Favourite meals you can make in the time it takes to cook pasta

[Etherealhedgehog]

I'm talking actual recipes (and doesn't have to involve actual pasta, though that is welcome). I love cooking but DD is nearly a year, we're both back at work - already or soon - and we really don't have the energy to cook at the end of the day. But after spending the first four months living off pasta pesto/oven pizza/fish finger butties on rotation, I feel in need of more varied fare, and something to make me feel like I haven't completely abandoned my love for making a tasty meal.

I feel like there should be a great food blog out there covering just this, but yet to find it.

So, what's your favourite super quick recipe? I'll start, mine is: jillianleiboff.blogspot.com/2013/07/wholewheat-spaghetti-with-green-olives.html?m=1

@ReviewingTheSituation

Nigella's marmite spaghetti for the ultimate quick meal.

Or a Gordon Ramsey recipe for spaghetti - while the pasta is cooking, fry off so.e breadcrumbs with some crushed garlic (takes about 1 min), then set that aside. In tbe same pan, fry a chopped chilli, crushed clove of garlic and a tin of sardines (break them up, not whole). Add some oregano. Mix with the cooked spag and a glug of olive oil. Serve it with the toasted breadcrumbs over the top. Delicious.

Marmite spaghetti is truly fast food of the gods

A guilty secret of mine is those vac packed chopped potatoes, cheese snd bacon sauté you get in the tinned veg aisle

Get those microwave bags of quinoa - aldi does a lovely red white quinoa mix. Stir fry pre cut veg and stir in a stir fry sauce at the end. 5 mins max
Quinoa again. Add slices of ripe avocado, feta, tomatoes and spring onions with a poached egg.
Home made soup: chop a couple of onions - and garlic, fry with a couple of chopped potatoes and then add some boiling water and add bag of frozen broccoli, salt pepper etc and blend with handmixer when done and add with cream or blue cheese when serving.

Couscous with tinned chick peas, carrot batons and pomegranate seeds. You can also bake couscous mixed with passata and roast vegetables.

Tinned potatoes are good in Spanish tortillas.

Build-your-own tacos: corn tortillas, refried beans, shredded lettuce, salsa, grated cheese, guacamole and sliced black olives.

@OnlyFlans

The lamb biryani linked to by a PP is absolutely delicious and my kids' favourite meal. So easy as well.

They also like crispy chicken and rice. Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise so they are thin then dip first in beaten egg then in breadcrumbs.

I make lots then freeze them raw.

To cook just fry in oil. Serve with rice and veg sticks. One of the kids likes some (shop bought) curry sauce drizzled over the chicken and one likes it with soy sauce.

We just make a salad with lettuce tomato, red pepper sweetcorn and avocado and pan fry strips of chicken and give the tortilla wraps 1 minute in the microwave. Then roll salad up with chicken (and a bit of Greek yogurt) in the wraps.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie, your response to the home- made pasta suggestion just made me spit my wine out 🤣
Was pretty much my response too. Especially when someone who posts such patronising and unhelpful nonsense clearly knows SFA about food. Pasta does not “proof”!

Last weekend, I did fish portions wrapped in prosciutto with pesto & creme fraiche dotted around and parmesan & pine nuts on top. You literally bung it in an oven dish and roast for 18 mins. Was lovely. Only needed bread.

Boil pasta
Meanwhile chop chives and smoked salmon
Drain pasta, put back on heat with generous portion of philadelphia and aforementioned chives and smoked salmon. Stir it all together. Bloody lovely.
I sometimes add peas or broccoli to boil with the pasta before draining it.

@30kgtogo Sorry about the wasted wine!

What a brilliant thread, I'm going to try a lot of these!

I know you weren’t specifically looking for pasta recipes but if you’re in need of a new pasta dish Nadiya Hussain’s Beetroot pasta sauce is really quick and tasty. www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/blender_beetroot_pasta_96501/amp

Also if you do have a spare half hour or so in the week to get ahead, I finely chop a load of onions, carrots, celery and fry it all off and mix it with browned mince to bag up and keep ready in the freezer as a base for dinners. It saves time at dinner time during the week.

[quote RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]@30kgtogo Sorry about the wasted wine![/quote]
Worth it for the belly laugh!

Apart from our youngest we all love chilli here. I’ve tried loads of different recipes but our favourite is still the Schwartz packet one it takes 20 minutes max but making a double batch takes hardly any longer, maybe a few more minutes to brown the mince. The leftovers freeze really well and are really versatile - as well as chilli and rice you’ve got a baked potato topping, tacos, nachos, enchiladas, toasties all manner of options.

I really liked the courgette pasta, made it on Saturday. Thanks for the recipe.

Whoever posted the lamb recipe with pittas, I tried it last night and it was yum. Will definitely do again.

@Octopus37

I really liked the courgette pasta, made it on Saturday. Thanks for the recipe.

Glad you enjoyed it. It's a very, VERY simplified adaptation of a pretty simple Carluccio recipe. I like it best with baby courgettes because they stay lovely and firm. The trick is to hardly cook them though, whatever the size.

@Octopus37

Whoever posted the lamb recipe with pittas, I tried it last night and it was yum. Will definitely do again.

Aww, thanks! You can do variations such as beef strips (maybe with chilli sauce) or duck (with five spice), it's just so quick and almost everyone likes it.

Another courgette and pasta favourite here
1 tsp olive oil
150g diced pancetta or smoked bacon lardons
4 small courgettes, coarsely grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
handful freshly grated parmesan (or any cheese)
1 small tub (200g) crème fraîche
300g tagliatelle

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and sizzle the pancetta or bacon for about 5 mins until starting to crisp. Turn up the heat and add the grated courgette to the pan. Cook for 5 mins or until soft and starting to brown then add the garlic and cook for a minute longer. Season and set aside.
Cook the tagliatelle according to the pack instructions and scoop out a cupful of cooking water. Drain the tagliatelle and tip into the frying pan with the bacon and courgette. Over a low heat toss everything together with the crème fraiche and half the cheese adding a splash of pasta water too if you need to loosen the sauce. Season to taste and serve twirled into bowls with the remaining Parmesan scattered over.

I have used halloumi when feeding vegetarians. For two of us I halve the quantities and I often leave out the parmesan and add a chilli I put chilli in most things

Teriyaki chicken

If you decide to get a slow cooker and you have a freezer you can do bulk preparation and freeze several meals-worth of ingredients in meal-sized portions. Get a portion out of the freezer the previous night and defrost it in the fridge overnight, then dump it in the slow cooker in the morning.

Thanks @bananapumpkin I'll try beef or duck as well

Quick and easy mid week meals:

Fajitas are fast and can use up whatever veg you have in the fridge.

Stir fry with straight to wok noodles.
Stir fry with pre cooked rice. (Buy the tilda stuff when on offer).
I make stir fry sauces using various combinations of soy sauce/hoi sin/sweet chilli/sesame oil/peanut butter/honey/Chinese 5 spice

Jazz up pasta pesto with olives/capers/sun dried tomatoes/pine nuts/jarred roasted peppers and try the chilli pesto it’s delicious!

Pasta carbonara is super quick. As is pasta puttanesca.

Oo and try swapping fish finger butties for fishfingers wraps with coleslaw and lime for a cheats fish taco!

I made this for dinner last night and it was so quick and easy (and tasty).

From this month's Olive magazine which I buy from time to time to get fresh ideas.