"Although It May Look Like A Lot Of Effort, It Only Takes 5 Minutes": 17 Brainless Dishes For When You Dread Making Dinner
I always find hidden gems on Quora, like this thread asking "What are your go-to dishes for 'too tired to cook night'?" Since "too tired to cook night" is basically every night for me, here are some of the dishes that I can't wait to try.
1."Smoked sausage and veggies. One pan dish. I use skinless, turkey smoked sausage. Veggies usually are onion, yellow squash and zucchini sautéed with some garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. If you like a little spice you can throw in some crushed red pepper. Easy peasy. If you have a mandolin, the prep is even quicker. Eat this on its own or you can add potatoes (frozen if keeping with the 'too tired to cook' theme) or toss it with some penne pasta."
2."Lazy tofu. Chop spring onions, radish, wakame seaweeds, bonito flakes, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and pour on a block of tofu. Crush and mix. No heating required."
3."By FAR one of my favorite, all-time, easy-to-cook, almost-asleep recipes has been quesadillas. I'll do this at least three times a week and never grow tired of them."
4."Breakfast sandwich. As weird as having a breakfast sandwich for dinner sounds, it's super fast to make because cooking 1–2 eggs is quite easy and fast. I generally toast my bread as I'm cooking my eggs. Additionally, if I add any veggies to my sandwich, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, or bell pepper, I'll simply chop them up while I cook the eggs (sunny-side up). Then, I quickly assemble the sandwich once the toast is done because generally the eggs and vegetables are cut and cooked by the time the toast is done. I like to add a swipe of mustard or chipotle sauce on my sandwich before adding anything else and voila...Sandwich is complete!"
5."I wash up any salad veggies I have available (cucumbers, baby carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes) and pile on a plate. Then, I do the same with fruit (sliced apple wedges, melon, whatever we have). Put out dips if you have them (hummus, PB, etc). Slice a loaf of bread if you have a nice one, otherwise pile some bread or crackers on a plate and stack cheese/deli slices along with it. Takes 5–10 minutes and you’re done."
6."So, if we're really tired to cook, we simply make a sunny side up egg (not the perfect one) or scrambled egg (also not the perfect one) or 'telur dadar' (like an omelet but just eggs). Put the cooked egg on the top of rice and pour sweet soy sauce and lots of fried onions."
7."Fried rice. Although it may look like a lot of effort, it actually takes only five minutes. You need some leftover rice (which is a perpetual item in my fridge), any vegetables, any meat (or not), eggs. I usually just chop up the veggies and meat (two minutes), fry the rice, add the meat and veggies, and an egg. Some soy sauce, or any spicy sauce you like, and there you have it. I can never get tired of it. "
8."Spaghetti Carbonara. The ingredients are few and simple, which means I almost always have them to hand, and the end result is comfort food of the highest order. Perfect after a long, hard day."
"I get the bacon in a pan on a slow heat and let it render and crisp up while I take a shower. Then the spaghetti gets boiled while I mix an egg or two with grated parmesan and plenty of fresh cracked pepper in a bowl. Once the spaghetti is done, I take a pair of tongs and transfer the spaghetti to my pan with the bacon, add my egg/cheese mixture and toss it over a medium heat for a minute or two. Add a little extra pasta water if it seems a bit dry, transfer to a bowl (I use the same one in which I mixed the eggs and cheese, but then, I'm particularly lazy), plonk yourself down, and enjoy."
9."Soy sauce and peanut butter noodles. It takes five minutes to cook noodles and five minutes to mix the sauce."
10."Take a packet of instant ramen. Heat up a pot of water on the stove. Throw in whatever ready-to-go fixings (greens, dehydrated mushrooms, etc). Crack a raw egg and let it poach to medium. Carefully insert ramen brick into the pot. Be careful to not break the yolk. Fire off. Let rest for a couple of minutes. Eat."
11."Make wide egg noodles in one pot, and in another warm up some cream of mushroom soup with a can of tuna thrown in. It's not pretty, but it does stick to your ribs. If I have leftover beef, I'll add that to the soup instead of tuna, and add in a bit of Bisto brown gravy (always in my pantry), some fresh mushrooms if I have any, and voila! Simple beef stroganoff."
12."Risotto. It's so quick and versatile. An onion, some arborio rice, and some stock, and then you can pretty much add anything that's kicking around your fridge or cupboard. A tin of tuna or salmon and some olives; leftover veggies and cheese; bacon, tomatoes, or mushrooms. Even frozen prawns or sweetcorn! Just chuck it all in and simmer for 10 minutes or so. Stir in a knob of butter just before you serve to make it extra creamy. I like to tear up a ball of mozzarella and chuck that in to get that lovely stringy cheesiness. Delicious!"
13."First, out comes frozen spinach to thaw. Then we settle in a bit, and when the spinach is getting close, we drain half of it, and it goes into a sauce pan over medium heat. Then, we add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, a can of diced tomatoes, and a table spoon of olive oil. Season it to taste, heat through until a steady simmer, remove from heat, and serve. We like it with grated parmesan."
14."Pesto Genovese is my go-to quick meal. It is all cooked in one sauce pan so minimal washing up. Boil some new potatoes until they are just tender. Throw some French beans into the water for a couple of minutes, then add fresh pasta (Tagliatelle works well). Cook for three or so minutes. Drain everything, but retain a few spoonfuls of the cooking water. Stir in a good quality pesto sauce, add a little of the water to loosen, then serve and enjoy."
15."Breakfast for dinner is a number one favorite at my house. More than 'too tired to cook,' at my house we often run into 'too little time to cook' nights, and have to come up with something on the fly. Breakfast for dinner can include throwing biscuits in the oven and adding butter and jam with packaged meat on the side, toaster pastries, instant oatmeal, toast with boiled eggs (if you have them already made up ahead, they’re great), frozen waffles, or bagels cooked in the toaster, etc., all served with fresh fruit. Opening up breakfast as a possibility brings in loads of potential dishes."
16."What I do is wrap some salmon in foil and broil it. It just takes minutes. Boil up some fettuccine (takes about nine minutes), and then add pesto to it. Some microwaved broccoli (five minutes) as a side gives the impression of a carefully prepared meal that I am able to put onto the table with minimal effort but great gusto. BTW, pesto and salmon were made for each other."
17.Finally, "Bread Pizza. This is the best and most popular among my friends as they find it's easy and can be made from the ingredients which are always available at home. You need bread, cheese, salt, oregano, and your favorite vegetables. Preheat oven to 400º F. Spread cheese on the bread and add oregano to it. Add your favorite veggies chopped nicely and then add a little more cheese on it. Then, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and put in preheated oven for 6–7 minutes. If you like a crispy base. then keep it 2–3 minutes extra. You are all set. You can do it in a pan also."
Do you have a go-to "I don't want to make dinner" recipe? Share with us in the comments below!
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
