15 Easy (And Healthy) 30-Minute Recipes For Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
October 03, 2023
If you’re looking for easy recipe inspiration, you’ve come to the right place! There are errands to run, activities to get to, and relaxing to do. The kitchen is the last place you need to spend your whole day.
That’s why we’ve put together our favorite 30-minute recipes (some of which are even less!) to give you ideas on delicious eats that won’t eat up all your time. Our team also focused on recipes that:
- Use 10 ingredients or less.
- Incorporate healthy ingredients.
- Include a range of cuisines/flavors.
At the end of this blog, you’ll also find tips for saving time and making meal prep faster.
Our Favorite 30-Minute Or Less Recipes For Breakfast
If breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, why not set yourself up for success? Here are our favorite quick and easy breakfast recipes that can be adapted to fit your tastes.
1. Overnight Oats
Using this basic overnight oats recipe, you can customize your toppings and add-ins to make it dairy-free, add in extra protein, or mix in flavor just the way you like it. Simply do it all the night before, let it sit in the fridge, and find a delicious breakfast waiting.
View The Overnight Oats Recipe
Time to prepare: 5 minutes (subject to change based on fruits or toppings that need chopping)
Number of ingredients: 6-8 (depending on your preference)
Other Notes: Can be adapted to make gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegetarian, and almost any other kind of dietary practice.
2. Oven-Baked French Toast
If you like French toast, this oven-baked recipe is perfect! It frees you up to pop your French toast in the oven so you can continue getting ready while it cooks.
View The Oven Baked French Toast Recipe
Time to prepare: 10 minutes prepping, 10 minutes cooking
Number of ingredients: 7
Other Notes: Bread can be swapped with white bread if you don’t like raisins. You can also use gluten-free bread for dietary restrictions.
3. Sheet Pan Egg Sandwiches
Imagine spending 30 minutes in a single day to prep a whole week’s worth of ready-to-go breakfast sandwiches. Now that’s a quick and easy breakfast!
View The Sheet Pan Egg Sandwich Recipe
Time to prepare: 30 minutes prepping, 10 minutes cooking
Number of ingredients: 6-8 (depending on toppings)
Other Notes: We recommend individually wrapping and freezing in single portions, so you can grab only what you need. They’ll keep for about 3 months in the freezer.
4. On-The-Go Breakfast Pockets
Have a slower morning where you want to spend a little more time making something fun? These breakfast pockets won’t take more than 30 minutes and they’re easy for everyone to take on the go.
View The Breakfast Pockets Recipe
Time to prepare: 5 minutes prepping, 12 minutes cooking
Number of ingredients: 8 (depending on toppings)
Other Notes: Make sure to thaw your crescent rolls by moving them to the fridge the night before or use your microwave to defrost them. This will make the dough easier to work with.
5. Microwave Mug Scrambled Eggs
If you’re in a rush but need a protein boost to start the day, this is an ideal recipe to keep handy. It’s simple to make and it’s a filling breakfast to prepare you for what’s next.
View The Microwave Mug Eggs Recipe
Time to prepare: 3 minutes prepping, 1 minute cooking
Number of ingredients: 5 (depending on toppings)
Other Notes: Feel free to adjust to your dietary preference, swapping in veggies, taking out meat, or using only egg whites.
Our Favorite 30-Minute Or Less Recipes For Lunch
If you work from home and want to treat yourself to more than just leftovers, or if you simply want to spend time cooking up a nice lunch, these easy 30-minute (and less) simple meal ideas are sure to please!
6. Roast Turkey Panini
Nothing is better than a nice panini. Even if you don’t have a small panini grill, you can easily use a manual panini press from Amazon to make all your favorite varieties at home. We love this classic take on a turkey one. (It brings the cafe right to your home!)
Time to prepare: 5 minutes prepping, 5 minutes cooking
Number of ingredients: 7
Other Notes: Meats and toppings can be swapped out to suit your tastes.
7. Naan Personal Pizzas
Have some leftover naan from Indian night? Re-use it to make delicious personal pizzas in the oven in just a few minutes.
Time to prepare: 3 minutes prepping, 8 minutes cooking
Number of ingredients: 5 (depending on toppings)
Other Notes: Follow all cooking instructions but swap out traditional pizza ingredients with ranch, mozzarella, and ready-made chicken from your grocery store deli to add a fun twist. Also, try garlic-flavored naan over plain naan.
8. Italian Pasta Salad
This simple recipe can be made once and it becomes a great go-to lunch option for the rest of the week. Just make sure you plan a little extra time to let it sit in the refrigerator.
View The Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
Time to prepare: 15 minutes prepping, 15 minutes cooking
Number of ingredients: 7
Other Notes: We recommend making this salad the night before and letting it sit in your fridge overnight to reach the perfect cold temperature.
9. Garden Veggie Chicken & Rice
If you’re tired of sandwiches and salads, try this healthy lunch instead! It can be fixed up in just a few minutes.
