I'm a shit cook. Please tell me your easiest dinners.

[UselessFecker]

I need 5 or 6 basic meals that are easy, nutritional, don't need fancy ingredients but are tasty. I want to simplify my meals....

I like bacon, chicken, veggies, potatoes, cheese, pasta.

I don't like curry or rice. Help🙏

A pack of hot smoked salmon that you buy in vacuum sealed packs. Open and split into flakes. No cooking necessary. New potatoes, halved and cooked in boiling water. For the last 10 min add broccoli to the same pan. Add a few knobs of butter. Assemble. Eat with ready made mayo on the side.

Really cba - soup and tasty roll from the bakers. Nice pudding, shop bought.

Pesto and creme fraiche. Tablespoon of each mixed. Stir into pasta. Done!!

Add whatever you like, grated cheese, frozen veggies, mushrooms or sliced ham from a packet. We all do our own variation.

last night we had quiche with salad and chips

tonight its pizza with salad

tom its Nandos (shop bought pack) with chips, coleslaw, onion rings, and Mexican rice

monday its spaghetti carbonara

then im not sure

Following!

Helpful thread!

Corned beef hash

I’m a bit like you always struggling to find quick easy but decent meals. I’ve just started hello fresh and it’s definitely helped! It’s not the cheapest but it’s bloody fool proof and it’s make dinners a good but easier plus you can skip weeks if it becomes too much. I like the fact that once you have ordered a box you have access to all of the recipes if you want them

Chicken fillets - chuck a table teaspoon of soy sauce on them and bake in the oven. Simple and delicious.

Carb and veg of your choice.

Take some chicken breasts. Fill the underside with either cream cheese or whole grain mustard. Wrap in bacon and put in the oven heated to high, blast for 10-12 minutes then turn down to gas mark 5 for 20-25 minutes until cooked.

Dauphinoise potatoes. Thinly sliced and laid into a buttered gratin dish. After each layer season with salt and pepper. Pour in a mixture of wholemilk with a little cream then grate on some nutmeg. Bake for an hour.

To accompany, green beans and julienne carrots. A little thin gravy if required on the chicken and beans.

I recommend the Roasting Tin cookbook series.
Basically chop stuff up, put in roasting tin and leave to cook in the oven. Some recipes you add stuff to the tin part way through. Hard to get it wrong and roasted food is usually delicious. You can do the whole meal in one roasting tray.

Tomato feta pasta.

Look up 'TikTok tomato feta pasta' - one of the easiest things I've made and you can add whatever you fancy to it- extra veg, onions etc.

Just do hello fresh. I am a shit cook with no ideas but we eat lovely homecooked food.

I'm terrible cook I use to cook loads years ago I met my husband he loves cooking but I feel I lost how to do it as well
Following on here for some tips

Nigella's Spanish chicken tray bake is really delicious but it's certainly not a cheap dish to make.

Another good one by her is roasted poussin with cumin sweet potatoes. Super easy, super tasty but again quite expensive to make.

Spag bol is easier to make if you use frozen soffrito as a base.

I put some gnocchi into a pot and boil until it floats, normally only 2-3 minutes then drain and toss into a frying pan that I've just cooked some bacon lardons in.

Mix together and add some frozen veg I've just cooked. Give it a mix and serve.

Easiest dinner ever and a real crowd pleaser.

I love Mexican meals for ease, tacos, quesadillas or fajitas.
Cajun chicken pasta
Chicken, bacon and broccoli pasta
Buffalo chicken macaroni cheese
Fakeaways

Hi OP I know you are not keen on rice or curry but some other non cooks are following this thread so I wanted to share this Dahl in a jar recipe as it’s such an easy dinner:

You make up jars of Dahl (if you are making up one you may as well make 3 or 4 as they keep forever in the cupboard. When ready to cook just add to a pan with a pint of water. I top with fresh coriander and sometimes heat up some onion bhajis on the side but you don’t have to.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/dal_in_a_dash_51198/amp

Also for any non cooks who are scared of cooking rice, the easiest and most reliable way is in the microwave- 1 part rice (I do 180g for two people) to two parts boiling water (360ml or 360g) and a pinch of salt. Microwave covered for 10 minutes and leave covered for 10 minutes, perfect rice every time! The timings work with more or less rice up to 500g.

Chicken, red/yellow peppers/courgettes/onions all chopped in a big oven dish, then add Spanish chicken sauce by chicken tonight after 20 mins then cook for another 20 minutes. Add cheese on top when you serve and also put some garlic bread. Can serve with rice too.

Carbonara
Spag bol
Roast veggies and potatoes

Crab and sweetcorn soup (or any protein)

Cook frozen sweetcorn in hot water with a stock cube of your choice. Let it cool a bit. Blitz in a blender, back in the same saucepan, add in some more frozen sweetcorn for texture and cook for a few minutes. If you like it spicy, add some chilli sauce. Then add your protein. I like tins of crab but you can add prawns, cooked chicken, tofu etc.

This is really tasty and super easy to make. I've even made it without chicken

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chicken_arrabiata_88408