48 hours, 1000 posts consisting of FAST, CHEAP and GOOD, over here please.

[HoneyDragon]

No smugginess, no social commentary or judginess.

I want EVERYONE'S go to, cheapest stand by meals that they use, on one cosmic, love in thread of sharing and nicety.

Lets help each other out with a bit of inspiration.

Mini-fry up.
Toast, baked beans, fried egg, fried mushroom or tomatoes if you can find any.

I'm on phone - will come back later and post more.

Pasta 'n Sauce.
You can add a knob of butter. Optional, but extra tasty.

Mix together in a bowl: 2 tsp each of Honey, soy, garlic, ginger, chilli

chuck some prawns in a wok and stir in above mix

Add egg noodles and fry til cooked.

Done.

JustShabby, that sounds bloody lush!

As do the quesadillas HoneyDragon.

Making me hungry and I'm not meeting my friend for lunch until TWO!

My DH has to take the credit for this one, its his invention. He calls it nearly payday pasta!

Fry off onion, garlic, peppers or any left over veg in a pan. Add a tin of toms or a carton of passata. Simmer until it thickens a bit, add chilli and herbs if you like. Boil up some spaghetti or pasta. Chop up some hot dogs and add them to the tomato mixture. Add the pasta once it's cooked and top with some grated cheese.

You could sub the hot dogs for quorn, chicken, bacon or whatever else you have.

Vegetable In The Hole. Lightly stir fry vegetables of choice (I tend to do red onions, peppers - red, yellow and orange - and sometimes mushrooms). So, like toad in the hole - but without sausages!

All these brilliant, quick easy foods - and my DH won't eat anything with tomato or cheese. I don't eat fish. Any suggestions that are tomato / cheese / fish free?!

Also sausage hotpot - fry an onion, garlic and rough chopped sausages, if you have a pepper then slice that and fry too. Add a tin of beans (any kind, inc. baked!) and a couple of tins of tomatoes, salt, pepper,a teaspoon of paprika and one of dried oregano or thyme, serve with crusty bread and butter or with boiled potatoes if you can be arsed.

You can add chunks of carrots/potatoes/courgettes to the actual mix if you have leftovers already cooked.

I always have a mince/onion/tomato combo in the freezer which can be turned into bolognaise sauce, chili, lasagne, cannelloni, etc.

conflict

Pesto Magic - weigh out half the amount of pasta you would normally use for each person and make up the weight with smallish potatoes, new potatoes are perfect but you can use chopped larger ones. Put potatoes in cold water and bring to boil, after 5 mins add pasta.

When pots and pasta are nearly cooked add peas, or if you like them, M & S do a frozen mis of broad beans and peas which is delish. Simmer for 2 mins.

Drain and stir through lots of pesto.

Veg pancake - fry onions, mushrooms, peppers, corn - or whatever you have really - until cooked through. Cover with pancake batter and slowly heat until just about set. Top with grated cheese and pop under the grill until the cheese has melted.

Frying pan pizza is quick and easy too - mix self raising flour with warm water and a tablespoon of olive oil until it forms a dough, roll out and fry in a large frying pan. Top with tomato sauce (I just fry garlic, add passatta and simmer for 20 mins or so), cheese and whatever else you want and finish under the grill. Cheaper and faster than a frozen pizza

Ok, sensible answer.

Fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, chilli, pinch of brown sugar, coriander, whatever veg/meat/fish is lying around looking like it might be iffy by tomorrow, stir fry it all together. Add noodles.

Tuna Rosti with beans & a fried egg.

Honeydragon it literally takes me 5 minutes and its a dish everyone loves.

It's uncooked rice by the way, just throw it in. It cooks as the dish cooks.

Has anyone got a really really quick and easy macaroni cheese recipe?

Bulk curry slop: whiz two onions, two garlic, knob of ginger and a chilli with a bit of water. Dry fry tsp of cumin, whole coriander, cardamoms, nigella, fenugreek. Fry the onion paste until colour turns. Add dry spice, turmeric and ground coriander + cumin, chuck in tin tomatoes. Simmer 30 minutes. Can then be split and frozen.

You can either fry some meat at the start, or fry separately and add to the slop later for 30 mins. St this stage you can crank the heat with chilli powder.

Pasta and caramelised onions

chop 1kg of onions and fry gently in oil for 10 minutes or so. Season with salt, pepper and a spoonful of sugar. Fry another 10 or so minutes.

Meanwhile cook a packet of pasta acc. packet instructions. Drain

Stir onions through pasta and serve with a tiny bit of grated cheese (serves 5-6)

pasta with garlic, chilli and parsley cooked on oil and tossed through pasta

pasta with tinned anchovies, lemon juice and parsley

spiced tomato rice and beans
fry a chopped onion until soft andd a couple of teaspoons of cumin and a pinch of chili flakes. Add 2 cups of rice and stir about. Pour in 2 tins chopped tomatoes, 3 cups of boiling water and a tin of kidney beans. Stir well, bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat to low and cook for about 15mins until all the liquid is absorbed. Season acc. taste and serve topped with a tiny bit of grated cheese. Serves 4-5

refried bean quesadillas - mash cooked beans with a little butter and some cumin, salt and pepper until kind of pasty. Spread on a tortilla, top with grated cheese then another tortilla. Toast on each side.

pasta with cream of mushroom soup and a tin of corn.

tuna in savoury white sauce with peas mixed in poured over rice.

pasta with a tub of philly type cheese, a splash of milk, a packet of smoked salmon trimmings and peas.

Potato bake - sliced potatoes and onions, layered. Pour over white sauce and bake. Top with grated cheese near the end of cooking.

This is one of my favourites.

Cheesy pasta - Boil the pasta - we use penne, and make a basic white sauce while the pasta cooks, then add it to the drained pasta.

Chuck in some chopped ham or cooked bacon, add a handful of grated cheese and stir over a low sauce until the cheese melts.

Add plenty of black pepper and serve!

Dd calls it cheesy pasta, dh refers to it as poor mans carbonara! :)

For quick macaroni cheese you need to make microwave cheese sauce - I can't remember how but I read it on here so someone else must - or you could do a search

None - I'd just boil some penne & add a packet cheese sauce and add grated cheese on top & bung into the oven until the cheese browns.
We have ours with lumps of boiled egg mixed in for protein, but I know some people would turn green with that suggestion.

Or just try stirring creme fraiche and cheese through the cooked macaroni

For the dc - pitta bread pizzas. Spread pitta bread with red pesto, top with anything you want and then stick Basics Mozerella on top. Cook. Eat with salad (or carrot sticks etc in the case of leaf-hating dd2).

Carrot and lentil soup. 1 onion chopped, 4-6 carrots, peeled and chopped, 1/2 bag red lentils (approx 250g) and chicken or veg stock.

Fry off the onion, add the rest and simmer until the carrots are soft and the lentils are cooked. Season with salt and pepper. I usually blend it. Sometimes I add a tsp or 2 of curry powder at the onion frying stage. Serve with crusty bread.

quick mac and cheese - cook pasta and drain. Stir through a tub of philly type cheese, add a splash of milk and a handful of grated cheese. Stir until melted together and pasta is covered in sauce.

One pan Macaroni cheese

Boil macoroni, cook leave to drain.

Dash of butter/ marg, mix in some plain flour. Stir in milk till white sauce is smooth. Add garlic/onion powder if wanted. Take of heat, stir in grated cheese till melted.

At this point cooked ham or frozen peas can be chucked in. Stir through pasta.

Eat at this point

Or

Transfer to oven dish, sprinkle cheese and bread crumbs on top (you can even chuck tomatoes on too) cook till top goes crusty.