With a large family I’m a big fan of making meals quick and easy so today I’m sharing my tips for creating quick meals plus 7 of our favorite 15 minute meals.
Double Dinner
One of my very favorite ways to save time is to cook once and serve dinner twice. I do this by doubling a recipe and freezing half of it, or by using leftovers in a second dish.
Whenever I serve baked or rotisserie chicken, I use the leftovers in a recipe like this slow cooker Southwest Chicken Chili. (Frozen corn adds a sweetness to the chili that my kids love.)
It takes less than 15 minutes to add the ingredients to the slow cooker and once 5:00 rolls around, dinner is ready!
One of our new favorites is this Chili Cheese Fry recipe. I prepare my Slow Cooker Chipotle Chili recipe for dinner and then serve the leftover chili the next day over french fries. Using frozen fries makes this a super quick meal to put together.
Cook Ahead
Another shortcut that I use is freezing pre-cooked ingredients like ground beef and beans to use in dishes that can be prepared quickly.
Pre-cooked ground beef makes putting these Taco Cups together a snap. (Read How to Freeze Ground Beef HERE.)
I also use the pre-cooked ground beef in my Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce. Serve the pasta with a nice green salad and you have a quick and tasty meal!
Use Frozen Foods
Speaking of the freezer, using prepared frozen foods is a great way to create dishes in a flash. Freezing keeps food fresh and helps to maintain nutrients.
Frozen blueberries make this Very Blueberry Smoothie a little quicker because I don’t have to add ice cubes to the blender. Using frozen fruit is cheaper when fresh foods are not in season.
I use frozen broccoli and add some shredded baked chicken to make this Broccoli Cheddar Casserole into a main dish.
Frozen corn and pre-cooked beans from the freezer make putting this Black Bean and Corn Salsa together a breeze. I take a few minutes in the morning to prepare it and I throw some boneless skinless chicken breasts into the slow cooker with a little BBQ sauce.
When it’s dinner time I serve the salsa with BBQ chicken nachos or BBQ Black Bean Tostadas..
I use frozen shrimp in my Simple Shrimp and Grits and steam some frozen sugar snap peas or asparagus for a quick side dish.
Over the years I’ve personally tested a ton of quick and easy recipes. I’ve collected my best time-saving recipes and freezer meal plans into my Super Easy Meal Plan Bundle and right now you can grab it for 80% off!
Click HERE to see what’s included.
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How do you get dinner on the table in 15 minutes? Share your favorite quick meals and tips in the comments.
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