I'm a professional meal planner. Here are 5 easy dinners that take less than 30 minutes to make.
Stephanie Dreyer
- I'm a professional meal planner, so I have an arsenal of quick and easy weeknight dinners.
- I get dinner on the table in 30 minutes with the help of frozen and fresh store-bought items.
- Sheet pan meals are good for an easy cleanup, and food bars are great for customization.
As a professional meal planner, I insist on preparing home-cooked dinners for my family most nights — but I often have less than an hour to get something on the table.
With decades of experience feeding my mixed-diet family, I've mastered a whole slew of easy 30-minute meals.
Here are five dinner ideas that only require a handful of ingredients and are ready in half an hour.
Stephanie Dreyer
My lettuce wraps start with a bag of frozen vegetable fried rice. I add cooked edamame for extra protein and sauté until done. I also prepare our favorite main proteins (tofu for me, and chicken for everyone else) in separate pans.
While everything simmers, I break apart butter-lettuce leaves and prepare an array of toppings, including green onions, chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, the proteins, and a variety of store-bought sauces.
Everyone can fill their own lettuce leaves with fried rice, tofu or chicken, and toppings.
Stephanie Dreyer
Once you discover the magic of sheet-pan dinners, you'll probably never want to cook any other way. They're quick to prepare and easy to clean.
I layer a sheet pan with peeled sweet-potato wedges tossed in olive oil, chili powder, salt and pepper and roast them in the oven at around 400 degrees Fahrenheit until fork tender — about 20 minutes.
Then I pour a can of vegan chili over the potatoes, along with a homemade cashew cheese sauce I blend together while the potatoes are cooking. I put it all back in the oven for five minutes until everything is heated through.
We top our nachos with green onions, cilantro, chopped avocado, salsa, and vegan sour cream, but this meal is easy to customize with toppings on the side. I just place the sheet pan in the middle of the table and my family serves themself.
Stephanie Dreyer
Tuesday is always taco night in my house. I keep it simple with a walnut and mushroom chorizo filling that comes together quickly in the food processor.
My family's taco bar includes a variety of options for all of our dietary preferences. Guacamole, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, salsa, grated cheese, and sour cream are our favorites.
I serve everything in warm flour tortillas that I've heated over an open flame on a stove burner.
Stephanie Dreyer
My Greek-inspired dinner salad is jam-packed with toppings. I start with the traditional ingredients — chopped romaine, red onion, cucumber, and tomato. Then, I add chopped falafel that I've bought from the store.
I top it all off with creamy avocado slices, sliced kalamata olives, crumbled vegan feta cheese, a few dollops of hummus, and a drizzle of my favorite store-bought Greek dressing.
I dig right in with a fork and serve it alongside sliced pita for my kids, who prefer to eat the salad in a wrap.
Stephanie Dreyer
I start by separately sautéing cubed tempeh and chicken. Meanwhile, I boil water and cook some udon noodles.
Once the proteins are done, I cook some precut stir-fry vegetables from the store. When the vegetables have softened, I stir in the cooked noodles and my favorite bottle of store-bought teriyaki sauce.
I let it all simmer and absorb the flavors for a few minutes before plating and topping each bowl with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
