What's your best supermarket emergency microwave dinner

[CadburyCrunchy]

If you only had 35 minutes to spare between work and kids hobbies every Tuesday evening what would you cook for dinner in that time? I'm not a fan of ready meals but Tesco do an nice carbonara and one evening a week is ok! What would you suggest?

Would be omelette and beans. Microwave meals can be a bit grim. Maybe a tin of chilli with a microwaved spud, or microwave some ready cooked Bolognese with freshly boiled pasta. 35 mins is enough time to cook a simple meal or have sandwiches.

I wouldn't do a microwave meal. What about pesto pasta, that's nice and quick, can add some greens

stab holes in, then nuke a sweet potato for 10 minutes- under the grill for 5 if you have time. Cream cheese and butter inside.

I like the merchant gourmet packets-I think the French something and Cajun chilli are my favourite- could serve with rice (I usually go with ciabatta/bread) Either in microwave 1minute or on hob till hot - although they are fairly expensive but I get two portions a packet and only buy when on sale

Asda chicken and bacon pasta bake. Much nicer than the Tesco or Sainsbury's version..
Or just buy a quiche 😁

Moussaka or lasagne. It's not something I can ever be arsed making at home as it's such a faff.

The joy! The first 3 posts miss the point. Judge away, meanwhile we work and pay tax to.support.you 🤣

Sainsbury's Singapore noodles

Lol so mumsnet.

Tesco's ragu beef pasta in the finest section is quite nice.

I would probably just do pasta and a nice sauce with some fresh mozzarella and rocket on top. I find it just as quick as a ready meal but nicer.
For a nice ready meal I get the m&s gastro fish pie but it isn’t quick as you cook it in the oven.

Jacket potato. Two cook on high in 12 minutes. I tend to make the filling (usually small tin of tuna mashed up with an avocado) but I suppose you could use r ready made sandwich filling? Just remembered cheese coleslaw is nice as well.

I buy ready cooked coated chicken pieces (like tikka Marsala) and put them in a salad with pine nuts, Parmesan and balsamic.

M&S chilli prawn pasta - love it- have it at least once a week - but I'm not sure if you meant for a family or just for yourself! If it was a family M&S do a nice family size pasta bolgnese

I reallly like a Waitrose Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken, Pilau Rice and a Peshwari Naan. And some dhal as well.

They are my favourite ready meals.

I've never found a ready meal I like, even the expensive ones are all wrong.
What about ramen or noodles - they cook quickly and you can easily add an egg or veggies.
Or something like spicy salmon and microwave rice, it should only take 15 minutes.

I’d make lo mein, Tesco do a prepared vegetable medley with carrot, tenderstem, baby corn and green beans.
Stir fry in a little sesame oil, add fresh egg noodles and a sauce made from soy sauce (light and dark), sesame oil and sugar.
Serve in a large bowl to slurp. Takes 10 minutes or less.

Microwave baby potatoes, salad leaves, whatever other salad bits you like, coleslaw & fish, cheese, or whatever you all like

Pasta with sauce
Beans on toast
Frozen or chilled pizza
Curry sauce from a jar with rice or chips.
Noodles with veg

The only ready meals that are actually nice are from the 'posh' supermarkets. M&S do really nice curry ready meals. A lot of the Tesco ones are bland but Asda and Morrison's are ok.

M and S tuna pasta bake wins here. Especially with their garlic doughballs (oven or microwave).

Having that tonight.

The M&S “best ever” macaroni cheese is my favourite, but it goes in the oven so isn’t particularly quick.

if I am home alone I like the WW lemon and chicken risotto - I’m not doing Weight Watchers, it’s genuinely really nice. It goes in the microwave and I usually add extra Parmesan and rocket.

We have a ready meal about once a week, often the Chinese or Indian fake-away boxes on a Friday night.

I'd do something in the slow cooker that could just be served with bread and salad.

As, indeed, I used to do on Beavers/Cubs nights when my boys were small.

Or egg on toast.

The Haldirams frozen Tarka Daal microwave meal is not terrible. I add some fresh coriander and chillies on top.

I'm not a fan of microwave ready meals tbh. Not for snobbish reasons - I'm quite a lazy cook! - but because I don't really like the taste. Occasionally, I'll succumb to a supermarket macaroni cheese, but they're never as good as I want them to be!

My go-to lazy options when I haven't got much time are as follows:

• Scrambled egg on toast with raw carrots/cherry tomatoes or similar. Ready in 5 mins. Occasionally do omelette instead.
• supermarket pizza with salad (done in around 10 mins)
• pasta with broccoli added to the pan half way through cooking, then when both are cooked, stir in a generous portion of boursin, add some strips of smoked salmon and season with black pepper. Ready in 15 mins.

I would do jacket potatoes but I'm the only one in the family who actually likes them. And to be fair, they are much better in the oven. I also batch cook and keep portions of curry, soup etc in the freezer to be reheated when we have no time to cook.

My kids like ready made lasagne. When they did a lot of clubs, that was one of the meals they had sometimes.

Another one that you have to prepare is tuna pasta mayo. That's a good one to make and eat later.

I also sometimes used to put a slice of ham and a slice of cheese in a wrap and roll it up in a way that is sealed and pop in the microwave for 15 seconds.