10 Smart Food Prep Shortcuts That Get Dinner on the Table Faster

1Prepare Ingredients Instead of Entire Meals

Wash greens, chop sturdy vegetables, cook one grain, mix one versatile sauce, make the salad dressing for the week or grate some cheese ahead of time. This gives you a helpful head start without requiring you to decide exactly what you will want to eat several days from now.

2Prepare Twice What You Need Tonight

If you are already chopping an onion, slicing peppers, roasting vegetables or cooking rice, prepare enough for another dinner. Your cutting board, knife and ingredients are already out, so a few extra minutes tonight can save considerably more time tomorrow. You will be so thankful you did!

3Create a Freezer Stash of Ready to Use Vegetables

Keep chopped onions, peppers, spinach, peas, corn, broccoli and stir fry vegetables in the freezer. They can go directly into soups, curries, pasta dishes, fried rice, casseroles and vegetable skillets.

4Freeze Small Flavor Boosters in Useful Portions

Freeze pesto, tomato paste, caramelized onions, sun dried tomatoes, fresh herbs in olive oil, chipotle peppers and leftover sauces in small portions. Just one spoonful can bring wonderful flavor to pasta, beans, soup, rice or roasted vegetables.

Do your taste buds a favor and have a few of these flavor boosters at the ready!

5Keep Several Fast Dinner Foundations Ready

Microwavable rice, couscous, refrigerated tortellini, gnocchi, polenta, naan, tortillas and a loaf of good bread can quickly turn a few simple ingredients into a satisfying dinner. I bet you can already name five delicious meals you could make with these in less than a minute!

6Let Canned Beans and Lentils Do the Heavy Lifting

Beans and lentils are already cooked, economical, filling and incredibly versatile. Use them to make tacos, curries, soups, pasta dishes, grain bowls, quesadillas or a cozy skillet dinner in very little time.

Refried beans are especially quick. Warm them, spread them over a tortilla and add your favorite toppings. Dinner is practically done!

7Make One Sauce That Works Three Ways

A lemon herb dressing can dress a salad, brighten a grain bowl and become a sauce for roasted vegetables. Pesto, tahini sauce, peanut sauce, marinara and yogurt sauces can work the same kind of magic throughout the week.

8Use Thoughtfully Chosen Store Bought Shortcuts

Prewashed greens, chopped vegetables, salad kits, prepared hummus, refrigerated ravioli, pizza dough, jarred roasted peppers, frozen falafel and good quality sauces are all legitimate cooking tools.

Using one convenient ingredient does not make your dinner any less homemade or delicious.

9Rely on Simple Dinner Formulas

Instead of beginning with a completely new recipe every evening, keep a few dependable combinations in mind.

1. Grain, vegetables, beans and sauce
2. Pasta, vegetables and flavorful cheese
3. Tortillas, a favorite filling and cheese
4. Eggs, leftover vegetables and toast
5. Soup base, beans, vegetables, fresh greens and small pasta or crusty bread

These flexible combinations remove much of the exhausting question of what to make for dinner while still leaving plenty of room to choose the flavors you love.

10Build One Emergency Dinner Kit

Gather everything needed for one dependable dinner and keep it together in the pantry or freezer.

A pasta kit could include pasta, marinara, canned white beans, frozen spinach and Parmesan. A taco kit might include tortillas, beans, salsa, corn and cheese.

When the day does not go according to plan, dinner will already be decided.