17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (2024)

Step aside 20-step recipes—we’ve got time to save. These flavorful dinners come together in just four steps, so you can enjoy grain bowls, pasta, soup and more without any unneeded extra hassle. Easy recipes like our Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl and Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata are simple, delicious and on the dinner table in 30 minutes or less.

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Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (1)

This flavorful burrito bowl features grilled chicken coated in a spicy chipotle glaze. Loading it with vegetables and using quinoa in place of rice adds nutrition for a healthier dinner.

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Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (2)

Forget the marble-size meatballs you find in many versions of this Italian Wedding Soup. In this easy recipe, they're full-size, full-flavored and plenty filling.

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Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (3)

This vegetable-studded frittata recipe is one of the quickest meals you can make. Make it for breakfast, or serve for lunch or dinner with a tossed salad and a slice of olive oil-drizzled crusty baguette.

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Bibimbap-Inspired Rice Bowls

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (4)

While not traditional, these protein-rich brown rice bowls take inspiration from Korean bibimbap, with a mix of sweet and spicy ground beef and sliced veggies topped with a fried egg. Gochujang, a fermented paste made from chiles, soybeans and rice, adds subtle spice and tons of complexity. Toasted sesame oil finishes the dish with a nutty flavor.

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Creamy Sausage & Cheese Tortellini Soup

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (5)

This cheese tortellini soup is a quick meal to throw together on a weeknight, and a crowd-pleaser if you have company. If you like soup with a kick, opt for hot Italian sausage. Tortellini, like any pasta, will soak up the broth as it sits, so if you're making it ahead of time, cook the tortellini separately and add it just before serving.

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Beef Stir-Fry with Baby Bok Choy & Ginger

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (6)

All the ingredients for this easy beef stir-fry recipe are cooked in one wok (or skillet), so not only is the meal-prep fast for this healthy dinner, cleanup is quick too. Look for Lee Kum Kee Premium oyster-flavored sauce in the Asian-foods aisle of your grocery store. It has the most concentrated oyster flavor.

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Creamy Green Pea Pesto Pasta

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (7)

Mint and peas are a natural pairing in this creamy pasta dish. It works well as a vegetarian main dish or can be divided into smaller portions as a side dish. If you have pine nuts on hand, sprinkle them over the top for a little crunch. If you like your pesto to be totally smooth, process it a little longer, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Parmesan cheese grated fresh with a microplane grater will give you the best results.

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One-Skillet Bourbon Chicken

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (8)

Bourbon chicken gets coated in a slightly sweet-spicy sauce for a flavorful dinner that comes together quickly, making it perfect for busy weeknights.

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Salmon with Lemon-Herb Orzo & Broccoli

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (9)

This healthy salmon dish is as balanced as it is delicious. You add broccoli right into the pot along with the pasta during its last minute of cooking to save time here. One less thing to wash too!

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Kung Pao Chicken with Bell Peppers

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (10)

Here's an easy chicken recipe you'll definitely want to add to your dinner repertoire. A quick marinade tenderizes the chicken and infuses flavor in this stir fry. Adding a little oil to finish the marinade coats the chicken and helps keep it from sticking to the pan.

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Pork Chops with White Wine & Capers

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (11)

Enjoy a restaurant-worthy dinner without leaving the house with these pork chops with white wine and caper sauce. Boneless pork chops are perfect for busy weeknights—they cook quickly and pair well with just about anything. Got extra capers on hand? They add a briny punch to tomato sauce, lemony seafood dishes or creamy dips mixed with fresh chopped herbs.

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Grilled Honey-Mustard Chicken with Zucchini-Corn Relish

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (12)

This grilled honey-mustard chicken recipe strikes the perfect balance between sweet and sour flavors. Ideal for a hot summer day, this quick dinner can also be made with boneless chicken breasts if you prefer.

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Grilled Vegetable & Black Bean Farro Bowls

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (13)

These bowls are filled with all the hearty goodness of a black bean and veggie burrito, minus the tortilla. Nutty, chewy farro takes the place of rice, and the veggies are grilled with a zesty lime vinaigrette. The bowls are delicious at room temperature, but you can also heat the beans with a splash of vegetable broth and reheat the vegetables in a small skillet.

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Skillet Ravioli Lasagna

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (14)

This easy inside-out ravioli lasagna is the ultimate weeknight comfort food—no layering or mixing bowls required. Feel free to swap in ground turkey for the beef. Look for fresh mozzarella balls (also called "pearls") in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store.

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Weeknight Lemon Chicken Skillet Dinner

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (15)

This one-panchicken dinnerdoesn't get much easier, or more satisfying.In just half an hour, you can have a complete meal on the table that doesn't require loads of dishes afterwards. We call for tender haricots verts because they're quick cooking; traditional green beans likely won't be tender enough after the brief cooking time at the end. If that's all you have on hand, steam them first, and then add them to the pan for the final step.Serve this hearty chicken and potatoes dinner witha simple side salad to sneak in another serving of veggies.

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Bibim Naengmyeon

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (16)

The star of bibim naengmyeonis the sauce: a sweet, spicy, tangy mixture that combines well with the chewy noodles. While egg and beef often top this dish, this version skips it for a no-fuss vegan meal. For a more satisfying meal, top it with slices of fried or grilled tofu. It's best to eat this dish immediately. The noodles become stiff and hard to mix the longer they sit.

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Braised Lentils & Kale with Fried Eggs

17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less (17)

These braised lentils are cooked with tender kale and bathed in a fire-roasted tomato broth with an egg on top to pack in the protein. Microwaveable lentils need just a short time in the pan to finish cooking. If you have cooked or canned lentils on hand, you can use them in their place, but you may have to shave a few minutes off the cooking time so they don't get too soft. We like how the soft, runny yolk coats the dish. If you want a harder yolk, cover the pan and add 2 or 3 minutes to the cooking time.

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