Collection

What to cook for guests in a hurry

Seventy dishes for a table when guests arrive in an hour: bruschetta, lavash rolls, tartlets, platters, salads, pan-cooked mains and no-bake desserts, all under 30 minutes with a price per serving. Ready tables: in an hour, no oven, on a budget, no cooking, dinner for two, for children.

70recipes
$0.36–$10.78per portion
5–35 minto cook
41–1045kcal per portion

Plan a week from this collection

Seventy dishes, none over 30 minutes, for setting a table when the guests are already on their way: thirty starters, from bruschetta, lavash rolls with salmon and crab sticks, tartlets and canapés to cheese balls, tomatoes with cheese, garlic croutons, nachos and platters; fourteen salads, among them crab, Caesar, Greek, caprese, shrimp and avocado, pear and blue cheese; nineteen pan-cooked mains, from cheese-topped cutlets and salmon pasta to garlic butter shrimp, quesadilla, khinkali and steak; seven no-bake desserts and drinks.

Every dish has a price per serving from average supermarket prices. Below are six ready tables with a total and cooking time; platters and a cheese board come together in ten minutes while the pasta water boils.

Ready menus

A table in an hour

Tomato bruschetta, crab salad, a salmon lavash roll, cheese-topped chicken cutlets, chocolate strawberries. The roll goes in the fridge first, then the salad, cutlets last.

Dinner for two in an hour

Caprese skewers, pear and blue cheese salad, salmon pasta in cream, cheesecake in a glass, a non-alcoholic berry mojito.

Salads 14

Crab Stick Rice Salad Dinner20 min508 kcal≈ $2.34

Caesar Salad with Chicken Dinner25 min590 kcal≈ $2.33

Shrimp Caesar Salad Dinner20 min554 kcal≈ $3.91

Greek salad with feta and bread Dinner15 min496 kcal≈ $3.21

Shopska Salad Dinner15 min443 kcal≈ $2.95

Caprese Platter Dinner10 min320 kcal≈ $2.20

Shrimp, Avocado, and Cherry Tomato Salad Dinner15 min319 kcal≈ $3.97

Pear, Blue Cheese & Walnut Salad Dinner12 min513 kcal≈ $4.08

Burrata, Cherry Tomatoes and Prosciutto Salad Dinner10 min870 kcal≈ $9.80

Smoked Chicken and Korean Carrot Salad Dinner15 min436 kcal≈ $2.35

Crab Salad with Apple and Corn Dinner20 min406 kcal≈ $1.73

Beetroot with Herring, Apple, and Onion (No Mayo) Dinner15 min290 kcal≈ $2.09

Big Mac Salad Dinner25 min729 kcal≈ $3.55

Shrimp and Avocado Salad Dinner15 min383 kcal≈ $5.54

Starters 29

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta Snack15 min359 kcal≈ $1.63

Garlic Shrimp & Avocado Bruschetta Snack18 min430 kcal≈ $2.83

Lavash Roll with Salmon and Cream Cheese Snack15 min357 kcal≈ $3.56

Crab Stick Lavash Roll Snack10 min275 kcal≈ $2.02

Lavash Cheese & Herb Roll Snack20 min322 kcal≈ $1.38

Tartlets with Cream Cheese and Salmon Snack20 min390 kcal≈ $2.76

Caviar and Butter Tartlets Snack20 min454 kcal≈ $2.59

Smoked Salmon and Farmer’s Cheese Canapés Snack15 min237 kcal≈ $2.10

Baguette with cream cheese and lightly salted salmon Snack8 min324 kcal≈ $2.76

Toast with red caviar and butter Breakfast5 min425 kcal≈ $4.12

Cheese Balls with Crab Sticks Snack15 min404 kcal≈ $1.75

Tomatoes with Cheese and Garlic Snack10 min321 kcal≈ $1.64

Stuffed Boiled Eggs with Cheese and Garlic Snack25 min249 kcal≈ $0.57

Stuffed Eggs with Cheese and Caviar Snack20 min364 kcal≈ $1.69

Cheese, Grapes, Olives, and Ham Skewers Snack15 min397 kcal≈ $2.00

Cheese platter with grapes and walnuts Snack5 min724 kcal≈ $5.60

Cheese Board with Honey, Nuts, and Grapes Snack10 min437 kcal≈ $2.73

Cold Cuts with Mustard and Cornichons Snack10 min341 kcal≈ $2.56

A Plate of Pickles for the Table Snack10 min140 kcal≈ $1.67

Fresh Vegetable Platter with Herbs Snack15 min42 kcal≈ $1.39

Smoked Sprat Sandwiches with Cucumber and Egg Snack20 min472 kcal≈ $2.08

Crispy Borodinsky Bread Croutons with Garlic and Cheese Sauce Snack18 min430 kcal≈ $1.82

