12 Quick French Recipes for Mastering French Cooking

French cuisine is not known for its speediness or “quick” dinners but today will change all that. You’ll learn how to make these traditional French recipes for yourself without taking hours or complicated techniques.

As a student in culinary school, the foundation for everything we learned was French cooking. We learned the importance of understanding the foundation essentials like knife skills, sauces making, and the importance of Mise en Place.

Mise en Place means everything is in its place, it refers to setting up, preparing, and measuring before cooking or baking. This simple phrase has always stuck with me many years after culinary school, even now I make sure to have everything prepped before starting in the kitchen. This helps me prevent from running around losing track of time, misreading a recipe, burning things, etc. This is especially helpful when I want to make an easy meal in under an hour.

So here’s the thing you don’t have to go to culinary school to make delicious French recipes ay home. Making these classic French recipes will make you feel like your dining next to the Eiffel tower, enjoying pastries with coffee in the Latin Quarter or sipping champagne with seafood on the French Riviera. These quintessentially French dishes are simple for every home cook to feel like a top chef.

Here are 12 Classic French Dishes That’ll Take One Hour or Less To Make!

Let’s Get Cooking!

1. Moules Frites

Found from PureWow

If you’re looking to transport yourself to a small bistro in France, then you’ll want to make a big bowl of mussels and a side of french fries. This beloved dish will quickly whisk you away to Paris right in your home. The fresh mussels are cooked in celery, leeks, garlic, and white wine. The mussels soak up the wine and garlic and it all goes perfectly with shoestring french fries dipped into a homemade lemon herb aioli. All you need now is a glass of wine. Get the recipe at PureWow

2. Croque-Monsieur

Found from The Wanderlust Kitchen

Croque-Monsieur is one of the best things you’ll ever eat. It’s basically a toasted ham sandwich that’s smothered in creamy sauce and lots of cheese. The ingredients shine complimenting the smoking ham with gruyere cheese, dijon mustard, nutmeg, and black pepper. This classic French sandwich is crispy yet velvety smooth. It’s best served hot right out of the oven and a green salad. Get the recipes at The Wanderlust Kitchen

3. Coq Au Vin

Found from Half Baked Harvest

Coq Au Vin is a tender chicken cooked in a red wine mushroom sauce. Traditionally this peasant dish is made with a rooster, but chicken is the modern and easiest way to make this dish. The stewed chicken becomes super tender and tastes a little sweet from the vegetables and wine and a little smoky from the bacon. This French dish is hearty and satisfying while only using one pot and 45 minutes. Get the recipes at Half Baked Harvest

4. Thyme Garlic Baked Camembert

Found from What’s Gaby Cooking

Camembert is a soft brie-style cheese that’s been aged, so it has a little stinky aroma, but it actually has a buttery, creamy taste. The only stink about this cheese is the aroma. Baking brie is a throwback recipe that anyone can make and is elevated to a new delicious degree here. It’s made with French camembert cheese cross-hatched and layered with garlic and thyme that’s baked until its bubbly and melted. Serve it warm with crackers, bread or stone fruit. Get the recipe at What’s Gaby Cooking

5. Salmon en Papillote

Found from Cooking for Keeps

Salmon en papillote sounds like a fancy way of cooking but its quite simple – packaging ingredients and cooking them all together. The salmon fillets are sitting upon a layer of fennel, lemon slices, alongside cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives. By cooking everything in the parchment pouch, it traps in the steam, making this a virtually-foolproof way to prepare delicate proteins like fish. Serve in the parchment pouch for minimal cleanup. Get the recipe at Cooking for Keeps

6. French Onion Soup

Found from Gimme Some Oven

First of all, I can’t be talking about French food without french onion soup. This classic soup is a worldwide favorite. The key to making a delicious french onion soup is the caramelizing of the onions. The flavor and color come from the cooking of the onions. It’s actually quite impressive how many onions you start with, but by the end of the caramelizing, you’ll see how little they cook down to. That’s when the fun begins by adding flour, wine wine, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and thyme. Top each cup of soup with toasted bread and lots of cheese. Get the recipe Gimme Some Oven

7. Nicoise Salad

Found from The Seasoned Mom

Nicoise salad is an easy salad that’ll keep you full. It’s made up of tuna, green beans, eggs, potatoes and tomatoes sitting over a bed of greens and drizzled with an easy lemon vinaigrette. It’s a simple salad but instantly transports you to the French countryside. Get the recipe at The Seasoned Mom

8. Sweet Crepes with Caramelized Pears

Found from PureWow

Crepes are paper thin pancakes filled with anything from sweet to savory. These crepes are filled with fresh blackberries, sweet mascarpone cheese, and caramelized pears. The key to making great crepes is a non-stick skillet which cooks up quickly with a small amount of batter in the pan. Once it’s golden brown on both sides, then it’s filled and folded into four. Enjoy with a fork or pick up and eat with your hands. Get the recipe at PureWow

9. Cassoulet

Found from The View From Great Island

Cassoulet is an easy country comfort food made with sweet sausages, chicken thighs, white beans, wine, and vegetables. The chicken is beyond tender, and all the vegetable are cooked entirely in one pan. This french casserole is warm and comforting and can be made for two or a small party for easy entertaining. Get the recipes at The View From Great Island

10. Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu with Maple Dijon

Found from Kevin Is Cooking

This has all the flavor and sophistication of a classic Chicken Cordon Bleu but takes half the time and is a healthier baked version. The chicken is wrapped around cheese and ham; then it is coated in breadcrumbs and baked until the chicken is juicy and tender. The maple dijon is tangy and slightly sweet. Get the recipes at Kevin Is Cooking

11. Boeuf Bourguignon

Found from A Beautiful Plate

Here is a real classic French dish that takes 30 minutes or less. This beef bourguignon is a thick, rich stew that’s made with beef tenderloin, pearl onions, mushrooms, red wine, and thyme. Beef bourguignon is one of the most memorable recipes Julia Child ever made. But her’s takes 2 hours. This takes under 30 minutes with just as much love cooked inside. Get the recipes at A Beautiful Plate

12. Cherry Clafoutis

Found from Olivia’s Cuisine

Clafoutis is a creamy custard based dessert that’s filled with fresh fruit or in this case its fresh cherries. The cherries are studded throughout the creamy and dense custard. The batter is blended together and then baked until its golden brown on top. Then its sprinkled with powdered sugar on top. Get the recipe at Olivia’s Cuisine

Bon appétit!

Hey, if you like entertaining and want to decorate cakes at home, you really should check out, Cake Decorating Creator Program, my online cake program. I coach you on everything I teach on these cake tutorials so that you can uplevel your baking and decorating skills. We 10x it so you get the results you want most. Like any new skill, it’s important to learn from the ground up to build a foundation, so you can take on any cake challenge. It is an investment your future self will thank you for. Check it out at XOKatieRosario.com/creator-program. I will see you there!

12 Quick French Recipes for Mastering French Cooking - XO, Katie Rosario (2024)