10 Gorgeous Meals From Instagram You Can Make In Under 30 Minutes

Scrolling through Instagram can give anyone food envy. There's always somebody whipping up the most colorful, dynamic, and tasty meal you've ever seen, while you're not even sure you're 100 percent aware of how to turn your stove on. That's OK, though! Cooking isn't necessarily as difficult as it looks, especially not when I did you the favor of cherry-picking 10 recipes from Instagram you can make in 30 minutes or less.

These recipes are easy to make but don't sacrifice the cool factor, so you can eat a home-cooked meal and get over 100 likes on your Instagram post. And, really, what's more important when making your food than the likes you get on social media? Were you expecting me to say "taste"? Well, thankfully, there's plenty of that, too.

Cauliflower And Poached Egg

A one-pan wonder that will satisfy meat-eaters and veg-heads alike. If you have never poached an egg before, try doing it in a separate pot with help from the master, Jacques Pépin. Oh, and you can quick pickle the shallots (onions work, too) by slicing and then placing in vinegar for 15 minutes. Get the recipe for the dish here.

20-Minute Chicken Tacos

This listicle would not be complete without a taco recipe. Tacos are great. That’s all I have to say.

Egg Drop Soup

Homemade Chinese takeout – it’s easier than you think. The trick is whisking very quickly when pouring in the egg to avoid an egg stew. Get the recipe for this egg-drop soup here.

Mushroom Toast

So simple. So good. This recipe doesn’t call for any dairy, but if you have some cream or crème fraiche in your fridge, try adding it after you sauté the mushrooms. You won’t regret it. Unless you are lactose intolerant.

Kimchi Fried Rice

If you are not using this Korean staple in your fried rice, you need to update your globalization-fueled roster of international cooking methods with this recipe.

Pasta With Ham And Peas

It’s spring, so add some peas to your pasta and brag to your friends about your new seasonal-eating diet! This is one of those cook-without-a-recipe dishes, but here’s some help:

Set your pasta water to boil, then chop some ham (a ham steak works well for this if you don’t have leftover cooked ham) and sauté it in a little bit of olive oil. Add some white wine to deglaze the pan if you have some, and when most of the wine has cooked down, add your peas and cook through. Then add a bit of cream, crème fraiche, or strained yogurt — whatever you happen to have on hand. Grate some nutmeg in there, if you have it, and squeeze in some lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When your pasta is almost finished cooking, take some of the pasta water out of the pot and set aside. Drain your pasta, add a little bit of the pasta water to your ham, pea, and cream mixture (this will help the sauce stick to the pasta). Mix in your pasta with the ham, pea, and cream mixture. Test for salt; add more if it’s not to your liking. Plate and top with grated Parmesan.

Savory Oatmeal With Mushrooms And A Poached Egg

Jump on the savory oatmeal bandwagon with this recipe. As for the egg, you could poach, as the recipe suggests, or fry, or do a seven-minute hard-boil. The possibilities are not endless, but they are eggciting! (Not embarrassed at all about that pun.)

Mushroom Stroganoff

I'm continuing to show mushrooms some love with this vegetarian stroganoff. The recipe lists cremini, but you could use any mushroom. Try getting fancy with oyster or shiitake mushrooms. And if you are not vegan, you could use cream, instead of almond milk, in this recipe.

Sesame Ginger Salmon And Carrot Noodles

This salmon recipe clocks in at 20 minutes and is cooked in parchment paper, which means cleanup is minimal. It’s basically the holy grail of recipes.

Apple And Cheddar Chicken Salad

This dish will take you back to your college scavenging days, when you regularly hunted for free food at events on campus and found a picked over fruit and cheese plate. Of course, you’ll enjoy this much more because 1) it’s tastier, and 2) you will actually be full when you are done. Recipe here.