I work a lot and long hours, so way too often it's easy to order out and be done with it.... but I honestly hate spending as much as I do on eating out. So to change that I'd love some nice (and hopefully easy enough) meals to work into the schedule. What are some common meals you make for dinner nights at home?
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I wanna cook more in 2020. What are your common menu items that are easy to cook up?
- Thread starter Dice
- Start date
Just figure out what you like and then go find how to make it. There are usually simple versions of any dish to start from.
for example, you can start just making a buger with the usual fixings. Eventually you can start making your own personalized mix of meats in your own grinder, buy the best bread, make your own pickles and guac to go with it, etc.
for example, you can start just making a buger with the usual fixings. Eventually you can start making your own personalized mix of meats in your own grinder, buy the best bread, make your own pickles and guac to go with it, etc.
Lasagne is super easy and delicious.
A basic base would be:
Fry some onion and mince meat/plant base meat in a pan. Season with garlic as it starts to brown. When browned add canned tomatoes. Simmer for a few minutes.
Take some pasta sheetss and place them in boiling water for a few minutes until they soften.
Take some cheese/dairy free cheese and put in a saucepan. Add a little milk/alt-milk and heat until cheese melts.
Take a baking tray.
Add a layer of the main sauce.
Add a layer of pasta sheets.
Add a layer of cheese sauce.
Repeat.
You can build upon this is many ways. Add some herbs to taste (basil is good), add more veg, pesto, sun dried tomatoes inbetween layers... there are so many ways to customise it.
Put in the oven at 200 degrees centigrade for 30 mins or so. Sprinkle some cheese on top and cook until melted.
Serve with salad.
A basic base would be:
Fry some onion and mince meat/plant base meat in a pan. Season with garlic as it starts to brown. When browned add canned tomatoes. Simmer for a few minutes.
Take some pasta sheetss and place them in boiling water for a few minutes until they soften.
Take some cheese/dairy free cheese and put in a saucepan. Add a little milk/alt-milk and heat until cheese melts.
Take a baking tray.
Add a layer of the main sauce.
Add a layer of pasta sheets.
Add a layer of cheese sauce.
Repeat.
You can build upon this is many ways. Add some herbs to taste (basil is good), add more veg, pesto, sun dried tomatoes inbetween layers... there are so many ways to customise it.
Put in the oven at 200 degrees centigrade for 30 mins or so. Sprinkle some cheese on top and cook until melted.
Serve with salad.
A good chicken and veggies dish is always legit.
I use chicken thighs and remove the skin. Seasoning and oil and fresh herbs on top and in the oven for 30-45 mins at 450 depending on the size of the meat. Skin gets salt and oil and goes for like the last 20 mins with the main chicken.
Cut and season veggies and saute in a pan. I also love to do steamed veggies like broccoli, cabbage - just get a cheap steamer.
I use chicken thighs and remove the skin. Seasoning and oil and fresh herbs on top and in the oven for 30-45 mins at 450 depending on the size of the meat. Skin gets salt and oil and goes for like the last 20 mins with the main chicken.
Cut and season veggies and saute in a pan. I also love to do steamed veggies like broccoli, cabbage - just get a cheap steamer.
I usually do a lot of one pot meals. Fast and easy and simple to remember. There are a ton of possibilities
that's roasted veggies not grilled
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Shakshuka is easy and imo really satisfying to make. Bascially eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce. Just add some crusty bread and you're good to go. Lots of recipes on the web, lots of ways to make it, just look for one that's not that complex in the way of ingredients to keep it simple for the workweek. And if you make a lot of the sauce, you can store it and just reheat it with fresh eggs the day after.
