Our 15+ Best 30-Minute Dinner Recipes for a Crowd

These delicious 30-minute dinner recipes are made for feeding a crowd. Each recipe makes at least six servings, so there will be plenty to go around. Our readers have rated them with four and five stars, making them the perfect choices for when you’re hosting. You’ll want to try options like our stunning Big Beautiful Summer Salad or our flavorful Steak, Pepper & Sugar Snap Stir Fry, for a tasty meal that everyone will enjoy, no matter the occasion.

Big Beautiful Summer Salad

This gorgeous and healthy summer vegetable salad is loaded with pretty produce, including golden beets, avocado, corn, microgreens and radishes. Chickpeas and edamame add substance, and an herb-filled buttermilk-avocado dressing makes this salad really special. Serve it on its own for a light vegetarian meal or add grilled chicken for an easy weeknight dinner.

Steak, Pepper & Sugar Snap Stir Fry

Turn to this beef stir-fry recipe for a quick and easy dinner. The tender, spicy steak is cooked in the same wok or skillet as the crisp, colorful vegetables and smells divine as the dish is cooking.

Green Chile Rotisserie Chicken Casserole

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray


This green chile rotisserie chicken casserole features tender rotisserie chicken with lots of tender vegetables. The corn adds a nice pop of sweetness, while the rice helps absorb some of the flavors. A crunchy topping of crushed tortilla chips finishes off this comforting, Southwestern-inspired casserole.

Loaded Sheet-Pan Nachos

These quick and easy nachos have been referred to as “the best nachos people have ever had.” With easy-to-find ingredients, an optional pop of tang and spice from the pickled jalapeños, and the salsa verde and sour cream for serving, we think it’s earned its title!

Quinoa-Black Bean Salad

Alison Miksch

Enjoy this quinoa and black bean salad as a delicious and quick vegetarian main dish or as a side for grilled chicken or steak. And don’t forget the leftovers! They make an easy lunch on the go.

Vegan Black Bean Burgers

These easy vegan black bean burgers have a healthy dose of fiber thanks to the combination of black beans and quinoa. Cumin and chipotle chile powder give these vegan burgers a Southwestern spin. Using your hands to combine the mixture creates a soft, uniform texture.

Chopped Salad with Shrimp, Apples & Pecans

Sweet and crunchy apples and celery combine with savory shrimp and nutty pecans in this easy, colorful dinner salad.

Lemon-Pepper Linguine with Squash

Thinly sliced zucchini and summer squash bulk up this easy vegetarian pasta recipe. Saving a bit of the starchy pasta-cooking water to toss with grated cheese, herbs and bright lemon at the end is the secret to a fast, silky no-cook pasta sauce.

Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

Think of this vegetarian enchilada casserole as a veggie-packed Mexican-inspired lasagna with corn tortillas standing in for the noodles! If your peppers are mild and you like heat, opt for spicy pico de gallo. This easy vegetarian dinner recipe is sure to become a new family favorite.

Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach & Feta Penne Pasta

In this quick 20-minute dinner recipe, tender penne pasta is combined with garlic, roasted red peppers and spinach and topped with crumbled feta cheese for a fast and easy meal. This recipe was graciously shared by EatingWell reader Dottie Carpenter, who states, “Recipes are no good if they’re not shared!”

Sloppy Joe Casserole

Like sloppy Joes? Then you’ll love this sloppy Joe casserole recipe. This kid-friendly dinner has the classic sloppy Joe flavors kids love, while parents will like all the veggies that are packed in to make it a healthy meal.

Vegetarian Gumbo

This flavorful vegan dinner is a veggie version of the Louisiana classic. It’s chock-full of butternut squash, tomatoes, poblano peppers and okra, to name just a few. This vegetarian gumbo is a quick dinner packed with flavor and spice that’s done in only 30 minutes. To make it a meal, serve it with cornbread drizzled with olive oil.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken

Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist Lydia Pursell


This creamy chicken noodle soup recipe has a delicious potpie feel to it. We call for rotisserie chicken to streamline your prep time—look for a nice big one with lots of breast meat on it. Pair this comforting soup with a green salad.

Broccoli & Quinoa Casserole

Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee

This broccoli-quinoa casserole makes a hearty vegetarian main dish. As the quinoa absorbs water and cooks, it creates the perfect amount of steam for cooking the broccoli. The broccoli is crisp-tender and adds texture to contrast with the creamy, cheesy quinoa. Swap in tricolor quinoa, if you prefer.

Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese

This rich, yet healthy, white chicken chili recipe comes together in a flash thanks to quick-cooking chicken thighs and canned white beans. Mashing some of the beans acts as a fast thickener when your soups don’t have a long time to simmer. Cream cheese adds the final bit of richness and a hint of sweet tang.

Italian Wedding Soup

Jen Causey

Forget the marble-size meatballs you find in many versions of this Italian Wedding Soup. In this easy recipe, they’re full-size, full-flavored and plenty filling.

Whole-Grain Orzo & Grilled Vegetable Salad

This lovely orzo salad is rich with basil, grilled vegetables and tender fresh mozzarella cheese. The combination of vegetables, vinaigrette and fresh basil is a perfect base for the orzo and the cheese.

Chicken Chili Verde

Prepared salsa verde adds tang to this fast weeknight chili recipe and pairs beautifully with the rich caramelized chicken and creamy beans. Don’t shy away from the poblano peppers. They offer a mild heat but deliver a depth of flavor you can’t find in regular green bell peppers.

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