8 Better Than Takeout Dinners Ready in 30 Minutes

The delivery app is always open on my phone at six o’clock, just to look.

By the time an order shows up I’ve usually eaten half a bag of crackers standing at the counter.

Making the takeout dishes I actually crave at home turned out to be faster than waiting for them.

It’s also a lot cheaper, which matters to me more than I like to admit.

1. Baked Orange Chicken

This orange chicken is baked, and the panko coating gets properly crisp in the oven.

Chicken pieces go through flour, egg and panko, then bake while you make a sauce from orange juice, orange marmalade, hoisin, soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger.

Thirty minutes, four servings.

Toss the chicken in the sauce right before serving so the coating stays crunchy.

Steamed rice and a sprinkle of sesame seeds finish it.

2. Mongolian Beef

Mongolian beef is mostly about the sauce, a sticky mix of soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger.

Thin slices of flank steak get tossed in cornstarch and seared until crisp, then coated in that sauce with dried chilies, Shaoxing wine and lots of green onion.

Twenty-five minutes, four servings.

Put the steak in the freezer for fifteen minutes before slicing, and it’ll cut into thin, even strips much more easily.

Dry sherry works if you don’t have Shaoxing wine.

3. Smash Burgers with Burger Sauce

Smash burgers are the fastest burger you can make, and they get far more crust than a thick patty.

Balls of seasoned ground beef get smashed flat on a hot skillet so the edges go lacy and crisp, then topped with cheese.

The burger sauce is mayo, ketchup, yellow mustard, chopped pickles and a splash of pickle juice.

About twenty-five minutes, four burgers.

The recipe is written to be paleo, and regular buns, ketchup, mayo and American cheese work exactly the same way.

Smash once, hard, in the first few seconds, and don’t press again after that or you squeeze out the juice.

4. Homemade Crunchwraps

The crunchwrap is a drive-through favorite, and it’s easier to make than it looks.

A large flour tortilla gets layered with taco beef, warm cheese dip, a crunchy tostada shell, sour cream, lettuce and tomato, then folded closed and crisped seam side down in a hot pan.

Thirty minutes for four.

Use burrito-size tortillas, because anything smaller won’t fold all the way around.

A small round tortilla over the center hole helps if your folds leave a gap.

5. Thai Red Curry with Chicken

Store-bought red curry paste is what makes this possible on a weeknight.

Chicken thighs simmer with the paste, coconut milk, red bell pepper and green beans, finished with fish sauce, lime juice, a little brown sugar and Thai basil.

Thirty minutes, one pot, four servings.

Fry the curry paste in the oil for a minute before the coconut milk goes in, since it brings out much more flavor.

Serve it over jasmine rice.

6. Chicken Lo Mein

Fifteen minutes, which beats any delivery time I’ve ever been quoted.

Fresh Chinese egg noodles toss with chicken and stir-fry vegetables in oyster sauce, dark and light soy, garlic, ginger and a bit of chili garlic sauce.

It serves four.

Dark soy sauce is mostly there for the deep brown color you see in restaurant lo mein, so don’t skip it if you can find it.

Look for fresh egg noodles in the refrigerated section of an Asian grocery store, or use dried ones cooked a minute short.

7. Pad Thai

This pad thai uses ingredients you can find at a regular grocery store, including a little peanut butter in the sauce.

Flat rice noodles get stir-fried with tofu, egg, carrots, bean sprouts and green onion in a sweet, salty sauce of fish sauce, soy, brown sugar, rice vinegar and sriracha.

Chopped peanuts, cilantro and lime go on top.

Thirty minutes, three servings, and it works with chicken or shrimp in place of the tofu.

Soak the noodles until they’re bendy but still firm, since they finish softening in the pan.

8. Egg Roll in a Bowl

Everything inside an egg roll, minus the wrapper and the deep fryer.

Ground meat browns with onion and garlic, then a bag of shredded cabbage and carrots cooks down with soy sauce and sesame oil.

Fifteen minutes, six servings, one skillet.

Ground pork is the classic choice, though chicken or turkey work too.

Drizzle sriracha mayo over the top if you want some heat.

Tips for Takeout at Home

Stir-fries move fast, so chop everything and mix the sauce before the pan goes on the heat.

Get the pan very hot and cook in batches, because a crowded pan steams the meat and turns it gray.

A few bottles cover almost every recipe here, including soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar.

Start the rice before anything else, since it takes longer than most of these dishes.

Notes on Reheating

Leftovers keep three days in the fridge.

Reheat noodle dishes in a skillet with a splash of water so they loosen up.

The crispy ones, like orange chicken and crunchwraps, are best eaten the same day.