Nachos with Cheese and Salsa Snack25 min518 kcal≈ $2.09

Mini Sliders with Pizza Toppings Snack15 min227 kcal≈ $1.24

Flaky Pastry Pizza Rolls Snack25 min436 kcal≈ $1.29

Lavash Chips with Paprika and Hummus Snack10 min436 kcal≈ $1.75

Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Glaze Snack10 min362 kcal≈ $3.30

Mini Ham and Cheese Tea Sandwiches Snack15 min346 kcal≈ $1.01

Egg Muffins with Ham and Cheese Snack25 min489 kcal≈ $1.97

Mains 19

Chicken Cutlets with Cheese and Fresh Salad Dinner20 min553 kcal≈ $3.32

Creamy Salmon Pasta Dinner20 min700 kcal≈ $5.02

Garlic Shrimp Pasta Dinner20 min628 kcal≈ $3.20

Shrimp Pasta in a Creamy Garlic Sauce Dinner20 min667 kcal≈ $4.53

Creamy Seafood Cocktail Pasta Dinner20 min680 kcal≈ $3.96

Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil, and Parmesan Dinner18 min502 kcal≈ $2.97

Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Dinner20 min661 kcal≈ $2.94

Quick Lavash Pizza Dinner15 min520 kcal≈ $2.67

Khinkali with Black Pepper Dinner20 min735 kcal≈ $3.41

Dumplings with Sour Cream Lunch15 min724 kcal≈ $2.66

Pork Medallions in Creamy Sauce with Pasta Dinner20 min690 kcal≈ $2.60

Skillet Salmon with Spinach and Couscous Dinner20 min705 kcal≈ $6.32

Garlic Butter Shrimp with Basmati Rice Dinner20 min465 kcal≈ $4.05

Ribeye Steak with Creamy Pepper Sauce Dinner30 min1046 kcal≈ $10.78

Beef Stir-Fry with Vegetables and Rice Noodles Dinner20 min774 kcal≈ $8.47

Chicken Stir-Fry Noodles Dinner25 min646 kcal≈ $2.50

Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla Triangles Dinner20 min254 kcal≈ $1.20

Large Beef Shawarma in Lavash Dinner35 min694 kcal≈ $3.04

Pan-Fried Flounder with Capers Dinner20 min395 kcal≈ $3.70

Dessert 8

Mandarin Fruit Platter Snack10 min168 kcal≈ $1.20

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Snack20 min298 kcal≈ $2.07

Healthy Cheesecake in a Glass Snack10 min295 kcal≈ $2.33

Candied Oranges in Dark Chocolate with Chopped Nuts Snack20 min352 kcal≈ $1.77

Warm Chocolate Fondue with Fruit Snack15 min344 kcal≈ $1.58

Potato Cake (Oat Crumble Cake) Snack20 min450 kcal≈ $0.99

Homemade Mint Lemonade Snack15 min86 kcal≈ $0.36

Berry Mocktail (Non-Alcoholic) Snack10 min159 kcal≈ $2.73

How to use it

The order in the hour before the guests: first what needs to sit in the fridge (lavash rolls, cheesecake in a glass, lemonade), then salads without dressing and platters, and the main goes on fifteen minutes before the doorbell. Bruschetta fits in while the pasta water boils; dress the salads and cut the fruit with the guests there rather than ahead.

Every recipe has a servings counter: set the number of guests and the grams recalculate. For four, two starters, a salad, one main and a dessert are usually enough; with children among the guests, swap the main for mini pizzas or a quesadilla, eaten by hand and without persuasion.

Plan a week from this collection

Questions

What can I cook for guests quickly?

Tomato bruschetta, a salmon lavash roll, crab salad, cheese-topped chicken cutlets and chocolate strawberries: the table-in-an-hour menu above is cooked in exactly an hour by one person. Among mains, shrimp pasta and quesadilla are the fastest at 20 minutes.

What to cook for guests on a budget?

Garlic croutons with cheese sauce, sprats on rye, smoked chicken salad with Korean carrot, lavash pizza and the Kartoshka pastry: the budget menu above. Salmon, caviar and shrimp are the pricey quick starters; lavash, eggs and cheese the cheap ones.

What to cook for guests without an oven?

Tomatoes with cheese, Greek salad, shrimp pasta, garlic butter shrimp with rice, pan steak, khinkali, quesadilla, chocolate tangerines. Of the seventy dishes here only the tartlets, mini pizzas and pizza rolls need an oven.

What to put on the table when there is no time to cook at all?

A cheese board with honey and grapes, a meat platter with mustard and gherkins, vegetable and fruit platters, skewer canapés. The no-cooking menu above takes 55 minutes including the shop, and the stove stays off.

What to cook for guests as a main?

Cheese-topped chicken cutlets, pork medallions in cream, pepper steak, salmon with spinach in a pan, salmon or shrimp pasta, beef stir-fry, wok chicken noodles. All under 30 minutes in one pan; rice or couscous cooks alongside as a side.