Easy, Fast, Fresh Dinners

Home-cooked meals that are quicker than ordering out

By Aïda Mollenkamp

Tequila Shrimp and Asadero Quesadillas

Turkey Pad See Ew

Lox Flatbread

Ordering out for dinner has its time and place, but there’s no need for it to be a regular occurrence. Here are 10 recipes that are simple and filling and can be thrown together faster than delivery can arrive (in under 30 minutes, to be exact).

1. Simple Poached Cod. Extra veggies are tossed in this poach so you can eat them with the broth alongside your fish.

2. Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese. There’s a reason mac ’n’ cheese is a classic comfort dish: It’s filling, cheap, and a cinch to make. This creamy version has a bit of mustard and a dash of hot sauce for a kick.

3. Bison Strip Steaks with Brandy Pan Sauce. Bison is becoming more and more popular because it’s tasty, quick to cook, and healthy—try out this recipe and see for yourself. Here the steak gets seared and served with a buttery, boozy sauce that pretty much counteracts the healthy factor.

4. Classic Cobb Salad. This senior citizen of a recipe (it was first made back in the ’30s) is everything you want from a substantial salad.

5. Whole Wheat Fusilli with Parsley, Walnut, and Black Olive Pesto. When you’re hungry but still want to eat something relatively healthy, this is the recipe to make.

6. Wilted Greens with Balsamic Fried Eggs. Couldn’t be simpler or quicker, and it’s enough for two people or one ravenous person.

7. Tequila Shrimp and Asadero Quesadillas. Quesadillas are the Mexican equivalent of grilled cheese. In this version, the shrimp take a dip in tequila before meeting up with melty cheese and crispy tortillas.

8. Pollo alla Valdostana. This northern Italian dish combines nutty cheese with salty ham, finished in a crisp wine sauce. It’s no fuss to make yet nice enough to serve on your next date night.

9. Turkey Pad See Ew. Any leftover meat—pork, beef, shrimp, chicken, or even tofu—could replace the turkey in this easy noodle dish.

10. Lox Flatbread. We made this flatbread intending it to be passed around at your next cocktail party, but there’s no reason you couldn’t nosh on a few slices along with a simple salad and call it dinner.

CHOW’s The Ten column appears every Tuesday.

Aïda Mollenkamp is a food editor at CHOW.