Mix an egg, a tablespoon of water, a teaspoon of chopped garlic, some salt and pepper, and then dunk chicken in it (I usually do chicken breasts butterflied and then beaten about 1/2 thick with a rolling pin), then cover them with a gangload of shredded (not grated) parmesan on both sides (it'll stick). Heat a pan over medium high heat with 2 tbsp of veggie oil and 4 tbsp of butter, and then fry the chicken until the white has worked about 2/3 of the way up the side of the meat, and then flip and press it down with a spatula, and let it cook on the otherside for about the same amount of time until the chicken is cooked through. Move it to a plate with a paper towel to drain a bit of the oil and pat it after about a minute of resting so you don't take the cheese off the top, and you've got paremesan crusted chicken breasts that go great with couscous or a light fettuccine.
learn to cook dal. it's super simple, you can do it with whatever is floating around on your shelves, and it's a great food for when you're trying to save money as it's very cheap to make. good dal over rice is a perfect meal.
Meat starch and veggie are the basic makeup for like 80% of our meals.
Salads and bowl meals make up the rest.
Salads and bowl meals make up the rest.
This is my staple for a high protein meal that isn't just chicken breast. I quadruple the beef in the recipe.
Pasta Aglio e Olio takes like 15 minutes to do and tastes great. Doesn't need any complex ingredients either, just linguine, garlic, parsley, red chilli flakes, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.
Cook in bulk and freeze. I cook a whole bag of rice or a load of noodles and freeze them in portions. Rice works best with as little done to it as possible once defrosting, it doesn't stir-fry too well, but noodles freeze really well - for noodle salads, stirfry noodles.
Anything that needs a tomato sauce, cook loads of it and freeze in portions so you can use it for anything that needs a tomato based sauce.
Anything that needs a tomato sauce, cook loads of it and freeze in portions so you can use it for anything that needs a tomato based sauce.
We try to cook lots of Indian and Thai Food. Curry's are always an easy way to get a lot of protein and vegetables in. Just make sure you always have a few cans of coconut milk on hand, get some green (or red) Thai curry paste, and just some normal curry powder for your Indian curries...and, for the most part you're going to fry up some ginger, garlic and onions, add your curry powder or curry paste, fry a bit, add your coconut milk, then dump in your meat and vegetable and let them simmer for 45 minutes. Eat over some rice (or cauliflower rice for lower carb). For the Thai curry, add some brown sugar, fish sauce and some lime juice at the end. For the Indian Curry I like to add a little chutney (like a Major Grey's) that adds a bit of sweetness to it.
Following this thread because I'm in the same boat
My contribution is: Oyakodon. It is suuuuper easy to make and really delicious. I've been trying to find recipes that are just as simple to prepare, healthy and tasty, but nothing beats Oyakodon.
All you need is:
- 1 onion
- Some chicken thighs
- eggs
- rice
- Teriyaki sauce (soy sauce + mirin + sake, but I substitute sake with water sometimes and it works just as well)
You just mix the sauce, throw it in a frying pan, throw in some cut onions and pieces of chicken thigh in there, wait for it to cook and absorb the sauce, then add 2 beaten eggs to it and let it cook for a while. Then just pour all of it over a bowl of rice and done.
You can be done in 20 minutes and it tastes absolutely amazing!
My contribution is: Oyakodon. It is suuuuper easy to make and really delicious. I've been trying to find recipes that are just as simple to prepare, healthy and tasty, but nothing beats Oyakodon.
All you need is:
- 1 onion
- Some chicken thighs
- eggs
- rice
- Teriyaki sauce (soy sauce + mirin + sake, but I substitute sake with water sometimes and it works just as well)
You just mix the sauce, throw it in a frying pan, throw in some cut onions and pieces of chicken thigh in there, wait for it to cook and absorb the sauce, then add 2 beaten eggs to it and let it cook for a while. Then just pour all of it over a bowl of rice and done.
You can be done in 20 minutes and it tastes absolutely amazing!
I should add a few more that I make fairly often.
Bolognese. Has been mentioned and for good reason - it's endlessly modifiable, delicious, and can be used in everything from a plate of spaghetti to the core sauce for lasagna. It's thick, rich, meaty, and makes great leftovers.
