Quick meal ideas

jonbeeza

jonbeeza

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Not been to the shops today, so fridge is a little bare. Just found some mashed potatoes in the freezer, and some corned beef left over. Just spotted a tin of beans that I forgot we had. I was thinking of mixing corned beef into the mashed potatoes, then pouring the beans over the top.

I think it is called Corned beef hash, or volcano or something or other. Never tried it, until the missus introduced me to it a few years ago. It is OK is a quick standby meal, and pretty filling.

Certainly not very high up on the gastronome menu, but serves a purpose.

Corned Beef hash, with Beans.
Star rating out of ten. * *
 
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Cheese or beans on toast is usually achievable, even if it means getting a pitta bread out of the freezer! Maybe only 1* on the gastronomic scale but it's better than being hungry. FWIW, we buy the Heinz 5 bean mix type when they're on special offer and that jazzes up BoT a bit! To get an extra *, you can always make a cheese toasty then top that with the beans (and even an extra layer of cheese atop that! Might explain why I'm a bat fastid!!! :D)
 
Nod said:
Cheese or beans on toast is usually achievable, even if it means getting a pitta bread out of the freezer! Maybe only 1* on the gastronomic scale but it's better than being hungry. FWIW, we buy the Heinz 5 bean mix type when they're on special offer and that jazzes up BoT a bit! To get an extra *, you can always make a cheese toasty then top that with the beans (and even an extra layer of cheese atop that! Might explain why I'm a bat fastid!!! :D)
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Ahh, and another scrumptious idea. Well worth making a note of. ;)
 
If there's one thing I'm good at, it's food! :D
 
My standby is penne pasta and a jar of tomato pasta sauce. Use by dates should be at least a year and it only takes 10-15 minutes to boil the pasta and then add the sauce. Some of the sauces can be a bit high in sugar, but other than that it's healthy as well.
 
I like adding a knob of butter, some black pepper and a dash of chilli sauce to baked beans when I make them.

+1 for grilling the cheese, either on the toast or on the beans.
 
Peter B said:
My standby is penne pasta and a jar of tomato pasta sauce. Use by dates should be at least a year and it only takes 10-15 minutes to boil the pasta and then add the sauce. Some of the sauces can be a bit high in sugar, but other than that it's healthy as well.
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Easily fixed if you just have some tinned tomatoes, last long, multi use, and no added sugars and what not. Also really good to not blend it, crisp a little bacon whilst the pasta is boiling and mix afterwards with the tomatoes.

Another favourite of mine is Carbonara; Just boil some fresh pasta 3 minutes, crisp some pancetta - then once finished boiling put pasta in the pan with the pancetta, and add a bowl where you mix an egg with some parmesan cheese. Probably the easiest and quickest of them all.
 
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this is my quick meal, nothing better IMO. home made hummus = 2 mins, feta salad = 3-5mins

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A surprisingly tasty and filling one is so simple it's almost untrue - boil up a portion of spaghetti (in salted water unless your medical advisor says "NO!") and when cooked, simply grind black pepper to taste (as far as coarseness and quantity) over it and drizzle plenty of extra virgin olive oil over it. If you're lucky, you might even have some garlic (or other flavours) infused oil on the shelf. This can be fancied up a bit with some fresh herbs from the garden or windowsill.
 
Nod said:
A surprisingly tasty and filling one is so simple it's almost untrue - boil up a portion of spaghetti (in salted water unless your medical advisor says "NO!") and when cooked, simply grind black pepper to taste (as far as coarseness and quantity) over it and drizzle plenty of extra virgin olive oil over it. If you're lucky, you might even have some garlic (or other flavours) infused oil on the shelf. This can be fancied up a bit with some fresh herbs from the garden or windowsill.
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Nice quick and simple, would be nice with grated cheese.
 
It is! Forgot that bit!!!
 
BBR said:
I would mix the beans with the corned beef, put in an oven proof dish. Put mash pot on top, grate cheese on it and put it in oven for about 30 mins.
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Another interesting tasty idea. Although 30 mins might be pushing it, with regards to the quick ideas in quick meal ideas. But there again, depend on how fast a cook you are ;).
 
Easy enough to remedy - with another portion!
 
Trying to think of standard store cupboard ideas rather than what we've got in ours. We usually bring home loads of long lasting Cretan foodstuffs and tins of things that are hard to get hold of here and I'm trying not to include them! Also trying to avoid proper cooking - boiling a pan of water is easy - even my Dad used to manage that but cooking up even a simple tomato sauce sort of defeats the object of this exercise IMO.
 
I've also made pizza bread using garlic bread slices, pasta sauce and cheese. :popcorn:
 
If in a hurry I usually put some cheese on a toastie with some pepperoni and it's ready in two minutes. Now it's even better with those little pouch things for the toaster as that saves any mess with the breville.
 
