Superfast Stir-Fries and Sautes

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Wild Mushroom and Chicken Stir-Fry

Adding new varieties of mushrooms is an easy way to give old standby recipes new life. This is a basic chicken stir-fry, but the addition of shiitake and oyster mushrooms, plus the deep savory flavor of oyster sauce, makes it something wholly unique. Try whatever fresh mushrooms you like for easy variations on this dish.

View Recipe: Wild Mushroom and Chicken Stir-Fry

Randy Mayor

Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

This recipe is just ridiculously fast. It takes literally six minutes to cook, start to finish. It's a complete meal, too: lean protein from shrimp, freshness and crunch from bell pepper and snow peas, and Asian flavor from sesame oil, ginger, and soy sauce. Who says home-cooked meals are time consuming?

View Recipe: Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

Randy Mayor

Pork and Stir-Fried Vegetables with Spicy Asian Sauce

The great thing about stir-fries is that they're so open to variation. Out of pork? Use chicken, beef, or tofu. Don't like zucchini? Try mushrooms instead. No matter which meats and veggies you choose, the sweet-spicy sauce will complement them well.

View Recipe: Pork and Stir-Fried Vegetables with Spicy Asian Sauce

Sauteed Tilapia with Honey-Scallion Dressing

Randy Mayor

Sautéed Tilapia with Honey-Scallion Dressing

Tilapia's a great fish―inexpensive, mild-flavored, and easy to find at any supermarket―and a great way to get lean protein into your diet. This recipe coaxes nice, balanced flavor from a six-ingredient dressing that's as great on the fish as on the salad greens over which it's served.

View Recipe: Sautéed Tilapia with Honey-Scallion Dressing

Photo: John Autry

Cantonese-Style Shrimp and Napa Cabbage

Serve this dish with a side of brown rice or soba noodles.

View Recipe: Cantonese-Style Shrimp and Napa Cabbage

Photo: John Autry

Sesame Beef Stir-Fry

If presliced beef is not available, ask your butcher to thinly slice flank steak or boneless sirloin steak.

View Recipe: Sesame Beef Stir-Fry

Photo: John Autry

Beef-Broccoli Stir-Fry

A takeout favorite gets a superfast (and healthy) makeover that everyone will love. Savory sirloin gets a splash of vibrant green and kick of fresh flavor with broccoli florets and sliced green onions. Serve over white rice for a delicious and satisfying meal.

View Recipe: Beef-Broccoli Stir-Fry

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Stir-Fried Beef with Ginger-Carrot Sauce

Here's an easy recipe for heat lovers: quick-cooked tender flank steak with a spicy sauce of ginger, vegetables, and chile paste. You can adjust the heat to your family's liking by reducing or increasing the chile paste, but be sure to serve more on the side in case anyone wants an extra kick.

View Recipe: Stir-Fried Beef with Ginger-Carrot Sauce

Randy Mayor

Sautéed Plantains (Plátanos Fritos)

This ultra-simple three-ingredient recipe takes less than 10 minutes, but results in surprising South American flavor. Using somewhat ripe plantains adds a sweet tinge to the starchy fruit, and sautéing gives the pieces a caramelized, slightly crispy exterior.

View Recipe: Sautéed Plantains (Plátanos Fritos)

Randy Mayor

Sautéed Clams Parmesan

Fresh clams are an inexpensive and fast way to add variety to your weeknight meal schedule, and they're available at the fish counter of most supermarkets. They cook in a bit of lemon juice for just eight minutes here, opening and releasing their juices to create a briny broth that begs for pasta or bread to sop it up. The easy topping of Parmesan cheese and herbs completes the meal.

View Recipe: Sautéed Clams Parmesan

Jeff Kauck

Corn and Summer Vegetable Sauté

All the fresh flavors of summer are here in one bowl, minimally seasoned to highlight the tastes of the vegetables themselves and containing only 90 calories per hearty serving. Fresh corn and okra are best, of course, but if you're craving hot-weather flavor when it's snowing, both are available frozen year-round.

View Recipe: Corn and Summer Vegetable Sauté

Sauteed Snapper with Plum Tomatoes and Spinach

Lee Harrelson

Sautéed Snapper with Plum Tomatoes and Spinach

The acidity of tomatoes and white wine and the slight bitterness of spinach make a nice counterpoint to mild-flavored snapper in this simple-but-elegant dish. Many kinds of fish make great substitutes here―cod, halibut, even salmon. Pair with a lightly dressed or sauced pasta for an easy Mediterranean meal.

View Recipe: Sautéed Snapper with Plum Tomatoes and Spinach

Lee Harrelson

Stir-Fried Chicken Salad

This recipe marinates chicken, stir-fries it, makes a pan sauce, and puts together a salad, all in just about eight minutes. What more could you want for an easy weeknight dinner?

View Recipe: Stir-Fried Chicken Salad

Sauteed Escarole, Corn, and White Bean Salad

Lee Harrelson

Sautéed Escarole, Corn, and White Bean Salad

Though often used as a salad green, escarole benefits greatly from a quick sauté in this light main-dish salad. With white beans for body (and a big nutritional punch), pancetta for meaty flavor, and zucchini and corn for freshness, this dish makes a great choice for a home-cooked dinner on a busy night.

