While I am a big fan of recipes that take a few minutes of hands on time, and then get tossed into the oven to bake or roast, or into a pot to braise, sometimes we all just need to get dinner on the table, and NOW. The fact that a pork shoulder roast requires almost no attention from me once it’s in the oven, or that a chili can bubble away largely unattended on the stove is all well and good—when you have the time.

Chicken with Tomato and Leek Pan Sauce with Jasmine Rice

But when the clock is ticking and your people are hungry, minutes count. Here are 20 ways to get dinner on the table in about 20 minutes. (Sometimes you’ll need to add a salad, but there’s time to throw that together in between steps.)

When the clock is ticking and your people are hungry, minutes count. Here are 20 ways to get dinner on the table in about 20 minutes. 

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20 20-Minute Meals

15-Minute Hoisin Shrimp

Hoisin Shrimp

You won’t believe how flavorful this shrimp stir fry is —and ready in the blink of the eye.

Kale Pesto and Goat Cheese Omelet

Kale Pesto and Goat Cheese Omelet

Stuffed with good things and lots of flavor.

Creamy Goat Cheese and Spinach Linguine / Photo by Kerri Brewer / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Creamy Goat Cheese and Spinach Linguine

A handful ingredients on a crappy cold night when I could not make it out to the store turned into one of the most spectacular pastas.

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry with Udon Noodles / Photo by Cheyenne Cohen / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry with Udon Noodles

Plump shrimp, crisp-tender broccoli, and a tangle of udon noodles.

Pan Seared Fish with Tomato Basil Relish / Laura Agra / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Pan Seared Fish with Tomato Basil Relish

Fish plus three basic ingredients plus 20 minutes gets you this for dinner. Think of this during tomato season.

Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Vegetarian Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is portable and flexible. It’s also a nice way to play around with the vegetables of the season.

Vegetarian Greek pasta salad in bowl

Vegetarian Greek Pasta

Feta, zucchini and tomato are classic Greek ingredients and they come together in this pasta like they’ve know each other forever.

5-Ingredient Pasta: Campanelle with Chicken Sausage, Kale and Olives / Mia / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Chicken Sausage Pasta

This flavorful 5-ingredient pasta features chicken sausage (or the sausage of your choice), plus nutritious kale.

Basic Mac and Cheese

Homemade Mac and Cheese

Forget that box. In about 20 minutes, you can be eating the real deal.

Creole Shrimp

Creole Shrimp

The kind of saucy shrimp that is served along with plenty of crusty bread for sopping up the sauce.

Pasta with Creamy Sundried Tomato and Scallion Sauce / Mandy Maxwell / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Pasta with Creamy Sundried Tomato and Scallion Sauce

Sometimes one of the most appealing things about a recipe is the small amount of time it takes in front of the stove.

Pasta with Fennel, Bacon and Parmesan

Pasta with Fennel, Bacon and Parmesan

At once elegant and peasant-ish, these few ingredients come together in a kind of classy way.

Simple Asian Salmon with Sautéed Corn and Zucchini / Carrie Crow / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Simple Asian Salmon

4 ingredients, not including the salmon. Wow, right?

Spicy Lemon Shrimp Over Rice / Katie Workman / themom100.com / Photo by Cheyenne Cohen

Spicy Lemon Shrimp Over Rice

Like a cleaner, fresher shrimp scampi.

Cod with Simplest Fresh Herb Sauce / Carrie Crow / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Cod with Simplest Fresh Herb Sauce

Simple, clean and delicious.

Sautéed Chicken with Spinach and Red Onions / Mandy Maxwell / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Sautéed Chicken with Spinach and Red Onions

A delicious weeknight warrior dinner.

Spinach, Mushroom, and Chicken Quesadillas / Sarah Crowder / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Spinach, Mushroom, and Chicken Quesadillas

A chicken quesadilla recipe to keep changing up.

Chicken with Tomato and Leek Pan Sauce with Jasmine Rice

Chicken with Tomato and Leek Pan Sauce with Jasmine Rice

A summery pan sauce turns a package of chicken breasts into a colorful quick dinner.

Buffalo Turkey Burger Sliders / Carrie Crow / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Buffalo Turkey Burger Sliders

I love the idea of comfort-bar food at home, and these have that amazing buffalo-wing flavor.

Garlicky Shrimp and Broccoli with Meyer Lemon

Garlicky Shrimp and Broccoli

So simple, it’s almost not a recipe.

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