5 Easy 30-Minute Dinners You’ll Love More Than Takeout Pizza

a serving of hamburgers with toppings and sides including waffle fries
5 Easy 30 Minute Dinners the Family Will Love IAN PALMER for Country Living

It's been a long day and you don't feel like cooking, so you start thinking about ordering a pizza. But let me stop you right there!

If you've got some simple staples in your kitchen, you just might be able to whip up one of these quick and easy dinners instead. They're fresh and flavorful, plus you don't have to spend any additional money. (This is a double win!) Especially if you've already got food in the house—you just don't feel like cooking it. It's okay, we've all been there.

The wonderful thing about these recipes is that they can all be made in 30 minutes or less. They're easy, they're fast, and they don't require a ton of clean up afterward. If you don't have some of the ingredients already on hand, these recipes are easy to customize and tweak to your liking. A couple of them can be made faster than it would take for a pizza to arrive at your house anyway!

Stovetop Cheeseburgers

stovetop cheeseburgers on buns with toppings arranged on a tray and a bowl of fries on the side
IAN PALMER for Country Living

If you've got a package of ground beef in the fridge, you can have fresh burgers on the table in a snap! They won't have that smokey grilled flavor, but they'll still be delicious along with all of your favorite toppings.

Get the recipe for Stovetop Cheeseburgers.

Classic Cobb Salad

classic cobb salad in a large white oval serving bowl with serving utensils and dressing on the side
IAN PALMER for Country Living

Instead of running out to pick up a pizza, just go pick up a rotisserie chicken! You could have this flavorful Cobb Salad ready in no time. To speed up the process even more, you can use your favorite store bought dressing.

Get the recipe for Classic Cobb Salad.

Air Fryer Fajitas

air fryer fajitas in a serving bowl with toppings on the side
Mike Garten

All you need to do to prepare this meal is some slicing and dicing! The air fryer takes care of the rest, and you're left with sizzling hot fajitas in just 20 minutes.

Get the recipe for Air Fryer Fajitas.

Easy-Peasy Stovetop Mac 'n Cheesy

macaroni and cheese with peas in two bowls with spoons
IAN PALMER for Country Living

Kid-friendly and likely to be a new favorite for the whole family, this homemade macaroni and cheese comes together just as quickly as anything from a box. We think it tastes better too!

Get the recipe for Easy-Peasy Stovetop Mac 'n Cheesy.

Basic Fried Rice

basic fried rice in a skillet with a serving spoon
IAN PALMER for Country Living

A great quick and easy dinner, this basic fried rice is one of those recipes you can pull out of your back pocket on busy days when you don't want to think about cookie. If you have the basic ingredients like rice and eggs, you can customize the rest however you like it and with whatever you happen to have on hand.

Get the recipe for Basic Fried Rice.

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