It was a long day at the office and the last thing you want to do is spend hours whipping up a dinner-for-one; but who say something flavorful has to take forever? If you could dine on elegant flavors without making it into some big production, would you?
Then you should try any of these 12 15-minute recipes for a dinner that’s going to satisfy – and do so quick!
Sweet & Spicy Salmon
Love the light and fresh taste of salmon but also want something to kick it up a notch? You’ll definitely want to try this Sweet & Spicy delight!
Ingredients:
36 oz skinless fresh salmon fillets
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tbp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp olive oil
Directions:
- Mix all dry spices together in a small bowl
- Spray the salmon with cooking spray and rub with the dry rub
- In a saute pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over a medium heat
- Add salmon and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on one side
- Flip and allow to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes on the other side
Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Sliders are quick and easy and with buffalo chicken as the focus protein, they’re also incredibly flavorful! Check out the robust flavors with this simple recipe.
Ingredients:
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 tbsp unsalted butter
⅔ cup buffalo sauce
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
16 slider rolls, halved
¾ cup blue cheese, crumbled
6 leaves butter lettuce, roughly torn
Directions:
- Melt butter over medium heat in a small skillet and stir in buffalo sauce
- Remove from heat one blended
- Toss chicken and celery in a large bowl and add the hot buffalo sauce
- Add buffalo chicken mixture onto a roll or bread and top with blue cheese and lettuce
Margherita Flatbread Pizza
We all love pizza, but we don’t always shave the time to wait for delivery. For a homemade, fresh alternative, try this flatbread alternative!
Ingredients:
1 naan bread
3 pieces of 13” – 1/2” sliced mozzarella cheese
1 tomato, sliced thin
6 basil leaves
3 pressed garlic cloves
1.5 tbsp of olive oil
1.5 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt and pepper
Directions:
- Mix garlic and olive oil
- Brush naan bread with garlic and oil mixture, using only half the mixture
- Place bread in preheated oven (350°) for 5 minutes for crispness
- Place 3 slices of cheese on naan bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Top cheese with tomato slices
- Place pizza back in oven for 5 minutes
- Turn oven to broil for 3 minutes (or until cheese bubbles and melts)
- When naan bread turns golden around the edges, remove from oven
- Mix remaining oil and garlic with balsamic and mix until smooth
- Finely chop basil leaves
- Drizzle balsamic and oil mixture on pizza and garnish with basil
Gouda Quesadilla
Ah, there’s nothing like the cheesy, crispy goodness of a quesadilla, but to keep from getting bland, let’s spice it up with a different type of cheese and some hearty ingredients!
Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
2 bell peppers, sliced thin
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
16 oz fresh sliced mushrooms (white)
1 ¼ cup shredded gouda cheese
10 flour tortillas
Directions:
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat
- Add onions and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft
- Add sliced peppers and saute for 5 minutes until soft
- Place onion and peppers into bowl
- Clean skillet with a wet paper towel
- Add 1 ½ tbsp. of butter and allow melt over medium-low heat
- Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes, until golden brown
- Add to peppers and onions
- Clean skillet again
- Add ½ tbsp. butter and let melt
- Place one tortilla, followed by 2 tbsp cheese, 1/3 cup of pepper/onion/mushroom mix, another 2 tbsp cheese, and one more tortilla
- Once assembled, press ingredients together with a spatula and carefully flip it
- Let brown for 2 to 3 minutes
- Remove from heat and cut into wedges
Sriracha Cauliflower Stir-Fry
We know what you’re thinking. “Ugh, cauliflower?!” But bear with us, because this is certainly not your average take on the vegetable!
Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces
1 green onion, sliced small
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lemon, cut in half
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 bottle sriracha sauce
Directions:
- In large skillet, saute cauliflower in vegetable oil
- Stir until it starts to turn brown
- Add soy sauce
- Add lime juice
- Add green onion
- Cook until cauliflower starts to crisp
- Add sriracha sauce (add based on your desired heat level)
- Stir and let sit for 30 seconds
French Dip Sandwich
Ah, a classic sandwich. Nothing tastes better than meat and melted cheese dipped in a slightly salty broth.
