30 minute meals are a life-saver when you are a family on the go. Getting home from work and thinking about what to make for dinner can be super daunting, which makes the fast food lane or going out to eat seem like an easy option—even when you already have food at home.
That’s where this list of 30 minute meals comes in handy! By keeping the ingredients for these five family-friendly dinners on hand, you can make delicious homemade meals in no time. Try one of these easy meals tonight and let me know what you think in the comments!
Also keep scrolling to the bottom to see some side dish ideas for these 30 minute meals to make your dinner a complete meal!
30 Minute Meals: Easy to Make Easy to Eat
1. Korean Beef – this is a family favorite at our house, we ususally have to double the recipe. This is a sweet and savory dish that you can switch out the ground protein for any and it still works! Think ground pork, ground chicken or ground beef. This makes 30 minute meal makes getting protein, whole grains, and vegetables so easy.
2. Easy Beef Stroganoff – this is the meal you wil always have the ingredients on hand for. The creamy sauce that is made from the noodles simmer in the broth make them flavorful and the texture is so comforting. This 30 minute meal will quickly become a staple in your household.
3. Meatball Subs – frozen meatballs, homemade meatballs, or frozen homemade meatballs if you are really prepared make this 30 minute meal delicious, customizeable, and perfect for a busy night.
4. Pita Pizzas – are the 30 minute meal to make when you want everyone to eat their meal. Each person can add their own toppings, you just lay them on the counter and let them have fun. This meal is especially fun to make when you have kids around, they make the cutest creations!
5. Kielbasa Sheet Pan Meals – 30 minute meals and sheet pan meals are synonymous to me. There is not quicker or more delicious than slicing some meat and vegetables up, tossing them in olive oil and your favorite seasonings. Then adding so much flavor by tossing them in the oven on a pan. A huge perk of sheet pans meals is that the dishes are 30 minutes or less too!
Each of these dinners can be easily prepared with a small amount of ingredients and in under 30 minutes! These are also all kid approved at this house and the meals the children ask for all the time!
Here are some side dish options to pair with the mains above to make all of these a complete meal, still made in 30 minutes or less! These meals are also a great way to get the kids in the kitchen with you, have them help cut up the vegetables, kielbasa, or brown the hamburger. The kids also have so much fun putting the toppings on their own pizzas!
Side Dish Suggestions for 30 minute meals:
Korean Beef and Easy Beef Stroganoff: Serve with steamed broccoli, green beans, or roasted vegetables like carrots, broccoli, or a delisious raw vegetable veggie tray with a yummy dip.
Meatball Subs and Pita Pizzas: These are perfect with this Italian pasta salad or a side salad made from whatever vegetables you have on hand and your families favorite dressings.
Kielbasa Sheet Pan Meal: This dish is a complete meal on its own, so no need to worry about side dishes!
Tips for Quick and Easy Meal Preparation:
This post contains affilate links, as an Amazon Associaate I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Let Everyone Help: My family loves each of these meals, and we find ourselves making them often throughout the month. The kids can easily help prepare the meatball subs and pita pizzas. They can also help cut vegetables for the kielbasa sheet pan meal. Check out these nylon knives that are great for helping them learn to cut safely and they can help prep the food, saving you even more time!
- Prep in Advance: To make the Korean Beef and Easy Beef Stroganoff even quicker to prepare, keep browned ground beef in the freezer so you can pull it out at a moment’s notice. This saves me so much time! I store my prepared ground beef in my favorite glass containers—a whole pound can easily fit into a 3.4-cup container, making portioning and storing extremely easy. The glass containers also prevent flavor transfers in the freezer.
- Quick Side Dishes: To ensure the meals are quick and easy to prepare, I suggest having steamer bags of green beans, broccoli, or California medley vegetables on hand. These can be made in about 5 minutes, making a healthy and nutritious side dish that doesn’t take long to prepare.
The ingredients for all these meals are either pantry staples or can be easily frozen, which makes having them available when needed easy! With these easy-to-make meals at home, there’s no need to stop at the store or opt for fast food, it’s a win all around!
If you want or need more help with your meal planning and prepping make sure to follow along here or on Instgram @plannedthenprepped to see videos of all the meals!