RecipesGolden Chicken Potpie The golden crust and creamy sauce make this veggie-packed pie a surefire hit. Mild and comforting, the family favorite has convenient freezer instructions for a night when there’s no time for prep. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
RecipesPuff Pastry Holly Leaves These elegant appetizers get rave reviews at my office holiday party. The pastry leaves look as if they require hours in the kitchen, but the prep work takes just 30 minutes. —Angela King, Walnut Cove, North Carolina
RecipesMacaroni and Cheese with Chicken Prep once and feed the family twice when you double this chicken mac and cheese and freeze half of it. I created it for the people I love most, using ingredients they love most. —Angela Spengler, Tampa, Florida
RecipesDreamy S’more Pie I love desserts and was looking for a way to use hazelnut spread when I came up with this recipe. I wanted something that could be prepped quickly, boom-boom-boom, and this is wonderful! —Karen Bowlden, Boise, Idaho
RecipesSplit-Second Shrimp I use my microwave to hurry along the prep of this super fast shrimp scampi. It’s deliciously buttery and full of garlic flavor. We love it as a main dish, but it makes an excellent appetizer, too. — Jalayne Luckett, Marion, Illinois
RecipesItalian Sausage Orzo Soup I always look for recipes high in taste and nutrition but low on prep time and fat. This thick, chunky soup fills the bill and is such a family favorite that I serve it at least once a month! —Deborah Redfield, Buena Park, California
RecipesStuffing “This nicely seasoned stuffing is our favorite for holiday turkeys,” reports Denise Goedeken of Platte Center, Nebraska. “It doesn’t require a lot of prep time, which I like, and it tastes good whether stuffed in the bird or baked separately.”
RecipesMarinated Mushrooms Guests will never guess a dish so flavorful could take only 10 minutes of hands-on prep and no cooking! Great as a side dish or tempting tidbit on a relish tray, this versatile recipe is from Billie Moss in Walnut Creek, California.
RecipesSlow-Cooker Crab Dip With just 10 minutes of prep time, this creamy and delicious crab dip couldn’t be easier. The recipe comes from my hometown cookbook, and my co-workers rave about it at every work potluck! —Julie Novotney, Rockwell, Iowa
RecipesSpinach and Sausage Lasagna Dig into rich layers of home-style lasagna featuring plenty of Italian sausage and gooey cheeses. No-cook noodles, frozen spinach and jarred spaghetti sauce simplify the prep. But it tastes far from ordinary! —Kathy Morrow, Hubbard, Ohio
RecipesMexican Fondue A handful of items and a few moments of prep work are all you’ll need for this festive fondue. Not only does it take advantage of canned goods and other convenience items, but the slow cooker does all the work. —Nella Parker, Hersey, Michigan
RecipesBlack Forest Sandwich Cookies Speed up prep time for these sandwich cookies by using chocolate wafers from the cookie aisle. You can even make them ahead of time if you need a few extra minutes to decorate for a party. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
RecipesCornflake Chicken I took a recipe off a box of baking mix and altered it to make the prep easier. The result was this moist oven-fried cornflake chicken with a thick golden coating that’s a lot crisper than the original. —Angela Capettini, Boynton Beach, Florida
RecipesThai Chicken Noodle Soup This slow-cooker soup is a semi-homemade version that coaxes all the flavor out of a rotisserie chicken. The prep work for this can be done the day before so you can toss it into the slow cooker with ease. —Beth Jacobson, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
RecipesDown South Sweet Tea Cake I think this recipe combines two of the best and most famous ingredients from the South: sweet tea and pecans! Using a cake mix simplifies prep and helps ease the holiday time crunch. —Melissa Millwood, Lyman, South Carolina
RecipesBreakfast Burrito Casserole A friend gave me this burrito casserole recipe and I modified it to fit our family. It’s perfect for a brunch, because you can prep it the night before and bake it the next morning. —Krista Yoder, Due West, South Carolina