Beautiful weather and longer days often mean a good, home-cooked supper falls by the wayside. Who wants to be standing around in the kitchen, right?

But don’t give in to the temptation of greasy takeout or frozen dinners. There are plenty of shortcuts that can help you get a healthy meal on the table in a surprisingly short amount of time.

This rice and noodle pilaf with edamame and grilled shrimp, for example, is a one-pot meal that can be on the table in about 35 minutes — less time than it usually takes to get a pizza delivered.

The secret to the ease of this tasty meal starts at the market. The starch portion of the dish consists of quick-cooking fine egg noodles combined with instant brown rice, which has all the nutrition of its conventional cousin, but cooks in about a quarter of the time.

To build layers of great flavor, the rice and noodles are browned with sautéed red onion and smoky Canadian bacon, then simmered in dry white wine and chicken broth. Vegetables come in the form of protein-rich edamame. But if you prefer, you could use frozen baby lima beans or even black-eyed peas.

While the pilaf is simmering, throw some lemony, flash-marinated shrimp on the grill. If you don’t want to bother lighting the grill you can cook the shrimp in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until they are opaque, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Grilled scallops or chicken would work, too.

RICE AND NOODLE PILAF WITH EDAMAME AND GRILLED SHRIMP—Yield: 4 servings

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided2 tablespoons lemon juice1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined1 small red onion, chopped2 ounces finely chopped Canadian bacon (about 1/3 cup)3/4 cup fine egg noodles, broken up3/4 cup instant brown rice1/4 cup dry white wine1 cup frozen shelled edamame1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken brothSalt and ground black pepper1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, plus more to garnish

Procedure:1. Light charcoal fire or heat gas grill to high.2. In bowl, whisk together 2 teaspoons olive oil and lemon juice. Add shrimp, toss to coat, then set aside.3. To large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. When hot, add onion and bacon and sauté until onion becomes translucent, about 2 minutes. Add noodles and rice and cook, stirring often, until noodles begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until wine has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add edamame and chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, covered.4. Meanwhile, thread shrimp onto 4 bamboo or metal skewers. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Grill until shrimp are pink and firm, about 1 1/2 minutes per side.5. Remove pilaf from heat and let stand, covered, 3 minutes. Stir in dill and season with pepper. Serve pilaf topped with shrimp on or off skewers. Garnish with additional dill, if desired.

Nutrition data per serving: 380 calories; 121 calories from fat (32 percent of total calories); 13 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 179 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbohydrate; 33 g protein; 3 g fiber; 510 mg sodium.

This recipe is a one-pot meal that can be on the table in about half an hour. Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS