To ask for your easy, quick dinner recipes?

[Bananafritter]

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Really been struggling lately with meal ideas. Seem to be having either rice or pasta, with chicken, veg and a sauce from a jar and I’m a bit fed up with it all. Looking for people’s favourite easy but tasty dinner ideas which don’t cost too much to make. I’ve had a look a google for recipes but most of the “easy” recipes seem to contain millions of different ingredients. Also if anyone has any easy vegan/veggie ideas that would be great as I’m trying to cut down my meat consumption. Thanks!

Buy a slow cooker.

You’re welcome!

I second buying a slow cooker if you have the time to do the prep before bed / work , depending on what you are going to cook in there prep is only 10 or 20 mins .
or
Huge jacket spud ( microwaved ) topped with cheeses and beans and if you are trying to be healthy a side salad too ;
I know you said you are fed up with pasta but this takes 20 mins at most from walking in the kitchen to sitting down to eat and its very cheap.
Boil pasta , reduce a tin of tomatoes by a third add dried herb or spice to tomato, and a good squeeze of tomato puree, chop up bacon and fry add any veggies (onion / mushrooms / peppers / left over cooked veg ) . Drain cooked pasta return it to the pan chuck bacon & veg mix in add tomato mix give it all a good stir serve with plenty of grated cheese .

I made Tesco’s realfood.tesco.com/recipes/pan-fried-basa-fillets-with-garlic-potatoes.html the other day and it was a big hit. I’ve started using their online recipes because they’re uncomplicated and you can add the ingredients straight to your shopping basket.

You could make the bacon and pasta meal for four hungry people for less than £5 and still have pasta and cheese left over for another meal

M @ S large chickens are £3.60 this week. Yesterday I toasted one after rubbing Cajun seasoning all over, bung in roasting dish with chunks of sweet potato and roast. Made a coleslaw with red cabbage and red onion, radishes, carrots tossed in caeser dressing.

It was amazing and embarrassingly easy to do.

Put a fillet of any fish in tin foil with lemon juice and black pepper. Bake for however long it says on the packet, somewhere between 12 and 20 mins. Serve with salad and boiled potatoes.

Open a packet of chicken chunks, fry for a few minutes in a wok. Put noodles on to boil. Add a packet of ready chopped stir fry vegetables and a sachet of sauce to the chicken, then add the noodles when they're done.

Make curry at the weekend, fridge or freeze it in portions, microwave it when you need a dinner. Serve with 2 minute microwave rice.

Cut potatoes into small chunks, and boil while a ready made quiche heats up in the oven. Steam some vegetables, mash the potatoes up with grated cheese, serve.

Batch cooking is particularly good for fast veggie food - do a massive curry or chilli whenever you have the time, then freeze in portions and dinner is available any time in a matter of minutes.

Fish pie
Pasta bake
Veggie lasagna
Tacos made with meat free mince

I second the batch cooking and freezing of chillies and curries. I did this when I was vegan and it made my life so much easier.

Sweet potato quesadillas (vegetarian)
3 small or two medium sized sweet potatoes
Block of feta
Package of flour tortillas

Bake sweet potatoes in oven 30–40 minutes until soft. (I do this the day before if I’m cooking something else.) Remove skin and mash with feta. (If making ahead this mixture now goes in fridge.)
Spread mixture between two tortillas. Put in dry hot frying pan, turning regularly, until the outside is brown and just before it burns.
Serve with salad.

I dug out my crockpot when a friend told me her quick and easy chicken taco recipe:

Chuck chicken breasts in crockpot (on low) with envelope of taco seasoning (or you can make your own seasoning) and some water (about 3/4c) so it doesn't dry out.
By the time you get home chicken is cooked, shred it with a fork.
Chop tomatoes, little pile of lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, olives if you like.
Use either tortilla wraps or taco shells and fill them with all of the above.
Super easy.
I now love my crockpot and constantly throw in roasts, chicken with other seasonings, chili, etc in the morning. All is ready by the end of the day, lovely!

Dominos Pizza.

Oh, that isn’t what you’re looking for.

