Quick weeknight dinners go here (shortcuts and prepared food tips welcomed)

[seattlegirl]

Since so many of us have limited time on weeknights, let's share our tips and recipes here so we can expand our go-tos.

I'll start:
Slice a turkey kielbasa (Jennie-O) into bite-sized pieces. Saute in a bit of olive oil in a large frying pan. When browned, throw in a bag of prewashed sugar snap peas and stir-fry until they are just barely tender.
There.  Food.  Eat it. 

[BonitaApplebum]

Our easiest go to involves frozen meatballs from BJs, pasta, and jarred sauce (we like Rao’s). It’s not sexy, but everyone eats it and it’s ready in like ten minutes. Bagged salad on the side rounds it out.

[minpinz]

One of my quickie meals is Black Bean Soup

1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
Saute in tablespoon of butter until soft
3 cans undrained black beans
2 cans of Rotel
1/2 cup sherry (optional)
Bring to a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes
*I also add sliced kielbasa or smoked sausage and saute that with the veggies.   

[roadstrailstris]

A couple of easy go-tos for me are turkey chili and turkey soup. For the chili I buy a spice pack. Sautee the turkey, add spice pack, two cans of crushed tomatoes, a few different types of beans, some salt and pepper, maybe add in beer for flavoring- obviously, the alcohol cooks off. I'll do that in the morning and leave it on low heat all day.

Turkey soup: Cut up rotissere turkey breast, or just use frozen strips of turkey, conatiner of chicken broth, cut up potatoes, green beans, onion, some grape tomatoes, and put it in the slow cooker all day. Serve with a loaf of bread. Done.

[Lintu]

Something that's generally really helpful is keeping frozen diced onions in the freezer.  Faster than chopping up onions or worrying about whether you have any.

This is one of my fave fast meals.  I serve it with broccoli (usually steam bag during the week, but I may roast it on weekends): https://bellyfull.net/2015/02/23/skillet-beans-and-rice-with-kielbasa/

[seattlegirl]

Mmmm, I love beans.

[Natasha]

Love this thread! Here are my quickies.

Guacamole toast: Toast bread, mash up some guacamole and season with lemon or lime juice and salt. Spread the mashed avocado on toast and top with a sprinkle of Bagel Everything (optional).

 Quesadilla thing with cheese and scrambled egg. The video is only a minute long. I have to spice it up. http://twitter.com/i/status/1176277860459237378

[TwistedFlax]

We spend $2 more for the pre-sliced peppers at the grocery store.  Sauté with some frozen cooked chicken and a little lime juice. Boom, fajitas.



Two turkey tenderloins in the crock pot with a 1/4 cup water and a packet of Italian seasoning. Shred after work, serve on buns with provolone, tomatoes, and baby spinach from a bag.

[Natasha]

There's a kielbasa theme going on here.

[seattlegirl]

Quesadillas is a good one!

Eggs scrambled with leftover veggies, side of toast.

[diablita]

We spend $2 more for the pre-sliced peppers at the grocery store.  Sauté with some frozen cooked chicken and a little lime juice. Boom, fajitas.

One of my favorite easy meals is one sheet pan shrimp fajitas.  Sliced peppers (pre-sliced if I'm in a rush) and onions, shrimp (I always spring for peeled and deveined shrimp; cleaning shrimp grosses me out), lime juice and a sprinkle of seasoning (e.g., chili powder, cumin, cayenne) plus salt and pepper baked at 400 for 10 minutes.  Done.  Tortillas or rice on the side.

[Natasha]

Grilled cheese sandwiches and Campbell's tomato soup.

[bookworm1]

Stuff I regularly keep in my pantry- Tinned diced tomatoes which when mixed with dried garlic, basil, oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper can make a quick pasta sauce that is much tastier than jarred sauce. Throw in some kalamata olives and noodles and you have dinner. Veggie chili with lentils, beans, tinned tomatoes and seasoning. Lentil tacos in the instant pot. Soup with whatever leftovers and veg are lying around.

I try to keep a good supply of better than bouillon stock, canned tomatoes and beans in the cabinet along with some dried pasta and barley, all of which can be made up really quickly into something palatable when we run out of ideas.

[Lintu]

There's a kielbasa theme going on here.

