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 ...

Sorry, 53 not 63!

Pour boiling water on some couscous. Chuck in a tin of mackerel in tomato sauce (broken up into little flakes). If you like it hot do 1 minute in microwave. Stir. Done.

If you're feeling fancy, you could add in a chopped tomato or sprinkle on some cheese.

The “Roasting Tin” books are really good. Most of the recipes seem to involve shoving a few ingredients in a tin, giving a quick stir and then baking in the oven. Really pleased with most of the things I’ve made.

Jacket potato & cheese and beans / humous and tomatoes

pesto pasta

Spanish omelette made with tinned potatoes and frozen veg baked in the oven for 20 mins with a handful of salad

Halloumi salad: fry some some sliced halloumi with chunks of red pepper in a bit of olive oil. Chuck on top of a bag of salad drizzled with balsamic and sprinkle with pinenuts. Takes all of 5 mins!

Also frozen pizza with salad (Crosta & Mollica). Vegeburgers (in wholemeal rolls, with veg or salad and oven chips for the hungry teens and DH. We like Strong Roots Kale and Quinoa burgers and Goodlife spicy bean burgers and we are not veggie, but I keep both of these in the freezer for 'emergencies'.

Beans on toast.

Or just beans in a bowl if really knackered! Tabasco is essential.

Me too actually, despite my disgraceful confession earlier when I said that I have Doritos and melted cheese, or I have also been known to eat just an entire tin of condensed milk 😳

The green roasting tin book is brilliant, I love their vegan chilli and I always make sure I have the ingredients in the house for that (it's just various tins plus a few spices). Damn tasty!

Pasta pesto
ready made quiche
deli salad bar
halloumi or falafel wraps with hummus

CarrieMoonbeams you just redeemed yourself!!

Dorritos covered in cheese followed by a tin of condensed milk sounds like food of the gods.

For me - scrambled egg and beans on toast

For ds - Pasta with either philadelphia or jarred sauce stirred in

For everyone - fishfingers, oven chips and beans/peas

Pasta, cherry tomatoes, tuna, mayonnaise and black pepper yummy !!

@Mangoesontherun
Make an omelette with eggs and whatever you like. Put it in a wrap.

How have I reached this age and never had one of these??

Well it's gotta be pasta and sauce. I always have Lloyd Grossman pasta sauces around. If Ive got bacon or chorizo then a decent meal! Salad would be great addition but doesn't always have it just hanging around.

We normally have a few bits in the freezer that can be cooked from frozen, but if it's just me, I'll either have pesto pasta or toast!

With the pesto pasta, if I'm feeling particularly "fancy", I'll add some pre-cooked chicken breast slices and top it with cheese and grill it.

If I'm not it's plain old pesto pasta with cheese and chilli flakes stirred in it!

Another vote for egg and chips. Oven chips seem to take forever so I put oven crinkle cut chips in the deep fat fryer.

Packet pizza obvious choice. Dr Oetke mushroom one is really bloody good for a packet!

You can also make thin omelettes and use them as the wraps. Asian style.

Carbonara.
I've usually got bacon or pancetta in the fridge along with eggs and a bag of ready grated parmesan so this is my go to quick meal.
Can get it on the table within 15 minutes if I boil the kettle for the pasta water.

Jacket potato with tuna mayonnaise.

For 1 yr old: mini pasta with baked beans (no added sugar version) and grated cheddar cheese.

For us: burrata, sliced up tomatoes, olive oil, good balsamic, toast rubbed with a half cut clove of garlic.

Quesadillas - oil in pan, add a tortilla, some ham some cheese and another tortilla on top. Flip once bottom is brown.

Also good with leftover chilli or chicken in the middle.

Toasted sandwiches. We call them panini if we are feeling posh.

Waffles - in the same machine, we have one where the plates switch out.

Tagiatelli with a sauce of creme fresh with blue cheese and bacon lardons. Dry fry bacon lardons first, add creme fresh then blue cheese to taste and a handful of frozen peas. Pour over tagiatelli.