Quick midweek meal ideas

[Littleguggi]

I like to cook most meals from scratch which of course adds time. Working full time and having a busy schedule, I need quick midweek meal ideas.

I usually meal plan and batch cook/ freeze meals but life has been so busy recently I just haven't had time to do this. Even my food shops are a weekly dash around the supermarket.

What are you eating tonight? Or what do you typically eat midweek? I need ideas to help me start meal planning again!

Cold chicken, baked potato and Waldorf salad.

I do like a salad, but not in the winter. I should have said, I am looking for hot dinner ideas.

Tonight we had spaghetti meatballs but I stupidly made it from scratch so took forever to make bearing in mind DH were out working all day and didn't get in with the kids til 6.30pm. By the time we did their bedtime and started cooking, didn't eat til gone 8pm which is way too late for my tummy!

Stuff that looks after itself in the oven whilst I do other stuff, eg chicken + roasted veg. Salmon with pesto on top, takes 10 mins at a high heat. (Now a special occasion meal as fish so expensive 😬). Lots of pasta… try to vary the sauces and use a lot of cheats eg pre chopped frozen onions, whizz up jars of those roasted peppers for something different. Risotto is actually quite quick and hands off if you bake it (bbc has a good recipe for a baked risotto).

Thai green curry
spaghetti and meatballs
toad in the hole with Brocolli and cauli cheese
slow cooker lasagne
cajun salmon tacos
onelettes
courgette and aubergine Boursin pasta bake

all on the table within 30 mins of walking in the door

Tonight we had chicken Wraps, wedges and coleslaw

We just bought the new Jamie Oliver book. So far we've made 15 minute one pot salmon pasta and a Cajun chicken traybake and I'm in love.

We have bottom-of-the-fridge stir-fry - vary it with chicken, pork, prawns, & different sauce ingredients. Doesn't have to be Chinese.
It's even quicker if you use frozen stir-fry veg.

Veggie chilli (with lots of pulses as well as veg)
prawn spaghetti
naan bread pizzas
chicken and veg tray bake (Jamie O hit n run chicken is a good one)
teryaki salmon (try Mary Berry one).

Cheats kedgeree about twenty minutes
Poach two smoked haddock fillets in milk and water (takes about 7 minutes if you haven't got a deep enough frying pan I use my wok!). Put a smallish pot of water on to boil at the same time.
Dice an onion and soften in a large frying pan with some olive oil, add heaped tablespoon of curry paste , I use madras because we like spicy, but anything would work.
Water now boiling add 2-3 eggs
Cook onions/paste for a minute or so add handfuls of frozen peas, cook.
Get two pouches of microwave rice (pilau, basmati, wholegrain whatever really) separate contents and add to pan with pea mixture, cook for a few minutes. Fish should be cooked by now. Take it out remove skin and chunks of haddock to the rice pan. Put the whole lot in a serving dish with the peeled/halved eggs on top, (5 minutes for wobbly yolk)
If you have a hungry family serve with naan and minted yoghurt

Tonight we ate having stir fry.

Just had a ‘stir fry’ which was diced chicken, purple sprouted broccoli, green beans, pepper, frozen spinach, frozen ginger & garlic, oyster sauce and peanut butter and chuck in a bag of microwave rice.
last night we had chilli con carne on Jacket potato.
My go to quick and easy dinner is gnocchi tray bake.
gnocchi, packet of cherry tomatoes, chopped chorizo, basil, tinned tomato and mozzarella on top. Takes about 25mins and once it’s in and only needs one stir.

We have wraps once a week, with peppers, onions and courgettes plus a protein (feta, black beans, prawns, chicken for the omnivores in the family), with sour cream, grated cheese and salad. Pleases everyone because we can make our own up and only takes about 15 minutes. Spaghetti carbonara (with bacon or courgettes/mushrooms). Pasta, pesto and whatever green veg we've got. Some curries are very quick, if you use red lentils, tinned chickpeas or paneer you can do it in the time the rice takes to cook.
I also try to make more than one meal on the evenings I have a bit more time. So I might roast a couple of trays of vegetables, make a curry/tagine and a pot of pasta sauce and that will sort us for the next 3 days with only the carbs and veg to cook on the day.
A new one I discovered the other day was to mix some butter beans into some leftover tomato sauce and bake it in the oven with slices of halloumi on top.

If you batch cook tomato sauce, you can have it with various things and pasta eg seafood (Morrison’s do mixed frozen seafood), meatballs, bacon bits and olives, chorizo.
leftover chicken in a lemony white sauce with rice (or pasta again).

My quick meals are generally -
Egg fried rice
omelette
stir fry
re-heat spag bol / chilli
fajitas/ enchiladas
chickpea curry

Our dinner tonight is a chilli with a microwaveable rice packet.

