20-Minute Meals: Quick Dinners for Busy Nights

Soccer season is upon my family, which means practices and games multiple nights a week. The kicker is, soccer always lands right at 5:30 pm—primetime dinner time. I really only have about a 20-minute window to make anything!

That’s because I’m constantly rushing around washing uniforms, gathering shin guards and cleats; it’s hard enough to get everyone in the car in time let alone get a meal ready before we leave. Can you relate? What is your “soccer season?” Be it ballet or football or PTO, it seems there is always some place we need to be instead of at the dinner table.

So when I sit down to write out our weekly menu, it’s imperative to consider 20-minute meals that I can throw together on soccer nights. And even if we don’t end up eating together at the table, at least we can bring the food with us to the field.

At Remember Stuff, there is a helpful place to remember all your recipes under Food & Drink. Just click on “Remember Recipes” and import via a website or type the recipe in manually. Be sure to save your favorite 20-Minute Meals to your own Remember Stuff recipe list!

Here are a few 20-minute meals I have collected over the years and adapted for us that our family loves:

Burritos or Wraps in 20 Minutes >

Not only can you create each one according to taste and assemble ahead of time, burritos or wraps are very portable. So if you are rushing out the door, just roll up these babies in foil and bring a garbage bag and napkins for easy clean up.

Easy Chicken Burritos

• Cooked chicken breast, shredded
• Flour tortillas (Mission now makes a gluten-free option)
• Salsa
• Beans, such as pinto or black
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole or chopped avocado
• Rice
• Tomatoes
• Lettuce

Lay out each tortilla on a flat surface and fill with desired ingredients. Roll up and enjoy.

20-Minute Soup >

We eat soup once a week at our house. It’s tasty, there are many healthy options, and soups are very filling. Soups are one of those things you can experiment with and change according to your family’s tastes. They can also be cooked in a crock pot, making it even easier. Most soups only take about 20 minutes or so to throw together, though cooking times may vary.

Throw-together Chili

• 1 lb cooked ground beef
• 2 cans beans of your choice (pinto, black, navy, etc.)
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• ½ onion, chopped and sautéed
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped and sautéed
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 tsp cumin
• Chili powder to taste (we use ½ a tsp)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Throw together ingredients in a pot and bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. Top with cheese or sour cream and eat with cornbread if desired. You can also throw ingredients in a crock pot to let simmer on low for a few hours.

Pasta in 20 Minutes >

Who doesn’t love pasta? And on busy nights when you’re running around, pasta can give you the extra energy you need. It can also be dressed up many different ways, and quickly, too. Pasta is also easy to bring with you in a Tupperware container.

Kielbasa Garden Pasta

• Bowtie or other favorite pasta (many gluten-free options available)
• 1-2 kielbasa, sliced
• Olive oil
• Zucchini, sliced
• Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• Mushrooms
• 1/3 bag of frozen peas
• Green onions, chopped
• 1-2 T butter (or coconut oil)
• 1 cup milk (or almond milk)
• 2 T cornstarch
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• Cheese if desired

Cook pasta in a pot of water according to directions on package. While that is cooking, in a skillet with olive oil, sauté the peas, mushrooms, and zucchini. Add sliced kielbasa. When cooked, add minced garlic and stir. Next, add ingredients to make a light cream sauce. Start by adding butter (or coconut oil) in skillet to melt.

In a small container, add cold milk and cornstarch and stir with a fork until combined—then add to skillet. Sauce should start to thicken slightly. (If adding cheese, add now so it melts.) Next, drain and add cooked pasta right into the skillet. Finally, add tomatoes and green onions.

With a little planning and choosing easy 20-minute recipes like these, hopefully soccer nights—or whatever your busy nights may be—will go more smoothly. I know ours definitely do. Even if we end up eating dinner out of Tupperware in the van as we drive to practice, at least I know they are getting good fuel before they hop out and play. Remember your favorite recipes here on rememberstuff.me.