If it was healthy to eat kielbasa every day, I would

[Natasha]

Here's another quick video from Kenji Lopez-Alt's feed. He calls it Late Night Tortilla Jian Bing. I haven't tried it yet but probably will once I pick up some cilantro and scallions.

http://youtu.be/sqevRnFcEE0

[nadra24]

So occasionally when I'm really organized, I cook a roast or a bunch of chicken breasts on Sunday afternoon and shred the meat. I also cook a couple of different veggies, like carrots, broccoli, and onions/peppers. Some of that is Sunday dinner, but I make enough for a few more meals.  Then for the next few days, each family member can dress up their meat/veggies how they like them. Meat and onions/peppers on a tortilla with salsa--fajitas. Meat and whichever veggies you prefer with teriyaki sauce--stir fry. BBQ sauce or Trader Joe's balsamic glaze on the meat with veggies on the side. Toss with pasta and marinara for Italian. I have all of these sauces in my fridge or pantry. When I make rice or mashed potatoes I make big portions and freeze in 1-2 serving portions, so we can use that for the starch if we're not doing bread or tortillas.

It does require organization on my part, but it's really not that much more work than just making dinner on Sunday other than steaming or stir frying some extra veggies. And it's nice because we can each make our meals the way we like them.

[radial]

Cook up some ground beef in the Instant Pot.  15 minutes on high pressure.  While that's cooking, sautee fresh vegetables and/or pull some pre-roasted ones out of the fridge.  Onion, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower, squash, cabbage, radishes, bok choy, etc.  When the meat is done, add the veggies plus a can of Rotel and season with salt, pepper, hot sauce to taste.  Eat it right out of a bowl or ladle it over a bed of leftover rice.  It's got everything you need, it only takes 20 minutes to make, and it tastes pretty good. 

[rocketgirl]

My regular things (besides sandwiches) are:

Breakfast for dinner (eggs, heat pre-cooked bacon, toast)

Grilled salmon (I use a grill pan so when it flakes, I don't lose any) with bag o salad or grilled veggies.  I marinate briefly in white wine and season with whatever (salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, paprika, cayenne) or marinate briefly in bourbon with whatever seasoning appeals to me (like bbq seasoning or burger seasoning).

For grilled veggies, asparagus is easy with olive oil, butter, salt, garlic powder in a grill pan thing.  So is sliced yellow squash which can go directly on the grill if you slice longways.)

Grilled steak (although you have to set it out for a bit first).  Usually just salt, pepper, powdered garlic.  I might spray cooking spray on it.  Steak is less work than salmon because I can put it directly on the grill - one less grill pan to scrub.

Puttanesca is easy and mostly self-stable ingredients, but you've got to let it simmer a while.  Heat olive oil, then add canned anchovies or a splash of fish sauce (or not), garlic (I use the stuff in a jar in the fridge for this), then capers, canned diced tomatoes, and seasoning (salt, lots of basil, red pepper flakes).  You can throw in leftover peppers or onions or kalamata olives.  Simmer a while.  You can add spinach toward the end.  You can serve over pasta or grilled chicken.  (I have a counter-top grill, so grilling boneless chicken tenders is fast and easy - about 7 minutes.)  Unfortunately, puttanesca is not "fast" from a cooking standpoint- I like to cook it around 40 minutes.  But prep is nothing.

Adding my favorite chicken marinade (also good on pork chops) - white wine, salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary.  I don't ever just eat chicken, but chicken seasoned this way is good with the puttanesca above, any pasta really, and good in salads.  (Seriously.  Goes well in the bag o caesar salad, or the pear & walnut salad, or a spinach salad, or a Greek salad.) 

My counter-top grill is seriously my favorite thing along with my outside gas grill.  I use the counter top grill for the boneless chicken tenders, kielbasa, grilled sandwiches/panini, reheating pizza (with parchment paper around it to keep cheese from sticking), and even toast (because I don't have a toaster and why would I add another thing to my counter when I have this).

[BonitaApplebum]

Here's another quick video from Kenji Lopez-Alt's feed. He calls it Late Night Tortilla Jian Bing. I haven't tried it yet but probably will once I pick up some cilantro and scallions.

http://youtu.be/sqevRnFcEE0

I feel like anything from Kenji is probably good.

[Lintu]

I feel like anything from Kenji is probably good.

I ended up watching a bunch of those videos.  I can't get into the one posted because ick, cilantro, but I'll totally make an egg quesadilla sometime when I need something cheesy and carby.

[Lintu]

Here's one of my faves:

Throw a chuck roast in a slow cooker with a can of beef broth and half a jar of pepperoncinis (with some of the juice, to taste).  Some people add a stick of butter and/or a packet of ranch, but I haven't found that that really adds enough extra flavor to justify the added fat and sodium. 

[Run Amok]

My issue is mostly making something pretty quickly that is also healthy (for me that means lots of protein, lower fat, ideally fewer carbs).

