I tried cooking dinner every night in under 20 minutes — these 7 tricks made it possible

Like many people, my evenings used to be chaotic.

I’d come home from work tired and immediately start negotiating with myself about dinner.

Do I have the energy to cook? Should I just order something? Maybe I’ll eat cereal and call it a night.

These were not my proudest moments.

I knew I wanted to eat better and stop spending so much on takeout, but the thought of cooking elaborate meals after a long day felt overwhelming.

So I set a rule: no meal could take more than 20 minutes from start to finish.

This forced me to simplify, plan smarter, and get creative.

By the end of the challenge, I wasn’t just surviving weeknight dinners—I was actually enjoying them.

Here’s what made the difference.

1. Prep ingredients ahead of time (even just a little)

I used to think meal prep meant spending hours on Sunday cooking and portioning food into identical containers.

That idea alone exhausted me.

But it turns out even small prep makes a huge difference.

Washing and chopping vegetables, cooking a batch of rice, or marinating chicken ahead of time meant I could throw together a meal in minutes.

For example, if I had pre-chopped onions and peppers in the fridge, fajitas went from a 40-minute project to a 15-minute weeknight dinner.

The key wasn’t doing everything in advance—it was just giving my future self a head start.

2. Build a list of go-to 20-minute meals

When you’re tired and hungry, decision fatigue is real.

Having to figure out what to cook is often the hardest part.

So I made a list of tried-and-true meals that I knew I could make quickly.

Some of my favorites:

• Shrimp stir-fry with frozen veggies and rice

• Sheet pan salmon with broccoli and sweet potatoes

• Pasta with garlic, olive oil, and parmesan

• Chicken tacos with pre-cooked rotisserie chicken

By keeping this list on my fridge, I eliminated the nightly guessing game.

Instead of staring blankly into my pantry, I could pick a meal and get started right away.

3. Stock the right pantry staples

I realized that the secret to speed wasn’t fancy techniques—it was having the right ingredients ready to go.

I stocked my pantry with things like canned beans, coconut milk, jarred pasta sauce, and quick-cooking grains.

In the freezer, I kept frozen vegetables, pre-cooked rice, and protein options like shrimp or chicken tenders.

With these staples on hand, I could throw together a balanced meal in record time.

It also cut down on last-minute grocery runs, which always seemed to add an extra 30 minutes to my evening.

4. Embrace shortcuts without guilt

For years, I felt guilty about using shortcuts like pre-washed greens or store-bought sauces.

I thought “real cooking” meant doing everything from scratch.

But here’s the truth: shortcuts are lifesavers on busy weeknights.

Bagged salad mixes, jarred curry paste, frozen rice, and rotisserie chickens became my best friends.

They didn’t make my meals less healthy or less delicious—they just made them faster.

And sometimes, faster is exactly what you need to stay consistent.

5. Cook once, eat twice (hello, leftovers)

One of the smartest strategies I discovered was intentionally making extra food.

If I was already cooking, doubling the recipe barely took any extra time.

The payoff? Built-in lunches or a second dinner later in the week.

For example, a big batch of turkey chili on Monday meant I didn’t have to cook again until Wednesday.

Leftovers became my secret weapon for staying on track, especially on nights when my energy was at zero.

6. Clean as you go

Cooking quickly isn’t just about getting food on the table—it’s about avoiding the mountain of dishes that can kill your motivation.

I started wiping counters, rinsing utensils, and loading the dishwasher while things were cooking.

By the time dinner was ready, cleanup was practically done.

This small habit made weeknight cooking feel less like a chore and more like a smooth, sustainable routine.

7. Lower your expectations (and keep it simple)

At first, I tried to make meals that looked Instagram-worthy every night.

Big mistake.

That pressure slowed me down and left me feeling burned out.

Once I gave myself permission to keep things simple, everything changed.

Some nights, dinner was just scrambled eggs with toast and avocado.

Other nights, it was a grain bowl with whatever leftovers I could find in the fridge.

Not every meal has to be a masterpiece.

Sometimes “done” is better than “perfect.”

What I learned from the challenge

By the end of the month, cooking every night no longer felt like a burden.

It had become part of my routine—a reliable, satisfying way to end the day.

The biggest lesson?

You don’t need hours in the kitchen to eat well.

With a little planning and the right mindset, you can create fast, flavorful meals that fit into even the busiest schedule.

And once you start, you might just find that you actually look forward to cooking dinner.

Closing thought

Cooking at home doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming.

These seven tricks transformed my evenings from chaotic to calm, one 20-minute meal at a time.

If you’ve been relying on takeout or skipping dinner because you feel too busy, consider trying just one of these strategies this week.

You might be surprised at how simple—and satisfying—weeknight cooking can really be.