What’s your favourite easy mid week meal?

[Jessforless]

I’m sure I’m not alone, but we’ve fallen into a rut of eating the same meals every week. We do our meal plan Sunday and it’s always bolognese, fajitas, some kind of ramen… we’re bored of it.

I’d love to hear your favourite mid week meals for inspiration?

Great time of year for casseroles at the mo- you can slow cook them from the morning to make it easy and I personally find a sausage casserole very different to a chicken casserole or beef stew. We also tend to have a tuna pasta bake most weeks or occasionally a fried breakfast for dinner (always a treat!)

A 30 minute roast is great.

Cheats pie. We have a roast on Sunday, so leftover meat and veg gets chopped, put in gravy, and cooled overnight.
Then in the week, put a sheet of jusrol pastry on a tray, cover half of it in the cooled filling, fold over, crimp, bake.

Tray bake... chunks of chicken (or salmon, or sausage), pile on "fridge bottom drawer" veg... carrots, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli , whatever needs using - Add some onions, some small cubes of potatoes - drizzle with oil , bake, serve with fresh bread

@GenghisCalm what’s a 30 minute roast?

thanks all!

This is a really easy meal, very little prep and the oven does all the work. A one pot that tastes delicious!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ovenbakedrisottocarb_68036/amp

Tagliatelle or linguine with fresh pesto (I just don't like the stuff in the jar) with loads of roasted cherry tomatoes. Tomatoes roasted whole with olive oil, S&P and dried oregano for about 30-40 minutes. And of course parmesan.

Fancy macaroni cheese. DH and DS1 both love it and as DH can't get the hang of white sauce I get 45min peace and quiet in the kitchen making it.

DS2 is very impressed by anything put into a lunchbox with compartments (he gets hot meals at nursery, and is jealous of DS1s packed lunch!)

Instead of making everything from scratch I use frozen roast potatoes and prepared veg and either pork chops or chicken breasts. Stick the meat and potatoes and Yorkshire's in the oven and the veg in a steamer and it is all ready in 30 minutes

Toad in the hole
Tuna Stuffed potato skins baked with grated cheese on top and served with green salad
Stuffed aubergine - use a jar of pasta sauce for a quick cheat to mix with the aubergine flesh.
Lentil and spinach dahl
Bao buns with shredded pork or duck in sauce.
Beef or chicken Enchiladas

Pesto pasta
2min bag rice with frozen peas and tin of mackrel - 1 bowl, microwave for 2/3min
Ramen - add any leftovers from fridge
Pasta with basic roux - flour and milk and add grated cheese
Beans or egg on toast

Traybake all the way here, roasting tin - sausages(can be veggie ones), chicken or salmon, peppers, potatoes, broccoli and cabbage or any other veg hanging around, whole garlic cloves, salt, pepper, whatever herbs you have, oil all over, stick in the oven.

minimal washing up too, which is why I make this far too often. No one has complained yet thought!

Sausage and lentil casserole.
Not quick, but easy prep and shove in the oven for an hour. Hearty, warming, and we all love it.

In casserole, brown 8 sausages.
Throw in large handful or 2 of green lentils, a large sliced onion, couple of tsps of thyme, large glass of red wine, then cover well with stock.

Cook in oven (?180?) for 1hr.

Delicious with crusty bread, peas, etc.

Toad in the hole
Carbonara
Tray/pasta bake
Casserole
Stew and dumplings

Mango chicken & rice.

Put the rice on to cook.
Slice, dice & fry off chicken breast (1 per person) with olive oil.
Add 300ml double cream and 4 tablespoons mango chutney.
Bring to a simmer & leave on low for 8 - 10 mins, stirring occasionally.
Serve with rice.

Takeaway

Chopped chicken and bacon lardons, dry fried then add creme fresh and Gorgonzola cheese and simmer on lowest heat. Cook fresh tagiatelli. When tagiatelli is cooked, strain and pour over the creme sauce with chicken and bacon. It only takes 20 minutes from start to finish.

Pasta -
I fry sliced chicken thigh , garlic, chorizo. Add some veg or chicken stock. Big dollop/half pot creme fraiche. Simmer til done. Stir through cooked pasta. Variations thereof.

We had Tirol Gröstl for lunch earlier. It’s an Austrian dish.
Very easy. Leftover potatoes (cook extra day before), just sliced and fried up with onion and bacon. With a fried egg on top.
It’s basic farmers food, but lush. Add some paprika or caraway with seasoning to the potato fries hash if you fancy

Egg fried rice with leftover meat/veg from the roast. If I've prechopped the leftovers can have it on the table in about 10 mins! Little one loves it!

I use annasfamilykitchen.com/ a lot - she does great traybakes and fakeaways that don't take huge amounts of time or effort but taste great and are easy to throw together after a busy day.

Open a pack of hot smoked salmon fillets, steam some baby new potatoes in the microwave, open a bag of nice salad leaves. Add loads of lemon juice and good olive oil. Takes about 8-10 mins. Our fave 😀

Bacon and egg fried rice
Naan bread pizza

Toad in the hole, cut the sausages in half or use chipolatas & make it patty/bun tins so they don't take as long to cook as one big one. Serve with carrot & sweet mash which you can cook & mash in one pan and make onion gravy to go with it

Penne pasta, can of tuna, dollop of pesto, dollop of Philadelphia. Mix and serve. Always goes down well.

Tray bakes are really good. You can mix them up a little with different veg/protein/herbs/spices, and it's only ten minutes of cutting things up, then it needs basically zero attention until serving.