Easy main course

[cesy]

Does anyone have a favourite easy main course, to cook when you're short of spoons for anything fancy? I'd like to learn more things that are nearly as easy as a ready meal, while not being a ready meal.

Comments

A few selected favorites:

[passerine]

- Veggie omelette. One of the easiest low-spoons things if you have access to a good non-stick pan and easily crumbled/torn or pre-cut veggies. I combine one whole egg, 2-3 egg whites, and up to 1 cup of veggies (mushrooms are my favorite but tomatoes, spinach, onions and/or peppers are all good too) in a dish. I heat up the frying pan with a little bit of oil (olive, peanut, or sunflower are my favorites to cook with) - just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. I pour in the egg mixture, and then use a pancake turner to flip it over once it looks like the bottom is solid enough. The whole production takes about 5 minutes, maybe a little more or less depending on your veggie situation and how comfortable you are with doing this.

- Add a bag of frozen veggies (peas work best in my experience) along with the macaroni from a box of macaroni and cheese dinner, then continue preparing the macaroni and cheese as normal. This stretches it into enough food for more people and gets some vegetables down you.

- Sausage apples: take a 12-oz pack of lean sausages (hot dogs work too) and 3-4 apples and cut them into bite-sized pieces. If your sausage is really lean, melt a little butter in the skillet first; otherwise, just throw everything in. If it is too dry, add water or apple juice 1/2 c. at a time. Cook until the apples start getting soft and everything is heated through. Add cinnamon to taste.

- "Rabbit food", which is a little bit fussier but was kind of my salvation in college: Per reasonably hungry person, put 1/3 c lentils or split peas, 1/3 c brown rice (important - it MUST be brown rice or this does not work properly), and 2 c water in a saucepan on low-medium heat. Let it simmer until the lentils and rice are no longer crunchy, which can take anywhere from 25-45 minutes. Meanwhile, per person, grate 1 large or 2 small carrots and 2 oz whatever cheese you have on hand. Add the grated bits to the bits in the saucepan and mix thoroughly. This also works well as a make-ahead-and-reheat dish.

Re: A few selected favorites:

[damned_colonial]

Mine fall into three categories: 1) things that you can cook from ingredients in ~15 minutes, 2) things that take a long time but very little effort, and 3) things you can cook at some other time, and easily freeze for subsequent reheating.

Cook in 15 mins or less:

* Cheesey bread, cheese on toast, grilled cheese sandwich, quesadilla (variations on a theme)
* Eggs, various ways, with toast (my favourite: fried egg chilli chutney sandwich, which I picked up from Lister on Red Dwarf)
* Pasta with random tomato-based sauce
* Asian noodle soups
* Stir-fried tofu and greens over noodles
* Salad with protein and/or carbs built in (variations on a theme)

Slow-cooking but doesn't need your attention/energy:

* Roasted/baked veggies (eg. baked potato with toppings)
* Pot of beans (cooks in 1-2 hours, use it all week in various ways, or freeze -- many variations possible)

Cook in advance, re-use/re-heat/recycle:

* Soup, frozen in single servings
* Lasagne, frozen in single servings

Tell me which ones you'd like more detail about, and I'll post recipes/instructions.

Re: A few selected favorites:

[angelikitten]

(my favourite: fried egg chilli chutney sandwich, which I picked up from Lister on Red Dwarf)

I'm sorry, but I think I may have just fallen in love with you!

Re: A few selected favorites:

[damned_colonial]

Hee!