Precut broccoli is a staple for us. I have great life skills but it's still faster.

A bag of pre cut broccoli, a bag of precooked & frozen rice, and a block of tofu (plus soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and maybe garlic & ginger) makes a very quick stirfry. Sure, add in some other veggies to jazz it up but faster just with broccoli. I sometimes roast it on a sheet pan instead if I need to run around and have more time but less ability to stand in front of the stove.

I will also do precut broccoli but roast it in the oven w/ olive oil & salt along with my protein (usually field roast sausage). Garlic & lemon & parmesan & slivered almonds  if I'm fancy & not in a hurry. Maybe some chick peas or cannellini beans. This can go with pasta (this is a great dish to use up frozen plain noodles). Or I will also serve over mashed potatoes (trader Joe's has good frozen ones that microwave in whatever portion works for you). We love saur kraut so sometimes we will use that as a topper.

Sauteed peppers & onions + sausage + kraut + dijon + simple salad. But, ideally you give the peppers and onions 45 minutes to meld slowly together.

Tacos. Veggie chorizo + shredded cheeese+ premade salsa+ canned beans + lettuce makes this super fast. High protein. I can do a salad and everyone else can do tacos without making 2 meals.

[Lintu]

Yeah, stir fry is great.  I do mine with rice (or frozen riced cauliflower), frozen diced onions, frozen peas and carrots, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  Protein varies depending on what we have on hand.  We often would do steamed broccoli on the side. 

[witchypoo]

we eat a lot of sheet pan dinners - choose a protein, add veggies, oil, garlic, s+p.  roast until done.  add sauce if you want. 

[ihop]

Here's one of my faves:

Throw a chuck roast in a slow cooker with a can of beef broth and half a jar of pepperoncinis (with some of the juice, to taste).  Some people add a stick of butter and/or a packet of ranch, but I haven't found that that really adds enough extra flavor to justify the added fat and sodium. 

Mississippi Roast!

I am making it this week.  I brown mine first.  I do make my own bit of ranch dressing - mayo, cider vinegar and dill.

[Rejaneration]

Basic soup recipe

Roasted veggies - whatever you have made a bunch of and left in the fridge.  I use onions, cauliflower, peppers, sweet potatoes, turnips, mushrooms, broccoli, green beans, tomatoes, etc.  Any mix will do.  You can roast with olive oil and some salt.  420 for about 40 min.

So, in a dutch oven, throw some olive oil in. Heat it up.  Add garlic (unless you are SB)
Add the veggies.
Sometimes, I add a can of diced, fire roasted tomatoes.
Add a protein if you want ie some roasted chicken etc. 
Add 4-6 cups chicken broth or other broth. I use the chicken broth base, and sometimes, garlic veggie broth.
Simmer for 20-30 minutes and add whatever seasoning you like.  If you have fresh parsley, or fresh cilantro, add that in the final 3 minutes of simmer.
It really is that easy.

Other easy stuff.
seared tuna - the Aldi frozen tuna is good.  great for searing.
Serve over a bed of arugula, with sliced radishes and avocado.  Drizzle with balsamic syrup.

Or a taco bar  with previously mentioned roasted veggies, or leftover grilled chicken or seared tuna (esp good with big leaf lettuce to use as the wrap).

[RioG]

Tomato soup!

Chicken stock, tomatoes, onions.  Whole or ground cloves.  Carrot or sugar to sweeten.  Salt to taste.  Blend and sieve if needed.

Just. Like.  Campbell's.

So good.

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

[JBM]

I do a lot with chicken sausage. Dice it up and cook in olive oil. Add garlic (if have it), frozen diced onions/peppers, broccoli or spinach. Whatever I have in the freezer.

Eat with pasta and jar sauce
Middle eastern rice pilaf
Trader joe's brown rice that you microwave

I also have an easy chili recipe -
1 lb gr beef or turkey
large can of crushed tomatoes + can of water
frozen onions, peppers, garlic
can of low salt pink beans rinsed
chili, cumin, something else I can't remember
jar jalapenos

simmer it all together and eat with chips, sour cream and cheese

[Lintu]

I won't claim this is healthy, but it's easy and I love it.  Good for people who love briny stuff.

1 box tricolor rotini (or whatever else you prefer)
Creamy italian dressing
1 can (or container, or however else you obtain) sliced olives
2 large dill pickles (ideally refrigerated, for texture reasons)

Cook pasta.  Rinse in cold water.  Drain.  Add olives and chopped pickle.  Add italian dressing to taste.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Some people add shredded cheese, but I can't usually taste a difference.  And some add tomatoes, but I don't want the distraction from briny goodness.

