Collection

Dinners in 20 minutes

Sixty-two dinners, none longer than 20 minutes from stove to plate: pasta, noodles, pan-fried fish, cutlets, omelettes, salads with protein.

62recipes
$1.18–$9.80per portion
10–20 minto cook
304–869kcal per portion

Plan a week from this collection

Sixty-two dinners, each no more than 20 minutes from the first step to the plate. Ten with chicken and turkey: cheese-topped cutlets, wok noodles, chicken and broccoli in soy sauce, a wrap, breast with mushrooms in cream. Twelve with meat and eggs, from beef stir-fry and buckwheat with mince to hot sandwiches and eggs with sausages. Fourteen with fish, eleven with shrimp and squid, fifteen meat-free: two pastas, fried rice, zucchini fritters, lavash with cheese, tofu, halloumi and salads.

Twenty minutes is counted honestly, chopping included, with no “while the rice cooks”. Where a grain is needed it is either quick (couscous in 5 minutes, rice noodles in 5) or cooks in parallel within the same 20. The quickest are no-stove salads at 10–15 minutes. The cheapest are egg fried rice, zucchini fritters and liver with onions; the priciest is beef tenderloin stir-fry.

Recipes in this collection 62

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

Asian-Style Chicken and Vegetable Noodles Dinner20 min676 kcal≈ $2.85

Chicken with Broccoli and Rice in Soy Sauce Dinner20 min678 kcal≈ $1.78

Chicken and Vegetable Wrap Dinner20 min544 kcal≈ $3.34

Chicken Breast with Mushrooms, Cream, and Pasta Dinner20 min672 kcal≈ $3.07

Turkey with Peppers, Onions, and Buckwheat Dinner20 min612 kcal≈ $3.09

Asian-style Chicken Lettuce Wraps Dinner20 min348 kcal≈ $2.12

Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Dinner20 min661 kcal≈ $2.94

Chicken Club Sandwich Dinner20 min661 kcal≈ $2.29

Crunchy Chicken, Cabbage, and Corn Salad Dinner20 min305 kcal≈ $2.47

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

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

Merchant-Style Buckwheat with Ground Beef Dinner20 min737 kcal≈ $3.03

Chicken Liver with Onions in Sour Cream and Buckwheat Dinner20 min683 kcal≈ $1.71

Fried Eggs with Sausages, Tomato, and Rye Bread Dinner15 min631 kcal≈ $2.61

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches Dinner15 min618 kcal≈ $2.35

Ham, Tomato and Cheese Omelette with a Green Salad Dinner15 min516 kcal≈ $1.94

Quick Lavash Pizza Dinner15 min520 kcal≈ $2.67

Khinkali with Black Pepper Dinner20 min735 kcal≈ $3.41

Warm Chicken Liver Salad Dinner20 min452 kcal≈ $1.71

Chicken liver and pear salad Dinner20 min364 kcal≈ $2.51

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

Cod with Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, and Couscous Dinner18 min526 kcal≈ $5.19

Pollock in Batter with Quick Mashed Potatoes Dinner20 min656 kcal≈ $2.41

Pollock Fish Sticks with Potatoes Dinner20 min593 kcal≈ $2.22

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

Air-fryer salmon with lemon and dill Dinner15 min449 kcal≈ $5.38

Air Fryer Salmon with Honey Mustard Glaze Dinner18 min488 kcal≈ $4.83

Air-Fryer Salmon with Broccoli Dinner20 min436 kcal≈ $4.73

Sesame-crusted tuna steak with bok choy Dinner15 min330 kcal≈ $5.80

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

Philadelphia Roll in Lavash Dinner20 min636 kcal≈ $2.80

Pasta with Tuna and Vegetables Dinner20 min557 kcal≈ $1.72

Avocado, Egg, and Tuna Salad Dinner15 min573 kcal≈ $2.80

Tuna and Bean Salad Dinner15 min425 kcal≈ $2.42

Crab Stick Rice Salad Dinner20 min508 kcal≈ $2.34

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

Garlic Shrimp Pasta Dinner20 min628 kcal≈ $3.20

Creamy Seafood Cocktail Pasta Dinner20 min680 kcal≈ $3.96

Garlic Shrimp with Rice and Green Beans Dinner20 min511 kcal≈ $4.03

Teriyaki Shrimp Bowl Dinner20 min575 kcal≈ $5.08

Air Fryer Shrimp with Garlic and Lemon Dinner15 min328 kcal≈ $5.05

Breaded Calamari Rings with Yogurt Sauce Dinner20 min490 kcal≈ $3.46

Squid in Sour Cream with Caramelized Onions Dinner20 min592 kcal≈ $3.66

Calamari, Egg, and Cucumber Salad Dinner20 min317 kcal≈ $3.45

Shrimp Caesar Salad Dinner20 min554 kcal≈ $3.91

Shrimp and Avocado Salad Dinner15 min383 kcal≈ $5.54

Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Parmesan Dinner18 min558 kcal≈ $1.18

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

Egg Fried Rice with Peas and Vegetables Dinner18 min571 kcal≈ $1.31

Kimchi Fried Rice with Egg Dinner20 min588 kcal≈ $2.45

Zucchini Fritters with Sour Cream Dinner20 min419 kcal≈ $1.48

Skillet Lavash with Cheese and Herbs Dinner20 min599 kcal≈ $3.29

Cheese, Vegetable, and Toast Omelet Dinner18 min604 kcal≈ $2.90

Tofu with Vegetables, Soy Sauce, and Rice Noodles Dinner20 min576 kcal≈ $3.32

Tofu with Vegetables and Rice Noodles Dinner20 min555 kcal≈ $2.74

Potato dumplings with fried onions Dinner15 min653 kcal≈ $2.29

Air Fryer Halloumi with Vegetables Dinner18 min597 kcal≈ $5.07

Salad with fried halloumi and watermelon Dinner15 min470 kcal≈ $4.19

Halloumi and Couscous Bowl Dinner18 min737 kcal≈ $5.31

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

Shopska Salad Dinner15 min443 kcal≈ $2.95

How to use it

“Plan a week from this collection” puts these dishes on dinners; Racion fills in breakfasts and lunches. If you set “dinners up to 20 minutes” in the quiz, the planner picks from this list without the collection too.

Chop everything while the pan heats: in quick recipes the time goes to running between the board and the stove, not to cooking. Fish and shrimp are done sooner than it seems: pink shrimp and fillet that flakes with a fork come off the heat.

Plan a week from this collection

Questions

What if all I have is eggs and grain?

Egg fried rice, cheese and vegetable omelette, buckwheat with mince if there is any, and zucchini fritters if there is a zucchini. All four cost about the same as a cup of coffee per serving.

What suits children?

Cheese-topped cutlets, fish sticks, battered pollock with mash, quesadilla, lavash pizza, vareniki, hot sandwiches, eggs with sausages, zucchini fritters, lavash with cheese and fried rice. Kimchi and tofu in soy sauce are for those who like them.

Can I cook for two days?

Of the quick dinners, buckwheat with mince, stir-fry, chicken with broccoli and tofu with vegetables keep best: two days in the fridge. Pasta, omelettes, battered fish and salads are for the same day.