Dried beans. For chili, for dal, for hummus, for chana masala - pretty much anything. Of course, canned are fine too and a lot less work. But beans, tomato sauce (or diced tomatoes) and spices can go a long way.
Lentil soup. Carrots, celery, and onion, then add chicken stock and red lentils and cook for ~15 minutes. Makes a soup that's a little lighter than split pea and takes far less time. And like bolognese it's ripe for modification and enhancement.
Glico (Japanese curry). Yes, you can make it from scratch, but this requires no effort whatsoever. Just cook up chunks of meat and veg and then add water and the Glico cubes and stir and let sit for a few minutes. Great with sticky rice.
Bolognese. Has been mentioned and for good reason - it's endlessly modifiable, delicious, and can be used in everything from a plate of spaghetti to the core sauce for lasagna. It's thick, rich, meaty, and makes great leftovers.
Dried beans. For chili, for dal, for hummus, for chana masala - pretty much anything. Of course, canned are fine too and a lot less work. But beans, tomato sauce (or diced tomatoes) and spices can go a long way.
Lentil soup. Carrots, celery, and onion, then add chicken stock and red lentils and cook for ~15 minutes. Makes a soup that's a little lighter than split pea and takes far less time. And like bolognese it's ripe for modification and enhancement.
Glico (Japanese curry). Yes, you can make it from scratch, but this requires no effort whatsoever. Just cook up chunks of meat and veg and then add water and the Glico cubes and stir and let sit for a few minutes. Great with sticky rice.
I hit up BudgetBytes a lot; they are focused on cheap food but that also usually means fewer ingredients - this recipe is a favorite:
www.budgetbytes.com
Also barely a recipe, but we regularly make macaroni & cheese and mix in some frozen vegetables, shredded chicken and hot sauce.
*VIRAL* 15-Minute Spicy Sriracha Noodles - Budget Bytes
These sweet, tangy, and spicy sriracha noodles take only a few minutes to make and are an inexpensive alternative to take out.
www.budgetbytes.com
Also barely a recipe, but we regularly make macaroni & cheese and mix in some frozen vegetables, shredded chicken and hot sauce.
Figure out what you like to eat and then look for recipes based on that. Asking for recipes off the bat is futile because the joy of learning to cook isn't in the easiness of the food to prepare but the eventual outcome of the food you make, namely the eating of it.
Boil some white rice, throw some chicken tenderloin in a frying pan, cut it up, mix together, add cheese, throw in the oven for about 10 minutes on 350. You've got dinner for the next 3 nights.
Buy a wok, get some fresh or frozen broccoli, saute some mushrooms and throw them in, toss in some minced garlic and olive oil, then throw in some cooked shrimp and stir. Season lightly, and you've got dinner for another 3 nights.
6 nights of dinner for a relatively cheap price. 3 nights if you're not single.
Buy a wok, get some fresh or frozen broccoli, saute some mushrooms and throw them in, toss in some minced garlic and olive oil, then throw in some cooked shrimp and stir. Season lightly, and you've got dinner for another 3 nights.
6 nights of dinner for a relatively cheap price. 3 nights if you're not single.
This. I usually add some pork and Shrimp too. throw them together with some frozen stir fry vegetables (you can usually find some frozen bags at your local grocer) and some teriyaki or stirfry sauce and you have a super easy, very healthy , very inexpensive meal.
This is perfect for midweek, and once you get confident with doing it (it's really all about getting everything chopped up and ready to go) you can vary it however you want, switch around your protein, veggies, go all veggie, try different sauces.
Seconding this super hard. It's incredibly simple to make, takes very little time and effort and you can use a ton of different meat + veggie combos depending on what you have in your fridge.
Two other quick and simple options I like are:
Both are quite similar to each other, are done in around 10 minutes and only require you to chop up some stuff and throw it in a pan.
Don't know where you are located, but here in London I use a service called Gusto. Maybe you have something similar.
It's basically a service that sends you a box once a week, according to the dishes you picked earlier.
In the box there's a recepie and everything you need for it.
