Real Food Dinner Recipes You Can Make in Minutes

Are you looking for real food dinner recipes you can make in minutes? None of us want to spend all day in the kitchen, but all of us want to feed our family nutritious meals, so here are six recipes you can get on the table quickly!

There’s no doubt we have a perception that cooking from scratch takes more time than we have.

We’ve been told that preparing real food is too time consuming for the average family.

But with so many people being at home more right now, and cooking more because of it, there’s been a bit of a shortage where convenience food is concerned.

So I want to show you how to make real food for your family without taking all day to do it.

I know how important this is, because I’m a working mom too. I’m at home, working, homeschooling my kids, at the start of spring where, on a farm, we’re also very busy, and determined to keep balanced, healthy meals on the table in the midst of all that.

These real food dinner recipes take just minutes to make – and I’ve got the videos to prove it!

I think there are two main keys to being able to get real food on the table quickly;

A plan

You’ll hear me say it again and again, and it’s true! Having a meal plan take the mental burden off of your shoulders. I believe in this so much that I host a meal planning membership so that you can have meal plans without doing the work, even though making a detailed, logical grocery list to go with it is one of my least favorite parts of the week.

The right tools

Often when I make lunch in under ten minutes, it’s because I’ve done something ahead of time, like put rice, or a spaghetti squash in the instant pot. I can confidently say the instant pot is the number one investment you can make in getting real food on the table in just a few minutes. Why? Because you can put a longer-cooking food in it, like dry beans, or rice, that you normally have to babysit on the stove, and just set the time and walk away. Then come back to perfectly cooked, but no time taken on your part ingredients to get going with.

Leftovers are also a great way to mimic the effect of having an instant pot

For instance when I cooked a large batch of beans, then put them in the fridge and made barbecued beans for one lunch, refried beans for another, and taco soup the next day, all taking me just minutes to get prepped and on the table.

So with that, let’s look at some real food meals you can make in minutes.

Cheesy Sausage and Rice Skillet

This is one of our favorites! My entire family loves this lunch, and it doesn’t take long to make.

In the video below, I explain two ways to make it – one for the more flavor and health conscious of us, and one for the kids. See the original recipe at Mom on Time Out.

Instant Pot Sausage and Broccoli Soup

This is another favorite on mine and Gabe’s – the kids don’t love most soups, but they tolerate it as well. ????You can see how quickly this one comes together! For this situation, the Instant Pot is definitely a life saver!

Barbecued Beans

Like I mentioned earlier, the Instant Pot is a fantastic tool for hands-off prep that makes real food a cinch. Making beans ahead of time is one of the  best ways to do it too!

Nearly the same as calico beans as I mention in the video below, this is hands-down my favorite vegetarian lunch recipe.

Simple Refried Beans

Refried beans are a staple in our house. I like to keep them on hand for quick meals like tostadas or burritos. You can find my slow cooker refried beans recipe here, but watch the video below to see how you can make them in a skillet in just a few minutes.

Barbecued Meat Balls

This is a fun lunch that we enjoy served over rice or quinoa. I do use bottled barbecue sauce in the video below, but you can make your own easily using my gluten-free barbecued meatball recipe.

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

This is a great dish to get more vegetables into your kids! If they like cheese, they’ll be hooked. This is another instance of the Instant Pot saving time and getting real food on the table without a lot of effort from you. To see this recipe in its entirety, check it out here at Domestic Superhero.

These are just a few meal ideas that you can cook from scratch in just a few minutes in order to feed your family real food without spending all day doing it, and feel great about your family’s nutrition!

Follow me on Facebook for more meal ideas and videos to come, and don’t forget to subscribe to Real Food Meal Plans, our monthly subscription service for just $5 for your first month to get more meals in minutes like this, and take the weight of meal planning completely off your shoulders.

Do you have favorite quick, nutritious dinners to share? Leave a comment and let us know!