Looking for a speedy midweek meal? These easy recipes take just half an hour to whip up, so you can sit down to a nourishing dinner in no time. Next, try our 20-minute meals and 10-minute meals.
Quick 30-minute recipes
30-minute vegetarian meal: spiced grains with peas, spinach and jammy eggs
A riot of colour, this buttery freekeh dish is packed with spinach and peas, and flavoured with cumin, coriander and turmeric. A nutritious veggie meal, ready in half an hour.
30-minute vegan meal: aubergine teriyaki bowls
This 30-minute vibrant vegan recipe benefits from the fresh flavours of crunchy radishes, fiery ginger and zesty lime. A great plant-based bowl that only takes half an hour to rustle up.
30-minute fish supper: Vietnamese turmeric and dill fish with rice noodles
Sunshine yellow deliciousness with a hit of chilli and herbs, this unusual Vietnamese dish is popular in Hanoi. Make your own version for dinner tonight, marinading cod in turmeric, ginger, sugar and fish sauce.
30-minute chicken dinner: chicken tikka burritos
Check out our quick and easy burrito recipe with tikka-marinated chicken. Serve this simple recipe with ready-made rice, a simple homemade yogurt dip and warmed rotis for a speedy chicken dinner.
30-minute seafood recipe: pad Thai
Put juicy king prawns to work in this classic Thai dish, full of vibrant flavours and finished with peanuts, herbs and zingy lime.
30-minute lamb recipe: lamb tacos with minted pea guacamole
Get stuck into these paprika and cumin-spiced lamb tacos with a zingy pea guacamole. A vibrant Friday night treat that no one will guess only took half an hour.
30-minute pasta recipe: macadamia pesto pappardelle
Ramp up your classic pine nut pesto with toasted macadamias and toss through long ribbons of pappardelle for a novel pasta dish, ready in 30.
30-minute curry: light paneer curry
This is a quick vegetarian curry with lots of aromatic spice. The peas add extra protein while ginger and plum tomatoes make a light, fragrant sauce.
30-minute Italian recipe: spaghetti with chorizo and rosemary pangritata
Check out this quick and easy Italian recipe with crispy chorizo and crunchy pangritata. Pangritata, sometimes called poor man’s parmesan, is a mix of fried breadcrumbs and herbs used add flavour and texture to pasta dishes.
30-minute breakfast: PBJ french toast with peanut brittle
This recipe for peanut butter and jam french toast takes inspiration from America. It’s a truly indulgent breakfast treat and, while the jam and peanut brittle are both homemade, it still only takes 30 minutes to make.
30-minute lunch: crispy fish sandwiches with spicy tartare
Stuff soft buns with crisp breaded fish fillets, melted cheese and sweet-and-sour cucumber pickle, then serve with Tabasco-spiked tartare sauce for a quick, crowd-pleasing lunch.
30-minute low-calorie meal: tomato, lemongrass and rice soup
Use up tinned tomatoes to create this nutritious vegan soup, under 200 calories a portion. It’s infused with punchy spices and the rice gives great bite.
30-minute low-fat meal: Tuscan pork steaks
This recipe for Tuscan pork steaks ticks all the boxes. It only takes half an hour, is low in fat (under 5g per portion) and is full of fresh, zingy flavour, thanks to the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, lemon and capers.
High-protein 30-minute meal: sesame-crusted tuna with miso dressing
Coat tuna steaks in sesame seeds and serve on a crunchy sugar snap pea and edamame salad for a speedy but protein-rich meal.
30-minute gluten-free recipe: halloumi and Mediterranean veg traybake
Our vegetarian tray bake packs in plenty of seasonal veg and salty halloumi for a vibrant gluten-free dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes.
30-minute meal for one: steak haché and pokey salad
Cooking for one? Try this take on a typical French dish that falls somewhere between steak tartare and a breadless burger. The salad has fresh, punchy flavour and goes perfectly with the juicy, tender meat.
30-minute one-pot recipe: pasta with anchovies and tenderstem broccoli
This one-pot pasta recipe is not only low-calorie but low-cost, too. It’s simple and easy to put together, is packed full of flavour and saves on the washing up, as the pasta gets cooked together with all the other ingredients in one pan.
