20 Simple Dinner Recipes in Under 20 Minutes

As you know, we’ve been working on something exciting: our very first cookbook! Anyone Can Cook will be published with Prestel in Spring 2021—you can preorder it here. The cookbook is for brand new or seasoned home cooks looking to infuse fresh ideas into their weeknight cooking routine, which is why this month, to celebrate its release, we’ll focus on all the different ways to tackle dinner throughout the week, and share tips and tricks from our chefs and editors. All month long, you’ll get exclusive sneak peeks into Anyone Can Cook, plus plenty of new, satisfying, and versatile recipe ideas to rely on the whole week through.

Are you sensing a pattern here? Because I sure am. It’s 2020 and although this year has brought me a lot of mystery (I am seeing 20s everywhere!) nothing is as mysterious as the noises my stomach makes the second I come home from work. If you have felt this way before, you will agree with me that sometimes the thought of standing in the kitchen and cooking for two hours just isn’t that appealing. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love cooking and the concept of developing intense flavors through slow and long processes, like stewing or roasting. But sometimes I just really want to whip up something easy, fast, and super delicious.

Time can play an essential role in cooking, but it doesn’t have to: Here are 20 recipes that bring a lot of flavor to the table in just a little time.

20 min

9.6k

Tuna steak with cucumber guacamole

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20 min

vegan

26k

5-ingredient pasta with red pepper pesto

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15 min

vegetarian

9.2k

Shakshuka bowl

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20 min

vegetarian

17.2k

Palak paneer

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25 min

vegan

5.5k

Zoodle salad with tahini dressing

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1:20 h

vegetarian

10k

Spicy cheese-stuffed naan

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20 min

20.2k

Chinese eggplant with spicy garlic sauce

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1:20 h

6.5k

Chicken tikka sandwich

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20 min

vegetarian

17.2k

Vegetarian tacos with lime-yogurt dip

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20 min

40.8k

Gnocchi with peas and Parmesan

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20 min

82.2k

Classic spaghetti carbonara

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30 min

35.9k

Marinated shrimp with mango salsa

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20 min

vegetarian

36.7k

Refined chickpea salad

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15 min

vegetarian

2.2k

Endive, burrata, and beet salad with candied walnuts

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20 min

22.4k

5-ingredient classic BLT (Bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich)

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20 min

vegetarian

12.3k

Orecchiette with green beans and pistachio pesto

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15 min

13.3k

5-ingredient kimchi grilled cheese and simple salad

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20 min

vegan

6k

Chinese cold noodles

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20 min

15.3k

5-ingredient stir-fried udon noodles with spinach and beef

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15 min

10.5k

Herby French omelette

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What is your favorite go-to quick recipe for a weeknight dinner? Let us know in the comments, or upload it to Kitchen Stories for the whole community to enjoy.