Pioneer Woman, also known as Ree Drummond, is a popular food blogger, TV personality, and cookbook author. She is known for her simple, hearty recipes that are inspired by her life on a ranch in Oklahoma. With her busy lifestyle and family to feed, many people wonder if Pioneer Woman has put together a cookbook specifically for quick and easy 16 minute meals.
What is Pioneer Woman known for?
Ree Drummond, who blogs and writes cookbooks under the moniker Pioneer Woman, got her start blogging about life as a city girl who married a rancher and moved to the country. Her fun, relatable writing style and drool-worthy recipes quickly won her millions of fans. She then turned her blog into a full-fledged lifestyle brand, complete with cookbooks, a Food Network show, housewares, and even a line of Pioneer Woman stores.
While Pioneer Woman covers all aspects of country living, she’s best known for her simple, satisfying recipes. Her dishes often start with basic ingredients you likely have on hand, transformed into comforting meals like meatloaf, enchiladas, and hearty soups. The recipes celebrate Rib-Sticking, family-friendly comfort foods adapted for busy weeknights. She offers plenty of shortcuts and tips for getting dinner on the table fast.
Does she have a 16 minute cookbook?
Pioneer Woman does not currently have a cookbook specifically marketed as “16 Minute Meals” or with recipes timed to be ready in 16 minutes. However, fast prep and cooking times are a signature of Pioneer Woman’s recipes in general. Readers love that her dishes don’t require lengthy prep or obscure ingredients. Even her more involved recipes break down into quick steps and hands-off cooking so dinner is never an all-day affair.
Here are some examples of Pioneer Woman cookbooks and recipes that align well with quick 16 minute cooking:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier
Pioneer Woman’s very first cookbook is full of her signature30 minute meals. Recipes were designed to be prepared start to finish in a half hour so busy families can get dinner on the table quickly. While not marketed specifically as “16 minute meals,” dishes like Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Chicken Tortilla Soup deliver on fast cooking times.
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays
This cookbook for holiday cooking includes a section called “Half-Hour Meals for Busy Days.” She gives tips for streamlining time-consuming holiday dishes like lasagna and tamales. The recipes aren’t specifically 16 minutes, but they break down multi-step feasts into weeknight-friendly options.
The Pioneer Woman Magazine
Each issue of Ree Drummond’s lifestyle magazine includes a section called “16 Minute Meals” featuring 3 rushing-roasting-racing entrees. Pasta e Fagioli, Thai Chicken Wraps, and Chicken Chilaquiles are examples of dishes spotlighted here. While not a full cookbook, these recipes deliver on literal 16 minute cooking times.
Pioneer Woman Website Recipes
The recipe section on ThePioneerWoman.com is filled with options tagged as 30 minute meals, weeknight winners, and hurry-up entrees. Even recipes not marked as an express dish often have tips for shaving off time. So while she doesn’t have a singular quick cookbook, fast recipes are integrated throughout her website.
How Pioneer Woman’s recipes achieve speedy cooking times
Pioneer Woman’s recipes are designed for real home cooks. She relies on time-saving techniques anyone from beginners to busy parents can master. Here are some of the secrets to pulling together 16 minute meals.
Focus on one pot or pan
Who has time to juggle multiple pots and pans? Pioneer Woman often contains the cooking to just one vessel, whether it’s a sheet pan, skillet, or crockpot. This concentrates the ingredients and steps into an efficient process.
Prep ahead when you can
Certain ingredients like rice, beans, onions, veggies, and proteins can be partially prepped ahead of time. Measuring, chopping, and browning meat the day before means you skip right to cooking the next day.
Take shortcuts with store-bought items
Ree Drummond is all about using rotisserie chicken, jarred sauces, frozen produce, and boxed broth as time-savers. These convenient products mean you don’t have to start completely from scratch.
Embrace Easy Cook Methods
Cooking techniques like grilling, sautéing, baking, and stir frying build quick cooking time into recipes. Drummond also relies on speedy equipment like electric pressure cookers.
Use Fresh, Whole Ingredients
Frozen and processed ingredients may seem faster, but fresh produce cooks up quicker. Whole foods like chicken breasts, fish fillets, and vegetables also eliminate prep time.
Feature Fast-Cooking Proteins
Thin, boneless meats like chicken breasts, pork chops, shrimp, and ground meats have a head start on cooking versus braising. Drummond often builds meals around these quick proteins.
Make it a One-Dish Meal
Skip side dishes that require extra pans by making a full meal in one skillet or baking dish. Casseroles, skillets, roasted meats and veggies all travel straight from oven to table.
Let the Microwave Help
Ree utilizes the microwave to soften veggies and butter, melt chocolate, and parcook potatoes ahead of roasting. This lets the oven focus on main dishes.
Sample 16 Minute Meal from Pioneer Woman
To give a specific example of Pioneer Woman’s fast cooking style, here is one of her popular 16 minute meals. The full recipe can be found on her website along with a cooking video.
Shrimp and Grits
This quick one-skillet shrimp and grits comes together with pantry staples. It makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 cups milk
- 3⁄4 cup quick grits
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 slices bacon, diced
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1⁄2 cup white wine or chicken broth
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- Chopped parsley for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Whisk in the grits and butter. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cook 5-7 minutes until thickened, whisking often.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove shrimp and reserve.
- Add the onion and garlic to the bacon grease and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine to deglaze the pan.
- Add the shrimp and cook 1-2 minutes per side until pink. Return the bacon to the pan along with the tomatoes, lemon juice and zest. Cook stirring frequently until the shrimp are cooked through, about 2 more minutes.
- Spoon the grits into shallow bowls. Top with the shrimp mixture. Garnish with chopped parsley.
The quick-cooking grits and shrimp make this recipe ideal for a fast weeknight dinner that feels indulgent. The zesty lemon and tomato pan sauce adds lots of flavor without lengthy simmering or ingredients. From pantry to table in just over 15 minutes!
Conclusion
While Pioneer Woman doesn’t have a dedicated 16 minute cookbook, quick cooking times are central to her recipes. Her techniques for getting dinner on the table fast make it easy to pull together satisfying meals in around a half hour, even on busy weeknights. Her recipes rely on fresh ingredients, smart prep, and streamlined cooking methods to deliver homestyle dishes without time-consuming steps. So even without an official “16 Minute Meal” title, Ree Drummond’s recipes certainly deliver fast and delicious Pioneer Woman-style cooking.