30-Minute Dinners for the Days Between Christmas and New Year’s

Short on time but still hungry? These quick, flavorful dinner recipes come together in 30 minutes or less.

By Robin Shreeves
Published December 26, 2025
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Melissa Hom

Preparing for the holidays takes extra time and effort. By the time December 25 rolls around, many of us—regardless of whether we celebrate Christmas—are a bit burnt out and ready to take it easy during the final week of the year. But we still have to eat, right? These dinner recipes come together in 30 minutes or less, giving you more time to do what you want—not what you have to—at the close of the year.

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  • 30-Minute Tuscan White Bean Soup

    tuscan-white-bean-soup-kenji
    J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    So simple, so flavorful. Start with the usual soup vegetables—carrots, celery, and onion—then add garlic and red pepper flakes before pouring in chicken broth and two cans of white beans. What deepens the flavor is the addition of a Parmigiano-Reggiano rind and sprigs of fresh rosemary, which simmer with the soup before you toss in greens to wilt just before serving.

  • 15-Minute Creamy Tomato Soup (Vegan)

    A bowl of creamy vegan tomato soup on a stone background with a spoon to the right of the bowl. The surface of the soup is drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with chopped herbs.

    Serious Eats / Eric Kleinberg

    How do you make tomato soup creamy without using any cream? Add torn pieces of white bread to a pot with two cans of whole peeled tomatoes, onion, and seasonings. Simmer for just 15 minutes, then blend until smooth. Serve with grilled cheese, of course.

  • Spaghetti Puttanesca (Spaghetti With Capers, Olives, and Anchovies)

    20210202-spaghetti-puttanesca-melissa-hom-8
    Melissa Hom

    Finely chopped anchovies melt into garlic oil to start a tomato sauce packed with capers, chopped black olives, and tuna. While it simmers, boil spaghetti until al dente, then finish cooking it in the sauce. Stir in grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, and serve with extra cheese on top.

  • Pasta e Ceci (Pasta With Chickpeas)

    pasta e ceci close up in a blue bowl
    Andrew Janjigian

    This starch-on-starch soup (or is it a stew?) comes together quickly with canned chickpeas and store-bought chicken stock. Olive oil, sautéed garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, and white wine combine with the stock. Add the chickpeas and ditalini, and cook until the pasta is tender. Finish with grated Pecorino Romano to complete this classic Italian dish.

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  • 15-Minute Honey-Mustard Salmon Recipe

    Side view of honey mustard salmon

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    In just 15 minutes from start to finish, a honey–mustard–mayonnaise mixture coats salmon fillets. Broil the salmon instead of baking it to achieve a nicely browned surface before the fish dries out. Microwave a steamable bag of vegetables for a quick side, and you’ve got a healthy dinner in a flash.

  • Easy Chipotle Chicken Chili Recipe

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    Yvonne Ruperti

    Sauté jalapeño and spices in olive oil before adding ground chicken and cooking it through. Stir in chipotle chiles, beans, and broth, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add corn and cook until heated through. Serve with avocado, tortilla chips, and lime.

  • 10-Minute Chana Masala

    Overhead view of 10 minute chana masala

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Simmer canned chickpeas with baking soda to quickly soften them for this dish. Tomato paste speeds things up, as do frozen ginger and garlic pastes. Add butter, spices, more tomato, sugar, heavy cream, and garam masala, and cook until heated through. Dinner's done.

  • Chickpea, Coconut, and Cashew Curry Recipe

    20210322-ChickpeaCurry-Andrew_Janjigian
    Andrew Janjigian

    Head to your spice rack and pull out 10 spices to grind into a flavorful blend for this quick curry. Half the mix is blended with sautéed onion and garlic, cashews, and coconut milk. Add canned chickpeas, spinach, and the remaining spice mix to the sauce, and cook until heated through.

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  • Easy Fried Rice

    Vegetable fried rice inside a green ceramic bowl.

    Serious Eats / Eric Kleinberg

    Start with cooked rice—leftover is ideal, but if you plan ahead, you can make rice just for this. Use a wok and high heat to stir-fry the rice with onion, carrots, scallions, and garlic, adding soy sauce and sesame oil at strategic points. Egg and frozen peas go in at the end for a quick, flavorful fried rice that’s ready faster than delivery.

  • Oyakodon (Japanese Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl) Recipe

    Oyakodon, in a white ceramic bowl alongside wooden chopsticks, a small ceramic bowl holding togarashi seasoning, and an additional bowl of oyakodon off to the left side.

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

    A sweet and savory broth of dashi, soy sauce, dry sake, and sugar forms the foundation of this dish. To it, add sliced onion, thinly sliced chicken thigh, and the herb mitsuba (optional). Once cooked through, pour the mixture over bowls of rice and, if desired, top each serving with an egg yolk.

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