Our favourite recipes for a speedy dinner
We've got you covered with our quick and easy recipes, ready in 15 mins or under!
Sometimes we’re just not in the mood for cooking, which is why it’s always useful to have quick dinner ideas you can go to whenever you want to cut down time in the kitchen.
There are plenty of quick recipes that use shortcuts or cheat’s ingredients and they don't compromise on flavour either!
We love gnocchi because it’s easy to cook and still feels substantial making it a great base for a quick recipe like our artichoke and ham gnocchi which is ready in 10 mins.
Having pre-cooked chicken to hand can also make a perfect quick dinner idea, whether added to an easy curry recipe like our speedy chicken laksa or a comforting cheat’s chicken noodle soup. Leftover chicken, after a Sunday roast, can be one of the easiest ingredients to use up.
Fish recipes can also be quick and easy dinner ideas. This recipe for parmesan and herby haddock can be ready in just 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the haddock fillets you use. See also our zingy fish one-pan which is so easy, most of the ingredients can be added to one roasting tray and baked until the fillets are cooked through (usually 10-12mins). Pre-cooked prawns can be added top this prawn green curry - ready in just 10 minutes
Finally, few recipes are as reliably quick as a stir-fry and this one for yaki udon Japanese noodles is ready in 15mins and is wonderfully comforting filled with shiitake mushrooms and red peppers.
Speedy Chicken Laksa
This chicken laksa is ready in 10mins making it one of our quickest and easiest dinner ideas. Use a green Thai curry paste, if you prefer.
Recipe: Speedy Chicken Laksa
Yaki Udon Noodles
This quick and comforting Japanese noodle stir-fry is a dinner idea that's ready in 15mins.
Recipe: Yaki Udon Noodles
Artichoke and Ham Gnocchi
Mixing milk and crème fraîche together in this simple gnocchi recipe creates a foolproof creamy sauce in seconds.
Recipe: Artichoke and ham gnocchi
Spring Bruschetta
The sweet bitterness of marmalade works wonderfully with creamy goat’s cheese.
Recipe: Spring bruschetta
Deli-Style Pastrami Sandwich
Inspired by the classic New York 'pastrami on rye', this sarnie is packed full of delicious ingredients
Recipe: Deli-Style Pastrami Sandwich
Greek Salad Flatbreads
These flatbreads make a simple lunch or quick midweek dinner.
Recipe: Greek salad flatbreads
Huevos Rancheros
This classic Mexican dish is the perfect one-pan supper – quick and packs a punch!
Recipe: Huevos Rancheros
Pulled Ham Bun with Coleslaw
A no-cook barbecue sauce and ready cooked ham hock are perfect partners in this quick and simple recipe.
Recipe: Pulled ham bun with coleslaw
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Ready-roasted peppers are an ideal time-saving ingredient - perfect in soups, salads and stews.
Zingy One-Pan Fish
This all-in-one meal is assembled in a flash and cooks in no time.
Recipe: Zingy fish one-pan
Cheat's Chicken Noodle Soup
Ready in 10min, this no-cook soup uses hot water from a kettle to make an instant noodle soup.
Recipe: Cheat's chicken noodle soup
Crusted Parmesan and Herby haddock
This healthy meal can be on the table in under half an hour.
Chicken, Mango and Chickpea Curry
A good-quality paste and a tin of coconut milk make the base for a great curry - and the sweetness of the mango contrasts well with the spices.
Speedy Chicken Pilaf
Express rice stops this pilaf being a faff.
Recipe: Speedy Chicken Pilaf
Lentil and Bacon Pasta
Add some flavour and substance to your pasta dish with some lentil and bacon additions.
Recipe: Lentil and Bacon Pasta
Spiced-Up Salmon Noodles
Better than a take-away, these salmon noodles also make a great packed lunch
Recipe: Spiced-Up Salmon Noodles
Mackerel Superfood Salad
Our smoked mackerel superfood salad is packed with good-for-you ingredients your family will love.
Recipe: Mackerel Superfood Salad
Hot-Smoked Salmon and Mascarpone Pasta
This delicious salmon dish can be rustled up in 15 minutes.
Mediterranean Salad
If you’re not a fan of smoked fish, this salad is just as delicious made with shredded chicken or feta cheese
Recipe: Mediterranean Salad
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
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