These easy 30 minute meals have been tried and tested! No more guess work if you can actually make 30 minute meals, we’ve got more than 20 here for you!

As parents, there’s no time for 30 minute meals that actually take forever.  You know the ones. You find one of those super delicious-looking, cheap, healthy 30 minute meals on line, save it to Pinterest and then when you actually go to make it, the meal ends up taking over an hour. Why? Because the directions say you should already have everything pre-chopped, pre-cooked, and pre-made.

That’s not realistic for anyone. Most people, not all, but most, are not buying pre-chopped everything.

Luckily, I’m taking the guess work out of whether recipes are really 30 minute meals. 

Over the past 6 months, I have been doing a LIVE video series on our Facebook page called Will It Work Wednesdays. Every Wednesday, we take another bloggers recipe that says it’s a 30 minute meal and then test it out. Our goal with these are to see if they are really 30 minutes or less meals. All types of parents need these quick 30 minute meals in their meal plans for days that life gets really crazy (which is almost everyday right?). 

The great news is that we’ve tested over 20 recipes now and they have all worked out to be 30 minute meals. Some closer than others, some way under.  But all of them are 30 minute meals recipes. So today, we are compiling them all together in one easy to read post for you. Included in the post is the links to the recipe and the video so you too can make these 30 minutes or less meals.

Recipes are sorted by categories and if they fall into more than one category, they will be included in both.

30 minute meals with Ground Beef, Chicken, Turkey, or Pork

Ground meat makes for some delicious meals.  One of the reasons it’s easy to have 30 minute meals with ground beef or another ground meat is because it easily thaws. It’s super versatile in the types of meals you can make.

• Homemade Sloppy Joes

This homemade sloppy joe recipe was made with ground chicken, but it can be swapped out for any ground meat. It was made with homemade french fries.  Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube.

• Easy One Pan Asian Turkey Lettuce Cups

Packed with tons of flavor all in one dish, these Asian Turkey Lettuce Cups were delicious.  We paired this with a homemade chicken fried rice and left out the chicken the recipe included. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

• 30 Minute Korean Beef

This 30 minute Korean Beef meal using ground beef was so simple but packed a ton of flavor.  We’ve tried it again using ground chicken, and it was still good, but it really packs in flavor using beef. We served this with cooked rice. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

• Egg Roll Stir Fry 

If you like egg rolls, you have to try this easy Egg Roll Stir Fry.  And if you don’t like egg rolls, you still have to try it.  I’m really picky about egg rolls and I loved this recipe. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

30 minute meals – Chicken

Chicken is a staple in most homes.  It’s super adaptable and for most people, kids love it. If you can remember to thaw it out on time, chicken can make for some really great 30 minute meals.

• Cilantro Lime Chicken 

This easy Cilantro Lime Chicken was one of the faster recipes that we made. I did forget to put the rice on in the right amount of time so it was over in the sense if watching the video, but it’s actually done in under 20 minutes. We served it with coconut rice (just replace the amount of water called for with coconut milk from a can.  Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube.

• Summer Strawberry Apple Salad with Grilled Chicken

This was delicious for a summer meal; however, this Grilled Chicken Salad would be delicious if you meal prep or need a meal on the go.  It was so good.  We paired it with a homemade strawberry walnut dressing. Delicious! Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

• Skillet Pizza Chicken

It has pizza in the name of it, so you already know that our kids devoured this Skillet Pizza Chicken. There’s no other words needed. Go make it! Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

• Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta 

Fajitas meet Pasta.  Nothing can possibly go wrong with this combination.  This creamy chicken fajita pasta is a great addition to any meal plan. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

30 minute Vegetarian Meals

Whether you yourself are vegetarian or you are looking for some Meatless Monday ideas, we’ve got you covered.

