80 Meals Under 40 Minutes

80 Fast Menus!

Use this meal-planner guide to find menus that suit your weeknight fancy, and voilà: faster, healthier weeknight eating for your entire family.

To get a shopping list for a specific menu, click the View Menu link at the bottom of the slide. You will be taken to that menu's page on MyRecipes.com. From there, click Add to Shopping List to the right of the menu. You will be prompted to sign in to your personal Recipe File account. If you don't have an account, click Print Menu. From there, select the Shopping List option from the left column of the page.

• Click here to go directly to the April 2013 recipes.

Meal #1: Chicken Dinners

• Blackened Chicken with Dirty Rice
• Avocado–Butter Lettuce Salad

Meal #2: Chicken Dinners

• Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl
• Sautéed Butter-Thyme Mushrooms

Meal #3: Chicken Dinners

White BBQ Sauce is an Alabama staple condiment—peppery, creamy, and tangy; medium-thick. Here, we serve it with quick grill pan chicken, but you can also try it with: Grilled, roasted, or smoked chicken; shredded cabbage (for coleslaw); chicken or turkey sandwiches.

• Grill Pan Chicken
• White BBQ Sauce
• Garlicky Asparagus
• Wheat Rolls with Orange Butter

Meal #4: Chicken Dinners

Plenty of sautéed mushrooms give this sauce deep, meaty, umami flavor, balanced by a touch of acid from white wine. Medium-bodied texture. Other delicious pairings: Steak; roasted or grilled chicken or pork; mashed potatoes; shepherd's pie filling; hot cooked rice or egg noodles.

• Grill Pan Chicken
• Mushroom Sauce
• Creamed Spinach and Mushrooms
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Meal #5: For Seafood Lovers

Breading the flesh side of the fish allows the skin to crisp up on the other side.

• Pecan-Crusted Trout
• Creamed Spinach and Mushrooms
• Steamed Sugar Snap Peas

Meal #6: For Seafood Lovers

Fish is a great choice for quick dinners—most fillets cook to perfection in less than 10 minutes. You can use pecans, walnuts, or pine nuts in place of hazelnuts. To streamline prep, roast the asparagus together with the suggested potato side dish.

• Hazelnut-Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus
• Roasted Red Potatoes

Meal #7: For Seafood Lovers

• Shrimp and Pea Rice Bowl
• Wheat Rolls with Orange Butter

Meal #8: For Seafood Lovers

Our warm bacon vinaigrette is salty, smoky, and tart. Thin-bodied, with chunks of bacon crumbles and chopped shallots. Here, we pair it with basic striped bass. Some other options: Main-dish green salad with shredded rotisserie chicken; grilled or roasted chicken or trout; seared scallops; steamed or sautéed green beans or asparagus; roasted Brussels sprouts.

• Basic Striped Bass
• Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Sautéed Butter-Thyme Mushrooms

Meal #9: Sandwich Night

• Hummus-Stuffed Pitas
• Steamed Sugar Snap Peas

Meal #10: Sandwich Night

• Pan-Seared Flank Steak
• Cheddar Cheese Sauce
• Sourdough toast
• Mixed Greens Salad

Meal #11: Sandwich Night

• Grilled Veggie and Hummus Wraps
• Avocado–Butter Lettuce Salad

Meal #12: Sandwich Night

• Open-Faced Hummus Sandwiches
• Garlicky Asparagus

Meal #13: Sandwich Night

• Hummus “Cheesesteak” Hoagies
• Napa Cabbage Slaw

Meal #14: Sandwich Night

• Roasted Pork Tenderloin
• Tzatziki
• Pita bread
• Avocado–Butter Lettuce Salad

Meal #15: Salad Meals

• Romaine, Asparagus, and Watercress Salad with Shrimp
• Wheat Rolls with Orange Butter

Meal #16: Salad Meals

• Avocado Chicken Salad on tortilla chips
• Garlicky Asparagus

Meal #17: Salad Meals

We made a classic Greek sauce of creamy yogurt and cucumber for the base of this tangy salad.

