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15 Quick Dinners You Can Make After Your Internship

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Chapel Hill chapter.

You have your first real summer internship and you’re killin’ it. You’re probably in a new city, making baby steps towards being a real adult except for one small thing: you’re dead tired after you get home from your internship, and you don’t have the patience or time to make the complicated but delicious meals you’re used to eating at home.

Fear not, young Padawans, we’ve rounded up 15 easy, quick, and delicious meals that you can get to eating in no time after you get home from adulting. You’re welcome.

1. Rosemary Balsamic Chicken

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Photo by Mackenzie Barth

This chicken is super tasty and makes 4 servings so you can eat off of it the whole week. Plus, it’ll make you feel like a real grown up. Recipe here.

2. Creamy Avocado and Spinach Pasta

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Photo courtesy of JoCooks

This recipe is ridiculously easy and only takes 12 minutes. Get the recipe here.

3. Baked Salmon with Lemon

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Photo by Grégoire Durand

This recipe sounds and looks fancy, and you can make it in no time. Make it like this.

4. Caprese Salad

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Photo by Bernard Wen

Feel like you’re tasting a bite of Italy in less than 10 minutes. Get the details here.

5. Sushi Burrito

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Photo by Lily Lou

Who says you have to decide between Japanese and Mexican? Get the recipe for your first sushirrito right here.

6. Avocado and Black Bean Salad

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Photo by Ellen Gibbs

This salad is healthy and flavorful. Try the recipe when you want every ingredient in each bite.

7. Garden Party Chicken Salad

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Photo by Ashleigh De Simone

Mix up the classic chicken salad with some fresh garden vegetables. Recipe here.

8. Mango and Kale Salad

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Photo by Nicole Laszlo

This recipe is for those of you who are trying to make your meals more adult-like. Get your kale on like this.

9. Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Linguine

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Photo by Maddie Cole

This recipe sounds extremely fancy and complicated but you can make it in only 20 minutes. Heads up, you will need a spiralizer.

P.S. Zucchini linguine is just really fun to say.

10. Ramen Pad Thai

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Photo by Grant Sorbo

Spice up your favorite childhood dish with this easy recipe.

11. Loaded Veggie Pesto Pizza

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Photo by Megan Prendergast

These pizzas won’t leave you hungry, but will leave you wishing you had loved veggies when you were younger. Recipe here.

12. Salami and Provolone Calzone

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Photo by Amanda Guido

Once again, provolone calzone is really fun to say…and is even more fun to eat. Check out the giant hot pocket here.

13. Tortellini Soup

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Photo by Caroline Grew

You’ll get the best of both worlds with this dish – soup and pasta. Plus, it only takes 10 minutes. Make it right now.

14. Chicken Burrito Wrap

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Photo by Bari Blanga

This wrap is easy and healthy. Try the recipe if you want to impress your friends.

15. Aglio e Olio with a Fried Egg

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Photo by Daniel Schuleman

Hard to pronounce, but easy to make. What are you waiting for? Here’s the recipe.

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Graphic by Spoon University

Cara Hutto

Chapel Hill '18

Cara is an advertising major who will graduate from the University of North Carolina in 2018. She is passionate about story-telling and has an immense love for anything related to food. She would happily eat only burgers and doughnuts for the rest of her life.