Easy recipes and shortcuts to spend less time in the kitchen—with fewer ingredients, less cleanup, Instant Pot and slow cooker options, meals made in 30 minutes or less, and other smart strategies

Getting a home-cooked meal on the table every day is an admirable goal, but it shouldn't get in the way of your life! In Bare Minimum Dinners, Jenna Helwig—food director at Real Simple magazine—shares delicious, easy recipes so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying your meal…or doing whatever else you want! Chapters include: Bare Minimum Time (30 minutes or less); Bare Minimum Ingredients (7 ingredients or less, including salt and olive oil); Bare Minimum Hands-On Time (slow-cooker and Instant Pot meals); Bare Minimum Clean-Up (one-pot/sheet pan/skillet meals); and Bare Minimum Sides (super-simple vegetables, salads, and grains so you can feel good about serving healthy, well-rounded dinners). Throughout, Jenna offers helpful tips—for example, how to keep salad greens fresh and at the ready, easy substitutions, and suggested supermarket brands—as well as easy ideas for dressing up or rounding out your meal.
  “You know how some books promise fast, easy dinners—but there’s always some weird catch? This book REALLY, absolutely, 100% delivers on that promise. I dare you to flip through and not find at least a dozen delicious meals you can probably make with what you have on hand right this second. Packed with recipes that have crazy-short ingredient lists, fast cooking times, and creative spins, this is my kind of cookbook. I’ll bet it’s yours, too.” —Jenny Rosenstrach, best-selling author of Dinner: A Love Story and The Weekday Vegetarians    “You’re going to want Jenna as your new friend in the kitchen. In keeping with her philosophy, this book is filled with simple dinner options that are rounded out with helpful tips, suggested sides, dress it up moments, and substitutions. I learned some new tips and I think you will, too. But, most importantly, the recipes are delicious, approachable, and totally doable. I hope you love this book as much as I do. Welcome to MY kitchen, Jenna!” —Sarah Carey, editorial director of food and entertaining, Martha Stewart Living