Who asks for long complicated recipes for weeknight dinners? No one. Anywhere. As we endure yet another Covid surge and are likely cooking for ourselves at home more often, it’s even more imperative to have an arsenal of simple meals we can pull together in a flash. This past year, I started a new thread on my Instagram called Fast Friday, featuring meals that take less than 30 minutes from entering the kitchen to plating. I emphasize entering the kitchen, because a lot of those “30-minute meals” out there assume you meal prepped your broccoli into little florets when you got home from the grocery store, keep a tub of peeled garlic cloves on hand (not a bad idea) or have elves who fill a pot of water and start boiling it for you before you get home from work.

While knife skills are useful and knowing how to season properly will make you a good cook, what most savvy chefs have is impeccable time management. Here are some pointers for how to get a meal on the table in under 30, along with a meatball recipe that can be served with one of two delicious sauces and a variety of vegetable sides. If you’re just here for the recipe, skip to that below.

How to get a full meal of Quick & Saucy Ginger Garlic Meatballs on the table alongside fresh veggies and a mound of jasmine rice in under 30 minutes? You need a game plan that maximizes hands-off cooking time to get other tasks done. Choose ingredients that require little or no prep, and choose proteins and veggies that cook quickly, all in the time it takes a pot of rice to steam. Consider steaming broccoli or asparagus with a few pinches of salt. Assemble a quick cucumber salad with sesame oil, sesame seeds and lime juice (left). Or you can add peas, trimmed snap peas, asparagus spears, spinach or other greens directly to the sauté pan with the meatballs, add a few pinches of salt, close the lid and steam them quickly for a minute, all without dirtying another pan.

Here’s how I attack this:

1. Boil water for rice and steaming vegetables. Rinse rice.

2. Mix meatball mixture. Rest.

3. Start cooking rice. Set a timer!

4. Prep vegetable side dish — wash, trim, prepare a steamer basket in a pot if using.

5. Roll and cook meatballs. While cooking, make or gather sauce ingredients and finish prepping or cooking vegetables.

6. Finish meatballs by adding glaze or sauce to continue cooking through. Add vegetable if steaming with the meatballs.

Ginger Garlic Meatballs with Citrus Ginger Glaze or Spicy Red Curry Sauce

Yield: Serves 4

These pair nicely with a bowl of steamed jasmine rice and a side of steamed broccoli. Or add snow peas, slivered carrots or asparagus directly to the pan to steam before serving.

What You Need:

For the meatballs:

• ½ pound ground chicken, ground turkey, ground pork or combination

• 1 egg

• ½ cup panko bread crumbs

• 2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and finely minced or grated

• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated

• 4 scallions or chives, finely minced or snipped with scissors

• 1 tablespoon mirin or chinese cooking wine or vodka

• Salt and white pepper to taste

Citrus and Ginger Glaze

• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

• Juice from one lime

• Juice from one small orange

• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated or finely minced

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

• 2 tablespoons honey

OR

Spicy Red Curry Sauce

• 2-3 tablespoons red curry paste

• one 14-ounce can full fall coconut milk

• ¼ cup water

• 1 tablespoon tamari, shoyu or soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons fish sauce

• lime wedges for garnish

What You Do:

For Meatballs:

1. In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Using hands or a wooden spoon, mix until well combined. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. 

2. Using hands, roll the meat into 1-ounce balls. Set aside. 

3. Heat a wide high-sided sauté pan over medium high heat. Gently lower in the meatballs and cook in a single layer until lightly browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side. Continue to flip and cook until browned all the way around. 

For Citrus and Ginger Glazed Meatballs:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the glaze.

2. Pour the glaze mixture over the meatballs and toss gently to coat. Cook on medium high heat until the glaze reduces to about half its original volume and begins to get sticky, about 5-7 minutes.

For Spicy Red Curry Meatballs:

1. Remove the meatballs from the skillet. Do not drain the fat.

2. Add the curry paste to the skillet and sauté on medium high for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Whisk in the coconut milk and water and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the tamari or soy sauce. Return the meatballs to the pan and cook on medium heat until the meatballs are just about cooked through, about 7 minutes.

For both:

1. Optional: add a quick cooking vegetable like snap peas, broccoli florets, slivered carrots, asparagus spears or peas directly to the pan. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt and cover. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the meatballs are fully cooked.

2. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.