Homemade meals like these step in when the delivery app feels more like a gamble than a plan. You don’t need to thaw five things or use six pans — just a few ingredients and one decent decision. They show up quicker than your driver ever does and without the wrong order.
Creamy Italian Sausage Soup
Creamy Italian Sausage Soup mixes browned Italian sausage, cream cheese, garlic, onion, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and Italian seasoning into a rich, comforting bowl. It’s ready in 30 minutes and made entirely in one pot, which means fewer dishes and zero regrets. It holds up just fine with some crusty bread, but honestly, you’ll probably finish the bowl before thinking about sides.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Italian Sausage Soup
Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Hungarian Mushroom Soup cooks down a mix of mushrooms, onions, flour, broth, sour cream, milk, dill, and paprika into something earthy and filling. You’ll get it ready in 45 minutes total, and it’s just as good reheated if you’re the kind of person who thinks about lunch during dinner. This is one of those homemade meals that makes staying in feel like the better plan.
Get the Recipe: Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Chicken Tortellini Soup brings together shredded chicken, cheese tortellini, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in a broth seasoned with basil and oregano. It comes together in one pot and is ready in 40 minutes, which is still faster than figuring out who’s delivering soup that doesn’t taste like saltwater. No need to call it cozy — it already knows.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Tortellini Soup
Lemon Garlic Scallops
Lemon Garlic Scallops sear up quickly in butter before getting hit with fresh garlic, lemon juice, broth, and parsley. They’re ready in 30 minutes and come out just tender enough to make you wonder why restaurant scallops always cost half your paycheck. Serve with rice, pasta, or nothing at all — it’s one of the few meals that doesn’t need much help.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Garlic Scallops
Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce simmers boneless thighs in a garlic-heavy mushroom sauce made with butter, broth, and a splash of cream. It’s done in 30 minutes using just one skillet, which might be the only reason anyone’s doing dishes that night. This one just proves that homemade meals don’t have to be complicated to be worth repeating.
Get the Recipe: Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken simmers chicken thighs with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, heavy cream, chicken broth, and Parmesan until the sauce thickens and clings to every bite. It’s ready in 30 minutes and only needs one skillet, which makes cleanup more reasonable than it probably deserves to be. This is one of those homemade meals that makes dinner feel slightly more intentional — without actually requiring that kind of energy.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
Sausage Curry
Sausage Curry brings together sliced sausages, curry powder, garlic, onion, tomatoes, and coconut milk in a single pan until everything’s coated in a rich, spiced sauce. You’ll have it prepped and done in 45 minutes, which is just enough time for the kitchen to smell like you knew what you were doing. Eat it with rice or flatbread, then accept the compliments you didn’t really ask for.
Get the Recipe: Sausage Curry
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Chicken Pot Pie Soup mixes shredded chicken, diced potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and green peas into a creamy broth seasoned with thyme and garlic. It’s ready in under an hour and doesn’t need the traditional crust to be exactly what you wanted. Keep a spoon handy — not because it’s poetic, just because you’ll need it.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Creamy Tuscan Chicken layers chicken thighs with spinach, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, heavy cream, broth, and grated Parmesan in a one-pan stovetop meal. This one’s ready in 40 minutes and tastes like something that took way longer — but no one needs to know otherwise. The leftovers hold up well, not that they usually make it that far.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Cabbage and Sausage
Cabbage and Sausage comes together with sliced green cabbage, smoked sausage, onion, garlic, and a splash of apple cider vinegar to keep things bright. Everything cooks in one skillet and it’s ready in under 30 minutes, which is about the time it takes a delivery app to glitch and restart. It holds up well for lunch the next day, not that you’ll need to plan that far ahead.
Get the Recipe: Cabbage and Sausage
Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
Garlic Butter Chicken Bites start with bite-sized chunks of chicken breast, lightly coated in cornstarch and browned in avocado oil until crisp. They’re ready in just 20 minutes once you toss them in a garlic butter sauce made with melted butter, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and parsley. They somehow taste like you had more time than you did, which is half the win.
Get the Recipe: Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
Tuscan Garlic Shrimp and Spinach
Tuscan Garlic Shrimp and Spinach sautés shrimp with spinach, diced tomatoes, garlic, cream, and Italian seasoning until the sauce comes together and coats everything evenly. It’s done in less than 30 minutes and doesn’t need anything fancy on the side unless you’re trying to impress someone. When dinner tastes this solid, no one asks where you ordered it from.
Get the Recipe: Tuscan Garlic Shrimp and Spinach
Creamy Dijon Chicken
Creamy Dijon Chicken layers chicken thighs, garlic, Dijon mustard, heavy cream, chicken broth, Italian herbs, and crumbled bacon into one ridiculously rich pan. It’s ready in 30 minutes, but the sauce is the kind that could trick someone into thinking you went full French bistro. Homemade meals like this are what make skipping delivery feel like less of a compromise.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Dijon Chicken
Zuppa Toscana
Zuppa Toscana ditches the potatoes for chopped radishes but keeps everything else you’d expect — Italian sausage, bacon, kale, garlic, onions, chicken broth, and heavy cream. It simmers into a rich, creamy soup that’s ready in about an hour and holds up surprisingly well for a homemade version of the Olive Garden favorite. No delivery driver needed, just a ladle and maybe a second bowl.