It's super simple, tasty and not expensive.
It's basically a service that sends you a box once a week, according to the dishes you picked earlier.
In the box there's a recepie and everything you need for it.
It's super simple, tasty and not expensive.
If you don't have much time, I recommend doing some meal prep on an off day. I like to have some basic stuff batch prepped and stored separate, and then I can mix and match throughout the week. Chicken, broccoli and rice can be eaten on its own, or easily turn into stir fry with some frozen corn, shredded carrots, and an egg or two tossed around in a pan.
I also like to cook eggs every day, since it's quick and again easy to switch up. You could even use some of the prepped veg in an omelette or something.
I also like to cook eggs every day, since it's quick and again easy to switch up. You could even use some of the prepped veg in an omelette or something.
I'm a vegetarian but my basic pantry consists of:
Eggs - Dozen or so a week.
Beans - pink beans, black beans, pinto beans, canned for ease, maybe some mashed pintos if you'er lazy. Extra firm tofu for stir fry.
Rice - I usually keep a medium grain Japanese for versatility.
Cheese - 2lbs cheddar, 1/2 lb chunk pecorino romano, 1/2 lb chunk parmesan reggianoo, lb of some ovolini of mozzarella, and 1/2 lb sliced provolone.
Pasta - 2 lbs each on hand spaghettini, linguini fini, mezze rigatoni.
Bread - boule of sourdough, corn tortillas.
Spices/condiments - salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil, chili oil, gochuchang, good salsa.
Vegetables - onion, mushrooms, romaine hearts, spinach, mesclun.
Fruit - bananas, apples.
Dairy - milk, cream, butter, sour cream, creme fraiche.
With this you can make an endless assortment of easy, delicious things. Grilled cheese with provolone and mozz. Egg sandwich with gochuchang mayo. Rice and beans with grated cheddar. Scrambled eggs and toast. Aglio e olio. Poor man's carbonara. Quesadillas. Fried eggs on tortillas with salsa. Mushroom cream sauce with linguini. Sauteed spinach. Simple caesar salad. Etc. etc.
Eggs - Dozen or so a week.
Beans - pink beans, black beans, pinto beans, canned for ease, maybe some mashed pintos if you'er lazy. Extra firm tofu for stir fry.
Rice - I usually keep a medium grain Japanese for versatility.
Cheese - 2lbs cheddar, 1/2 lb chunk pecorino romano, 1/2 lb chunk parmesan reggianoo, lb of some ovolini of mozzarella, and 1/2 lb sliced provolone.
Pasta - 2 lbs each on hand spaghettini, linguini fini, mezze rigatoni.
Bread - boule of sourdough, corn tortillas.
Spices/condiments - salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil, chili oil, gochuchang, good salsa.
Vegetables - onion, mushrooms, romaine hearts, spinach, mesclun.
Fruit - bananas, apples.
Dairy - milk, cream, butter, sour cream, creme fraiche.
With this you can make an endless assortment of easy, delicious things. Grilled cheese with provolone and mozz. Egg sandwich with gochuchang mayo. Rice and beans with grated cheddar. Scrambled eggs and toast. Aglio e olio. Poor man's carbonara. Quesadillas. Fried eggs on tortillas with salsa. Mushroom cream sauce with linguini. Sauteed spinach. Simple caesar salad. Etc. etc.
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I like corned beef and roti or rice.
Buy a can of corned beef.
Cut up some onions, peppers, garlic. Peele a potato and cut that up. Toss it in a frying pan with some butter. Then add the corned beef.
Add black pepper and paprika. Sprinkle some lime juice and fry it all up for 10-15 minutes on a medium heat.
Serve with some roti or on rice.
Buy a can of corned beef.
Cut up some onions, peppers, garlic. Peele a potato and cut that up. Toss it in a frying pan with some butter. Then add the corned beef.
Add black pepper and paprika. Sprinkle some lime juice and fry it all up for 10-15 minutes on a medium heat.
Serve with some roti or on rice.
