Do you ever have those busy days that whoosh by and BAM! it’s dinnertime and you have no idea what you’re making? Sure, you *should’ve* thrown a meal into the slow cooker, but it completely slipped your mind.
You might even be tempted to hit up the drive-thru (trust me, I’ve done it), but this can get expensive! The other day, I decided to brainstorm a month’s worth of quick and easy meals. The easy-prep kind of meals that require few ingredients, little time, and are sure to get eaten. Here’s what I came up with.
The next time you’re in a dinner pinch, scan this list and your fridge and hop to it!
1. Cheesy Chili Cornbread Casserole: Put 2 cans of chili in the bottom of a casserole dish. Mix a box of cornbread mix according to package instructions and dump on top. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes in a 350º oven. (For more instruction, see the full recipe.)
2. Chili Cheese Burritos: Put a scoop of chili (and cheese, if desired) into soft-taco sized tortillas. Wrap and place in casserole dish. Bake until heated through in a 350º oven – about 10-15 minutes.
3. Roast Chicken and Salad: Stop at the store and pick up a roast chicken and a bag of your favorite salad. (Right now, I’m into the Asian chopped salads – but you could also opt for a Southwest style or Caesar.) While this may feel like cheating, it’s going to be less than fast food plus it’s a healthier meal option. (Here’s my favorite Mediterranean Chicken Salad Recipe if you’ve got a few extra minutes to put it together!)
4. Shredded Chicken Burgers: Boil a couple chicken breasts until cooked. On a plate, shred the meat with a couple of forks. Toss with your favorite prepared barbecue sauce and top on hamburger or slider buns with coleslaw.
5. Burgers: Pretty straightforward here. For a fun twist, make the burgers slider-size and enjoy them on sweet Hawaiian rolls. Top with cheese and tomatoes. Serve with whatever fruit you have on hand. This is probably one of my top 10 go-to meals in a hurry. (See how I make mine super quick!)
6. Spaghetti and Meatballs: I like keeping jarred pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles on hand for quick meals. (Right now, I’ve got frozen spaghetti sauce from garden tomatoes!) You can brown a pound of ground beef or sausage if desired into the sauce, or just go for a bag of frozen meatballs. My kids love it when I stop and pick up a $1 loaf of French bread for spaghetti night. I’ll cover it in butter, wrap it in foil and toast it in the oven for a few minutes before slicing.
7. Meatball Sandwiches: heat up some frozen meatballs, add some spaghetti or pasta sauce. Top on hoagie buns with sliced mozzerella.
8. Breakfast Casserole: tear up 6 pieces of bread into a greased casserole dish. Crumble 1 lb cooked/drained bacon or sausage on top. Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese on top. In a small bowl, whisk 6 eggs with 2 cups of milk. Pour on top. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in a 350° oven for 35-40 minutes until set. Really good – a family favorite!
9. Quiche: whisk 6 eggs into a large bowl, add 2 cups of ½ and ½, ¼ cup flour, some salt and pepper. Add the 1 lb cooked and drained sausage, some chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 1 cup of shredded cheese (any), and any chopped herbs you have on hand (basil or parsley work well). Pour into a deep-dish frozen pie crust and bake in a 375º oven for 40-50 minutes until set. (This recipe can also be prepped ahead and frozen. Get the full recipe.)
10. Eggs and Toast: if you don’t have the energy/ingredients for #8 or #9 above, how about omelettes or even just scrambled eggs? They are cheap and chances are, you have them in your fridge. Serve with fruit, toast, bagels, bacon – or whatever other breakfast-y foods you have on hand. I’ve even been known to throw in a waffles or pancakes into the mix!
11. Tacos or Taco Salad: brown 1 lb of ground beef add taco seasoning (here’s a recipe for homemade!). Put out taco shells, tortillas, cheese, tomatoes, sliced lettuce, olives, salsas, hot sauce, sour cream, beans, or whatever else you have on hand for a taco bar. Don’t have taco shells or tortillas? Just make a taco salad!
