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30-Minute German Meals for Busy Days
by: Gerhild Fulson / Oma Gerhild shares German recipes rooted in family tradition.
Some days I want German food for dinner, but I certainly don't want dinner to become my entire evening. That's when I reach for meals that can get me from What am I going to make? to sitting down at the table in about 30 minutes.
Below are seven of my choices for quick German meals. If you'd rather have several dinners already planned for you, my Weeknight German Meal Plan takes care of that.
A few of my favorite quick German meals, all ready in about 30 minutes or less.Quick German Meals Ready in 30 Minutes
Not every German dinner needs a long simmer or a Sunday afternoon in the kitchen. These are the recipes I turn to when the clock is moving a little too fast.
Hoppel Poppel — 20 Minutes
Hoppel poppel is one of my favorite ways to turn leftovers into dinner. Mutti made it with cooked potatoes and whatever leftover meat happened to be available, then brought it all together with eggs.
I still remember coming home from school for lunch and finding hoppel poppel on the table. It was never quite the same twice because it depended on what Mutti had left over. That's really the point of it.
If you've already got cooked potatoes in the refrigerator, this one can rescue dinner rather nicely.
Eggs With Mustard Sauce — Under 30 Minutes
I didn't remember Mutti making eggs with mustard sauce very often until my sister Helgrid served them to me for lunch one day.
My first reaction was pretty much, Eggs with mustard sauce?
Then I tasted them.
Hard-boiled eggs with creamy mustard sauce make a surprisingly satisfying meatless dinner, especially with boiled potatoes. The sauce itself takes only about 10 minutes, so this is an easy one to fit into a busy evening.
Pork Chop Dinner — 30 Minutes
Sometimes I want a quick dinner that doesn't look particularly quick once it reaches the table. This is one of those.
Breaded pork chops cook while the potatoes are simmering, so you can have a proper German-style dinner on the table in about half an hour.
It's a good choice when time is short but I still want dinner to feel like dinner.
Red Lentil Soup — 25 Minutes
The lentil soup I grew up with was made with green or grey lentils. That's what Mutti made, so naturally that's what I made too.
It wasn't until much later that I started cooking with red lentils and discovered just how quickly they soften. That's what makes this soup such a good busy-day choice: my red lentil soup is ready in about 25 minutes.
It's hearty enough for dinner without the long simmer I normally associate with lentil soup. Wunderbar when everyone is hungry now.
Air-Fryer Pork Schnitzel — 20 Minutes
My granddaughter Lydia's air-fryer pork schnitzel gives this German favorite a very practical shortcut. Using boneless pork cutlets, the recipe takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.
I still love traditionally fried schnitzel, but there are evenings when letting the air fryer handle the cooking sounds awfully good to me.
German Potato Pancakes — 30 Minutes
I love traditional potato pancakes. I wasn't nearly as fond of scraping my knuckles on the grater.
After doing that one too many times, I decided there had to be an easier way.
Out came the blender.
My quick potato pancakes give me the traditional flavor I'm looking for without all that hand grating, and they're ready in about 30 minutes. Serve them with applesauce for an easy meatless supper.
Buletten — 20 Minutes
Buletten, also called frikadellen, are old-fashioned German hamburgers that make a wonderfully uncomplicated dinner. They're ready in about 20 minutes and don't need anything fancy alongside them.
Just don't overcook them. Otherwise, as I warn in my recipe, you may end up with bremsklötze ... brake pads.
German kitchen humor, perhaps. But also very good advice.
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Quick German Dinners for Those Busy Days
Thirty minutes may not sound like much time, but it's plenty when you choose the right recipe.
Some evenings I have leftovers waiting to be used. On others, I simply want something that won't keep me standing at the stove all night.
So pick whatever sounds good tonight and get cooking. That clock certainly isn't waiting for us.
If you'd rather plan beyond tonight, head back to my German Meal Ideas and Menus for more ways to put German food on the table.
Comments? Questions?
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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.
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