Ingredients:
1 lb roast beef, sliced thin (deli style works)
2 can beef broth
2 pinch ground black pepper
1 pinch garlic powder
1 pinch corn starch
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp horseradish spread
6 slices provolone cheese
6 hoagie rolls
Directions:
- Set oven to High Broil and cook broth over medium heat
- Add pepper and garlic powder to broth
- Once boiled, reduce flame to low and add roast beef
- Cook uncovered for 5 minutes
- Combine mayonnaise and horseradish
- Cut hoagies and spread mixture
- Remove roast beef from broth and place on the roll
- Top roast beef with provolone and broil for 3 minutes
- Add corn starch to broth to thicken and remove from heat once mixed
One-Pot Pasta Limone
Trying to cook a fancy pasta dish usually takes way too many pots and pans to get right, making clean-up a nightmare. Not with this light and flavorful feast!
Ingredients:
12 oz spaghetti or linguine
4 ½ cups water
2 leeks, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 lemon, juiced and zested
3 sprigs of basil
1 tsp kosher salt
¾ tsp ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Combine pasta, water, leeks, garlic, lemon zest, basil, salt and pepper in large skillet
- Bring water to a boil, stirring to keep from sticking
- Add lemon juice and Parmesan cheese
- Toss to combine
- Add salt and pepper to taste
Blackened Tilapia
Think it takes forever to get that real blackened taste on any protein? Check out this tilapia dish to see just how wrong that is!
Ingredients:
4 – 6 oz tilapia fillets
1 ½ tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
¾ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 lime, wedged
2 tbsp olive oil
Directions:
- Combine paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, and salt in a bowl
- Mix well until combined
- Sprinkle mixed rub over both sides of each tilapia filet
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat
- Cook filet for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until reddish-brown
- Serve with a lime wedge
Bourbon Street Rib-Eye Steak
There isn’t a word in that title that doesn’t make your mouth water, right? Make it to enjoy by yourself or impress your buddies with.
Ingredients:
4 – 6 oz beef rib-eye steaks
1 oven roasting bag, large
1 cup water
2/3 cup bourbon whiskey
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
Directions:
- Whisk water, bourbon whiskey, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and brown sugar in a bow
- Pour mixture into oven roasting bag and add rib-eyes
- Ensure each steak is coated generously, seal the bag, and marinate it overnight
- Preheat grill at high heat
- Grill each steak 1 to 2 minutes per side
- Move to cooler grate and let sit for 3 minutes per side
- Plate and serve
Avocado Macaroni and Cheese
Avocadoes are all the craze these days and what better pairing is there than mac and cheese? Really, what doesn’t mac and cheese go good with?
Ingredients:
1 lb elbow macaroni
16 cups water
1 ½ cup 1% milk
3 cloves garlic, chopped
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 avocados, halved and pitted
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped chives
Directions:
- Bring water to boil and add pasta
- While cooking, combine milk, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper in microwave-safe bowl
- Microwave mixture at 1 minute intervals on high until hot and melting
- Place 1 ½ of the avocados and 1 tbsp lemon juice in blender and pulse
- Add in cheese mixture and blend until smooth
- Chop ½ an avocado and toss into mixture
- Once pasta is cooked to your liking, mix cheese mixture with pasta and top with chopped avocado and chives
Grilled Skirt Steak with Pesto Butter
Looking for something flavorful, tender, and easy to make? Give this quick and easy steak dish a try and you may never eat anything but skirt steak again.
Ingredients:
1 ½ lb skirt steak
3 tbsp canola oil
1 pinch of kosher salt
1 pinch of ground black pepper
¼ cup store-bought basil pesto
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 lb thin asparagus
Directions:
- Preheat grill pan over high heat for 2 minutes
- Slice skirt steak into four even pieces
- Rub steak with 1.5 tbsp canola oil and season with salt and pepper
- Cook steak on grill pan, turning once charred on one side. Total cook time should be 6 to 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, allow to rest
- Whisk pesto, butter, salt and pepper in a bowl
- Trip asparagus edges and toss with remaining canola oil, salt and pepper
- Cook asparagus on grill pan in one layer, turning once charred
- Plate steaks and asparagus, adding pesto butter as desired
Nachos Supreme Dip
Who needs all of that fancy food when you can sit down with a nice hearty plate of nachos? Enjoy this after a hard day at work or for game night.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 oz condensed tomato soup
1 ½ cups water
1 ½ cups uncooked instant white rice
1 bottle chunky salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 bag tortilla chips
Directions:
- Cook ground beef and taco seasoning in skillet until beef is browned
- Drain excess fat
- Preheat oven to low broil
- Add soup, water, and rice to ground beef and heat to a boil
- Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes
- Move mixture to a baking dish and top with cheese
- Place mixture in oven and leave it until the cheese melts
- Remove from oven and top with salsa
- Serve with chips on the side