Five 15-minute dinners for weeknights

When you get home late, a quick dinner depends on one thing: having a base prepared. These five ideas come together in about 15 minutes if you already have rice, pasta or vegetables ready.

If what you have at home is mostly pantry (cans, legumes, rice), also see the pantry dinners in 10 minutes: another approach for days with no time.

The five ideas

1. Scrambled eggs with vegetables. Sauté whatever you have (zucchini, pepper, spinach) and add the eggs at the end.
2. Pasta with tomato and tuna. Crushed tomato, garlic and a can of tuna while the pasta cooks.
3. Stir-fry with the previous day’s rice. Cold rice stir-fries better than freshly cooked rice.
4. Plain omelet with salad. Quick, simple and no special equipment.
5. Chicken wrap. With chicken cooked ahead, plain yogurt and raw vegetables.

How each one is made

1. Scrambled eggs with vegetables

For two people: 4 eggs, a zucchini or a handful of spinach, half a pepper, oil, salt and pepper.

1. Cut the vegetables small and sauté them in a hot pan with a little oil for about 4 or 5 minutes.
2. Lower the heat and add the eggs beaten with a pinch of salt.
3. Stir slowly until the eggs are fully set, with no liquid left, and serve right away.

Variation: finish with grated cheese or a little drained tuna.

2. Pasta with tomato and tuna

For two people: about 150 g (5 oz) of pasta, a can of crushed tomato, a clove of garlic, a can of tuna and oil.

1. Bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package.
2. Meanwhile, sauté the sliced garlic for a minute, add the tomato and let it reduce for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the drained tuna at the end, so it does not fall apart, and toss with the pasta and a ladle of the cooking water.

3. Stir-fry with the previous day’s rice

For two people: about 300 g (10 oz) of cooked, cold rice, chopped vegetables (fresh or frozen), 2 eggs and soy sauce.

1. Heat the pan until very hot and stir-fry the vegetables for 3 or 4 minutes.
2. Add the rice and break up the clumps; let it brown a little without stirring it all the time.
3. Push the rice to one side, set the eggs in the gap and mix everything with a splash of soy sauce.

Day-old rice has a safety catch: it must have been cooled within an hour of cooking and kept overnight in the fridge (no more than one day, according to the UK Food Standards Agency). Reheat it until steaming hot all the way through and never reheat it twice.

4. Plain omelet with salad

Two or three eggs per person, salt, a little oil and a salad of leaves with tomato.

1. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.
2. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat with a few drops of oil.
3. Pour in the eggs and, when they set at the edges, fold the omelet and serve it right away with the dressed salad on the side.

Variation: fill it with cheese, sautéed mushrooms or spinach.

5. Chicken wrap

Already-cooked chicken, plain yogurt, cucumber or green leaves, lemon, salt and wheat tortillas.

1. Mix the yogurt with a few drops of lemon, salt and, if you like, a little garlic powder.
2. Shred the chicken and chop the vegetables.
3. Spread the sauce on the tortilla, add the chicken and vegetables and roll it up.

If the chicken is leftover, keep it in the fridge and use it within 3 or 4 days, according to the USDA. If you heat it, the center must reach 165 °F (74 °C).

The prepared base: what to have ready

• Cooked rice, cooled quickly, to use within one day.
• Pasta cooked al dente with a drizzle of oil, ready to stir-fry or toss.
• Cooked chicken, which keeps three to four days in the fridge.
• Roasted or sautéed vegetables.
• A homemade tomato sauce, which keeps three to four days in the fridge or can be frozen.

With three of these bases in the fridge, any of the five dinners comes together in a few minutes.

How to organize it

Pick two bases (for example rice and chicken) on prep day and change the sauce or the vegetable each night. That way dinner gets assembled, not cooked from scratch.

Sources and review

• USDA/FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety (leftovers: 3 to 4 days in the fridge; reheat to 165 °F / 74 °C)
• Food Standards Agency (UK): Home food fact checker (rice: cool quickly, fridge for no more than one day, reheat only once)

Last reviewed: October 18, 2026. If you spot a mistake, write to us from the contact page.