15-Minute Dinners for the Whole Family to Enjoy

In this article, you’ll find 15-minute dinners you can enjoy with your family any night of the week.

Being a busy parent doesn’t mean that delicious dinners are a thing of the past. There are meals that are easy to prepare in a few minutes, and that provide the nutritional balance your family needs.

When planning a menu for your family, the top priority should be choosing healthy food that provides the nutrients your children need. Kids pick up lifelong dietary habits from an early age, so show them how to make healthy and convenient choices.

Two tasty 15-minute dinners

Chicken fillets with artichoke hearts

Ingredients

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• One cup plain flour
• 4 chicken fillets (about 4 oz each)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• A handful of fresh parsley
• 8 oz angel hair pasta
• 8 oz artichoke hearts, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/2 cup chicken stock

According to scientist Dr. Ashima Kant, when a man or woman eats a healthy diet made up of all the food groups and meeting all their nutritional requirements, their risk of mortality drops by between 20 and 25 percent.

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 210°F (100°C)
• Put a medium sized saucepan on the stove at medium heat. Fill it halfway with warm water and add a pinch of salt.
• In a ziplock bag, mix the flour, a pinch of salt and pepper. To coat the chicken fillets, put them in the bag and close it firmly. Shake the bag until the fillets are fully covered in the flour mix.
• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Shake the excess flour off the fillets and then fry them in the oil, turning them over. You’ll know they are done when both sides are golden brown (about 4 minutes in total).
• Put the chicken fillets in the oven to finish cooking all the way through.
• Meanwhile, once the water is boiling, add the angel hair pasta. For the perfect al-dente texture, it will need to cook for about 3 minutes.
• Fry the artichoke hearts and capers in a pan. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.
• To serve, cover the chicken and pasta with the artichoke sauce.

Steak with spinach, grapes and almonds

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of almond slices
• 2 handfuls of spinach with the thick stalks cut out
• 4 pieces of your favorite beef steak or pork chop (around 5 oz each)
• 1 cup red seedless grapes, cut in half
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C). Once the oven is hot, put the almonds on a baking sheet to toast. Stir them every few minutes so they don’t stick or burn. This will take around 5 minutes. Once the almonds are done, put them aside in a small dish.
• Heat a frying pan on the stove at a medium heat. Season the steaks or chops with salt and pepper and lay them in the pan. Let them cook for 3–5 minutes on each side. Then set the steaks aside on a tray or plate with aluminum foil over the top to keep them warm.
• Put the spinach and grapes in a pan and cook briefly in their own juices until the spinach has wilted. This should only take 1–2 minutes. Then add the toasted almonds.
• Serve the portions of meat and cover them with the spinach sauce. 

You can adapt these recipes for 15-minute dinners to suit your family’s tastes by changing the sides or adding their favorite spices.

Remember to look for meat that is cut thin so it cooks quickly and won’t take hours in the oven or the pan. To keep the meal healthy, wash it down with a glass of water or home-made lemonade.

What other meals do you make when you don’t have much time to cook? With 15-minute dinners, there’s no reason for resorting to junk food or frozen dinners.

Preparing one of these tasty and nutritious 15-minute dinners is easy and quick. And if everyone lends a hand cooking and cleaning up, dinner will be on the table in no time at all!