View The Garden Vegetable Chicken & Rice Recipe
Time to prepare: 5 minutes prepping, 10 minutes cooking
Number of ingredients: 4
Other Notes: Try looking for cooked chicken at your grocery store or choosing chicken that’s already cut to save prep time.
10. Tilapia With Corn Salsa
This recipe is a great way to get more fish into your diet without only eating salmon. It simply requires baking the fish and assembling an easy corn salsa to sprinkle over top of it.
View the Tilapia Corn Salsa Recipe
Time to prepare: 10 minutes prepping and cooking
Number of ingredients: 9
Other Notes: Start with baking the fish and while that’s in the oven assemble your salsa to dish on top when the fish is done. This ensures it’s at peak freshness!
Our Favorite 30-Minute Or Less Recipes For Dinner
We get it, the idea of easy 30-minute recipes is most important when we’re talking about dinner time. The faster you can get a good meal made and get out of the kitchen, the better. These recipes are simple and ensure you can do just that!
11. Spicy Korean Pork Skewers
The spicy part of this is optional if you want to sub that out to accommodate everyone’s flavor palette! If you like takeout but can’t justify always buying it, this is a great way to incorporate those flavors right in your kitchen.
View The Spicy Korean Pork Skewers
Time to prepare: 10 minutes prepping, 10 minutes cooking
Number of ingredients: 7
Other Notes: Note that the prepping and cooking part of this is 20 minutes, but it’s a good idea to marinate your meat 20 minutes or more ahead of preparing this dish.
12. Quick Greek Chicken
Put a fun twist on dinner with this 30-minute chicken recipe. It’s a quick, fresh, and easy option for any weeknight.
View The Quick Greek Chicken Recipe
Time to prepare: 5 minutes prepping, 20 minutes cooking
Number of ingredients: 9 (11 if you count salt and pepper!)
Other Notes: This chicken also tastes great inside a pita pocket or served alongside some white rice.
13. One Pot Spaghetti
If you’re looking for simple, this 30-minute ground beef recipe can all be made in one pot. Or you can make it meatless if you prefer.
View The One Pot Spaghetti Recipe
Time to prepare: 5 minutes prepping, 20 minutes cooking
Number of ingredients: 10
Other Notes: Reserve a little extra broth for reheating leftovers to keep the noodles from drying.
14. Sheet Pan Beef & Broccoli
Nothing gets easier than prepping your food and throwing it on a sheet pan to cook, which is why we love this dinner!
View The Sheet Pan Beef Recipe
Time to prepare: 10 minutes prepping, 15 minutes cooking
Number of ingredients: 7-9 (depending on your preference for add-ins)
Other Notes: If you want to speed things up, look for frozen broccoli florets at your supermarket to save time chopping. You can also sub it out for other veggies to your liking.
15. Chickpea Patties
Whether you’re hosting someone who is vegetarian or you simply are looking for some meatless dinner options, these chickpea patties will hit the spot! They’re easy and filling. To spruce them up, try making the optional herb yogurt topping.
View The Chickpea Patty Recipe
Time to prepare: 15 minutes prepping, 10 minutes cooking
Number of ingredients: 10 (excluding the optional yogurt topping)
Other Notes: Serve along with a nice Greek side salad, sweet potato fries, roasted vegetables, or some rice.
Other Helpful Ways To Save Time & Speed Up Your Weekly Cooking
If you want to find some new ways to help speed up your cooking, here are some of our tips to help!
Plan Ahead & Prep What You Can
You probably already have an idea of what meals you’re making when you go grocery shopping. But find other ways you can save time by ordering online for quick pickup or delivery.
When you choose ingredients, consider getting pre-cut chicken breast, frozen broccoli florets, or pre-cut vegetables from your local store to further save time in the kitchen.
And if you have a busy day ahead of you, try prepping the night before by getting out utensils and equipment or cutting and chopping anything you can.
Invest In Time-Saving Cookware
If you don’t already have them, Instapots and Crockpots are staples for saving time. But other tools can aid you!
If you make a lot of rice, a rice cooker automates the process and ensures it comes out perfectly every time. An immersion blender gives you the ability to blend without having to get out your bulky stand mixer. Slicers for potatoes or tomatoes save time.
Consider what you make often and investigate if a piece of equipment could help reduce some of your manual labor.
Re-Organize Your Kitchen For Optimal Use
If you feel like it’s hard to find tools or get them out, it might be time to make some adjustments. Put frequently used tools in easy-to-reach places and make sure to keep items close and minimize unnecessary movement. (For example, place your cutting boards near knives.)
Try Meal Prepping
Look for recipes and ideas where you can make meals ahead to refrigerate or freeze, then grab them when you need them. For example, the sheet pan breakfast sandwiches, overnight oats, or pasta salad recipes above are great recipes to prepare upfront and keep well for eating later.
Ready to try a recipe? Find fresh ingredients at Stauffers of Kissel Hill and save time ordering your groceries online.