3 dinner recipes all made in under 20 minutes! Each dinner idea includes loads of veggies to get well-balanced meals on the dinner table quickly.
Thank you to al fresco All Natural for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
This spring we had the largest blizzard in 125 years. 23 + inches of snow. In April. That’s crazy!
I’m happy to report that the temperatures are rising and the snow is rapidly melting.
This late season snow pushed back all spring sports, giving me more time to get prepared for the upcoming sports season – when it seems we are never home.
If your family is on the go most nights of the week as well, you’ll enjoy the post today.
Featured below are 3 recipes made in under 20 minutes
These recipes are each a complete meal, ready for your family very quickly. They also make delicious leftovers, perfect for school lunch!
As I started the process of developing recipes that could be made quickly, I knew I needed to utilize prepackaged convenience options.
There are some fantastic prepackaged choices available to make life a lot easier, check out some of my favorite convenience foods here. The following ingredient you’ll see in all the recipes that follow is a lifesaver, especially on busy nights.
I headed to the store and grabbed three different flavors of al fresco All Natural Chicken Sausage.
I really love this chicken sausage for many reasons besides the ease of use. It’s fully cooked, has 70% less fat than regular pork sausage along with 30% less sodium. It’s packed with flavor and can be used in oh so many ways!
The first recipe is a Chicken Sausage Sheet Pan recipe.
Sheet pan meals are fantastic for a busy night because everything simply goes onto the sheet pan and into the oven where the whole meal cooks at once.
This chicken sausage sheet pan recipe comes together super quickly with just a rinse of the veggies, slicing the carrots in half for quicker cooking, season, and bake.
I sliced the chicken sausages in half to get them crispy and browned. I found the result to be delicious and moist. Per the al fresco website, they recommend not slicing until after cooking to keep the most moisture in the product. You could slice afterward if you prefer!
Find the recipe for Chicken Sausage sheet pan dinners here.
The second 20-minute dinner idea is a Chicken Sausage Ravioli with a lemon butter sauce.
It’s a one-pan dinner idea that comes together in just 15 minutes!
With peapods and mushrooms cooked with the chicken sausage, the veggies are right in the dish. The touch of lemon flavor is so fresh, this was my favorite of the three recipes and the perfect dish bringing out those spring flavors!
Grab the recipe for Chicken Sausage Pasta Here!
The 3rd recipe was voted the recipe most people wanted to try when I polled the audience in my Instagram Stories.
Chicken Sausage Penne Pasta Recipe
Who can resist pasta?! This dish has the penne pasta cook right in these sauce, making this recipe a one-pan dinner idea!
This creamy penne pasta recipe is sure to please your family.
My kids, who are not fans of spinach, didn’t even comment on the fact there was spinach in this dish! You could always skip the spinach is you think it’s something your kids wouldn’t eat, but it adds such a pretty pop of color and a great boost of nutrition!
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A creamy chicken sausage penne pasta dish loaded with flavor that comes together in under 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 package al fresco All Natural chicken sausage, sliced horizontally
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups dry penne pasta
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 1 cup spinach
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent.
- Add sliced chicken sausage, cooking for 1-2 minutes to brown the sausage.
- Add diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Adjust heat to bring to a boil.
- Add penne pasta. Turn heat down and simmer for 7 minutes.
- Stir in cream cheese.
- Add spinach, salt, and pepper. Stir well and serve!
I’d love to know which 20-minute dinner you will be trying first?!
Share with family or friends who are looking for quick dinner ideas too!
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Claudia Lamascolo says
I honestly dont know what I want to eat first since they all look spectacular. I love everyone of these so I guess I will start with that yummy pasta dish!
Create Kids Club says
Thanks, Claudia! The penne was a favorite at my house, I hope you enjoy!
Veena Azmanov says
Now that is one awesome post with three good recipes. Love the simplicity and detail on this post. We love penne in our home and sausage is always a great welcome. Saving this for later.
★★★★★
Create Kids Club says
So glad to hear, Veena! I do love simple, it makes life so much easier on busy nights!
Kylee from Kylee Cooks says
I love love love this!! Anything that makes the weeknight dinner grind a little easier gets a vote from me. I want to try that sausage penne this week!
★★★★★
Create Kids Club says
Thanks Kylee! I’d love to hear how you like it! 🙂
Wanda Lopez says
They all look fabulous and delicious. I am always looking for meals that are easy and fast to make.
Create Kids Club says
Thanks, Wanda! I hope you enjoy. 🙂
Tina says
Not one but three incredible weeknight dinner meals, thank you so much! I’ve wanted to try chicken sausage for a while now and was nervous my family wouldn’t like it. But…these look delicious and I’ll be trying one tonight!
Create Kids Club says
I find chicken sausage to be so versatile, Tina. My kids (and husband!) love it and I love that I can use it in so many different ways!
Tammy says
Love the variations here! Each dish looks more delicious than the next…I especially love the ease of sheet pan dinners. Makes life so much easier ^_^
Create Kids Club says
I can’t agree with you more on the sheet pan dinners, Tammy! I love that there is little to no clean up too! Added bonus 🙂
Heather says
Gorgeous pics and this recipe is making me drool! Busy weeknights are always better with an amazing recipe like this!
★★★★★
Create Kids Club says
Thanks, Heather! I agree on the busy weeknights. Having a quick plan always helps!
Priya Srinivasan says
You got us in that Title 3 meals under 20 minutes!! All 3 looks fab! And that pasta with chicken sausage must be a clear winner with adults and kids together! Looks fabulous!
Create Kids Club says
Thanks, Priya! And you are correct – my kids loved the penne! It worked great for a week of lunches too! 🙂
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
What great meals!! Sometimes we just don’t have time for complicated recipes but we don’t want to sacrifice taste or nutrition. They all look and sound fantastic. I’m pinning so I don’t lose them.
★★★★★
Create Kids Club says
Thanks so much, Marisa! I totally agree. I love cooking, but with small kids it becomes challenging to make complicated dinners. I love finding products that can make life a little bit easier (and tastier too!).