30-Minute Dinner Ideas We Turn to Again and Again

There might be some rogue nights when we’re willing to take on a cooking project, like red-wine-braised short ribs or fresh semolina pasta. But most of the time we’re looking for speedy mealtime solutions (yes, we BA editors are just like you). These 30-minute dinner ideas are the ones we turn to time and time again—the faithful hits for when it’s 7 p.m. and we’re already starving. Make no mistake, though, quick is by no means synonymous with boring: Our favorite fast dinners include tangy kimchi quesadillas, spicy sausage patty melts, and sunny saffron butter pappardelle. All of these recipes take a total time of 30 minutes or fewer, and a few come together in as little as five minutes. Less time spent cooking means more time spent doing…literally anything else. With all that time you saved, you might even have some energy to make an extra-easy dessert.