- 15 hours ago
Busy weeknights call for fast dinners that still taste amazing—and in this video, Nicole shares five easy meals you can get on the table in just 15 minutes. From crispy pork noodles and cheesy chicken enchilada skillet to juicy smashed meatball subs and fresh fish tacos with slaw, these quick dinner ideas are packed with flavor and perfect for hectic nights when you need something fast, filling, and family-friendly.
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00:00Sometimes you need dinner on the table
00:01faster than delivery, I've got you covered.
00:03Here are five delicious 15 minute dinners
00:06and I'm setting a timer
00:07because I know you won't believe me.
00:09I'm starting with crispy pork and peanut noodles.
00:12Are you ready?
00:13Here we go.
00:14Go ahead and get your skillet heating
00:16and a pot of water on the stove to boil.
00:18I'm also gonna go ahead and make my sauce for the dish.
00:22This is just a little bit of peanut butter,
00:24hence the peanut noodle, soy sauce,
00:26a little bit of chili garlic sauce.
00:29It's not that spicy,
00:30but you can adjust the spice level
00:32according to your family's taste.
00:33A little bit of ground ginger
00:35just cause it's faster than using fresh
00:37and a tablespoon of brown sugar.
00:39So we've got it all going on.
00:40We've got a little sweet and salty,
00:42little spicy, tangy, got my skillet hot.
00:45Add in a little bit of oil
00:46just to help me get the crispies going
00:48and then down with ground pork.
00:50I have loved using ground pork.
00:52It's super affordable and full of flavor.
00:55You want this to get good and crispy,
00:57hence the name crispy pork,
00:58so let it go.
00:59Meanwhile, we'll cook the noodles.
01:01I've got my water boiling
01:02and I'm using the ever-so-popular
01:05ramen without the season packet,
01:07just for the noodles.
01:09Noodles.
01:10However many packets you think your family wants.
01:12I'm gonna go two or three.
01:13And these only take about three minutes to boil.
01:16You want them to get into small pieces
01:18and then when they cook in their own drippings,
01:20that's when they get good and crispy.
01:22And we are less than six minutes in.
01:24Now I'm gonna go drain my pasta.
01:26These little ramen packets sure do come in handy,
01:28especially for fast dinners.
01:30Noodles are cooked, the meat is cooked,
01:33and now we're waiting on it to get brown.
01:34And we have just over five minutes left on our timer.
01:38In goes some green onions.
01:39I'm also gonna add in some garlic.
01:41Fastest way to chop garlic, the garlic press.
01:45You can hear it start to pop, that's what we want.
01:47Let it do its thing, leave it alone.
01:49And now we're talking.
01:51All those little brown bits are pieces of crispy pork.
01:54Some of the crispy bits are sticking to the bottom,
01:56but they're about to lift up when we add the sauce.
01:58So I'm gonna go ahead and add in the noodles.
02:00A little more water, a minute and a half left.
02:03Ooh!
02:04Add the rest of the green onions, turn off the heat.
02:0717 seconds to spare, baby.
02:09These smell so good.
02:11This is that something different you've been looking for.
02:13Little crispy bits of pork,
02:15just kind of confetti throughout the whole thing.
02:17The noodles just kind of suck up that sauce.
02:20All the flavor is in every bite.
02:22I'm gonna finish with a little more green onion.
02:24Also some chopped peanuts,
02:26just to highlight the peanutty goodness in here.
02:29And squeeze of lime.
02:32Optional, but highly recommended.
02:34You can't tell me that's not faster
02:35and more delicious than delivery.
02:37And because that pork is in such little pieces,
02:40you get like the perfect amount in every bite.
02:46Right off the bat.
02:48You really only need to cook those ramen noodles for about two minutes,
02:51because they're gonna finish cooking the minute they hit this pan.
02:54The amount of flavor is unbelievable.
02:56This is literally a 15 out of 10.
02:59This next dinner is a quick and easy chicken enchilada skillet.
03:04And it comes together thanks to some pantry staples.
03:06These make great shortcuts when you're trying to get dinner on the table in a hurry.