• Tzatziki Chicken Salad on pita chips
• Mixed Greens Salad

Meal #19: Salad Meals

A combo of yogurt and mayo gives a traditional chicken salad more zip. We like the richness of white and dark meat, but you can use all one type.

• Creamy Tarragon Chicken Salad on whole-grain crackers
• Steamed Sugar Snap Peas

Meal #19: Salad Meals

Crunchy green beans and juicy tomatoes create a beautiful salad.

• Chicken and Green Bean Salad on crostini
• Roasted Red Potatoes

Meal #20: Meaty Meals

• Pan-Grilled Flank Steak with Soy-Mustard Sauce
• Garlicky Asparagus
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Meal #21: Meaty Meals

• Sausage-Spinach Rice Bowl
• Garlicky Asparagus

Meal #22: Meaty Meals

• Pan-Seared Flank Steak
• Mushroom Sauce
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Butter-Roasted Carrots

Meal #23: Meaty Meals

The lightly meaty, flour-thickened chicken broth base for our quick gravy is enriched with cream cheese for a smooth, medium-bodied, herb-flecked sauce. Paired here with roasted pork tenderloin, try also with: Grilled or roasted chicken, pork, or turkey; meatballs; potpie fillings; mashed potatoes, savory bread pudding, or oven fries.

• Roasted Pork Tenderloin
• Quick Gravy
• Roasted Red Potatoes
• Steamed Sugar Snap Peas

Meal #24: Global Fusions

Use all white sesame seeds if black seeds are unavailable.

• Sesame Tuna with Edamame and Soba
• Napa Cabbage Slaw

Meal #25: Global Fusions

• Grill Pan Chicken
• Ponzu
• Brown Rice with Sesame
• Sautéed Snow Peas and Peppers

Meal #26: Global Fusions

• Basic Striped Bass
• Chimichurri
• Roasted Red Potatoes
• Garlicky Asparagus

Meal #27: Global Fusions

• Sautéed Shrimp
• Saffron Aioli
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Mixed Greens Salad

Meal #28: Fiery Flavors

Substitute lower-sodium soy sauce if fish sauce is difficult to find. The flavor won't be as complex, but soy sauce will still add a salty note. You can also substitute thinly sliced Thai bird chiles or jalapeño for the sambal oelek—or leave it out completely if you'd rather enjoy a mild dish.

• Spicy Basil Chicken
• Brown Rice with Sesame
• Sautéed Snow Peas and Peppers

Meal #29: Fiery Flavors

• Sautéed Shrimp
• Wasabi Cream
• Brown Rice with Sesame
• Napa Cabbage Slaw

Meal #30: Fiery Flavors

• Tex-Mex Rice Bowl
• Avocado-Butter Lettuce Salad

Meal #31: Fiery Flavors

Editor Scott Mowbray proclaimed, "These are the best crab cakes we've ever made!" Try them out and see for yourself. For a milder Rémoulade sauce, omit the red pepper.

• Crab Cakes with Spicy Rémoulade
• Mixed Greens Salad

Meal #32: Healthy Pizzas

In the roster of shortcut ingredients, fresh pizza dough is an all-star. In as little as 30 minutes, you can make a fantastic pie with a crispy-chewy, deliciously browned crust, hot from the oven. And when you load it with fresh veggies: voilà, a wonderfully healthy salad pizza.

Each pizza is a complete meal. However, you can buy extra greens and have more salad on the side.

View Recipe: Beet Salad Pizza

Meal #33: Healthy Pizzas

Fresh dough, from the supermarket bakery section or from a local pizzeria, is our favorite to work with, though canned dough and prebaked crusts work fine in a pinch.

View Recipe: Sunny-Side-Up Pizza

Meal #34: Healthy Pizzas

Kitchen Tip: If the dough starts retracting and fighting you as you shape it, walk away for a couple of minutes; let it relax, and it will cooperate.

