What are your best quick and virtually no prep meals?

[Flimp]

I've gone right off cooking. I used to spend hours poring over cook books and recipe sites but now I just have zero tolerance for any thinking or faff or time spent on my meals. I cannot be ARSED.

I also work from home within school hours so I only have about five hours a day to get my stuff done. I love my job and wish I could work more, so I really don't want to lose even 15 minutes to chopping a bloody salad or whatever for lunch.

But unfortunately I seem to be living on noodles or toast/sandwiches (which I don't even like).

So any ideas for more interesting quick fix stuff?

Stuff like - bung a chop in the oven - yes.
Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower - yes.
Stir pesto into pasta - yes.
Naice curry sauce onto chicken - yes.
pour boiling water into Shin Cup Noodle - yes

[Handygarrottes]

Batch cooking at weekends for freezer with the help of the family and then re-heat with microwave?

Tray bakes: bung skinned portions of chicken or fish in to baking tray and add Mediterranean veg and bung in half glass white wine or some stock? Bake for half an hour or so?

[PurpleDaisies]

Jar of curry sauce, tin of chick peas, frozen spinach and peas, quorn “chicken” pieces. Put in saucepan. Heat. Serve with naan (5 mins in the oven). Boiled eggs are good with curry too. You can do a job lot and peel as needed.

[Ollivander84]

Jamie Oliver gnarly chicken. In fact the whole 5 ingredient book

[Handygarrottes]

Hideous option: get up an hour early before breakfast/school and prep supper then?

Or is it more about lunch options? If so, I make vats of home made soup and freeze them in one and two portion bags?

[InigoTaran]

This is v easy, can use ordinary spaghetti, can also add mushrooms, peppers, asparagus etc. Is also delicious!

thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/spelt-spaghetti-vine-tomatoes-and-baked-ricotta

[Flimp]

oh god, I forgot egg curry, YUM!! And chickpeas - PHWOAR!

I know, I'm going to order a few spice mixes from Rafi's Spicebox as a treat for me.

Tray bakes also a good call. I could get some ready chopped veg n all. (lazy get)

[duriandurian]

Frozen soffrito (pre chopped carrot, celery, onion) softened in olive oil. Fry chicken thighs, add stock. Simmer until chicken is cooked.

Same soffrito method plus mince, wine and tinned tomatoes (takes ages and ages but easy)

Fajitas: Frozen onions and frozen peppers (yes, is a theme here).. Fried. Steak fried. Lettuce chopped. Grate cheese. Tortillas microwaved. Guacamole, salsa etc.

Frozen veg and Frozen prawn stir fry with rice noodles (just soak, don't boil).

I do a similar curry adapted from BSD when I fry Frozen (of course) onions plus Garlic and ginger. Add chicken thighs (cut using scissors). Add kale and coconut milk. Simmer.

Am a v lazy cook but like fresh ish food!

[duriandurian]

Yes yes to pre chopped Frozen veg for traybakes and Frozen salmon steaks too (need marinating/flavouring)

[Flimp]

Handy - yes that really is a hideous option!

I'm looking for better lunches and stuff I can make for me and the kids for tea.

I'll do a bolognese or chilli for us because it doesn't even feel like cooking it's so autopilot.

I love homemade soup too. I've been trying the fresh soups from the supermarket but they all taste weird to me. I should just do a massive batch for myself shouldn't I? In fact I have lentils, I'll do that RIGHT NOW.

I even have that 5 ingredients book and haven't really looked at it he's so good at this isn't he?!

[Flimp]

WAIT - frozen soffrito is a thing?? I'm off to mooch around Ocado's frozen section!

[MaitreKarlsson]

Ooh place marking..

[OutandIntoday]

I have recently discovered frozen veg. Frozen soffrito is awesome as are frozen onions if they are chopped small.