Another fun one I tried was Pulled Pork:

Pork tenderloin in the crockpot with a can of root beer.
Cook all day on low, once you're home drain the root beer, and throw in a bottle of your favourite BBQ sauce, shred pork with fork so BBQ sauce is all mixed in, cook for another half hour to an hour (meat is cooked so it's just about getting the flavour through).
Put over buns or rice.

Just remember never to add something cold to the crockpot when it's hot. So don't keep BBQ sauce in the fridge right before you add it.

I so want a pizza now !

I made beef and broccoli tonight, it was good. The Korean beef bowls are also pretty good. Both are quick and easy.

www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/the-best-easy-beef-and-broccoli-stir-fry-99476

damndelicious.net/2013/07/07/korean-beef-bowl/

Filled pasta (my kids love any kind of sausage variety) with tomato pasta sauce and cheese

Chicken & veg skewers, with salad and rice

Wrap salmon in a tin foil pouch with spring onions, edamame and teriyaki sauce, oven cook for about 15 mins and serve with rice
and baby corn

Quiche, potatoes and salad or coleslaw

Baked potato bar - I put my baked potatoes in the slow cooker for 6 hours on low and then put out a variety of toppings like tuna, cheese, coleslaw, salad, beetroot etc

Bean chili - loads of recipes for this online for slow cooker

Falafel (store bought of homemade) couscous, flat bread and hummus and/or tatsiki, sometimes I do roast veg or salad on the side. Olives

BBQ chicken drumsticks done in the slow cooker served with fries and roasted corn

Just some of my families favorites.

Chicken breasts, peppers, red onion, fajita seasoning and chopped tomatoes all chucked in the slow cooker put a tea towel over it and then the lid on keep on low for 8 hours. Can add cooked pasta and bake it with cheese on top for 15/20 minutes. Have it with rice or on a jacket potato or even just have it as fajitas haha

Chicken breasts with pesto on top, and mozzarella inside

Sweet potatoes and Cajun spice, roast for an hour then have with greek yoghurt and spring onions

@ashvivienne

Why the tea towel?

I made a lentil casserole last week which took about 3 mins to prepare.

Layer bottom of large dish with black lentils. I added carton of chopped tomatoes, pack of mushrooms, garlic, few chopped onions and carrots. Cover with water (or stock) and tin foil. Bung in oven for 1-1.5hrs. Done.

Also done a menu plan for the week - one tray roasted chicken with potatoes, carrots, garlic, onion etc. In oven for an hour.
Leftovers next day make chicken fried rice or noodles.

I made an aubergine, tomato and halloumi tart yesterday. Fry thin slices of aubergine and set aside. Add chopped onion to tin of chopped tomatoes and mix with aubergine. Fry halloumi and basically shove it all on the pastry. Cook for about 30 mins. Delicious and made a huge amount.

I'm all about the tray bakes for this last month. New potatoes, chicken thighs, veg that roasts well, add a bit of flavour and maybe chorizo or pancetta. Take a few recipes online and remove the faff. It doesn't need to have all the faffy bits in for a mid week meal

Get Jamie Oliver's 5 Ingredients cook book. A game-changer for busy, working families.

This is vegan & mostly from basic store cupboard stuff (I have never put in the miso & you can leave out the spinach & yoghurt).

Yes, it’s supposed to cook for an hour but the prep takes ten min & I reckon it would be fine in slow cooker. Makes loads:

blog.lakeland.co.uk/recipe/deliciously-ellas-spiced-sweet-potato-stew/

The lean veggie book is great for quick meals.
Some quick fav meals here are.
Gnocci - sprinkle broccoli with paprika and salt and roast for 14 mins.
toast some almonds and add to blender with a roasted red pepper, more paprika, olive oil, garlic and blitz until smooth and then add a splash of red wine vinegar.
Cook gnocci and add sauce and broccoli.
Pasta with pesto, peas and cooked bacon.
risotto

Lots of great ideas thank you! The slow cooker is a good idea, I’ve had a wee google and can see some for about £20, will these be any good?

Bananafritter Mine was a cheapy. I didn’t want one with all bells and whistles and a timer etc because I only used it to bung stuff in and turn it on. Everything tastes amazing out of it!

Buy whatever “sell by” you can get, meat, veggies, and bung it in with some water and seasoning (stock cube) or a tin of tomatoes.