03:10We're gonna use some canned beans, some canned corn, shortcut sauces.
03:13You can do tomatillo sauce or enchilada sauce.
03:16And another excellent shortcut when it comes to quick dinners,
03:19pre-cooked rotisserie chicken.
03:21Or, if you're like me and you're cheap slash frugal,
03:26you would have meal prepped and gone ahead and chopped your own chicken.
03:30So, this recipe and a lot of recipes call for cooked, chopped chicken.
03:35Go ahead and do that one day when you've got more time.
03:39Your future self thanks you for that.
03:41Oh, and I need to start my timer.
03:43Here we go.
03:44I actually tested this one out last night on my family,
03:47and I did it in 13 minutes.
03:49You also want to go ahead and turn your broiler on your oven.
03:54So, I'm gonna use an oven-proof skillet because we're gonna go straight from the stove
03:57to the oven for the last minute or two.
04:00Just gonna get a little oil going in my pan.
04:03Add in my onion, and then I'm just gonna need to cook it for just like a minute or two,
04:06just till it starts to soften.
04:08Everything's cooked when you're using canned beans, canned corn, cooked chicken.
04:12All of that is cooked, it's just a matter of heating it all the way through.
04:15Once everything's hot, onion's starting to soften, in goes our corn and beans.
04:19Let those go for about a minute.
04:22And you want to keep your heat pretty high on this.
04:25That way everything cooks fast.
04:27We only got 15 minutes.
04:29This is the meal you make when you get home from work.
04:32You've only got 15 minutes to get dinner on the table before you have to take one kid
04:36to soccer and then go to the choir concert.
04:39Real life.
04:40So, next I'm going in with some pico.
04:42You can also just do salsa here.
04:43This is just gonna add another layer of flavor by only using one ingredient.
04:47Just like about a quarter cup is all you need for flavor.
04:50Get that heated.
04:51And now the chicken.
04:52Now we just want this to get real hot.
04:55There's salt and acidity in the corn, in the beans, and in the salsa.
04:59So, you can check to see if you need any salt at this point.
05:03For the record, we have just under 10 minutes left.
05:05So, even if you have not already shredded your chicken, you've still got time to do it.
05:09All right, now to turn this into enchiladas.
05:12Instead of tortillas, we're using tortilla chips.
05:15And we're using a store-bought enchilada sauce.
05:17Now that everything is heated through, here's what I do.
05:21I'm gonna take some chips.
05:22I'm just leaving my stove on so that it keeps heating and cooking through.
05:27I'm just gonna kind of break them up over the top.
05:30And this adds your salt, too, to the dish.
05:32Then I'm gonna pour over that enchilada sauce.
05:34A few more chips, just because that's what I want to do.
05:37That's what I like.
05:38Some are crunchy, and then some are soft.
05:41And then, because we're saving time, pre-shredded cheese right on top.
05:45I mean, we still got seven minutes left, and it's only on take two.
05:48Then we're just gonna move it to the oven to broil.
05:50Only takes one to two minutes till that cheese melts.
05:53Cheesy, crunchy, creamy, whole lot going on.
05:56This is your Taco Tuesday.
05:58You know I'm passionate about that.
06:00And then dinner's done.
06:01You can serve it with whatever toppings you like.
06:03I like some sour cream for this.
06:05Also, a little avocado, maybe.
06:07Some fresh cilantro.
06:09Looks good, huh?
06:10This one's probably the fastest of the day.
06:12Oh, yeah.
06:13Oh, yeah.
06:14This is a really filling and hearty meal, also.
06:18We've been done.
06:20It's a little more of that pico, a little sour cream.
06:23This is gonna be a lot better for you than what you might get out at a restaurant.
06:27Quick and easy chicken enchilada skillet.
06:30It's got all the perfect bites going on.
06:34Mmm.
06:35We didn't even add a sprinkle of salt, and there's so much flavor in here.
06:39This is the meal that just makes you feel good.
06:40The chicken is tender.
06:41Everything is warmed through.
06:43Then you've got those cool, crunchy toppings.