View Recipe: Tuna Salad Pizza

Meal #35: Healthy Pizzas

All your favorite steak house flavors and ingredients—blue cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, and beef tenderloin—come together for a delicious salad pizza.

View Recipe: Steak House Pizza

Meal #36: Pasta Dinners

For those nights when you just don't have the 12 minutes to cook dried fettuccine, reach for refrigerated fresh pasta: It's done in about two minutes. The texture is deliciously different: more delicate, with a slightly springy bounce. Yet, it's not too refined for a bold Bolognese, a meatball treatment, or a creamy vodka-tomato sauce. Fast Fact: These pasta dishes are ready, beautifully, in under half an hour.

For our first pasta menu: This Creamy Spring Pasta dish is luxuriously creamy, but the pasta soaks up the sauce quickly. Be sure to serve right away.

• Creamy Spring Pasta
• Butter Roasted Carrots

Meal #37: Pasta Dinners

• Shrimp Vodka Pasta
• Creamed Spinach and Mushrooms

Meal #38: Pasta Dinners

• Ricotta-Spinach Pasta
• Orange and Olive Salad

Meal #39: Pasta Dinners

• Pasta Pork Bolognese
• Steamed Sugar Snap Peas

Meal #40: Pasta Dinners

• Garlicky Meatball Pasta
• Avocado-Butter Lettuce Salad

Desserts: Last-Minute Tropical Sherbet

Extra! Extra! We put together a few sweets along parfait, pudding, and sundae lines—the perfect punctuation to any quick meal.

First up: Frozen fruit and yogurt get whirred together to make a tangy sherbet that's the texture of soft-serve. You can make it ahead, but don't freeze overnight; the mixture will become icy.

View Recipe: Last-Minute Tropical Sherbet

Desserts: Mango-Ginger Parfaits

Make a quick, creamy parfait by combining Greek yogurt with mascarpone cheese. Top with chopped fresh mango, gingersnap crumbs, and toasted coconut.

View Recipe: Mango-Ginger Parfaits

Desserts: Greek Yogurt with Warm Berry Sauce

Frozen berries make this a year-round treat. Although this is dessert, there's enough protein to consider it for breakfast.

View Recipe: Greek Yogurt with Warm Berry Sauce

Desserts: Coffee-Drenched Ice Cream with Banana and Nuts

This quick treat is a coffee-lover's dream. We used espresso, however feel free to substitute strong brewed coffee, or use instant coffee/espresso granules to make the coffee. A vegetable peeler is a great tool to make chocolate curls from a bar of chocolate.

View Recipe: Coffee-Drenched Ice Cream with Banana and Nuts

Desserts: Warm Mocha Pudding

If you've never tried a warm pudding, this is the one to try. The flavors are more up front when the pudding is warm.

View Recipe: Warm Mocha Pudding

Desserts: Limoncello Freeze

Mush together purchased ice cream, lemon curd (found near the jellies and jams), and limoncello, and you get a delicious lemony version of a Creamsicle—fruity-tangy and creamy-milky at the same time. Meringue cookies add welcome crunch.

View Recipe: Limoncello Freeze

Meal #41: Chicken Dinners

This quick braised dish tastes like it has been cooking for hours. We make ½-inch-deep cuts in the chicken to expedite the cook time.

• Chicken Braised in Wine and Rosemary
• Quick Chive Mashed Potatoes
• Asparagus with Lemon and Pecorino

Meal #42: Chicken Dinners

• Pan-Grilled Chicken with Chorizo Confetti
• Green Salad with Simple Vinaigrette
• Goat Cheese Crostini

Meal #43: Chicken Dinners

If you can’t find fresh tomatillos, substitute canned whole tomatillos and use less salt. Grilled lime wedges are a zesty garnish.

• Chicken with Quick Chile Verde
• Grapefruit, Walnut, and Feta Salad
• Herbed Corn Muffins

Meal #44: Chicken Dinners

Cutting half of the peas in half gives the dish a lovely look, but you can skip that step and leave them all whole, if you like.

• Chicken with Quick Chile Verde
• Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Potatoes
• Snap Pea and Radish Sauté

Meal #45: Chicken Dinners

Here we riff off the flavors of a Manhattan cocktail, which is traditionally made with rye whiskey or bourbon, maraschino cherries, and orange rind. For less of a bourbon kick, boil the bourbon in the sauce for a minute before spooning over the chicken.

• Manhattan-Glazed Chicken
• Glazed Baby Carrots
• Wilted Spinach with Fresh Chile

Meal #46: Chicken Dinners

• Chicken Cutlets with Tarragon-Mushroom Sauce
• Quinoa with Toasted Pine Nuts
• Snap Pea and Radish Sauté

Meal #47: Pizza Night

• Pizza Arrabbiata
• Grapefruit, Walnut, and Feta Salad

Meal #48: Pizza Night

• Pizza Arrabbiata
• Asparagus with Lemon and Pecorino

Meal #49: Pizza Night

• Spring Vegetable Pizza with Gremolata
• Creamy Tomato Soup

Meal #50: Pizza Night

• Chicken Tikka Pizzas
• Green Salad with Simple Vinaigrette

Meal #51: Pizza Night

• Four-Mushroom Pesto Pizza
• Celery and Parsley Salad

Meal #52: Pizza Night

• Philly Cheesesteak Pizza
• Smoky Haricots Verts and Mushrooms

Meal #53: Beefy Meals

• Spice-Rubbed New York Strip with Avocado-Lime Salsa
• Herbed Corn Muffins
• Quick Chilled Pea Soup

Meal #54: Beefy Meals

• Hamburger Steak with Onion Gravy
• Quick Chive Mashed Potatoes
• Smoky Haricots Verts and Mushrooms

Meal #55: Beefy Meals

• Bistro Steak with Red Wine Sauce
• Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Potatoes
• Asparagus with Lemon and Pecorino

Meal #56: Beefy Meals

• Bistro Steak with Red Wine Sauce
• Quinoa with Toasted Pine Nuts
• Celery and Parsley Salad

Meal #57: Beefy Meals

• Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff
• Glazed Baby Carrots

Meal #58: Beefy Meals

A splash of fish sauce adds a rich, savory flavor to the glaze, but it’s OK to omit if you don’t have it on hand.

• Hoisin-Glazed Steak with Sesame Vegetables
• Soba Noodle Salad

Meal #59: Salad Menus

• Tuna Salad Niçoise
• Goat Cheese Crostini

Meal #60: Salad Menus

• Vegetable Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese
• Quick Chilled Pea Soup

Meal #61: Salad Menus

• BLT Salad with Eggs Sunny Side Up
• Creamy Tomato Soup

Meal #62: Salad Menus

Hit up the farmers’ market for the freshest spring veggies. You can also try the dish with shrimp, salmon, or pork in place of chicken.

• Spring Garden Salad with Chicken and Champagne Vinaigrette
• Herbed Corn Muffins

Meal #63: Salad Menus

• Warm Potato and Steak Salad
• Smoky Haricots Verts and Mushrooms

Meal #64: Fish and Seafood Feasts

There are a number of sustainable salmon options available; look for U.S.-caught and U.S.-farmed fish.

• Roasted Salmon with Soy-Marmalade Glaze
• Snap Pea and Radish Sauté
• Quinoa with Toasted Pine Nuts

Meal #65: Fish and Seafood Feasts

There are a number of sustainable salmon options available; look for U.S.-caught and U.S.-farmed fish.

• Roasted Salmon with Soy-Marmalade Glaze
• Soba Noodle Salad
• Wilted Spinach with Fresh Chile

Meal #66: Fish and Seafood Feasts

Look for U.S.-caught Alaska cod, gray cod, or true cod.

• Panko-Crusted Cod with Tomato-Basil Relish
• Creamy Tomato Soup
• Soba Noodle Salad

Meal #67: Fish and Seafood Feasts

U.S.-farmed rainbow trout (pretty much all you’ll find at the market) is a sustainable choice.

• Rainbow Trout with Seared Sugar Snaps
• Glazed Baby Carrots
• Quick Chive Mashed Potatoes

Meal #68: Fish and Seafood Feasts

All mussels are sustainable stars. They’re surprisingly affordable, too.

• Mussels in Smoky Poblano-Cilantro Broth
• Green Salad with Simple Vinaigrette
• Goat Cheese Crostini

Meal #69: Fish and Seafood Feasts

Choose U.S. wild-caught halibut. The sauce would be tasty with cod or inexpensive tilapia.

• Grilled Halibut with Tarragon Beurre Blanc
• Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Potatoes
• Asparagus with Lemon and Pecorino

Meal #70: Sandwich Suppers

• Open-Faced Apricot-Chipotle Chicken Club
• Snap Pea and Radish Sauté

Meal #71: Sandwich Suppers

Quickly make carrot ribbons with your vegetable peeler.

• Soy-Marinated Pork Sandwiches
• Soba Noodle Salad

Meal #72: Sandwich Suppers

If you don’t have almonds on hand, use any nut.

• Portobello Sandwiches with Red Pepper Sauce
• Grapefruit, Walnut, and Feta Salad

Meal #73: Sandwich Suppers

• Steak Sandwiches with Fresh Herb Topping
• Celery and Parsley Salad

Meal #74: Sandwich Suppers

• Cornmeal-Crusted Tilapia Sandwiches with Jicama Slaw
• Quick Chilled Pea Soup

Meal #75: Mac and Cheese Menus

• Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
• Creamy Tomato Soup

Meal #76: Mac and Cheese Menus

• Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
• Green Salad with Simple Vinaigrette

Meal #77: Mac and Cheese Menus

• Blush Mac and Cheese with Tomatoes
• Celery and Parsley Salad

Meal #78: Mac and Cheese Menus

• Poblano Mac and Cheese
• Grapefruit, Walnut, and Feta Salad

Meal #79: Mac and Cheese Menus

Chimichurri–the South American herb sauce typically served with meat–revs up basic mac and cheese with tangy flavors. You can also serve this in individual ramekins or small serving skillets.

• Chimichurri Mac and Cheese
• Glazed Baby Carrots

Meal #80: Mac and Cheese Menus

Dark beer lovers will appreciate the flavor: cheesy up front and slightly bitter and malty at the end. Garnish with parsley for a pop of color.

• Stout Mac and Cheese
• Wilted Spinach with Fresh Chile

Desserts: Dark Cherry Merlot Sauce over Yogurt

Homemade sweets on a busy weeknight? Yes, with our fast recipes that complement any meal.

First up: We love the flavor of a tangy fro-yo with this sweet sauce, but ice cream is also nice.

View Recipe: Dark Cherry Merlot Sauce over Yogurt

Desserts: Sparkling Raspberry Parfaits

Raspberry sparkling wine has a pretty pink color and lightly sweet flavor; you can use regular sparkling wine for a less sweet dessert. Or you can skip the alcohol and use raspberry-flavored seltzer water instead.

View Recipe: Sparkling Raspberry Parfaits

Desserts: Granola Cookie Wedges

Instead of taking the time to scoop individual cookies, bake a superfast cookie “pie,” and then cut it into wedges.

View Recipe: Granola Cookie Wedges

Desserts: Balsamic Strawberries over Angel Food Cake

Use good aged vinegar for the best flavor in this dessert recipe.

View Recipe:  Balsamic Strawberries over Angel Food Cake

Desserts: Wine-Poached Pears with Raspberries

This fruity dessert is fast to make but has a subtle touch of sophistication.

View Recipe: Wine-Poached Pears with Raspberries