Bunged it all in a pan and leaving it to cook while I do bedtime

Meatballs and halloumi cooked in the oven in a pasta sauce for about 20 mins - with pasta and steamed veg.
Burgers- cooked in oven for about 20 mins.
Pork chops cooked in oven - with garlic and rosemary tucked in.
Sticky chicken - chicken thighs cooked with a marinade of honey, soy sauce, seassme oil. Serve with rice and veg.

Spaghetti carbonara, just use chopped bacon, garlic, creme fraiche or eggs depending on what's in the fridge
Roast some veg like chunks of pepper, tomatoes, courgettes with some chunky pieces of chorizo & whatever herbs/ splash of olive oil stick in the oven 20-5 mins
Cous cous with baby toms/ olives/ raisins/ spring onion with any pan fried meat, lamb works well, burger/ chops

Tonight we had cauliflower mac and cheese. I tend to make a big batch and then have it for a couple of lunches too.

Sausages, mashed potato, mixed veg

Some really good inspiration here thank you! Think I need to find a Sunday and just do a load of batch cooking.

I typically have homemade pasta and veg sauce in the freezer for lazy days but need to made another batch. I usually have a homemade curry paste in the freezer also stored in small tommee tippie pots.

Things like burgers and meatballs I find too much effort for a weekday as I make them from scratch, don't like the grizzly store bought ones.

Tonight I made a quick veg (sprouts, carrots, roasted cherry tomatoes) and butterbean casserole type thing using up leftover veg from the fridge. Lots of garlic, chilli, paprika. Had it in wraps with cheese. Why do these random meals always taste the best.

Like the idea of getting a new recipe book for inspiration, will check out the new JO one!

People get so hung up on needing to batch cook to be a success at meals.but what I learn more and more over the years is that some people just aren't made for that type of logistics.but that's very much ok!
It's shoved on people. Oddly woman as another thing they can't fail at otherwaie there is this huge guilt.
Look for what works for you and your family.
You made the casserole.could you.msle double.or when chopping keep chipping more than you need then shove the rest of the chopped veg in a Tupperware for tomorrow's meal.or the doubled casserole could be on toast or jacket tomorrow or over pasta.
Supermarket pastes are fab.mix with a bit of curry and chicken thighs,in a bowl for the day coemhome and cook.brilloant.one of our best.and discovering Lidl Currys pastes are just as good is brilliant.
Cook big packs of mince.and have chillies.spag.pie.
Make easy pies with ready rolled pastry literally can shove it on anything.
If you want better meatballs what about just buying really good quality sausages then?this way you get the good meat and then just snip the meat out and roll into balls.voila.meatballs.
Tuna and sweet corn in white sauce is sooo simple yet tasty with rice or again in a pastry envelope.
Jar of dolmio.pasta.sorted.add e for protein.we add frankferters.
chicken thighs sweet potato red onion garlic chorizo in oven for tray bake.
Butternut squash roasted.then add a mix of feta,olive,onions,parsley lemon juice for last part of the cook.
Lidl and Aldi also do these big casserole packs.nothi g but natural ingredients you'd pack in a stew and they are delicious to have as back up because you literally pour in a dish.

@Littleguggi i do meatballs from mince and still have it to table in 35 mins.
mince, herbs, breadcrumbs (from freezer) egg and diced onion into a bowl (use mini chopper for onion) mix and portion - into airfryer for 20 mins. Soffrito mix, 2 x tin tomatoes, garlic etc into pan and simmer - add teaspoon sugar if cooking for 30 mins or under. Pasta to boil. I really find it one of my quicker meals.

Yes, people are right. You don’t need to batch cook.
I sometimes put a tin of tomatoes in a bowl in the microwave while doing the onions. This saves a bit of time cooking them down. Reduce the setting the longer they are in for.

Two gnocchi things from me which are both dead easy and take about 15 mins:

Gnocchi 1
Cook off sliced chorizo in a pan, add cherry tomatoes (halved if you can be arsed) and chopped garlic (or garlic purée if you are lazy like me). Stir occasionally. Squash the tomatoes down a bit. Pop your gnocchi in boiling water. Add a couple of heaped spoons of soft cheese - Philadelphia type stuff - to the chorizo pan. Drain your gnocchi, add to the pan with a handful of spinach and a wee bit of the water. Stir. Serve with Parmesan, or goats cheese if you feel fancy.

Gnocchi 2
Chop up broccoli and pop it in a big (important) pan of boiling water. As it gets close to ready, add gnocchi and frozen peas. Drain the lot. Stir through a jar of pesto. Crumble feta cheese in just before serving.