12. Quesadillas: here’s my lazy way of making them… place a tortilla on a baking sheet, top with shredded cheese, top with another tortilla. Broil until browned, flip, broil a bit more. It’s usually ready in under a minute. You could also add salsa, chopped chicken, beans, or other ingredients before cooking. Serve with sour cream and salsa.
13. Sausage and Peppers: saute thinly sliced peppers and onions in a little bit of olive oil in a heavy skillet. Once cooked, add sliced rope or link sausage and heat. I know this sounds super simple – and it is – but it is surprisingly good and flavorful. Sausage ropes and links sometimes go on sale for about $3, making this a nice, cheap dinner. I made it the other night with hot buttered spaghetti noodles, fresh sliced of pear and a glass of Merlot (for us adults). It was delicious and made good use of store sales! Try it!
14. Leftover Hoagies: take slices of last night’s leftover roast/chicken/turkey and pile them on hoagie rolls with slices of cheese. Wrap in foil and heat in the oven for about 10 minutes. Serve with your favorite condiments.
15. Mac ‘n Cheese Casserole: cook a box of elbow macaroni. Make a cheese sauce by melting 3 tbsp butter in a sauce pot and whisking in 2 tbsp flour. Once bubbly, add handfuls of cheese and milk and whisk until creamy. (You’ll end up using a total of 2 cups cheese and 2 cups milk. I like using some sharp cheese for a nice flavor.) Finish with a pinch of salt. Mix the cheese and noodles together and place in a casserole dish. Toss in 1 cup frozen peas and 1 lb sliced, heated sausage links. Top with 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and 2 tsp melted butter. Bake in a 350° oven for about 25-30 minutes. A family favorite – delicious. (Get the full recipe.)
16. Chicken and Noodles: take 1 lb of fresh, boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenders and lightly coat in flour, salt, pepper and a little seasoned breadcrumbs. Pan fry in olive oil or butter until cooked. Serve with hot buttered noodles and whatever vegetables you have on hand.
17. Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup: ’nuff said. If you want to do something a bit fancier than canned soup and have the time/interest, make this KILLER tomato bisque recipe. Your family will thank you.
18. Homemade Pizza: probably the most requested meal by my kids! You can find pizza dough in the refrigerated sections of most grocery stores these days, but I prefer to use the Fleischmann’s pizza yeast (Amazon link). It’s a no-rise/no-wait kind of a yeast. I just toss it in my Kitchenaid so I don’t have to knead it for five minutes! Then, I top with a little pizza sauce, some shredded mozzarella and pepperoni on half of it. It cooks in 10 minutes. I can make one of these pizzas in less than 20 minutes from start to finish now – you can’t have a pizza delivered that quickly!
19. Pasta Bake: cook any sort of small-cut pasta noodles you have on hand, mix in a jar of pasta sauce, some fresh snips of basil (if you have it), and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Bake in an oven until cheese is melted.
20. Homemade Chicken Nuggets: dust thin slices of chicken breast (or chicken tenders, even better) in flour, salt, and pepper. Then, dip them in a bit of egg mixed with a little honey. Finally, coat them in a mix of honey nut cheerios or flakes (or whatever honey-flavored cereal you have). Lay on a sprayed baking sheet and cook them in a 425° oven until cooked through – about 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken (I recommend flipping halfway through).
21. Fondue Night: mix 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese and 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese in a large bowl and toss with ¼ cup flour. Heat 1 ¼ cup beer or dry white wine in a fondue pot or sauce pan. Once bubbly, add cheese mixture by handfuls, whisking constantly. Finally, hit with a small pinch of garlic salt. Once melted, serve with cubed bread, vegetables, and Granny Smith apples. To make it heartier, you could also use cooked cubed chicken or sausage pieces. (Get the full recipe as well as a chocolate fondue recipe.)
22. Mini Meatloaves: mix 1 lb ground beef, 1 tsp minced onion, 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup prepared barbecue sauce, 1 egg, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Form into mini meatloaves (4-5) on a foil-lined baking sheet OR you could fill a muffin tin. Bake at 425° for about 20 minutes, or until cooked.
