What's your favorite quick meal recipe?

I believe that everyone can cook, whether it's simply or more complicated, and everyone has a favorite quick recipe or "go-to" meal. What's yours?

If I only have a few minutes to cook or I'm tired and don't feel like putting forth a lot of effort, this is one of my "go-to" meals:


8 oz whole wheat spaghetti
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter substitute (or butter, or a combination)
Herbs and spices to taste (I usually use basil or sage and black pepper)
Salt to taste if necessary

Cook the pasta, drain, and set aside about a cup of the cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the cooking pot and add the cheese, butter, herbs, and maybe 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid (you may have to add a little more if the pasta seems dry). With the heat on medium, toss the pasta until the cheese melts and the pasta is coated.

This will yield two generous servings. Sometimes I also add whatever vegetables or protein I have on hand.

My other go-to meal is a BLT. :thumb:

Oatmeal. Mix with water and microwave. :p

Forgive the amounts but I do not use a recipe:

Mock Stroganoff

1 large round steak
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small container of sour cream
3/4 bag of egg noodles
tablespoon or a little less of butter

Get the noodles boiling in lightly salted water
Slice the round steak into strips, across the grain, about 1/2 wide by 1 1/2 inches long
Brown the meat good and brown on med to med high with melted butter, LIGHTLY salt the beef
Add the soup and a couple of large glops of sour cream
I like to put a little garlic and onion powder in mine along with a good bit of fresh ground black pepper
Drain the noodles and add to the mixture, mix well. Adjust the sour cream if needed.
Serve with saltines or toast.

When I am trying to make this more healthy, I replace butter with olive oil, beef with ground turkey, and I use low-fat sour cream and soup.

It's a very good one dish supper after a long day when you don't want to cook something complex.

Mock Jambalaya

1 lb sausage, andouille is preferred, Cut the sausage into rounds about 1/2 inch wide,
2 cups uncooked rice
1 lb frozen shelled shrimp, thawed
1 can diced tomato
1 tblsp butter or olive oil
1/2 med onion diced
1 tsp or more Tony Chachere's or similar Cajun Seasoning
A few drops of Tobasco
Garlic powder

In a good sized covered pot (I use a enamel coated cast iron dutch oven)
Sweat onions in olive oil
Add the sausage and brown
Add 1 1/2 cups water, Cajun Seasoning, Tobasco, a good sprinkle of garlic powder, and tomatoes (do not drain tomatoes)
Bring mixture to a boil
Add the rice, stir well and simmer for about 15 min on low, covered.
Add thawed shrimp, stir, and bring back to simmer. Cook for about 10 more minutes or so.

** ALL AMOUNTS ARE ESTIMATED - I DO IT BY TASTE AND SIGHT!! :D

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Mock Stroganoff

1 large round steak
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small container of sour cream
3/4 bag of egg noodles
tablespoon or a little less of butter

Get the noodles boiling in lightly salted water
Slice the round steak into strips, across the grain, about 1/2 wide by 1 1/2 inches long
Brown the meat good and brown on med to med high with melted butter, LIGHTLY salt the beef
Add the soup and a couple of large glops of sour cream
I like to put a little garlic and onion pepper in mine along with a good bit of fresh ground black pepper
Drain the noodles and add to the mixture, mix well. Adjust the sour cream if needed.

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did you steal that recipe from me?

(round steaks up here are about 3.5 lbs.:p)

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Originally Posted by IMGreat101

did you steal that recipe from me?

(round steaks up here are about 3.5 lbs.:p)

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Nope, no thieving going on here! The steak I get is usually about a pound and a half, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.

One that I fall back on some is Skillet Dinner:

1 lb ground beef
1 or 2 onions
1 or 2 8 oz cans of mushrooms (I usually just get the stems & pieces version)
1 small can (I think they're 4 oz?) tomato sauce
about 1/2 a bag of narrow or medium egg noodles (not the super thin ones that are almost like spaghetti)
1 to 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Dice or chop the onion. (You don't want it too finely chopped, like minced. I usually go for about 1/8 to 1/4 inch or so)
Saute the onion while browning the ground beef. Drain the excess fat. I'll sometimes add a clove or so of garlic towards the end, or add some garlic powder.
Add the mushrooms AND the liquid from the cans. Add the tomato sauce. Add salt & pepper to taste. (It's just easier to mix in at this point). Let the mixture heat to boiling.
Add the noodles. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes or so, till noodles are soft. Most of the liquid should be absorbed by the noodles. If there's too much -- add some more noodles and let 'em cook.
Top with mozzeralla. (I like lots of cheese.) Cover, and allow the mozzarella to melt.

Serves 2 to 4 people, or more if you use more noodles and more tomato sauce.

You should have very little cleanup, just one pan, a cutting board, and knife... always a big thing for "quick & easy" to me.

Our quick go-to meal is really really simple.

Steak (barbecued to rare)
Baked potatoes (stab 'em a couple times and toss them in the micro)
Salad w/everything in it (tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, etc)
Steamed veggie of some sort (usually broccoli, cauliflower, or asparagus)

Another quick & easy option is to buy some alfredo sauce, cook a chicken breast or two, slice 'em up and mix it with the sauce. Serve over pasta of your choice...

My "quick & dirty" dinner goes like this:

1 package Buitoni Sweet Italian Sausage Tortelloni
1 container Buitoni Roasted Garlic Marinara Sauce
Boil the tortelloni, drain and spoon the sauce over, then serve with breadsticks dipped in basil pesto.

tortillas, beans, cheese, and hotsauce. Combine and nuke.

Mac & cheese with some bacon bits~

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Originally Posted by Sam

Mac & cheese with some bacon bits~

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Ha! Bacon.....I get it. ;)

Pieces of left over chicken, a small amount of cheddar cheese, pico de gallo wrapped up in a corn tortilla. Nuke til warm. :D

Whole wheat angel hair pasta cooked, add small amount of olive oil, salt pepper and Italian Seasoning. Yum.

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Whole wheat angel hair pasta cooked, add small amount of olive oil, salt pepper and Italian Seasoning. Yum.

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Add some fresh garlic and anchovies! YUM!

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Originally Posted by IMGreat101

Add some fresh garlic and anchovies! YUM!

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Okay I was with ya on the garlic but you lost me at the anchovies :puke:

Quick as in for me?

Two packages of ramen with spam sliced in it.

I also do the quesadillas like pgg.

Goulash,

Elbow noodles, chopped stewed tomatoes in a can, and browned hamburger, throw it together. Yummy.

Or

Shepherds Pie
Browned hamburger, cream of mushroom, and corn. Cook for about a half hour then add mashed taters on top.

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Originally Posted by MacLean

Two packages of ramen with spam sliced in it.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODshB09FQ8w

Beef stew MRE.