• Easy Weeknight Toasted Ravioli 

Truth moment: I actually attempted this recipe LIVE twice.  The first time I was less than 10 minutes from finishing and my oldest got sick. The second time I made this Easy Toasted Ravioli, it went off without a hitch and it’s now one of our favorite recipes. We paired it with an easy green bean salad. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

• Vegetarian Greek Quinoa Salad

If you love greek food, then this Vegetarian Greek Quinoa Salad is a no brainer.  This is perfect for meals on the go if you are looking for some mason jar meal ideas. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. (coming soon)

30 minute Vegan Meals

Some of our best meals we’ve created for this series came from vegan meals. Whether you are vegan or again, needing some Meatless 30 Minute meal ideas, these quick and easy 30 minute vegan meals are perfect!

• Black Bean Burgers

If you have a big meat eater on the fence about having anything meatless, you MUST try this quick Black Bean Burger. It’s delicious served with homemade french fries, tater tots, onion rings. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. (coming soon)

• Mediterranean Rice

This quick Mediterranean rice recipe packs in delicious color. It was light and airy and perfect for a quick meal. We served it alongside hummus and chips. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. (coming soon)

• Black Eyed Peas w/ Quinoa

One of our favorite vegan meals so far has been this Vegan Black Eyes Peas recipe served with quinoa and topped with a pineapple salsa. So yum! Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. (coming soon)

30 minute pasta meals

• Italian Ham Pasta Salad

This recipe for Italian Ham Pasta Salad makes a HUGE portion.  You could easily take this to a potluck or if you meal prep the same dish over the week it would be perfect for that! Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

• Incredible Garlic Shrimp 

We didn’t name this shrimp incredible, but it definitely lived up to it’s name. Try tossing this Incredible Garlic Shrimp recipe into some pasta and instant complete meal. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

30 minute Meals with Pork

• Korean Pork Chops

These Korean pork chops were so flavorful and so juicy! We served them with lemon butter green beans. Rice would also be a perfect match! Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

• Italian Ham Pasta Salad

This recipe for Italian Ham Pasta Salad makes a HUGE portion.  You could easily take this to a potluck or if you meal prep the same dish over the week it would be perfect for that! Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

• Egg Roll Stir Fry 

If you like egg rolls, you have to try this easy Egg Roll Stir Fry.  And if you don’t like egg rolls, you still have to try it.  I’m really picky about egg rolls and I loved this recipe. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

30 minute meals With Shrimp or Fish

• Hawaiian Shrimp Rice Bowl 

This was such a simple meal, but everyone loved this Hawaiian Shrimp Rice Bowl. Perfect flavor combo and everyone wanted more.Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

• Honey Citrus Salmon

This is one of our all time favorite meals. This Honey Citrus Salmon recipe is so fast to make! We paired it with honey glazed baby carrots. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

• Coconut Curry Shrimp

If you are wanting to feel an island vibe then you must make this coconut curry shrimp recipe! We paired it with coconut lime rice (swap out water for canned coconut milk – then when done squeeze in 1/2 to 1 whole lime juice). Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

• Cilantro Lime Salmon

Similar to the Honey Citrus Salmon we made, this Cilantro Lime Salmon was so incredibly quick to make. We paired it with a simple rice recipe or you could use the coconut lime rice from above. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

• Incredible Garlic Shrimp 

We didn’t name this shrimp incredible, but it definitely lived up to it’s name. Try tossing this Incredible Garlic Shrimp recipe into some pasta and instant complete meal. Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

30 minute meals With Steak

One of the best recipe we’ve made so far was this Chimichurri Steak recipe. You could also make with chicken. We paired it with a simple cucumber and tomato salad. A delicious 30 minute meal for summer.

Watch us make it on Facebook or Youtube. 

Time to go make an easy meal yourself!

Whether you are looking for cheap 30 minute meals or healthy 30 minute meals, we’ve tried to include a list of great options! I hope this list of easy 30 minute meals is a benefit to you.  If you think you know someone else who could benefit from this list, I’d love if you’d share it with them! We don’t have picky eaters here, but if you do, most of these 30 minute meals are kid friendly too! We’ll continue to add recipes as we test them out! Now bookmark this so you know where to come for tried and true 30 minutes or less meals!