Last Updated on 12th December 2017 by

You dig through a pile of dusty cookbooks to find a recipe you’re in the mood for, write out a huge list of obscure ingredients, head off on a tour of every specialty supermarket in town to find kaffir lime leaves or some similarly rare-but-essential-to-the-recipe item. By the time you get home you’re exhausted, you’ve spent way too much money and you’re definitely not in the mood to cook. Recipe time undisclosed; actual time 3 hours.

When you’ve actually finished cooking you’re so hungry that you finish your plate in 5 minutes and hardly remember what it tasted like! We’ve all been there… Gousto takes the hassle out of meal planning, but we’re also masters of quick cook recipes. Even if you’re home late on a weekday, or knackered from looking after the kids all day, these quick dinner recipes will let you put an amazing dinner on the table in 20 minutes or less. Read on to check out 20 of our quickest recipes – less time wasting, more time tasting!

1: Pancetta Alfredo Linguine With Broccoli 

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: Beginners

This foolproof 20 minute wonder features some sensational herby pancetta from Castellanos, our artisan British charcuterie experts in Bristol. See the full recipe here.

2: Curried Fish With Coconut Rice & Lime

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: Lovers of light, fresh tastes

True to the easy-going Carribean sensibility, this dish’s chilled out cucumber and lime flavours are a healthy, perfect bed for the curried fish’s personality. See the full recipe here.

3: Moroccan Honey Chicken

Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Best For: Chicken fanatics

Ras-el-hanout is a spice mix traditionally using the best spices a spice merchant has to offer. The chicken ends up coated in a sticky, warming sauce for a Moorish (and moreish!) tagine inspired dish. See the full recipe here.

4: Easy Lamb Biryani

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: Replacing the midweek takeaway

Biryani is one of the staples of Indian cuisine, and this quick dinner shows you why! Sultanas, green beans and spiced lamb combine to create a feast of flavour. See the full recipe here.

5: Warm Greek Salad (V)

Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Best For: Summer dining

This filling salad transports us straight to the Mediterranean coast, with a host of delicious ingredients perfect for eating in the sun. See the full recipe here.

6: One Pot Pasta (V)

Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Best For: Kids (just go easy on the chilli!)

One of the simplest out there – this dish is full of simple flavours that children love, and has a great technique for cooking pasta with stock that is both easy and delicious. See the full recipe here.

7: Quick Persian Lamb Couscous

Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Best For: Speedy lunches

This dish brings adventure into your kitchen, with pistachios, sultanas and the delicious Middle Eastern baharat spice blend. What’s more, it’s proof that great meals don’t need to take ages to prepare –  you’ll have this fantastic recipe ready in a flash. See the full recipe here.

8: Pak Choi & Mushroom Noodle Stir-Fry (V)

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: Proving to meat-eaters that vegetarian food rocks

Crunchy, juicy pak choi, the umami taste of mushrooms and hoisin sauce, rich cashew nuts and soya mince combine in this speedy dish that puts plants on a pedestal, and rightly so. See the full recipe here.

9: Smoky Fish With Chive Butter Sauce

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: Fussy eaters

Simplicity is sometimes the best way to go and this speedy classic is a prime example of this. Keep things classy with this midweek treat, made beautifully indulgent with a rich sauce of clotted cream and chives. See the full recipe here.

10: Spring Pasta Primavera (V)

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: Convincing kids to eat green food

Sunny mornings are here, so embrace the weather with an American-Italian classic. Bursting with greens this dish was originally developed at Le Cirque, one of New York’s finest restaurants. We’ve given it a twist to make it perfect for a British summer. See the full recipe here.

11: Spicy Pork Steaks & Broccoli Couscous

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best for: Weekday date-nights

Pork and apple with an African twist, this dish gives the classic combination a harissa spiced kick and some extra class thanks to dried cranberries. See the full recipe here.

12: Tuscan Panzanella Salad (V)

Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Best For: A wholesome health kick

A speedy traditional Tuscan salad made with charred bread – may sound a little odd, but it adds texture and satisfying weight while soaking up amazing flavour from the capers, tomatoes and black olives. See the full recipe here.

13: Curry In A Hurry

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: Curry night

The nation’s favourite dish, ready in the blink of an eye. This 20 minute curry is creamy and flavour-packed. Coriander and tomato give it a fresh finish! See the full recipe here.

14: Rich Open Beef Lasagne With Basil

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: Oven-free cooking

Lasagne is delicious, but it takes a bit of oven time, right? Wrong! This open beef “lazy lasagne” will be ready in 20 minutes and tastes as good as the real deal. See the full recipe here.

15: Harissa Fish On Red Pepper Couscous

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: When you’re keeping an eye on calories

A speedy fish dish, our 20 minute harissa fish makes for  a flavour-packed midweek dinner. Crunchy red pepper and coriander couscous and a fillet of harissa coated fish brings a mouthwatering spicy kick to your plate. See the full recipe here.

16: Warm, Lemony Lamb Tabbouleh

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: Post-workout

Quick, healthy and brimming with flavour, this dish uses honey and ras el hanout to make the lamb extra moreish, while the parsley and lemon add a nice freshness. You can expect clean plates after this dish! See the full recipe here.

17: Speedy Mustard & Tarragon Chicken

Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Best For: Homely, hearty food when you’re hungry!

A fancy, French-inspired dish in just fifteen minutes –  flipping fantastique! Tarragon, mustard and chicken with gentle aniseed cutting through the lot. See the full recipe here.

18: Mexican Pork & Black Bean Rice

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: The burrito fanatic

What do you get when you combine spicy chipotle pork, black beans and rice with fresh apple? This is what you get! Tasty, easy, quick and  flavour packed. See the full recipe here.

19: Herby Pancetta Carbonara With Chives

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: An unbeatable classic in the blink of an eye

This Italian favourite, originating in Rome, showcases our gourmet pancetta from Castellano’s charcuterie in Bristol. A quick, simple dish with a luxurious dollop of Cornish clotted cream for a silky-smooth finish. See the full recipe here.

20: Easy Harissa Chicken Curry

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Best For: A curry with a twist

This dish is a North African inspired variant on curry, replacing rice with lentils, and spiced with rich harissa paste. See the full recipe here.
If you liked the sound of these recipes, then take a look at our current menu to see what recipes we have on this week!