23. Easy Alphabet Soup: saute 1 chopped onion in 1 tsp of olive oil a stockpot and brown 1 lb ground beef in it. Drain. Then, add: 1 carton beef broth (32 oz), 2 cups water, 1 bottle V8 juice (46 oz), 1 cup frozen vegetables, 1 small package of alphabet pasta (7-8 oz), 2 bay leaves, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. If you don’t have alphabet pasta, just use whatever small-cut pasta you have on hand. Cook for 10 minutes. (Get the full recipe.)
24. Black Bean Burgers or Fritters: mash a can of black beans with ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs, ½ tsp cumin, and salt and pepper. Form into patties for burgers or smaller rounds for fritters or sliders. Pan fry. Top with corn salsa, sweet chili sauce, coleslaw, or whatever condiments you have on hand. (Here’s the original recipe using Trader Joe’s ingredients – it’s delicious!)
25. Quick Stir Fry: cook small cubes of chicken or beef in a skillet until cooked. Throw in a bag of frozen or fresh stir fry vegetables. Once cooked, toss with your favorite teriyaki sauce. I’ve found pre-cooked bags of rice in the frozen section of my Trader Joe’s – just heat one of these up while everything else is cooking.
26. Pan-Fried Sole or Cod: fish should definitely be kept in mind for quick dinners. It’s often very simple to prepare and cooks in minutes! Take a few pieces of thinly-sliced sole or cod and dust with flour, salt, and pepper. Pan fry in a little bit of butter, turning once. Serve with fresh lemon slices and steamed veggies. (Get the full recipe here.)
27. Caprese Pasta: dice up some fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella. Mix in a couple tablespoons of tasting olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Add in a couple cups of cooked pasta. Serve slightly warmed or chilled. (Get the full recipe along with a recipe for my family’s favorite Italian sodas here.)
28. English Muffin Pizzas: slice up English muffins and top as you would a pizza: pizza sauce, mozzeralla cheese, pepperoni, veggies. Bake in a 375º oven until heated through, about 10 minutes. SO easy and delicious!
29. Cheeseburger Mini Muffins: brown 1/2 pound of ground beef in a skillet along with 1/2 cup minced onion. Drain. In a large bowl, mix 2 ½ cups flour, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt. In a second bowl, mix 3/4 cup ketchup, 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup melted butter, 2 eggs, and 1 tsp prepared mustard. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Next, gently work in the cooked beef and 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese. Fill the mixture into greased muffin cups. Bake in a 425º oven for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Should yield several dozen muffins. (Get the full recipe.)
30. Cheesy Chicken Casserole: Cook 1 lb chicken breast in bite sized pieces. Mix in a small bowl with about 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Next, take two tubes of refrigerated crescent rolls. Into each of the crescents, fill with a little of the chicken and cheese mixture and close together in a little ball. Place in the bottom of a casserole dish in rolls. Bake for about 12 minutes – until the tops of the crescents are firm. Next, mix two cans of cream of chicken soup with approximately 1 can of milk. Mix in 1 cup of cheese. Pour this mixture over the crescents and bake for another 15 minutes – until the sauce is heated through and bubbly. (Get the full recipe.)
31. Turkey Sandwiches: when all else fails or the kitchen is too messy/too hot to cook in, I like to make turkey sandwiches on hoagies. Everyone loves them and they’re so easy. Last week, I cooked up some bacon and added fresh basil and tomatoes from the garden for an extra layer of yum.
To add to this list, I thought I’d end by sharing some of the ingredients I like to keep on hand in my pantry and fridge. You’ll notice that many of the recipes above use these items!
Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Ground beef
Sausage – ground, ropes and/or links
Salad mixes
Dry pasta and pasta sauce
Broth – chicken and beef
Seasonings – salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, garlic, cumin, chili powder
Flour
Sugar
Tortillas
Cheese – I like to keep some bags of shredded cheese for quick prep dinners
Fresh fruit – quick & easy to slice up and serve
Bags of frozen veggies
Eggs
Onions and Peppers
Bread and hoagies for sandwiches
Potatoes and sweet potatoes for quick sides
Now it’s your turn: what are some of your go-to meals when you’ve not planned ahead? Please share!