Get the Recipe: Zuppa Toscana
White Bean Soup
White Bean Soup builds flavor fast by simmering carrots, onions, garlic, and canned white beans in broth until everything softens and blends. You’ll purée half the beans to give it that creamy consistency without using cream, and top each bowl with crunchy croutons. It’s ready in 40 minutes, and it’s the kind of soup that actually holds up as a real dinner.
Get the Recipe: White Bean Soup
Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup
Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup blends sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, garlic, onion, broth, and just enough seasoning into something far more useful than anything in a paper bag. Everything simmers into a creamy, balanced soup that’s ready in about an hour and finishes nicely with sour cream and parsley on top. It freezes well too, which is a good sign you’ll be glad to see it again later.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup
Curry Salmon with Coconut Milk and Bok Choy
Curry Salmon with Coconut Milk and Bok Choy cooks salmon fillets with bok choy in a sauce made from curry paste, mustard seeds, garlic, curry powder, and coconut milk until everything’s soft and flavorful. The whole dish comes together in just 30 minutes and doesn’t skimp on richness or bold flavor. If takeout feels too predictable, this covers dinner and then some.
Get the Recipe: Curry Salmon with Coconut Milk and Bok Choy
Chicken Corn Soup
Chicken Corn Soup simmers chicken, carrots, potatoes, corn, creamed corn, and broth into a creamy one-pot soup that somehow still tastes like someone cooked it with actual care. It’s ready in under an hour and manages to be both nostalgic and filling without asking for much back. You’ll want leftovers, so make sure to make plenty.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Corn Soup
Creamy Ground Beef Skillet with Cauliflower Rice
Creamy Ground Beef Skillet with Cauliflower Rice is made by browning ground beef with mushrooms, then stirring in cauliflower rice, cheddar, cream cheese, garlic, and a handful of spices until it’s thick and golden. This one’s done in 30 minutes total and doesn’t need a side dish to feel complete. This is one more reason why homemade meals don’t need a long prep list or a delivery bag to hold their own.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Ground Beef Skillet with Cauliflower Rice
Fried Cabbage with Bacon
Fried Cabbage with Bacon sautés chopped bacon with onions, adds shredded cabbage, and finishes it all off with garlic powder, salt, and a splash of apple cider vinegar for a quick stovetop dinner. The whole thing is ready in 25 minutes and doesn’t dirty more than one pan. It’s the kind of dinner that makes takeout feel slightly embarrassing.
Get the Recipe: Fried Cabbage with Bacon
Creamy Garlic Chicken
Creamy Garlic Chicken simmers chicken breasts in a sauce made from garlic, butter, heavy cream, chicken broth, and freshly grated Parmesan until everything thickens into something you’ll want bread nearby for. It’s ready in 30 minutes and made entirely in one skillet, so clean-up barely registers. This kind of flavor from a stovetop situation is how homemade meals keep winning against delivery.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Garlic Chicken
Sausage and Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner
Sausage and Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner roasts sausage links with broccoli, zucchini, and mini sweet peppers tossed in olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder until caramelized and golden. Everything cooks together in the oven and is ready in about 30 minutes with nothing left to stir or babysit. The tray goes straight from oven to table, which feels like cheating but isn’t.
Get the Recipe: Sausage and Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner
Creamy Skinless Chicken Thighs with Artichoke Hearts
Creamy Skinless Chicken Thighs with Artichoke Hearts brings together chicken thighs, canned artichoke hearts, garlic, and cream cheese in a skillet until the sauce is thick enough to spoon over anything. It’s ready in 30 minutes and works just as well with pasta, rice, or veggies still sitting in your pantry. Nothing about it feels rushed about this meal, which is honestly very refreshing.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Skinless Chicken Thighs with Artichoke Hearts
Cauliflower Risotto with Mushrooms
Cauliflower Risotto with Mushrooms cooks cauliflower rice with a creamy mix of mushrooms, garlic, onion, broth, and Parmesan that hits most of the same notes as the traditional risotto. Done in 30 minutes in one pan, it comes together fast without losing flavor to shortcuts. You’ll notice what’s in it long before you miss what’s not.
Get the Recipe: Cauliflower Risotto with Mushrooms
Green Chile Chicken
Green Chile Chicken pulls together shredded chicken thighs, green chiles, jalapeños, garlic, onion, sour cream, and cheddar into something that tastes like it took longer than 20 minutes. Serve it over rice, stuffed into a tortilla, or straight from the pan if that’s where the day’s going. It’s spicy, creamy, and just messy enough to make dinner interesting.
Get the Recipe: Green Chile Chicken
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