# 43 dinners that beat delivery

> Bon Appétit's editor-tested shortcuts for getting a real dinner on the table in half an hour.
- Title: 43 dinners that beat delivery · Bon Appétit | Shortify
- Summary: Bon Appétit's editor-tested shortcuts for getting a real dinner on the table in half an hour. Stock a few high-flavor shortcuts like gochujang, kimchi…
- Keywords: quick dinners, weeknight cooking, recipes, pantry staples, 30-minute meals, food, lifestyle, dinners, beat, delivery, Bon Appétit
- Source: Bon Appétit — https://bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/30-minute-dinner-ideas
- Author: Zoe Denenberg
- Published: 2016-09-07T09:00:02+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: quick dinners, weeknight cooking, recipes, pantry staples, 30-minute meals, food, lifestyle
## Dinner at 7 p.m., hungry
These are the recipes Bon Appétit editors actually cook when they haven't made it home yet. All 43 land on the table in 30 minutes or less, start to finish.

> They're the recipes Bon Appétit editors turn to when it's 7 p.m., we're already hungry.
## Fast, not boring
Speed comes from two places: shortcuts like rotisserie chicken, canned tuna and store-bought dumplings, or ingredients that cook fast on their own, like shrimp, ground meat, tofu and eggs.

> But quick doesn't have to mean boring.
## Ground chicken, 20 minutes
Spicy chicken lettuce wraps take the larb route. Soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and sriracha hit the pan, then cold lettuce, herbs and fried shallots go on top.
## Lemon pasta, 15 minutes
Pasta al limone is butter, Parmesan, lemon zest and pasta water. Toss it hard enough and it emulsifies into a glossy sauce that grips every strand.

> Few 15-minute dinners feel as luxurious as this lemon pasta.
## One jar, halfway there
Gochujang mixed with soy sauce, brown sugar and rice vinegar becomes a glaze for chicken and vegetables. Keep the Korean chili paste in the fridge and the sauce is a given.

> Keep gochujang in the fridge, and you're halfway to a great weeknight dinner.
## No stove required
Canned tuna dressed with mayo, lime and hot sauce goes onto store-bought tostadas. Silken tofu slides straight from the package under a spoonful of chili crisp, soy and vinegar.

> No stove, no problem.
## Fish cooks faster than you think
Tilapia is done in minutes, which leaves room for cabbage slaw and a three-ingredient spicy sauce. Fish tacos on a Tuesday are genuinely reasonable.

> Fish tacos on a Tuesday? Easily.
## Faster than delivery
Soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin and sake reduce into a teriyaki glaze for chicken thighs in 15 minutes. Homemade sounds like a project. It isn't.

> a takeout-inspired dinner that's faster than delivery
## Cheese plus something sharp
Kimchi's acid and heat cut a cheesy quesadilla. A cheddar omelet gets thin apple slices. Both are built from things already in the fridge, and both suit cooking for one.

> An omelet is always a good answer to the what's-for-dinner question.
## Shrimp is the weeknight MVP
Shrimp hits a ripping-hot skillet with peppers and onions and fajitas happen in half an hour. Salmon gets the same treatment with jarred green curry paste and coconut milk.

> from cutting board to tortilla in half an hour
## Key takeaway

Stock a few high-flavor shortcuts like gochujang, kimchi, canned tuna and silken tofu, and a 20-minute dinner stops being a compromise.