To start a TAAT - what meals can you cook in 15 minutes?

[Boffing]

Just that really!

I think it depends how many people you are cooking for. Omelette for one person easily, but for several it will take a lot longer, same with fajitas, I have to batch cook the chicken and veg to make enough for 5 people so no way is that a 15 minute job (made it with the DDs on Friday, one made the guacamole and grated the cheese, the other made the salsa and chopped up the peppers and chicken and laid the table and I chopped onions and fried up the meat, peppers and onions. Even with 3 of us it took 30-45 mins.) Quiche needs more than 15 mins to rest the pastry after making it, never mind the cooking time.

So, for me, cooking for 5 people we have a) beans on toast, b) pesto, pasta and peas (pesto whizzed up in the food mixer while pasta boiling, add peas to the pasta when few mins cooking time left) c) pasta with tuna and green beans.

Those vacuum packed filled tortelloni. Had spinach and ricotta ones yesrerday.butter and parmesan over, job done. And you've even got yer greens there

Mine love green eggs and ham, it's a nigella express recipe but I add blitzed spinach and broccoli (microwaved then blitzed with stick blender) to make it extra green and to contain veg.
Def under 15 mins
www.nigella.com/recipes/green-eggs-and-ham

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/butter-bean-chorizo-stew
Serve with bread

Fresh pasta, microwave some veg, add to pasta with pesto

Stir fry, especially if ingredients pre prepared from a bag!

Scrambled eggs on toast

Cook double on nights when your have more time, then just defrost and heat up leftovers

Spaghetti carbonara or pasta puttanesca, smoked mackerel with new potatoes, hard boiled eggs and watercress salad, Niçoise salad, salmon fillets or pork/veal escalopes with steamed veg and new potatoes, lamb kebabs with flatbreads, salad and tzatziki.

Chicken, beef, veg stir fry
JP, cheese and beans/tuna mayo/cheese and pickle
Spaghetti carbonara
Pesto, ham and mushroom pasta
Steak and salad
Eggs Benedict
Bacon, eggs and beans

Beef stroganoff, if I cheat and use microwave rice.

I dont like to cook and have no time for it but do like to eat so i buy the big trays of meat where you get 10 pork chops or chicken breasts, break them down into meal size amounts t hen stick in a freezer bag with a marinade and freeze.

In the morning i put a bag in t he fridge to defrost then mix and match.

so
Onto a tray goes pork.chop s in bbq sauce on a different tray corn on the cob and green beans. All in the oven for 25-30 mins at gas 6

Onto a tray goes chicken breast in honey and mustard, on another tray cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, sliced peppers and onions. All in the oven, gas 6 for 25-30 mins

And so on.

Anything on toast (a favourite with the teenagers).

Anything from Nigella Express or Nigel Slater's quick eats book.

Nothing by Jamie Oliver. If he says it takes 10 minutes, it still takes me an hour plus a shit load of washing up. I'm a not a shabby cook either.

Stir fry veg (from a pack or whatever you have in stick) in oil addsoy sauce and any other flavour you fancy. Add prawns if you have them and fancy it. Beat four eggs pour them over stir fry then mix in cook for an extra minute or two. Serve with rice or noodles.

Another one is tuna pesto pasta. Cook pasta, add mixed frozen veg until cooked, drain then add pesto a tin of tuna and some grated cheese, if I can be bothered I'll also add a little chopped tomato sautéed in olive oil and garlic. If I have time I'll pop it in a baking dish in the oven with extra cheese on top to give a crispy top.

Nothing.

I can cook a snack like scrambled egg on toast or an omelette. But I can't construct a proper meal with veg and/or salad in 15 minutes.

Frittata. Pasta with sauce from the freezer (batch cooked).
I have several meals that I can prep in minutes then leave in the oven or slow cooker to cook while I do something else.
Fish cooks quickly.

Fried eggs with either potato waffles cooked in the toaster (I set it to maximum and when the lever pings up I do it again) or a microwaved baking potato cut into two or three slices and lightly sauted in the same pan as the eggs. I eat plenty of fruit and veg so don't worry about not having any in a meal once in a way.

Hummus and pita, with crudites if I can be bothered.

Cheese on toast.

Almost anything where eggs are the main feature.

Filled fresh pasta served with grated parmesan or pesto. Salad on the side if I have sufficient energy. I like the idea of cooking peas with the pasta.

Some form of pre-cooked protein (e.g. ham, chicken, prawns, falafel) and salad with decent bread on the side.

Microwaved baking potato with beans, cheese and a little finely chopped spring onion.

Leftovers re-heated. This can be wonderful. Lots of things develop in flavour and taste better on the second day.

Tonight I am having crispy seabass ( with ginger, chilli and garlic) with pak choi and sesame noodles. Takes under 15 minutes and tastes amazing.

Most of my quick meals are salads, stir fries, omelettes etc but I tend to prefer one pan meals that can be bunged in the oven, they may take longer to cook but are so easy to prepare.

Love this thread. BlueSkiesLies I'm very tempted by your Poke-a-like bowls. They look really promising!

Cut up some carrot and cucumber and give it to the kids while they are waiting. You can then make anything you like and they will have had some veggies.

Using ready-rolled puff pastry you can easily. Ake a cheese and tomato tart type thing in that time or even add extra veggies eg peppers or cut up ham or something.

A small elephant....: in an instant pot!

Thingamachicken
Boneless chicken thighs in a pan with blitzed up onion & garlic (I'm too lazy to chop it so used a mini food processor) a bit of sage & parsley, tin of Heinz cream of chicken soup, add peas, frozen fine green beans & some mushrooms served with microwave rice. Done in 18mins this evening 👌

Most of my meals!
Gammon egg beans mushroom
Stir fry
Grilled meat or fish with veg or salad
Omelettes
Frittata
Jacket potato

Spag Bol
Chilli and rice
Veg curry and rice
Any sort of pasta dish that isn’t baked
Steak although the oven chips take a bit longer!
Pizza but sometimes leave the yeast to rise a little longer
Frittata

Pasta Carbonara
Chicken noodle soup
Fried noodles with chicken (noodles needs prep the night before, but that only takes 5 mins)
Egg fried rice (need to use leftover rice or it's not very nice)
Chicken fajitas

Chicken / steak / salmon salad - make the dressing and salad whilst the meat is sizzling. Use a salad spinner to get rid of of the extra water. Make the dressing in bulk in advance for even more speediness.

Tonight we had spaghetti with garlic, chilli, fresh tomatoes (sauteed then stirred into spaghetti) and basil with parmesan shavings. Takes 10 minutes and is one of my favourite meals.