speed up the cooking process for this hearty soup recipe. View Recipe 11 of 30 Sautéed Chicken in Mustard-Cream Sauce Two tablespoons of Dijon mustard give this 20-minute chicken breast recipe a sharp edge. It's a classic preparation that's super versatile. Serve alongside vegetables such as blanched asparagus. View Recipe 12 of 30 Lemony Pasta with Goat Cheese and Spinach Every ingredient in this recipe serves a delicious purpose—toasted walnuts bring crunch, parsley and cilantro add a vibrant green color, goat cheese adds creaminess and tang, and lemon brings the brightness. View Recipe 13 of 30 Chicken-and-Broccoli Stir-Fry Stir-fry recipes like this one are a great option for weeknight dinners. They're family-friendly, easy to make, totally delicious, and go from pantry to plate in a short period of time. View Recipe 14 of 30 Pork Fried Rice Use pre-cooked rice and ground pork to prepare this speedy weeknight meal—those swaps mean it takes just 15 minutes to cook. Frozen peas, scallions, fresh ginger, and garlic are added to the mixture for a pop of color and even more flavor. View Recipe 15 of 30 Roasted Salmon with White-Wine Sauce A lovely sauce enhances the salmon in this 30-minute dinner. Just whisk flour, white wine, and melted butter together in a skillet and cook just until the alcohol has evaporated and the sauce has fully thickened. Pour over roasted salmon fillets for a fancy yet fast dinner. View Recipe 16 of 30 Mussels in White Wine and Garlic Gentl & Hyers This classic preparation of four pounds of mussels features an aromatic blend of white wine, shallots, garlic cloves, butter, and plenty of fresh herbs. Be sure to serve with plenty of crusty bread to sop up the delicious broth. View Recipe 17 of 30 Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Tenders Courtesy of John Kernick Kids and adults alike will adore these chicken tenders—a single fresh sage leaf is placed on each chicken tender, and then they are wrapped in bacon and seared in a skillet until they are all crispy on the outside and fully cooked through. View Recipe 18 of 30 Chicken Marsala Bryan Gardner Instant flour helps to create a silky, lump-free sauce for this 30-minute chicken dinner. It's one of our readers' all-time favorite fast dishes for good reason. View Recipe 19 of 30 Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa We're a little biased but we think serving spicy chicken with deconstructed guacamole (chopped avocados, diced red onions, and fresh lime juice) is totally genius. View Recipe 20 of 30 Panko-Breaded Fish Sticks Skip the frozen version and make these breaded fish sticks from scratch using sole, a mild and delicate type of white fish that everyone will love. The crispy coating is made using panko breadcrumbs, which crisp up beautifully when pan-seared. View Recipe 21 of 30 Mustard-Glazed Salmon Looking for a 30-minute dinner recipe that will please your family? This super simple salmon dish should do the trick. The fillets are glazed with a combination of olive oil, mustard, and lemon juice and bake for just seven minutes. View Recipe 22 of 30 Breaded Chicken Breasts Diana Chistruga You can do so much with our basic breaded chicken breasts—serve them over salad, top them for marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese for chicken parmigiana, or slice them thinly and toss with pasta. View Recipe 23 of 30 Pan-Seared Scallops with Lemon Sea scallops contain less water than bay scallops, which means they'll get a lovely golden-brown sear when cooked in a skillet. We've kept things super simple by serving them with lemon wedges. View Recipe 24 of 30 Vegetarian Black-Bean Chili Enjoy this meat-free chili recipe in just 30 minutes. In place of the usual ground beef, this recipe gets its heft from two cans of black beans, crushed tomatoes, and frozen corn kernels. View Recipe 25 of 30 Turmeric-Ginger Chicken Soup Pernille Loof Just one-quarter teaspoon of ground turmeric brings a vivid yellow hue and warm, slightly spiced flavor to this easy soup recipe. Best of all, it comes together in 20 minutes. View Recipe 26 of 30 Linguine with Shrimp and White Wine Think of this as an even speedier version of shrimp scampi with all the flavor from garlic, lemon juice, garlic, and butter. While the pasta cooks, the shrimp are sautéed in a skillet, which means you get double the work done at the same time. View Recipe 27 of 30 Salmon Pasta Kids will love the fun corkscrew-shaped pasta and adults will love the healthy benefits of salmon and spinach in this 30-minute dinner recipe—it's a win-win! View Recipe 28 of 30 Chicken with Artichokes and Angel Hair A light spring chicken dinner, this 30-minute meal gets touches of green from canned artichoke hearts and capers, which bring a tangy, slightly salty flavor. View Recipe 29 of 30 Stir-Fried Chicken with Bok Choy Romulo Yanes This 20-minute stir-fry dinner calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fresh ginger, bok choy, garlic, and jalapeño peppers. View Recipe 30 of 30 Linguine with Lemon-Cream Sauce Dress linguine with a decadent sauce made from heavy cream, shallots, lemon zest, and starchy pasta water in this 20-minute vegetarian recipe. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit