Our Most Popular 30-Minute Meals of the Year

We’re big believers in the fact that you can never have too many 30-minute meals in your kitchen arsenal. At the end of a long day at work or school, we often want delicious food fast — and that’s where these recipes come in. The thing they all have in common is that none of them take long to make, but they all still deliver on flavor. Basically, they’re the perfect thing to reach for when you don’t want to spend forever in the kitchen — but you still want to eat well. These 10 recipes are our most popular 30-minute meals from the year.

If it seems like every Kitchn editor is obsessed with this recipe, it’s because we are. Steak tips are an underutilized cut, and quickly cooking them with mushrooms and a simple glaze truly makes you a dinner hero.

While I’d argue that classic risotto can be a quick weeknight dinner, this orzo is actually a quick dinner with all the same high points. The orzo cooks quickly but gives off plenty of starch, and the Parmesan helps make a thick sauce that makes this as creamy and comforting as risotto can be.

Instant Pot Spaghetti is the one recipe that truly transformed how I think about the Instant Pot. I used to joke that the appliance was a culinary time machine and now I truly believe it to be one. Case in point: Make your regular weeknight spaghetti with one pot and in 20 minutes from start-to-serve with this technique.

Here’s the promise that not all 30-minute meals are pasta. They can be straight-forward and balanced, plus equally satisfying. Cutting the chicken into smaller strips ensures they get browned on all sides (remember: caramelization equals flavor) and that they cook quickly.

Yup, pasta without boiling any water is possible. Even better, you can roast your vegetables and cook your gnocchi at the same time. I’m looking forward to using this technique even more in the year to come.

Pork chops are sautéed with juicy plums, but this technique could easily be recreated with other in-season fruit. Pears, peaches, or cherries would be great choices to accompany pork in a hot-and-fast skillet.

I’ve cooked some variation on this stir-fry for months now. It started this summer with an overwhelming amount of squash and continued into the fall and winter with broccoli, sweet potatoes, and even from-frozen butternut squash. Serve over quick-cooking ramen noodles or reheat with frozen rice to complete the meal.

Let’s be real: This recipe is basically buttered noodles for the grown-up set. (Although my kids adore it too!) You can easily serve these noodles with a gorgeous salad, good wine, and crusty bread for a low-key dinner party on a Tuesday night.

Who can resist a good burrito bowl? This technique requires a little finesse, but once you’ve mastered it you can easily adapt it for other proteins or mix-ins.

Tortellini is some of our favorite soup fodder. Shortcut this recipe even further with canned broth and frozen vegetables, but don’t skip on the spinach or lemon!