06:45Perfect bite in a pan.
06:46And we did it in under 15 minutes.
06:50This dinner's gonna make all your people happy.
06:52We're only 15 minutes away from meatball subs.
06:54Meatball and all, because I'm doing smashed meatball subs.
06:58If you've been around for the past year or so, you know that when we smash anything,
07:02A, it's delicious, and B, it cooks in, like, two minutes.
07:05So we're gonna take the meatball, which is typically round in shape,
07:08and takes longer than 15 minutes to cook, and we're gonna flatten it out and cook it in no time.
07:14This one's, like, magic.
07:15Maybe we call this magic meatball subs.
07:17So I'm going to make a meatball mixture the same way I would, for the most part,
07:21if I was making sundae sauce.
07:23Finely chop up a little bit of onion.
07:25Oh, I gotta start my timer.
07:27Just a little bit of onion for flavor and moisture.
07:30And I'm going in with an egg, a little half and half, some grated parm.
07:34Ain't nobody got time to grate their own when we're making 15-minute meals.
07:37And some breadcrumbs.
07:38I like to get everything acquainted before I add the meat.
07:41Then I add my meat in.
07:43To the meat, I like to add in the seasonings.
07:45So I go with a little salt, pepper, and then I go with fresh garlic,
07:48or I'll just do garlic powder.
07:50Then we mix.
07:51Now, I must admit, this is the first time I'm doing this.
07:55We are doing this together, but I just have faith it's gonna be delicious.
07:59All right, meatball mixture is made.
08:01Now for the fun part.
08:03Take your sub rolls, because it's meatball subs.
08:05We're not even quite five minutes in.
08:07We've got our meatball mixture made.
08:08And we're just going to spread our meatball mixture onto the bread.
08:12You want to keep it thin, but you also want it to be a hearty amount,
08:15so that it's a filling sandwich.
08:17Normally, you'd have like, you know, four meatballs or something on your sub.
08:20It's gonna cook through.
08:21Don't worry.
08:22I'm also going to serve this with a bag Caesar salad to really complete the meal,
08:27but also keep it within the time frame.
08:29Okay, so it's substantial.
08:32You can fill the amount of meat in there.
08:34This is going to be hearty.
08:35And also go ahead and have your broiler on,
08:37because we are going to finish these in the oven.
08:38You want to get your skillet or your griddle pretty hot,
08:40because we want to develop a little crust,
08:42and it's such a thin layer of meatball that it's going to cook through pretty quickly.
08:47Also get some pre-shredded mozzarella and store-bought marinara here.
08:50There's a time and a place, you know.
08:53This is that.
08:54All right, I'm going to add some oil.
08:55So again, it kind of helps develop the crust.
08:58Do we think that's going to work?
09:00Plays it down.
09:01This is smashed meatball subs, so smash it like a smash burger.
09:07See, we've still got time, so just let it do its thing,
09:10cook, walk away, let it get brown.
09:12All right, while these cook, I'm going to mix the salad.
09:14You know, I love these little bag salad shortcuts,
09:17but you also know that I only buy them when they buy one and get one free.
09:21That's just how I roll.
09:22All right, and we've got about four minutes left.
09:25Let's take a little peek.
09:27Oh, yeah.
09:29Perfect.
09:30Gorgeous.
09:31A little sauce.
09:33Shredded motts.
09:34These are looking better than I thought they were going to look.
09:37I feel like I'm on a cooking show.
09:39Under the broiler, we have two minutes.
09:43That will not take two minutes.
09:47Did you think I couldn't do it?
09:48Did you ever doubt me?
09:50No, Nicole, we would never doubt you.
09:51Close her up.
09:53Never made meatballs this best.
10:00That's a fun dinner, my friends.
10:02Hot, steamy, you see a layer of meatball,
10:05a good layer of cheese, saucy.
10:07The bread is like toasty on the outside,
10:11gooey and good on the inside.
10:13This is a dinner my son would love.
10:14Also kind of feel like it would be good if you put that Caesar salad directly
10:18onto the sandwich.
