What are your "I can't be arsed cooking but I don't want a takeaway" go-to meals?

[Mangoesontherun]

I need ideas for those days when I can't be arsed chopping a load of veg and creating a nourishing meal from scratch please! Those days where there are no batch-cooked meals in the freezer, you're knackered, and you want something on your plate in as little time as possible. While ideally being healthy ...

Pasta pesto with whatever vegetables we have thrown in, or if none then frozen peas and/or chorizo.

Aldi do a frozen 'king kebab' the peri peri one is mega spicy but the fajita and butter chicken are nice. Takes an age to cook in the oven but basically is a massive load of really nice chicken thigh meat - add a pack of micro rice and or salad

Marking 👌🏻

Tuna pasta

Salad (for self and DH)

omelette

baked potato

beans on toast

I would usually tell DH we were having lentils for dinner and he would take us out to the local Mexican restaurant.

I did pesto spaghetti with frozen peas the other night when we got back from a trip and the shops were shut. Found a tub of longlife cream and stirred a bit of that in. Was surprisingly well received!

Carbonara (fried bacon lardons which is useful way to use up a random left over few rashes, garlic cloves, Parmesan, pasta water and egg yolk) and broccoli on the side.
It takes ten minutes and the kids all love it.

Oh forgot the most important part!

Lots of black pepper!

@CarrieMoonbeams few weeks ago I just ate a whole tin of condensed milk

I'm shocked ! I thought I was indulgent with my speedy fruit cake with condensed milk recipe !
But you know what ? I reckon a tin of coconut cream might be tasty ...

Pasta, tuna, mayo salad
Pasta, garlic, olive oil and anything else you might have handy like prawns, salmon, courgette
Burgers
Chicken wraps
Omelette wraps or with chips or rice

I would usually tell DH we were having lentils for dinner and he would take us out to the local Mexican restaurant.

perfect!

Baked camembert out of Nigel Slater. Rub a clove of garlic over it; make a few holes and put in a bit of white wine, then bake for half an hour in the oven in its box. Eat like a fondue with French stick and pickles – leftover cranberry sauce works well.

Poached eggs on toast.

mushroom omelette
or pasta with mushrooms and spinach

My fave is chicken /quorn nugget wrap with salad , Mayo and sweet chilli sauce could happily eat them every week .

I am exactly the same!

I like to pretend I’m healthy so bagged salad. Anti pasta from jars artichoke hearts, roasted pepper, olives plus something from the fridge/ freezer in the Airfryer. Tempura prawns, chicken breast etc. Bit of dressing. Job done. No pots or pans to wash up either.

Egg and beans on toast
fish ginger sarnie
frozen chicken tenders in wraps with salad

Sausage/bacon butty - always a crowd pleaser!

Bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich
Mmm sardines on toast

What are omelette wraps?

Crumpets.
Cake
Fruit and cheese

Potato wedges (almost as good as chips and cook in 35 mins) topped with whatever I have in the fridge that is protein based.

I ask my husband to cook.

Same for me pretty much, it was just staple as a student and in my 20s and still make it at 63 for my family sometimes. I stick some veg in the pan with the pasta half way through (or in a separate pan if I'm cooking for 4), something simple like brocolli or cauliflower that I can just rip apart with my hands, rinse under the tap and drop in the pan. Usually just stir in pesto and grated cheese afterwards.