To ask your fastest ever dinners (15 mins and less)

[Littleonesgettingbigger]

I have started batch cooking but would like to alternate these with fast meals on other nights so I don't use up 7 batched cooked meals a week! So far I have jacket potato done in microwave with beans, stir fry.......

What else is super fast to cook (15 mins or less)?

Other than pasta, stir-fry and things on toast, I've found sriracha really makes cooking tasty food very very quick! I can make a 5 min noodle soup by putting rice noodles in with veg and boiling water, adding garlic, sriracha, mixed spice, sugar, lime juice, soy sauce and maybe miso paste or nutritional yeast (I know this is a weird hippy thing but I couldn't live without it. Makes anything flavourful and savoury.), or making scrambled egg and veg wraps with lots of it slathered on.

Chicken tortillas.

Heat a flying pan, don't add oil. Spread squashed avocado on a whole wheat tortilla. On one half of the tortilla, add finely sliced tomato, crumbled feta and thinly sliced cold roasted chicken. Fold over.

Place in hot pan. Three mins each side till toasted and cheese has melted.

Yum!

I've got 3 go to super quick dinners - 2 of which I got from MN!

Salmon and Pasta Pesto - put some salmon fillets in the oven and put a pan of pasta on to cook, just before the pasta is finished chuck in some frozen peas. When cooked, drain it and stir in some pesto (I use red pepper pesto for this dish) add a large handful of rocket, stir it in. Serve in a bowl with the salmon fillet on top.

Cook a pan of pasta. In a frying pan add sliced mushrooms, cooked chicken pieces, garlic, Italian seasoning and the juice and zest of one lemon. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, add the chicken and mushroom mix and stir through a couple of glugs of double cream - this dinner can be on the plate in less than 10 minutes if you use fresh pasta.

Smother a flat bread with tomato sauce (pasta sauce from a jar is fine) sprinkle on some cheese and any other toppings you like. chuck it in the oven until warmed through and the cheese has melted - ultra quick 'homemade' pizza. You could also use tortillas, naan or pittas in place of flat bread

Kedgeree is quite quick, curried rice with tuna and an egg essentially.

Fish cooked in foil parcels takes only around 15 mins - my current favourite is seabass fillets with cherry tomatoes & asparagus tips - place it all on a sheet of foil, add a knob of butter and fold edges together into a parcel. In 200 deg oven for 15 mins - meanwhile cook veg - I like spinach. Easy & nutritious and quick. Trout or salmon fillets are good with a bit of ginger, garlic and soy sauce. Could use these microwave rice sachets if you think cooking rice would take too long (I use a rice cooker - takes about 15 mins max).

Chicken fillets only take around 15 mins in the oven too - bash them a bit with a rolling pin to flatten so they cook faster. Coat with some Cajun spice. Serve with salad or sweetcorn salsa (grill corn on the cob on a griddle pan, then take the kernels off with a sharp knife, stir in some chopped tomatoes, chopped spring onion, chopped chilli, lime juice & coriander - it's a Jamie Oliver 15 min meals recipe & it's great)

Proper macaroni cheese can be made in under fifteen minutes if you use MN microwave method for the white sauce.

Microwave white sauce while pasta is cooking (add peas and/or broccoli to the water for the last minute or two. Turn grill on.

Drain pasta and empty into **ovenproof dish with cheese sauce. Sprinkle 1.3 fucktons of grated cheese on top, then shove under grill while you gather plates, cutlery and offspring.

Bacon sandwiches

Toad in the hole takes a while in the oven but requires very little effort.
I put the sausages in the oven with a small amount of oil, make batter, pour batter over sausage and cook for 30-40mins in the oven. I put some frozen veg in a microwaveable pot and microwave it for about 7mins.

Other "can't be arsed" meals are jacket potato with tuna or beans
sausage with frozen mash and peas
spagbol
chilli con carne
cheese and ham omlette
leftover roast chicken with corn on the cob
Egg soldiers

Poached eggs with ham on toast

If we've had roast chicken on a Sunday, I strip the carcass and use the leftover brown meat for Chinese chicken curry on Monday :P

• left over roast chicken
• mushrooms
• sugar snap peas
• jar of blue dragon stir in sauce
• microwave rice

Yum yum yum! Under 10 minutes

Lol at spag Bol in 10 mins, 30 mins inc. cooking.

Chicken breast cooked in 6-7 mins in a panini press, George Foreman type grill with jacket pots in microwave or potatoes cut small boiled for mash while broccoli and carrots steam 10 mins.