10:19Barely made it, but we did it.
10:21It can be done, but how do it taste?
10:29Y'all won't believe it, but it tastes like a meatball sub.
10:33And I actually think this is quite genius because you know when you take a bite out of meatball subs,
10:38half the time the meatball rolls right on out.
10:41Not today.
10:42Did we just invent something?
10:44It tastes like a good fast, easy dinner and easiest way to eat a meatball sub.
10:49I think my job here is done.
10:50Now we're taking the humble canned bean and turning it into a complete dinner with
10:54Marry Me skillet beans.
10:56This is a meal that I crave because break out the crusty bread and the glass of white wine.
11:01Delicious.
11:02Oh, I keep forgetting to start the timer.
11:04You know me, pretty much every dinner I serve starts with some onion.
11:08It's just the best flavor base.
11:09What makes things Marry Me usually include the addition of sun-dried tomatoes and something really rich and creamy.
11:16So I'm also going to be adding in heavy cream and some Parmesan cheese so you can marry me anything
11:22really.
11:23I'm just going to take these sun-dried tomatoes and chop them up.
11:26They're also going to look like a little confetti of color in these skillet beans.
11:29This one is maybe your grown-up dinner or your definitely not picky eater dinner.
11:35My son would look at this and be like, is that all we're having?
11:38Just beans.
11:39So for him, I'd probably serve this as a side dish alongside some chicken or something.
11:44All right, we're going to start with extra virgin olive oil.
11:46That is also going to add flavor here.
11:47This isn't a high or a long cook dish.
11:50So you want that extra virgin olive oil for flavor.
11:53Get that hot.
11:54In goes our onion.
11:55Get the onion going for about a minute.
11:57Add in a little salt.
11:58I'm also going in with some garlic.
12:01This is just one of those rustic meals.
12:03Love it.
12:04All right, and then I'm also going in with the sun-dried tomatoes.
12:06Get them starting to soften up a little bit.
12:09Let that cook for about a minute until that garlic is good and fragrant.
12:11All right, now for the beans.
12:13I'm doing three cans because we actually love beans in my family.
12:16And I'm okay with leftovers here.
12:18A little crushed red pepper.
12:20Now we make it good and creamy.
12:23A little chicken stock.
12:24Just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet.
12:26And again, to make it merry me, heavy cream.
12:30I'm going to bring this to a simmer and let it thicken.
12:32And we still have plenty of time.
12:34A good eight minutes or so left.
12:37All right, after it's come to a simmer,
12:39I'm going to add in just like a tablespoon of tomato paste.
12:42This is going to add in a little bit of sweetness, cut through some of the richness,
12:46and it kind of makes that pretty pink color that we also know in a lot of merry-me dishes.
12:51Final steps include stirring in some cheese.
12:54Check for the flavor.
12:58I'm telling you, you could add the rotisserie chicken here, but it doesn't need it.
13:03You don't miss the meat.
13:06Got the two meal essentials right here.
13:09Yum.
13:10Finishing with some fresh parsley and basil.
13:13You can do one or both.
13:15Doesn't this look like a warm hug in a pan?
13:18Yes, Nicole, it does.
13:19I also feel like I want to add a little hint of crushed red pepper.
13:23Marry me beans is what's for dinner.
13:25A little more herb.
13:26Sprinkle of cheese.
13:29And my favorite part.
13:30Get you a good old scoop.
13:31I mean, you may not even need a fork or a spoon.
13:36Mmm.
13:39Mmm.
13:40There is so much flavor in this bowl.
13:42I know I say that all the time, but it just is.
13:44You can look at it and see.
13:46It is comforting, but those little bits of sun-dried tomato
13:49are just like, almost like sweet and juicy in there with that creamy, rich bean.
13:54And because it's your own bowl, you can double dip with your bread, you know?
13:57Y'all might think I'm making up how good this bowl of beans is,
14:01but I'm not.
14:02I think I got carried away with talking.
14:04Then we only had five seconds left.
14:06But I do believe this one you could do in well under 15 minutes.
