Anyone know of any SUPER simple meals?

[moosmom]

Hey Katie,

How about goulash?? It's browned hamburg mixed with elbow macaroni and tomato sauce. It's easy and quick.

[columbine]

I like to cook BIG batches of one-dish meals and then freeze them in meal-sized portions. There's a certain smug sense of satisfaction that comes with pulling out a labeled block, pushing a few buttons, and dishing out a fabulous home-cooked meal...

Here's allrecipes.com's Dinner in an Instant selection, sorted into 20, 30, and 45-minute meals.

One of my favorite "speed dinners" is pasta-n-sausage - stick a million knife holes in the sausage (or get a trustworthy kid to do that part) and microwave in a covered Pyrex container, cook your noodles or spaghetti al dente, and open a can of your favorite crushed or diced tomatoes. Add the sausage juice to the pasta too, chop up the sausages, serve with Parmesan cheese, and mangia!

Love, Columbine

[Suki Wingy]

Make him cook!

[sparks19]

One of my favourites is Italian chicken

You just defrost how ever many chicken breasts you need... cut them into strips and marinade them Italian Salad Dressing with some mushrooms and then cook them in a pan. very yummy and super easy.

Pizza is one that I love to make. I don't do much of the cooking but I ALWAYS do the Pizza. I just get some dough mix from the store (you know the just add water kind lol) and then add whatever toppings and then put it in the oven and you're done.

the Campbell's food website has a lot of good recipes too

[AdoreMyDogs]

Do you like Mac & Cheese? There's a recipe that I throw together that's not terribly healthy, but as long as you add fresh cut veggies (broccoli and/or sweet peas) it's not so bad.

I use the deluxe Kraft Mac&Cheese box (the kind that has the cheese sauce, not poweder).

While the noodles are cooking I add some fresh chopped broccoli and some sugar snap peas and sometimes baby carrots cut in half long ways. I cook the noodles and veggies about 2 or so minutes less then the minimum, to make sure they're al dante (sp?)

after the noodles are done and in strainer, in the pan I add the cheese sauce mix, a can of cream of mushroom or chicken, 3/4 can of milk, a can of tuna. Mix it all together and enjoy. You can also grate some cheddar cheese on top of the caserole, that's yummy too.

Not only is it easy, but it's cheap too!

[jennielynn1970]

How about Scalloped Potatoes

You can add ham and peas to it, and it's a meal, and it's all in one dish and baked.

3-4 cups sliced potatoes.
1 onion, diced
1 1/4 cup hot milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350
Great a 1 1/2 qt. baking dish
Arrange potatoes in layers.
Sprinkle each layer with minced onions, ham, peas, salt and pepper, dot with butter.
Add 1 1/4 cup hot milk.
Bake uncovered about 1 1/4 hours.
Remove from oven, and let set for about 15 minutes.

[Emeraldgreen]

QUICHE AND SALAD

This is a great summer meal and doesn't have to be complicated. You can buy the pie crusts already made. Take a large bowl, crack open 6 eggs, add about 3 or 4 cups of milk and mix it well with a fork. Toss in shredded deli ham and some shredded cheese with some salt and pepper and pour the mixture into the two pie shells and put in the oven for about half an hour or until the top is golden brown and the edges of the crusts too. You can freeze the other quiche for another night!
You can also dice up some green pepper, mushrooms and onions and pour a bit of olive oil on top with seasoning and microwave them for a couple of minutes or until they're soft and add that to the egg mixture.

p.s. when I take the pie shells out of the freezer, I take them out of the box and put them on the counter while I'm creating the mixture. I take a fork and make a bunch of holes in the bottom of both crusts. I pop the shells in the oven for a few minutes until they kind of start bubbling up and the bottom actually starts rising up. Then I take them out and put them on the counter until I'm ready to pour the mixture in. The reason I do this it because sometimes the bottom of the crust is a little underdone even though the rest of the quiche is totally done. I give the bottom a head start by heating it first.

[Emeraldgreen]

COQUILLE ST. JACQUES (might be spelled wrong! LOL)

This one is soooooooooooo easy and very yummy!
Buy 2 cans of clam chowder soup.
Make some mashed potatoes or you could buy those fake ones but I can't eat those.
Heat up the soup.
Take a spoon and line two wide soup bowls with the mashed potatoes so the whole inside of the bowl has about a 1/4 inch or more of mashed potatoes.
Now pour in the clam chowder and then top with shredded cheese and serve with buns or crusty bread to dip in it.

You can substitute the clam chowder with any kind of creamy soup that you like but clam chowder is very filling so it makes a good 'meal'.

[Emeraldgreen]

SIMPLE LASAGNA

These days you can buy lasagna noodles that don't need to be boiled first. They are called 'ready bake' lasagna noodles.

Buy your favourite jar of spagetti sauce, fry up some ground beef.

Take a rectangular (deep) baking dish and put a layer of ground beef with a bit of 'cold' sauce poured over that.

Layer with dry lasagna noodles.

Smear some ricotta cheese (you'll find this near the sour cream in your grocery store) and cover with a bit of sauce and some shredded mozza cheese (which you can buy already shredded).

Add some beef and continue layering until you're at the top. Cover with some more sauce and cheese and pop in the oven for about 45 minutes at about 375 degrees or until golden brown on top.