I made a lovely dinner a week or so ago, it took about five hours to prepare and cook. It was a beef concoction with vegetables. It was eaten in about ten minutes. Ten minutes enjoyment, for five hours work. I am sure you can have just as much enjoyment, with much quicker meals. Besides, it leaves time for other things after dinner, such as pudding / dessert / nod nod ( not meaning a visit from @Nod ) wink wink. :rolleyes:
 
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jonbeeza said:
I made a lovely dinner a week or so ago, it took about five hours to prepare and cook. It was a beef concoction with vegetables. It was eaten in about ten minutes. Ten minutes enjoyment, for five hours work. I am sure you can have just as much enjoyment, with much quicker meals. Besides, it leaves time for other things after dinner, such as pudding / dessert / nod nod ( not meaning a visit from @Nod ) wink wink. :rolleyes:
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Hmmm angel delight, quick whisk followed by a 5 minutes wait :)
 
jonbeeza said:
I made a lovely dinner a week or so ago, it took about five hours to prepare and cook. It was a beef concoction with vegetables. It was eaten in about ten minutes. Ten minutes enjoyment, for five hours work. I am sure you can have just as much enjoyment, with much quicker meals. Besides, it leaves time for other things after dinner, such as pudding / dessert / nod nod ( not meaning a visit from @Nod ) wink wink. :rolleyes:
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Say no more! Sporty is she? Likes sport?

Byker28i said:
For quick, tasty meals, we've always got some staples in, lots of vegetables, etc
Realistically it's about a little planning ahead and having the basics in.
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Occasionally even the best laid plans gang agley and the cupboard is all but bare! Having said that, in areas of civilisation there is usually a 24 hour shop within striking distance as long as the hungry haven't slaked their thirst in a fun way! There are also usually a few purveyors of vittles who will deliver them to your door, piping hot (or at least vaguely warm) and ready to eat.
 
Missus just said what is for pudding, got nothing in. But had a good rummage around the cupboards. Found some cocoa powder, chucked it in a pan with a bit of milk and vanilla extract, and a bit of sugar. Thickened up with cornflour, and spooned into Sunday glasses. Stuck it in the fridge , and should be nicely chilled in ten minutes. Another quick simple treat.

15894-1468256060-c91a274ab4c2c988e669d1e3507d9478.jpg


Ready to go in the fridge.
 
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Byker28i said:
For quick, tasty meals, we've always got some staples in, lots of vegetables, etc
Realistically it's about a little planning ahead and having the basics in.


Stir fry, either vegetable or with added chicken
Most fish is quick to cook
Steak and salad
Fahitas


http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/books/jamies-15-minute-meals
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My mum was teaching us quick and easy (and cheap) tasty meals before Mr Oliver was itchin' his daddy's pants.
Apart from required school classes, I've never made a meal following a recipe book.
Experimentation makes for some stunning meals....corned beef hash being one of them. :-)
 
jonbeeza said:
I made a lovely dinner a week or so ago, it took about five hours to prepare and cook. It was a beef concoction with vegetables. It was eaten in about ten minutes. Ten minutes enjoyment, for five hours work. I am sure you can have just as much enjoyment, with much quicker meals. Besides, it leaves time for other things after dinner, such as pudding / dessert / nod nod ( not meaning a visit from @Nod ) wink wink. :rolleyes:
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if I do anything meat now that is a long cook I tend to lower the time by pressure cooking, or I am spending a good part of the day in the garden so I slow smoke on the weber.

when we used to whole cook pigs on site(family catering business) I would have to spend many a twilight hour tending to the mobile ovens(we could cook six at a time)..man that was a slog, a hog slog :D
 
Bacon.


:banana:
 
We are posh up here in coastal Wales ,I just send the missus down to sainsburys deli counter ,and she gets a lovely Indian take.away ,korma ,spinach rice ,and Bombay taters ,with barn bread under a fiver for the two of us ,lovely meal .




Only downside is I have and I'm being serious for once ,just had to replace the seat in the khazi as it broke after tonites meal:thinking::jawdrop:
 
When work only has a microwave and a jug kettle:
Heat a tin of mixed veg in microwave.
Boil kettle and make instant mash, with a packet of cup-soup added, chicken/beef/oxtail/whatever you like (use a bit of extra water, or it'll be dry).
Stir in the heated veg.
Enjoy.

Or you can swap the cup-soup for pasta sauce, or chilli sauce.
Add grated cheese, or microwaved bacon bits
Basically just use whatever you have, with instant mash as the base.
No oven/grill/hobs required.
 
DorsetDude said:
Add a mediterranean 'gazpacho' twist to cup-a-soups by making one without boiling the kettle.
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I once ate some non gazpacho canned tomato style soup cold. The level of salt in it was terrifying. Apparently you don't notice it when it's hot.
 
I normally do a shop today, but other things have cropped up. It is another case of knocking something up quick, and out of not a great deal.
 
Always worth having a few essentials in the freezer and cupboards! Since mrs Nod's vegetarian, whenever she cooks me chilli (I do a good one but hers is MUCH better!) there's loads left over so we freeze 4 or 5 portions. Same with curry etc. Uncle Ben's microwave rices aren't bad and they're sooo convenient - 2 minutes on full power and a parent's brother's called Robert! (Of course, home cooked rice can be frozen and microwaved but is often a bit ghluey.) We also keep a Risotto Pronto pack or 2 in the cupboard. A quick and easy jazz up is a pack of cooked beetroot whizzed up in a little food processor and lobbed in once the basic risotto's up to the boil. Depending on freezer asize, a loaf of bread is a handy space filler (full freezers are apparently more efficient than empty ones) as well as the base for loads of quickie feeds!
 
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