14:10For my final trick, we're cooking with fish,
14:12because fish makes for the perfect 15-minute dinner.
14:15I'm doing quick and easy fish tacos.
14:1915.
14:20I'm going to season the fish.
14:21I'm just going to use some pantry staples.
14:22This fish is pretty thick, so I'm going to start it on the stove and finish it in the oven.
14:27You usually want to figure about 10 minutes per inch thickness of fish.
14:32This is probably close to about an inch and a half, so we're going to be cutting it
14:35close to the 15 minutes, but we got it.
14:38A little onion and garlic powder, and a little chili powder and cumin,
14:41kind of that southwestern layer.
14:43Okay, I'm just going to pat that in, and then we'll get it searing in the skillet.
14:47Into my hot pan.
14:49Don't touch it.
14:50Let it cook.
14:51I'm also going to toast my tortillas.
14:54If you've got a gas stove, I love doing it this way, just to get a little char on it.
14:58It just kind of adds good flavor and a little toastiness.
15:02I just kind of throw them right over the burner.
15:04Some tongs.
15:06See, they already start to get a little color.
15:08And then you can just keep them wrapped in a damp paper towel to keep them warm.
15:12I'd be able to multitask sometimes to get these 15-minute meals done, you know?
15:16Okay, that's fast.
15:17Fish is ready to flip.
15:18Yep, releasing easily.
15:20That means it's ready.
15:21Beautiful.
15:22Now, at this point, I'm going to finish it in the oven.
15:24If we were doing it all in the oven, it would take probably that complete 15 or so minutes.
15:29But since we started on the stove, that kind of speeds it along.
15:32We have about 11 minutes left.
15:36We will hit the goal.
15:37All right, so I'm going to make a slaw for the topping in case we haven't met.
15:40You know I like different textures in the food.
15:43So this one's going to be like cool and creamy.
15:45So I'm using some Greek yogurt.
15:47You could also just use sour cream here to kind of build our dressing.
15:50Now, what I love on fish tacos, I've been doing this forever, is chipotle.
15:54Just kind of gives you that smoky with the creamy.
15:57For this, you actually only need the sauce that comes in the chipotle can, the adobo sauce.
16:03It's got the heat and the flavor.
16:05And these last for a long time in the fridge, so you can just wrap it up and throw it
16:09in your chili
16:09or something else you're making later in the week.
16:11A little red wine vinegar, some salt.
16:14Okay, and then just to cut some of the tang, I like to add in just a little bit of
16:17olive oil.
16:18I think I'm going to also grab some cilantro and throw that in.
16:21That way you don't have to have everything in separate bowls.
16:24This just makes it easier.
16:25Basically, the meal is complete and we have six minutes left.
16:31Got this one in the bag.
16:35Beautiful.
16:36Good flaky white fish.
16:38Any kind of flaky white fish is what you want to use for fish tacos.
16:41And then I just kind of like to break it up into chunks and it's ready to go.
16:45And we have a minute to spare.
16:48Just get a little sample.
16:55Joke's on you, timer.
16:57Grab you a couple tortillas.
16:59And that beautiful fish, some slaw.
17:01I mean, I'm just filling it up.
17:03A little bit of mango.
17:04You've got those warm spices in there when you hit that sweet, like, juicy fruit.
17:10And why not?
17:11A little squeeze of lime.
17:12Get the cold beer ready.
17:14This is a good, light, summery meal also.
17:18And it was ready in 15 minutes.
17:26That's awesome.
17:27This is one of those meals that you think you can only get at restaurants
17:29or for special occasions, but I proved that it is fast enough to make on a busy weeknight.
17:34And so flavorful.
17:35Perfect for these warmer months.
17:37You got to try this one.
17:38Five for five in 15 minutes.
17:40We have nailed it.
17:41And I had my proof right here.
17:43Do you want to see more recipes like this?
17:45Let me know in the comments.
17:47In the meantime, head to the grocery store.
17:48let go전
17:49in 15 minutes from the grocery store.
17:49If you'll get.
17:49I'll keep you in the comfort zone there.
17:49Do you go ahead.
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