hmm. The OP said "kind of like 30-minute meals but maybe quicker".
Nords, under ten minutes and with a microwave, isn't "cooking". It's surviving. Makes me think of either the office or the dorm, two places I'd rather forget.
Even Ramen noodles take around 5 minutes, for gosh sakes..
If that's your criteria, I second the nacho chef (justin). But taking the nacho recipe to new heights, I suggest:
-Take a boneless chicken breast.
-Boil in as much water to barely cover in a small covered pot for ten minutes.
-Turn off heat and let sit covered for 15 minutes.
-Shred up chicken with your hands.
-Apply to nachos along with cheese in toaster oven. Sliced black olives and/or jalapenos if you wish.
-Serve with jarred salsa & sour cream.
For under 10 minutes, I would be exploring the universe of bread and cold cuts.
Or maybe pita-bread "pizzas".
Or a bagged salad with stuff thrown on top.
Or omelets.
My idea of "quick" is whatever I can make in how long it takes the pasta water to boil and the pasta to cook, i.e., 20 minutes roughly.
Along the line of CFB's quick tips to speed prep for "regular" cooking, I'll add this: a lot of the things I make end up calling for a few tbsp of chopped onion, chopped carrot, chopped celery as a base. A drag when you are using small amounts and maybe you forgot to keep the fresh carrot or celery around.. Chop a cup or two's worth in the food processor and save in 1 or 2 tbsp portions. I do it by putting a long strip of plastic wrap on the counter, then making little piles at short intervals, folding over the wrap and twisting each pile around so that I get a length of chopped carrot "sausages" 'that I can put in the freezer and tear off later as needed.
Wait, here's something I made recently. You could accompany with a grilled steak or pork chop:
-------
Bean salad
-Take a small can or two of black beans. Drain and rinse well.
-Chop some peppers. I like a mix of red, green, yellow for the visual. If you use all three, you may only need 1/2 of each.
-Chop some red onion.
-If you have access to fresh sweet corn, slice off the niblets of 1 or 2 ears with a knife. Otherwise use the best canned type you can find, or omit.
-Dump it all in a bowl and season with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar. All to taste, of course. A 'gourmet' touch is some chopped fresh cilantro.
Voila'! Guaranteed doable in 10 minutes.
This is great to take to a cookout or picnic 'cause it can sit out a bit without ill effects.
More with beans:
---------------
Fagioli all'uccelletto
-Canned cannelloni (white) beans. Decide how many cans you want to make ('cause it affects the proportions of the rest), drain, rinse well, and put aside.
-Put a couple tbsp. oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and start heating while you peel your garlic (1 clove/can of beans).
-Gently fry up 1 garlic-pressed clove per can.
-Just after putting in garlic in the hot oil, add one or two fresh sage leaves per can of beans. If you have rinsed the sage leaves dry them off, because they hold a lot of water on the surface that will cause them to spatter in the oil.
-When garlic is not even barely getting colored (like 1 minute), put in just 1 or 2 tbsp. tomato product per can of beans (this could be canned chopped tomatoes, puree, or sauce -not tom.paste, though). A relatively small amount; you are looking for a very light tomato sauce, and a final product that is 'pink' rather than 'red'.
-Cook the sauce for about 3-4 minutes.
-Add beans to sauce and cook gently, just enough to heat the beans through.
Another guaranteed under 10' dish. I don't even add salt to this.
If anyone tries any of these, let us know how they came out!