Learn to do pot roast:
Pioneer woman recipes are great for learning. All of the recipes have lots of step by step pics that are very helpful.
Pioneer woman recipes are great for learning. All of the recipes have lots of step by step pics that are very helpful.
I would look into getting an Instant Pot, OP. You can make a large amount of food to store for later in a very short amount of time.
My wife and I make a lot of Indonesian food, and the easiest with the Instant Pot is Rendang (spicy coconut curry beef). I get 4 lbs of stew meat from Costco, and I use 4 (1 per lb of beef) Indofood Rendang spice packets. You can make your own spice, but the packets work fine for us.
Set Instant Pot to sautee (high setting) with about a quarter cup of oil, and fry the spices until fragrant.
Add the beef and mix with the spices for about 5 minutes until seared on the outside.
Add 1 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of water, then pressure cook for 10 minutes.
Do a quick release and turn on sautee again. Stir occasionally as the liquid reduces down. You'll see a bit of oil from that beef. That's normal, don't discard it.
Reduce until most of the liquid is gone. You should be left with a very thick, dark sauce with tender beef chunks. Serve over steamed rice.
You don't need a pressure cooker, but it takes much longer if you do it the more traditional way because it takes significantly longer for the beef to tenderize (sometimes 3+ hours). You just need to continually add liquid until the beef has a good texture, then reduce the rest of the way. Can be made with chicken and pork as well (both are good).
My wife and I make a lot of Indonesian food, and the easiest with the Instant Pot is Rendang (spicy coconut curry beef). I get 4 lbs of stew meat from Costco, and I use 4 (1 per lb of beef) Indofood Rendang spice packets. You can make your own spice, but the packets work fine for us.
Set Instant Pot to sautee (high setting) with about a quarter cup of oil, and fry the spices until fragrant.
Add the beef and mix with the spices for about 5 minutes until seared on the outside.
Add 1 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of water, then pressure cook for 10 minutes.
Do a quick release and turn on sautee again. Stir occasionally as the liquid reduces down. You'll see a bit of oil from that beef. That's normal, don't discard it.
Reduce until most of the liquid is gone. You should be left with a very thick, dark sauce with tender beef chunks. Serve over steamed rice.
You don't need a pressure cooker, but it takes much longer if you do it the more traditional way because it takes significantly longer for the beef to tenderize (sometimes 3+ hours). You just need to continually add liquid until the beef has a good texture, then reduce the rest of the way. Can be made with chicken and pork as well (both are good).
What type of veggies we talking? This sounds like it's got potential.
Salmon, rice and grilled asparagus is easy as hell OP.
Easier thing I did when I was single was a chicken, veggie, and rice stir fry. Just get bags of cooked, frozen chicken breast chunks, frozen stir fry veggies, jasmin rice, a high heat cooking oil, sesame/peanut oil for finish off flavor, and asian spices (garlic, white pepper, ginger, red pepper), and soy sauce.
Make the rice every few days, and then the rest you just toss in a wok and it takes 5-10 minutes to make a meal. Takes weeks for the food to freeze burn, so no waste.
Make the rice every few days, and then the rest you just toss in a wok and it takes 5-10 minutes to make a meal. Takes weeks for the food to freeze burn, so no waste.
Anything really - brussel sprouts, broccoli, squash, onions, sweet potatoes, etc
Overnight oats. Prepare a few jars every night and have an amazing breakfast before work.
- 5 Tbsp Almond Butter
- 5 tsp Chia Seeds (opt)
- 2 1/2 cups Rolled or Old-Fashioned Oats
- ~2 1/2 cups Milk (use any type of milk you like - skim, 2%, almond, coconut, etc.)
- 10 oz Frozen berries (any type or a mix)
- Honey (opt)
Also if you want to cook more in general, Julia Child's "The Way to Cook" is a solid foundation to homemade American and French cooking. Recipes are straightforward and not chef from scratch like her "mastering the art of French cooking" which I'm using tomorrow for Beef Wellington.