Top 15 Quick Dinners for Busy School Nights

Fall means back to school and those first couple of months can be frantic! I remember well! Everyone is settling into their new routines; the kids have after school football practise, art club, and homework. Parents are rushing home from work, chauffeuring here there and every AND trying to get dinner on the table! 

So, I’ve compiled 15 of my speediest, most delicious, family-friendly meals for you to add to your midweek dinner menu. Let me know your favourite!

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Smoky Sloppy Joes

The budget-friendly, ready in 25 minutes school canteen classic is coming home. Part hamburger recipe, part Bolognese, serve this sweet and tangy Sloppy Joe in a burger bun with some fries.

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5-Minute Ravioli Sauce

5 from 27 votes

4 ingredients and 5 minutes is all it takes put together this luscious cream and sun-dried tomato pesto sauce. Pour over your favourite filled pasta parcels and serve with broccoli or salad. 

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Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos

Instant Pot means hands-free cooking! This 20-minute meal is only 5 minutes of preparation; throw boneless chicken, passata and seasonings into the Pot and whip up a Tex-mex salad. The melt-in-the-mouth meat is good in either soft flour or hard shell tacos. Take your pick!

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Tuscan Tortellini Sauce

5 from 2 votes

Rich and creamy tortellini is a belly-filling meat-free meal. The Tuscan-inspired sauce is juicy sun-dried tomatoes, cream, spinach, basil, garlic and Parmesan cheese, ready in 20 minutes. Pour over plump tortellini or ravioli.

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Homemade Pasta Alfredo (10 Minutes!)

5 from 3 votes

Master creamy pasta Alfredo sauce and you’ll have the foundation for 101 pasta and sauce combinations! Butter, cream, Parmesan cheese and a pinch of nutmeg are all you need. Try a Cajun chicken variation for bonus protein.

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Easy Carbonara

4.86 from 27 votes

Put an Italian legend on the table in 20 minutes. The classic spaghetti dish is made with eggs, pancetta, Parmesan cheese, butter and garlic only- no cream! Or go meat-free with my golden chestnut mushroom version. 

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Creamy Pasta Sauce

4.83 from 52 votes

3 ingredients and 10 minutes to bring together makes this the simplest and fastest dish there is on my blog. You’ll need long pasta, heavy (double UK) cream, and Parmesan cheese only. Add cheese stuffed garlic bread to complete the meal.

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Puff Pastry Pizza Margherita

5 from 1 vote

This is a pizza shortcut when you don’t have time for dough. Pre-prepared puff pastry cuts the corners so this pizza is ready in 25 minutes- that’s 10 prep and 15 hands-free oven time. This recipe is classic margherita, but you can add any of your favourite toppings.

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Quick Beef Yakisoba

Family noodle nights are fun! This recipe is a nutritious stir fry of juicy strips of beef, shredded cabbage, mushrooms, carrot and green onions in a punchy yakisoba sauce.  Stick to my veg mix and beef combo or swap for your family’s favourites- other vegetables, chicken and pork work just as well.

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Quick Tuna Pasta

5 from 1 vote

This one is a little divisive. Tuna and capers? Yep, that’s not going to fly in every household, but if it does in yours, you are onto a winner! This recipe is classic store cupboard canned goods; tuna, anchovies, capers, tomatoes and, ofc, pasta brought together in a slurpy, sea salty meal. Not keen? Tuna noodle casserole has got you.

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Best Ground Beef Tacos

5 from 6 votes

Tacos from scratch in 30 minutes? This recipe uses ground beef, beans, and my own seasoning mix that can easily be adapted to your family’s spice tolerance. Just dial up, or down, the chilli powder! Serve with cooling guacamole and flour tortillas. 

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Basil Pesto Chicken Caprese

5 from 1 vote

Nutritious Chicken Caprese is a hands-free, one-pan-meal. Juicy chicken breasts are smothered in pesto (store-bought is just fine!), topped with mozzarella and baked on a bed of cherry tomatoes. The best bit? Once assembled it goes straight in the oven for just 25 minutes. Serve with pasta or fluffy focaccia bread.

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Air Fryer Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce (8 Minutes)

5 from 1 vote

Crispy on the outside and delicate on the inside, your air fryer is your secret midweek meal weapon! Switch up the sauce if lemon and dill is not your family’s fave. Try fresh pesto or sweet and sticky teriyaki.

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Ground Beef Stir Fry

Brimming with bright vegetables and slick with hoisin sauce, this affordable beef stir fry is only 30 minutes start to finish. Feel free to customise by swapping out vegetables or switch back to strips of beef if you’re feeling flush. Just add noodles or shrimp fried rice.

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Chicken Fried Rice

5 from 3 votes

Leftover rice this week? Use it now! My 15-minute recipe is a one-pot dinner making use of day-old rice, chicken breast, frozen veg mix and eggs laced with a luscious soy and sesame sauce. Easy, economical, tasty!

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