I too cannot be arsed much- many of my dinners are based on a theme of
Soffrito, peppers, mushroom - all frozen
Lazy garlic, tins of tomatoes.
I have have a good spag bol going in about 3 mins. I often make a big put of the above at the beginning of the week - having a cooked tomatoes base means lasagne, meatballs, spag bol et al can all be made super quick. Got an raid the frozen veg aisle.

Sometimes i just chuck a whole chicken in the oven with baked poatoes on the bottom rack.

[InigoTaran]

Spaghetti carbonara with bacon and mushrooms is also quick and easy

[Flimp]

Well HALLELUJAH for Ocado's frozen section, there's allsorts of helpful mixes from soffrito to ratatouille to carrot, sweet potato and bean!

Am i glad I asked you lot?! Gold stars all round.

[OutandIntoday]

I do a quick mushroom soup in mins
Frozen onions, bag frozen mushrooms, handfull dried mushrooms, chicken stock, glug of vermouth if you have, sprig of rosemary. Cook for 20 mins or so. Blend -
add cream or milk. Makes enough for 4 big bowls. Tastes better than the shop bought fresh stuff at 1/4 price

[Ollivander84]

Out of the 5 ingredients stuff

The flatbreads are mega quick, and you can even do them as a quick pizza base. I made them, flipped in the pan, shove pizza sauce and toppings on and stick under grill
Gnarly chicken because it's AMAZING
Mushroom mustard chicken is quick

I've got a beef stew recipe with no browning meat? Here https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/beef-and-ale-stew/
Add some ready cubed pancetta with the veg and whizz the celery and onion in a mini chopper. I add mushrooms too, and a tiny bit of marmite. Then stick in the oven and ignore, I promise it's an easy one!

[Flimp]

Guys, I love you these are all fab, thank you!

[Ollivander84]

My main staples are
Mini chopper! For everything including onions, making salsa, celery etc
Ready cooked pouches of grains for quick salads
Stuff like courgettes and red onion where you can hack it up and shove in a tray in the oven. Or buy the ready done trays
Hot counter - for belly pork and cooked chickens plus really good stuffing trays
Plus if you're doing something like a hard boiled egg, boil 4 or more, not 1 then you always have them ready
Same with pasta, may as well cook too much and have cold pasta ready for a pasta salad

[InigoTaran]

A slow cooker might be helpful as you can just bung stuff in and leave it to cook overnight or during the day?

[mayhew]

IKEA meatballs. Straight from freezer into pan of tomato sauce. Spaghetti. Cheese on top.

[ClashCityRocker]

Two tins tomates
One tin white beans who's name I can't recall. They're kind of like green beans. But white. Hang on, I think I mean butter beans.
Chopped chorizo.
Lazy garlic.
Paprika.

Stick in a pan, cook through, make a well in the mixture and crack a couple of eggs into it so they sort of poach.

Fucking awesome, really simple and you can also add ham or bacon lard on if there's any hanging around.

[averylongtimeago]

Quick creamy pasta:
Cook your pasta.
While its cooking, chop and fry an onion and whatever you fancy from peppers, celery, courgette, mushrooms or use any frozen veg mix that floats your boat. Add bacon, or ham or choritzo or salami or cold chicken or salmon and heat gently.
Stir through creme fraich.

Drain pasta, stir in sauce.

If you want you can bing it in a baking dish with cheese on for a "bake".

I like to add a few chillies but you can season it however you like.

[NapQueen]

Jaime Olivers sausage bake.

Shove two punnets of cherry toms in an oven dish, chuck in dried mixed herbs, pepper abd garlic salt. Pour in lots of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Mix. Add some sausages. Mix. Throw in oven. 5mins max.

Leave for 40 mins.

Serve with sliced tiger loaf with butter.

[ClashCityRocker]

Or get one of those Mediterranean veg packs, bung on a tray with some chicken and paprika.

Frozen chopped veg is a lifesaver for everyday cooking I think

[averylongtimeago]

Clash I do that too but with cannalini beans. Then I add peppers and mushrooms.
It has a posh name : hueavos rancheros that's probably spelt wrong!