Whether at the top or bottom of your week, planning meals can feel tiring if you don’t have go-tos that work for you. These meals should be able to feed your taste buds, health goals and possibly your family, if needed. Most importantly, the time it takes to make them matters after a long day, ahead or at the end of a long week. Each of the recipes provided below can be accomplished in less than an hour and feature ingredients that are easily accessible. Some of them are more affordable to make than others, giving you options to choose from. Look no further than these five after-work recipes, including vegan meals, that get dinner done in less than an hour.

20-Minute Thai Basil Chicken

Sauté veggies in oil for 4 minutes before adding garlic and basil. Once those items have been added, saute for another two minutes and move the contents to another container. You’ll want to sauté the chicken at a high heat until it is no longer pink on the inside. Add the marinade to the meat, followed by the sautéed veggies that you placed in another container. This meal, though complete on its own, can be served on a bed of rice or noodles.

2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly-sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly-sliced
florets from 1 small head of broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
3-5 Thai bird chiles*, thinly-sliced (optional)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
leaves from 1 bunch of Thai basil (about 2 cups, lightly-packed)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly-sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 batch simple soy marinade (see below)

Soy Sauce Marinade

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
freshly cracked black pepper

30-Minute Sweet Potato Cauliflower Curry

Salt and curry your raw cauliflower on a cookie sheet. Once it’s seasoned, place it on the sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. While that’s baking, add water, oil, your diced shallots, minced ginger and minced garlic to a pot. Add curry paste followed by curry powder, salt, coconut sugar, coconut milk, your sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Allow it to simmer for 20 minutes before adding in lemon juice and extra seasoning to taste.

1 head cauliflower, loosely chopped (5 cups)
2 tablespoons coconut or avocado oil
1 tablespoon curry powder (more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (more to taste)
2 medium shallots (diced)
3 tablespoons fresh ginger (minced)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
4 tablespoons red curry paste
2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped)
1 28-ounce  can diced tomatoes
1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
1-2 tablespoon coconut sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice (to taste)

20-Minute Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta

Start off by boiling water, adding salt and then your pasta. Clean and season your shrimp, then set it to the side. In a large skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter over a medium heat before adding your oregano, red pepper flakes and minced garlic. Add your shrimp to the skillet, cooking for 3 minutes on each side. Melt another 6 tablespoons of butter and then add in your arugula, stirring until it wilts. Add your pasta and your parmesan.

8 ounces fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups baby arugula or spinach
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

20-Minute Moroccan Chickpea Soup

Over a medium heat, saute your onion and carrot for about five minutes until the onion is clear. While the veggies are sautéing, you can mince the garlic and then add it in for another minute of cooking. Stir while sautéing ahead of adding in cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, veggie stock, chickpeas, tomatoes and tomato paste. While that’s simmering, chop your kale, cilantro and slice your lemon wedges. Add the kale. Let everything simmer for an additional three minutes until the kale is soft. After you season to taste, you can garnish with cilantro and a lemon wedge upon serving.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 cups vegetable stock
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
3 cups roughly chopped kale leaves or baby spinach
chopped fresh cilantro and fresh lemon wedges, for serving

35-Minute Chicken and Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Potatoes

Start off by preheating your oven to 400 degrees, placing your washed and seasoned chicken thighs into a baking dish. In another container, you’ll toss your potatoes, brussels sprouts and minced garlic together with olive oil, salt and pepper, sprinkling your chopped bacon on top. Bake for 35 minutes or until the thighs are no longer pink at the bone.

4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
1 pound red potatoes, halved or quartered
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
cracked salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 ounce package ranch dressing mix
6 slices bacon, chopped

We’re excited to hear from you about which of these have been added to your weekly go-to meals. We hope that you enjoy the adventure of trying each of these and adjusting them to your preferences.