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    Home / Recipe Roundups

    10 Quick & Easy Recipes for Busy Nights

    Composite image with potato soup, sautéed kielbasa with onions, pasta with tomatoes and spinach, and shrimp scampi with text 10 Quick & Easy Recipes for Busy Nights

    It's 5:30 and you still have to pick up one child from after school activities, another child has to be at sports practice at 7pm, and you have to help another child with a project. Running through the drive thru sounds tempting, but you hate to spend the money. You'd feel better if you could put a home-cooked meal on the table, but you just don't know how you can do it. You need help—quick and easy recipes that are faster than the drive thru.

    These simple, delicious, and time-saving recipes are the answer. Dinner—saved!

    Be sure to also check out our 6 easy crockpot meals for busy nights!

    Composite image with potato soup, sautéed kielbasa with onions, pasta with tomatoes and spinach, and shrimp scampi with text 10 Quick & Easy Recipes for Busy Nights

    If you follow our tips for keeping your freezer stocked with sautéed onions, cooked chicken, and browned ground beef, you'll be able to put the 6 bonus recipes on the table in no time. With prep time already mostly done, there is little left to do to serve up a delicious home-cooked meal.

    1. 30 Minute Hash Brown Potato Soup

    Potato soup in a brown soup bowl, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and garnished with chopped green onions.
    Hash Brown Potato Soup {30 Minute Recipe}
    Hearty and full of potatoes and cheese, this potato soup with frozen hash browns made on the stove is a super quick recipe without a lot of fuss or mess.

    2. Southwestern Hamburger Skillet

    Kidney beans, ground beef, and egg noodles topped with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onions, in a skillet.
    Southwestern Hamburger Skillet
    Southwestern Hamburger Skillet is one of those great "use what you have" recipes—it works well in many different variations, making it a great way to save money.

    3. Tortellini Zucchini Soup

    Tortellini zucchini soup
    Tortellini Zucchini Soup
    Tortellini Zucchini Soup is an easy 20 minute soup that is good to the last drop—so good that you might need to double the recipe! It freezes well, so it’s a good dish to stock your freezer.

    4. Skillet Kielbasa

    Sliced kielbasa with sliced onions on a white plate.
    Skillet Kielbasa
    Four ingredients pack a flavorful punch in this quick and simple Skillet Kielbasa.

    5. Shrimp Scampi

    White plate with shrimp, minced garlic, and parsley on a bed of fettuccine
    Shrimp Scampi
    This quick and easy shrimp dish has a flavorful and rich garlic butter sauce and is served over hot pasta.

    6. Easy Tuna Casserole

    Cheesy Tuna Casserole
    Cheesy Tuna Casserole is easy, yummy family fare that goes from pantry to table in under 30 minutes. It's easy comfort food that is affordable and kid-friendly!

    7. Pasta Carbonara with Tomatoes & Spinach

    White plate with penne pasta, cooked baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, and shredded mozzarella cheese. There is a fork on the plate.
    Pasta Carbonara with Tomatoes and Spinach
    Ripe cherry tomatoes and fresh baby spinach are the perfect addition to pasta with a carbonara sauce. They cook up quickly on the stovetop with minimal fuss but make a refreshing and flavorful dinner.

    8. Pasta with Parmesan and Lemon Sauce

    Cooked spaghetti on a blue plate with a fork. The plate is garnished with two lemon slices and a sprig of parsley.
    Pasta with Parmesan and Lemon Sauce
    Lemon and garlic add zest to this easy stovetop pasta dish. Pasta with Parmesan and Lemon Sauce is a delicious vegetarian dinner that is perfect for evenings when you need something quick that doesn’t heat the kitchen.

    9. Pasta with Homemade Pesto

    Rigatoni on a white plate topped with shredded parmesan cheese and pesto.
    Pasta with Homemade Pesto
    Delicious homemade pesto is easy to make and needs no cooking, just blending, and it is ready by the time the pasta is done cooking.

    10. Mexican Ravioli

    Cast iron skillet with cooked ravioli mixed with salsa, herbs, and tomato sauce and topped with cheese, black olives, and cilantro.
    Mexican Ravioli
    Mexican Ravioli is a quick stovetop meal that packs a southwestern flavor punch.

    Bonus: 6 Quick & Easy Recipes Using Cooked Ingredients from the Freezer

    1. Toasted Cheeseburger Burritos

    A burrito with ground beef, tomato slices, and melted cheese, cut in half on a white plate.
    Toasted Cheeseburger Burritos
    Toasting burritos adds a delightful crunch and switching up the burrito filling gives a cheeseburger twist to a traditional favorite.

    2. Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

    White bowl and fork with rice, black beans, sausage, tomatoes, and green chilies
    Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
    Using chopped cooked chicken, onions, and peppers from the freezer along with a box mix puts Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya on the table in under 30 minutes.

    3. Stovetop Chicken

    A red square soup bowl with a soup with sliced mushrooms and linguini. There is a spoon in the bowl.
    Stovetop Chicken
    This tasty stovetop chicken recipe is quick and easy and can be adapted to use what you have on hand—just about everything about it can be changed as needed or desired. Add more or less chicken, noodles, vegetables, or even broth, or change the vegetables and/or seasonings for variety or personal preference.

    4. Easy Orecchiette Florentine

    Red square bowl with orecchiette pasta, sliced onion, chopped bacon, roasted bell peppers, cooked spinach, and Alfredo sauce.
    Easy Orecchiette Florentine
    Hearty orecchiette pasta combines with chicken, roasted red peppers, spinach, and Alfredo sauce for a satisfying Italian-style meal.

    5. Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

    A black spoon is scooping Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole out of a clear glass casserole dish.
    Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
    This beloved southern favorite is creamy and delicious, and when you have cooked chicken on hand (which you will if you are following the Secrets of a Busy Cook!) it’s easy to make.

    6. Quick & Easy Mexican Style Soup

    White bowl filled with soup of beans, tomatoes, and beef, topped with shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream, garnished with cilantro.
    Quick & Easy Mexican Style Soup
    This hearty one pot meal is ready in only 30 minutes (15 minutes if you keep cooked ground beef and sautéed onions in your freezer!).

    Composite image with potato soup, sautéed kielbasa with onions, pasta with tomatoes and spinach, and shrimp scampi with text 10 Quick & Easy Recipes for Busy Nights

    Composite image with potato soup, sautéed kielbasa with onions, pasta with tomatoes and spinach, and shrimp scampi with text 10 Quick & Easy Recipes for Busy Nights
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    Posted by Mary Ann on December 15, 2019; Updated on June 18, 2020Filed Under: Recipe Roundups

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    Mary Ann Kelley

    Hi there! I'm Mary Ann Kelley, and I'm the food blogger/meal planner here at Add Salt & Serve. Read more

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