Macaroni cheese, 10 mins max to make sauce while macaroni cooks, add peas also tuna if wanted.

Stir fry using pack or of stir fry veg and sauce with chicken or beef.

Pasta with pesto - I stir cream cheese through as well. It's also nice to stir through some prawns or salmon.

Salmon fillets in the microwave with light soy sauce and Cajun spice (best salmon ever)

Noodles with fried onions and bean sprouts

Str fried veg.

Lovely stuff! :)

Tuna pasta, place pasta on the stove, whilst that's cooking add to a medium hot pan 6 anchovy fillets using the oil from the can, add tin tuna, 1 chopped red chilli, coriander stalks, garlic, handful of capers n olives, jar of passata, salt n pepper, squeeze of lemon juice and a little lemon zest. Serve with a sprinkle of the coriander leaves. Delicious. Takes 10 mins.

Chicken, veg and gravy (low carb):
Microwave leftover chicken for 3 mins (or frozen Quorn fillets for 4 mins).
Chop up a variety of veg (I use carrots, broccoli, green beans and edamame beans) and microwave for 4 mins.
Heat up frozen gravy or make up some bisto.

Pitta Pizza:
Grill the smooth side of the pitta until crisp.
Turn over (so the topping doesn't slide off the smooth side) and top with tomato puree, cheese, ham, sweetcorn etc. Grill until cooked.

Tinned stewed steak wi chips an beans/peas
Sausage egg and wedges (seasoned w skin left on
Packet pasta (our fave is bachelors cheese and broccoli)
sausage 'casserole' (sausages cooked in water then add gravy granules) with mash providing that you can stretch to 20 min

Spaghetti with garlic butter and parmesan. The garlic butter (lurpak) is pre-made. Melt in microwave and mix with cooked spaghetti. With a bit of parmesan is one of my favourite pasta dishes and takes 10mins.

Even quicker, fresh tortellini with garlic butter and parmesan. The tortellini takes 3 mins to cook and it's filling and delicious.

Tin of Stagg chilli with rice is another 3 minute meal. Buy frozen rice - it microwaves in about 2 minutes and is really good.

I also batch cook tomato pasta sauce and freeze it in ice-cubes. I defrost a few ice cubes worth for the kids when they need a healthy pasta sauce that's quick, or a topping for pitta bread pizzas (melt cheese on top, add veg etc).

Poached eggs on toast with slices of ham and oven baked cherry tomatoes.

Pan-fried salmon steaks with noodles and veg is probably my quickest meal.

(will be closely examining this thread for tips, as I hate spending time cooking)

Grilled chicken breast, plain couscous and tomatoes salad. Can be on the table in 8 minutes! :)

Wagamama style hot soup.
3 for £3 noodles, veg mix and sweet chilli sauce from most supermarkets.
Miso soup paste
Chicken stock cube
Chicken or pork or beef
Soy sauce

Make broth with miso, half chilli sauce, stock cube, fish sauce nam pla if you like. Add veg packet.

Stir fry meat of choice in whole portions to slice before serving. Add noodles to soup for one minute. Serve in large bowls with sliced meat or prawns on top. Season with soy sauce as needed.

Yum.
Add sliced chilli or coriander if you like.

Cover salmon fillets in fresh minced garlic, chilli, ginger and soy. Wrap loosely in foil and bake.

Boil rice and broccoli.

Should take no more than 20 mins from scratch.

Nigella's marmite spaghetti

Smoked salmon pasta - cook and drain pasta. Stir in chopped smoked salmon, creme fraiche, lemon juice and fresh dill. Black pepper to taste. Done.

Put rice on to boil, takes 10 minutes. Add frozen peas for last few minutes.

Smash a clove of garlic per person, fry lightly in a knob of butter or a little oil, add a tin of chopped tomatoes, pinch of salt, teaspoon of smoked paprika, some crushed tarragon (dried is fine). Add a cooked chicken breast per person, (I always discard the skin) or chopped leftover chicken.

Heat thoroughly, and the rice will be cooked by then.

Quesadillas. Use whatever stuff you like or have on hand, cheese is the only necessary ingredient. I like chopped ham or chicken, sliced mushrooms, sliced bell peppers, cherry tomatoes etc... and grated cheese. Using a non-stick frying pan, heat a large flour tortilla (no cooking oil needed in my experience, or maybe just a fine mist of oil), sprinkle ingredients over one half of the tortilla and fold the tortilla over it, cook for a few minutes then carefully flip the folded tortilla over and continue until the cheese is melted inside and the tortilla is browned/firm.