16 Shortcut Recipes for Speedy Weeknight Dinners

One of the many cooking shows I often watched growing up was Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. The idea behind the show, in case you're not familiar, was how to entertain in an approachable, semi-homemade way, using pre-made or pre-packaged ingredients to save time and effort (plus, wow, the tablescapes!).

The idea of "semi-homemade" cooking, especially on busy weeknights, is one we could all use more of today. There's nothing wrong with leaning on pre-packaged ingredients to get dinner on the table with less work but still lots of flavor, and these 16 recipes prove it.

Easy Chicken Cobbler

"Use whatever leftover cooked chicken you have on hand (white or dark meat or a mix), or grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and shred it up for this recipe." —Julia Levy, Recipe Developer

Quick and Easy Potato Soup

"While the classic potato soup my grandma used to make from scratch is pretty easy, I wanted to eliminate one pesky step—peeling potatoes. By using a bag of frozen hashbrowns (both shredded and cubed work here), I eliminated the need for peeling and chopping, a nice bonus." —Stephanie A. Ganz, Recipe Developer

3-Ingredient Stuffing Mix Chicken Meatballs

"You can use any variety of stuffing mix you like as long as it comes in a 6-ounce package. I like to pair chicken-flavored stuffing with ground chicken, turkey-flavored with ground turkey, or herb-flavored with either one." —Coco Morante, Recipe Developer

Skillet Cacio e Pepe Tortellini With Wilted Greens

"I like to use cheese tortellini here because it’s the most accessible and I’ll never refuse more cheese. However, fresh or frozen tortellini with any filling, whether it's sausage, spinach, ground beef, mushrooms, or otherwise." —Sheela Prakash, Recipe Developer

Chorizo Sloppy Joes

"Skillet sauces, like Frontera, are a fantastic way to add flavor quickly. Pick your favorite flavor profile, mix it with chorizo, and enjoy the easiest sloppy Joe in the world!" —Sara Bir, Contributor

Unstuffed Peppers

"Any microwavable white rice will work, including Ready Rice, Bird’s Eye, and store brands like Trader Joe’s. Just note the size of the package—you'll need about 8.5 ounces." —Jasmine Smith, Recipe Developer

Creamy Pesto Beans

"Baby lima beans are the pièce de résistance of creamy white beans if you ask me, but aren’t always the easiest to find, especially canned. Any white beans will do, whether cannellini, Great Northern, or navy beans." —Laurel Randolph, Associate Editorial Director

4-Ingredient Ranch Chicken Breasts

"You’ll only need four ingredients (beyond the salt, pepper, and oil) to make the recipe, but having some additional mayonnaise allows you to create a delicious sauce for serving." —Sara Haas, Recipe Developer

Egg Roll in a Bowl

"I love this recipe because it uses four easy-to-find ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Ground meat, a bag of coleslaw mix, soy sauce, and ginger are pretty much all you need to make this dish. It’s on repeat in my house because it’s a nutrient-dense meal that tastes like fried food. Win-win!" —Jessica Furniss, Recipe Developer

3-Ingredient Pizza Dough (+Easy Pizza)

"For this recipe, it’s best to use any type of plain Greek yogurt, rather than Greek-style yogurt. I always use Fage Nonfat Greek Yogurt, but reduced fat or full fat will work as well." —Molly Allen, Recipe Developer

Dumpling Salad

"I’ve made this salad with all sorts of dumplings, from shrimp to pork and cabbage to vegetable to chicken—everything works. You can change it up to suit your mood and your diet." —Laurel Randolph, Associate Editorial Director

Upside-Down Chili Pie

"You can add 1/2 cup of finely grated cheddar cheese and a strained 4-ounce can of canned chopped jalapeños to your cornbread batter. This will give your cornbread a fun color and bite of spice." —Malina Syvoravong, Recipe Developer

Tuscan-Style Chicken Thighs

"The recipe leans on pre-chopped mirepoix, which I highly recommend because it’s worth paying a little extra for the convenience and it really cuts down on prep time." —Theodora Kaloudis, Recipe Developer

Cold Soba Noodles

"When the hankering for some cold noodles comes to me, I always have two pantry essentials on hand: soba noodles and mentsuyu concentrate, a bottled Japanese broth base for noodles. With these two ingredients, I can be slurping refreshing noodles in 10 minutes flat." —Kat Thompson, Recipe Developer

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

"For a less salty finished dish, use low-sodium or 'heart-healthy' cream of chicken soup. Sometimes you can even find an unsalted version. Add salt to taste, as needed." —Meghan Splawn, Recipe Developer

Salsa Verde Chicken

"Jarred salsa verde is the key ingredient here. It gently cooks the chicken breasts and permeates them with great flavor as they cook. Look for salsa verde that has a thicker texture—some store-bought salsas can be runny." — Julia Levy, Recipe Developer