What do you cook when you can't be bothered to cook?

[theneverendinglaundry]

I need a few easy dinners ideas with little or no preparation. I am so fed up with meal planning, shopping for meals, cooking meals, cleaning up after meals....I cook almost every night and would just love a few freezer/cupboard/packet things to make life easier some nights.

Am thinking of having the freezer stocked up with mash and other variants of potato. Jacket potatoes are mindless enough to make and also very cheap, so they're on my list too.

What do you cook when you can't be bothered to cook?

Pasta or quick-cook noodles, an easy peanut sauce (could be as simple as peanut butter plus soy sauce) and a vegetable of some sort (eg steamed broccoli or chopped cucumber). Yum

I love those frozen McCain baked potatoes you do in the microwave. Either with Tuna mayo or cheese and beans. Mmmm.

Omlettes.

Pasta with red pesto and some Matteson's smoked sausage chopped through it.

A lot of the things people are suggesting sound like proper cooking to me 😂

formerbabe totally agree - most of the ideas mentioned are 'proper' meals to me .

If I can't be bothered to cook I have cheese & biscuits or a piece of toast. .

Alioli tuna pasta with peas. Boil pasta (usually penne). Huge glub of olive oil in pan. Teaspoon and 1/2 of jarred minced garlic. Fry for a few minutes. Take off heat, mix in mayo. Then tin of tuna. Add pasta. Tons of peas.

Another one who thinks a lot of these are cooking,for me houmous and oatcakes, cheese toastie, fish finger sandwich, cereal or toast and jam

Tuna pasta bake. Pasta with cheese and ketchup. Fish, peas and chips. Soup.

Pasta pesto, breaded chicken, eggs on toast with tomato and cucumber, tin of soup.

@aliasgrape ooh that sounds good, I'll look out for it!

Have a look at Diana Henry's book "From the oven to the table".

All in one dishes cooked in a roasting tray are good if you are feeding a family.

Nigella's sweetcorn fritters are quick and easy as is her med veg and halloumi bake.

Cheese and biscuits with grapes and apples?
Baked spuds?
Sardines, scrambled eggs, or baked beans, or poached egg, or paté and gherkins on toast?
Frittata?
Smoked lardons, pesto, fozen peas, broccoli, on pasta with parmesan (tastes better than it sounds and v quick to prep)?
Warmed good quality shop bought sausage rolls or samosas with quick shredded salad?
Salad nicoise?
Crumpet/pikelet with grilled cheese, ham and cress?
Bacon sandwich?
Tricolore or cous cous salad?
Quesadillas?
Yoghurt and fruit?
Pancakes?
Hot dogs?

Or cook once serve twice for eg:
Day 1 roast chicken with trimmings
Day 2 udon noodles, chicken stock, tin sweetcorn, perhaps some sugar snap peas/frozen peas/broccoli, bit of chilli, maybe some mushrooms or spring onions, can all be cooked together quickly in one pot, then serve with shredded pieces cold chicken.

Day 1: 2 x trays roasted mediterranean veg in oven (fennel, onion, tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, garlic etc with rosemary) serve one with frozen fish or chicken pieces.
Day 2: whizz up second tray of veg to make a sauce and serve with rice or pasta with grated parmesan, maybe some olives.

[Cooking much more bearable if you only do it every other day.]

My go to is - spaghetti, add frozen broad beans (or peas). Drain and add egg (1for 2 people), loads of butter and grated cheese. Mmmm.

I regularly do a big batch of 'taco meat' for the freezer. Beef mince, browned and gently spiced with black beans and sweetcorn mixed in. Frozen in a flattened freezer bag, it's easy to break off a chunk and reheat it in a frying pan to make all sorts of quick meals (usually taco salad at the moment)

Reading this thread is making me hungry....

Not a meal but a real time saver is to grate a whole load of cheese at once, ideally in a food processor (so minimal effort). Keep in tte fridge in an air tight box. Makes making cheese sauce, pizza etc etc

My 'lazy ' dinner is what we call a 'bung it in the oven' . Basically, a selection of veg in a roasting tin (either Mediterranean- peppers, courgettes, red onion, or root - carrots onions, swede, celeriac), with either sausages or chicken thighs and/or drumsticks. Olive oil, herbs, seasoning, maybe a chopped lemon or splash of wine or balsamic, bung in a hot oven for 30 - 40 minutes. I sometimes add tomatoes or mushrooms near the end, or a can of chickpeas instead of the meat.

@bluebellation, we do that with Halloumi instead of meat too.9

Many supermarkets do really nice individual steak pies (but some are too salty) or chicken pies. QVC does them too but more expensive. If you have freezer buy 10 or so and just put them in oven frozen. I use an air fryer as more economical than regular oven - but it doesn't take many pies. Of course you can also buy large pies too! Add frozen veg. (which I understand has all the food value of fresh). Use frozen corn, frozen sweet potato or shop bought mashed potatoes instead of regular potatoes.

@BikeRunSki ooh yes, or feta. Basically, once you've got the veg in the tray you can add all sorts!

Bake fish in the oven, packet of grains, add some veg.

Roast chicken, jacket potato & salad.
Bung chicken & potatoes in the oven, leave it to do it’s thing and chop some salad. It’s not a 5 minute dinner but it’s only 5 minutes of actually doing stuff.
I buy cooking bags with herby stuff in them - you put the whole chicken in the bag & bung it in the oven (keeps the oven clean & tastes nice)

Chopped veg & chorizo roasted in oven, put salmon on top & put back in oven for 20 mins

Homemade tuna mayonaise on homemade bread - had it this morning.
Drain the tuna, glug of mayo and 2 tsp tartare sauce in a bowl, finely chop 3 small chillis, 3 cornichons finely chopped, season with salt and black pepper, add a little vinegar, mix the whole lot up.
Job done.
Cheese on toast with sliced tomatoes. mix tomato puree with pesto and chilli sauce for the base, top with pepperoni or sliced chorizo.
Cook in oven for 10 minutes @200C

This type of thing, with olive oil and lemon, and using up any vegetables (roasted).

The link would help 😄

blog.fatfreevegan.com/2013/08/warm-pasta-salad-with-roasted-vegetables-and-pesto-vinaigrette.html

Although I'm not vegan, we love this type of recipe on warm dats.

I feel like I can't be arsed cooking more and more lately! So easy dinner for us would be,
Frozen pizza and salad
Scrambled eggs and mushrooms on toast
Bagels with soft cheese and ham
Bacon sandwiches
Pasta and pesto
Beans on toast.
If DH is at work, me and DD will have a random plate of crackers, cheese, fruits, chutneys and maybe a boiled egg.

@onlinelinda that looks lovely!