You can also buy frozen chopped spinach and let it thaw and squeeze out excess water and add some of this between the layers. No need to precook anything (except the beef of course!) as you add it to the dish and then bake it altogether.

[Pam]

Great thread and I think we are all benefitting! I actually subscribe to Allrecipes.com and have printed and used many of them. They are usually very simple, easy dishes and have ratings attached to them too. Other people leave comments and suggest ways that they have altered the recipes a little bit more to their liking.

My very favorite dinner happens the night after we have had chicken (breasts) on the grill and there are leftovers. I simply make a nice salad (ingredients of your own choosing) and then cup up the chicken into bite-size pieces and add it to the salad. It is a great meal and there is next to no fat depending on the dressing you choose.

[cassiesmom]

I really like breakfast food as supper -- especially omelets.

Omelet Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Show: Good Eats
Episode: Zen and the Art of Omelet Maintenance

3 eggs, warmed in hot water for 5 minutes
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon room temperature butter, plus 1/2 teaspoon for finishing omelet
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped chives

Crack warm eggs into bowl, add salt, and blend with fork. Heat a 10-inch non-stick aluminum pan over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot add butter and brush around surface of pan. Pour eggs into center of pan and stir vigorously with rubber spatula for 5 seconds. As soon as a semi-solid mass begins to form lift pan and move around until the excess liquid pours off into pan. Using your spatula move around the edge of the egg mixture to help shape into round and loosen edge. Let omelet sit in pan for 10 seconds without touching.
Shake pan to loosen from pan. Lift up the far edge of the pan and snap it back toward you. Using your spatula, fold over 1/3 of the omelet. Slide omelet onto plate and fold over so that omelet is a tri-fold. Coat with remaining butter and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately.

(before you fold it into thirds - put cheese in center so it will melt ... any grated cheese will do)

[jennielynn1970]

This is my dad's favorite goulash. It's from Betty Crocker.

Hungarian Goulash

2 lbs beef, cubed
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. Worcerstershire sauce
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2-3 tsp. paprika
dash cayenne pepper (or more if you like spice)
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 1/2 c. catsup
1 c. water
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 c. cold water
2 Tbsp. flour

Brown beef with onions and garlic in a large skillet. In a crock pot, add water, catsup, all spices, worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Stir well. Add beef, onion and garlic when they are cooked. Simmer for 3-4 hours (or on low all day in the crockpot). When ready to serve, mix water and flour together, and add to the goulash to thicken. Serve over cooked noodles.

This is even better the 2nd day.

[jennielynn1970]

Oh, and I have to agree with Kuhio... YOU don't have to cook every night. Your husband should be cooking at least one or two nights a week. It aint the 50's!!

I love to cook, but I hate just cooking for myself. What I've been doing lately is putting most anything on the grill (also cause it's hot as heck inside to be heating up the oven).

I put veggies in aluminum foil w/ olive oil, salt and pepper, and put on a low flame on the grill. I've done this parsnips, carrots and potatoes. I love this with green beans or asparagus(it's soooo good when grilled).

I have been making toasted sandwiches on there as well. I take a roll, slice it, put cheese and lately, honey ham, on each side. I put them on aluminum foil, and place them on the top level of the grill and they are done and melty and delicious in about 5 mins. tops.

I even make french fries on the grill. I spray an aluminum foil cake pan with non stick spray, toss on the fries, salt, and put the pan on the grill.

The veggies and fries can go on at the same time. About 15 minutes later, add the sammies on the top level of the grill, and in about 5-7 minutes, you're done, and have a yummy meal!

[Rachel]

When it comes to hating to cook, I have that very same gene.

Around here we like to keep it simple and quick. One thing we do perhaps every week is have an upgraded pizza. We start out with a simple frozen cheese pizza - we happen to like Jack's - and then add some of our own toppings: sautee some red and green pepper slices; sauteed chopped onions; mushrooms or sometimes add a bit of microwaved spinach or some thinly sliced tomatoes. You get the idea, just add what you like to the pizza and prepare it according to package directions.

Another suggestion is making a supper of salad. Start out with Romaine or baby spinach or red leaf lettuce or any other healthy greens. Then add your strips of cheese, maybe a little deli meat, sliced carrots, radishes, red onion, ...whatever you like on a salad. Serve with your bottle dressing and maybe a toasted English muffin.

We eat a few combinations of ingredients served over rice.

One example is diced green peppers, diced onions, chopped celery, canned chopped tomatoes, and (added last) canned red kidney beans. Served with some Jiffy corn muffins and a few pieces of cheddar cheese, it is nice and filling.

Let us know what you decide to serve and how it turned out. I could always use a few more ideas myself.

[Grace]

Here you go - 4 ingredients.

REUBEN CHICKEN

2 chicken breasts – boneless and skinless
15 ounce can sauerkraut, drained. I use the Bavarian style.
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 cup Thousand Island salad dressing


I drain the sauerkraut for about an hour; then I squeeze the moisture out of it.


Place chicken breasts in a greased 8 x 8 baking pan
Cover with the sauerkraut
Place cheese evenly on top.
Pour salad dressing over cheese.

Cover with foil – bake in 325° oven for 90 minutes.



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