[Lintu]

Simply Recipes has started putting up weekly meal plans: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/category/meal-plans/

[diablita]

Oh I love Simply Recipes!

[witchypoo]

I won't claim this is healthy, but it's easy and I love it.  Good for people who love briny stuff.

1 box tricolor rotini (or whatever else you prefer)
Creamy italian dressing
1 can (or container, or however else you obtain) sliced olives
2 large dill pickles (ideally refrigerated, for texture reasons)

Cook pasta.  Rinse in cold water.  Drain.  Add olives and chopped pickle.  Add italian dressing to taste.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Some people add shredded cheese, but I can't usually taste a difference.  And some add tomatoes, but I don't want the distraction from briny goodness.

this puts me in mind of a pasta salad my mother made when i was little, and that i have adjusted a bit to accommodate my food allergies :

1 lb. rotini or macaroni, cooked, drained, rinsed
fresh peas
sliced turkey pepperoni (my mother would have used cubed hard salami)
cubed fontina or provolone cheese

toss all together.  add parmesan peppercorn salad dressing, or oil and vinegar to taste.

[Lintu]

this puts me in mind of a pasta salad my mother made when i was little, and that i have adjusted a bit to accommodate my food allergies :

1 lb. rotini or macaroni, cooked, drained, rinsed
fresh peas
sliced turkey pepperoni (my mother would have used cubed hard salami)
cubed fontina or provolone cheese

toss all together.  add parmesan peppercorn salad dressing, or oil and vinegar to taste.

Mmmm.  That's also good with tortellini.

[Run Amok]

My favorite pasta salad is tortellini,  pesto, peas...add sundried tomatoes,  capers, kalamata olives,  etc...at will.

[caribougrrl]

my favourite quick pasta meal:
drain 2 tbsp of oil from a tin or jar of good tuna packed in olive oil; sautee garlic in oil until soft, add zest and juice of one lemon, capers optional, kalamata olives optional, hot pepper flakes optional, and a scoop of starchy pasta water to thicken it a bit... add cooked spaghettini or spaghetti to pan with the lemon sauce, turn off heat and toss pasta to coat... serve topped with drained tuna

[diablita]

oh wow that sounds delicious

[Lintu]

my favourite quick pasta meal:
drain 2 tbsp of oil from a tin or jar of good tuna packed in olive oil; sautee garlic in oil until soft, add zest and juice of one lemon, capers optional, kalamata olives optional, hot pepper flakes optional, and a scoop of starchy pasta water to thicken it a bit... add cooked spaghettini or spaghetti to pan with the lemon sauce, turn off heat and toss pasta to coat... serve topped with drained tuna

Oh I love this.  No one else in the family will eat it, but I could always make it for lunch.

[Natasha]

This is an old Mark Bittman article: 101 meals that take 10 minutes or less


https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/dining/18mini.html

[Run Amok]

Oh yeah, that's a great article!

I love bittman but-- what the hell is this?

Ketchup-braised tofu: Dredge large tofu cubes in flour. Brown in oil; remove from skillet and wipe skillet clean. Add a little more oil, then a tablespoon minced garlic; 30 seconds later, add one and a half cups ketchup and the tofu. Cook until sauce bubbles and tofu is hot.

[Natasha]

I didn’t see that one. Now I’m curious.

[Lintu]

Oh yeah, that's a great article!

I love bittman but-- what the hell is this?

Ketchup-braised tofu: Dredge large tofu cubes in flour. Brown in oil; remove from skillet and wipe skillet clean. Add a little more oil, then a tablespoon minced garlic; 30 seconds later, add one and a half cups ketchup and the tofu. Cook until sauce bubbles and tofu is hot.

It kind of make sense because ketchup is somewhat umami-rich.  But it's not something I'd want to make or eat.

[caribougrrl]

last night we cubed up a pile of root veg (beets, carrots, parsnip) and peeled a head of garlic... tossed with olive oil, roasted at 375 until done... made a quick gremolata while the veg were roasting... served the veg topped with a 6-minute egg and the gremolata

[caribougrrl]

another quick one:

leftovers okonomiyaki https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/okonomiyaki

we don't follow the recipe except for the batter (egg, flour, water) and cooking times... shred cabbage and whatever other veg feel right, leftover meat or roasted veg, or whatever is sitting around needing using... serve w/ mayo & sriracha, or w/ kimchi and topped w/sliced green onion and/or fresh herbs