View Recipe: Sautéed Escarole, Corn, and White Bean Salad

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

Honey and fresh orange juice brighten this dish, which also adds chile paste for an unexpected but wholly welcome heat. It can be served over rice for a full meal in a bowl or on a plate, or try udon or somen noodles for a different but just-as-easy twist.

View Recipe: Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

Lee Harrelson

Coconut Curried Pork, Snow Pea, and Mango Stir-Fry

Here's a great Thai version of a quick stir-fry. Curry spice meets coconut-milk creaminess to flavor perennial-favorite pork tenderloin, fresh snow peas, and sweet mango. This dish makes it super-easy to bring something a little exotic to your weeknight table.

View Recipe: Coconut Curried Pork, Snow Pea, and Mango Stir-Fry

Sauteed Bass with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

Randy Mayor

Sautéed Bass with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

The almost meaty flavor of shiitakes really complements the firm, flaky texture of sautéed bass here. A few simple pantry ingredients―sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce―provide a nice Asian note to balance and unify the dish.

View Recipe: Sautéed Bass with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Ginger, Beef, and Green Bean Stir-Fry

There may be a lot of Asian-style stir-fries in this gallery, but that's only because they're so fast, provide so much flavor, and come in so many varieties. This one pairs tender steak and vegetables with the sweet spice of hoisin sauce and the moderate heat of chili garlic sauce. The colorful result looks great on a bed of white rice, and nobody has to know it took less than 15 minutes.

View Recipe: Ginger, Beef, and Green Bean Stir-Fry

Beau Gustafson

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-Fry

This recipe is a model of versatility for a quick weeknight dinner. You can swap out the shrimp for chicken, steak, or even tofu, and replace the broccoli with any other quick-cooking vegetable you like (yellow squash, pea pods, or eggplant are all great choices). The easy cornstarch-thickened sauce will go with just about any stir-fried veggies or meats as well, with its balanced blend of tart rice vinegar, salty soy sauce, and nutty sesame oil.

View Recipe: Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Randy Mayor

Thai Chicken Sauté

This dish incorporates the four tastes that make up classic Thai flavor: hot from Sriracha, sour from lime juice, salty from fish sauce, and sweet from coconut milk. With quick-cooking chicken, these ingredients come together in a flash for a simple dinner served over rice that's ready in less than 10 minutes.

View Recipe: Thai Chicken Sauté

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Cooking with Summer Squash

A bumper crop of squash can challenge the inventiveness of the most dedicated cook. Use these tasty summer veggies in pasta dishes, soup recipes, and more.

Get fresh flavor in about five minutes with this dish. Quick-cooking baby squash (you can substitute sliced regular squash or zucchini) combines with basil and salty feta for a side that can match all sorts of dishes―try it with everything from grilled salmon to pasta.

View Recipe: Sautéed Baby Squash with Basil and Feta

Sauteed Tilapia with Lemon-Peppercorn Pan Sauce

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Sautéed Tilapia with Lemon-Peppercorn Pan Sauce

This recipe produces an elegant dish that nobody will know took about 15 minutes to make. Brown and crisp on both sides but tender and flaky within, tilapia fillets are topped with a bright, lemony sauce highlighted by the piquant spice of green peppercorns. This is a dish you can serve to company, but it's just as comfortable at the weeknight family table.

View Recipe: Sautéed Tilapia with Lemon-Peppercorn Pan Sauce

Randy Mayor

Hoisin Pork and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

Hoisin sauce is an often overlooked item that really deserves a place in every pantry. It adds big flavors with very little effort, and a little goes a long way, keeping recipes healthful. It also matches lots of different foods very well, whether meats or vegetables. Here, it gives ample flavor to a simple combination of pork, snow peas, and bell pepper.

View Recipe: Hoisin Pork and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

Photo: John Autry

Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Vary the veggies to your family's tastes—sliced carrots or snow peas would be good substitutions.

View Recipe: Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Superfast Stir-Fries and Sautés

Wild Mushroom and Chicken Stir-Fry

Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

Pork and Stir-Fried Vegetables with Spicy Asian Sauce

Sautéed Tilapia with Honey-Scallion Dressing

Cantonese-Style Shrimp and Napa Cabbage

Sesame Beef Stir-Fry

Beef-Broccoli Stir-Fry

Stir-Fried Beef with Ginger-Carrot Sauce

Sautéed Plantains (Plátanos Fritos)

Sautéed Clams Parmesan

Corn and Summer Vegetable Sauté

Sautéed Snapper with Plum Tomatoes and Spinach

Stir-Fried Chicken Salad

Sautéed Escarole, Corn, and White Bean Salad

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

Coconut Curried Pork, Snow Pea, and Mango Stir-Fry

Sautéed Bass with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

Ginger, Beef, and Green Bean Stir-Fry

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Thai Chicken Sauté

Cooking with Summer Squash

Sautéed Tilapia with Lemon-Peppercorn Pan Sauce

Hoisin Pork and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry