I can make dinner in less than 15 minutes

SV ↓

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:25 pm

Can we play a game of “I can make dinner in under 15 minutes”? Two rules:

1. It has to be real dinner – no cheating like “pull out frozen french fries from the freezer and stick in the oven for 15 minutes” or “boil pasta, drain, pour ketchup over it, serve” etc. It doesn’t have to be a fancy 3 course meal, but it has to be something nutritious and filling (and somewhat kid-friendly).

2. The prep time should be under 15 minutes – cooking time not included. Meaning, I only care about the time I need to spend in the kitchen actually patchking around, I don’t care if afterwards the crockpot takes another 8 hours to make the food edible.

Who’s up for a challenge? I am really desperate here…

Love My Babes

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:31 pm

so today I made a quick supper but I think it was good. I took chicken cutlets out of the freezer, defrosted in the microwave for 3 minutes. then I took a big knife and cut strips of chicken. it was mostly frozen still but I have a strong knife. I made a quick sauce, put a little bread crumbs over it, covered it and put it in the oven on 400 for an hour. it was yum! I made brown rice to the side of it, and a small salad of lettuce/cuc/tom. sounds like a lot but it was really took fast and its a filling meal with protein, carb and veggies.

fmt4

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:32 pm

Stuffed Shells:

Boil shells- takes 7 minutes
Pour marinara sauce into bottom of pan, mix cottage cheese or ricotta cheese with mozzarella and/or parmesan, an egg, and spices, scoop into shells, layer shells over sauce, pour more sauce on top, sprinkle mozzarella, and put in oven at 350 for 40 minutes. Kids love it!

loveshoes

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:34 pm

Tonight, I made bean burritos (recipe from here). I made a bean chili and served the soft tortillas with toppings: sliced lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and sour cream. Very yummy and very fast!!

I have also made microwave meatballs. Yes, it may sound a little different but it comes out fine. Prepare your meatballs as you normally would. Place them in a microwave safe bowl. Pour 2 small cans of tomato sauce over the meatballs. Cover and cook in microwave for 15 minutes. Serve with spaghetti.

↑ SV ↓

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:36 pm

Love My Babe wrote:

what kind of sauce did you use?

LiLIsraeli

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:37 pm

Made stuffed peppers tonight!

1 1/2 lb. chopped meat
2 eggs
3 T. bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 cup uncooked rice
16 oz tomato sauct
6 green peppers

Preheat oven to 350. Combine meat, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, rice, and 1/2 cup tomato sauce; mix well. Cut off tops of green peppers and hollow out. Stuff peppers with meat mixture. Place in baking dish and add remaining tomato sauce. Bake, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.

Entire prep time was about 10 minutes.

Edited to add: Recipe is from the Sharing Our Best cookbook (TAG).

Last edited by LiLIsraeli on Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:38 pm; edited 1 time in total

mummiedearest ↓

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:38 pm

honey mustard chicken--

place chicken pieces in a pan. smother in honey and mustard. spread with a spoon. stick in oven until done.

garlic string beans--

frozen string beans (quicker than fresh, but either one tastes good). place in baking pan. pour on oil, salt, and a few cloves worth of crushed/minced garlic. (I mince fresh garlic, but it doesn't take long)

starch-- I usually leave this out, as I can't have starch. sometimes I'll throw a whole acorn squash in the oven and bake till soft. no prep there, and it's a good substitute for pasta. of course, you can really make pasta or rice or couscous or something that's quick and easy.

↑ mummiedearest ↓

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:42 pm

chicken sloppy joes--

1 package ground chicken
1-2 peppers (I like green, it looks pretty)
19 oz can tomato juice
spices of your choice.

in a frying pan/stir fry pan/wok, cook the chicken, mixing so it cooks evenly. (if you start with frozen chicken, you'll have to flip and scrape the cooked chicken off until it's all separated.) spice as desired. add tomato juice and chopped peppers. cover and simmer until peppers are soft. serve on bread for a sloppy fun dinner.

Tova

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:47 pm

Take a big sautee pan with high sides.

Add 2 C of rice (I use brown rice).

Put skinned chicken cutlets on top (I use a whole family pack).

Fill half-way up with water.

Add very generous shakes of onion powder and paprika. I put a lot of the paprika in for color especially.

Keep on high flame until all water evaporates; 35 minutes should do the trick.

[I do this all the time also with just the chicken and it comes out great and not dried out. I like that it uses not even a drop of oil (non-stick spray is oil).

OldYoung

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:49 pm

Cocktail Meatballs from Quick and Kosher!

Mix 12 oz. bottle chili sauce and one 15 oz. can of whole berry cranberry sauce in a pot and bring to simmer. Make meatballs- 1 lb ground beef, 1 egg, 2 T. bread crumbs, 1/4 c. seltzer, 1 t. garlic powder, 1 t. salt, 1/2 t. black pepper. Drop meatballs into sauce, return to simmer, cook, covered, for 45 min.

I serve them with the Near East rice pilaf mix and a quick Chinese coleslaw-
CHINESE COLE SLAW

1 package coleslaw
1/2 red onion, diced (optional)
slivered almonds
thin chinese rice noodles
sesame seeds (optional, left them out because I don't think Esty can have them)

dressing:
1/2 c. oil
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. vinegar (scant!)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Mix dressing ingredients and pour over salad, top with almonds and rice noodles before serving.

ra_mom ↓

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:53 pm

chicken and rice
1 cup rice
2 cups water
4 chicken pieces

Place rice and water in 9x13 pan. Add salt to taste (important).
Season chicken pieces very generously on all side.
Place on top of rice/water. (Be careful not to wash away the seasonings on the top side of the chicken.)
Bake, tightly covered, at 375, for 2 hours.

chicken and potatoes
potatoes, cubed
chicken
sauce

Place potatoes in 9x13 pan.
Arrange chicken pieces on top.
Pour sauce over chicken.

vegetable side dish
frozen vegetables
garlic, crushed
salt to taste
oil

Place vegetable of your choice in pan. Add crushed garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt to taste.
Bake, covered, until cooked through.
(You can use fresh veggies as well. If using eggplant, do not cover pan. Bake it uncovered.)

egg and avocado salad
2 avocado, cut into chunks
4-6 hardboiled eggs, cut into quarters
2 container cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
1 tsp Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:
2 Tbsp low-fat mayonnaise
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)

Mix the mayo with the lemon juice and garlic powder and set aside.
In a bowl, place the avocado, eggs, and cherry tomatoes. Add the dressing and mix lightly until coated.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with sliced onions.

Serve with rolls.

cookielady's one pot meat and pasta dish

Last edited by ra_mom on Thu, May 25 2023, 1:11 pm; edited 4 times in total

↑ mummiedearest ↓

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 9:55 pm

oven stir fry

place frozen cauliflower and broccoli in the bottom of a large baking pan. crumble ground beef on top. pour a nice amount of world harbor jamaican style jerk sauce on top. cover and bake for around 45 min. (may need longer, depends on the amount of beef used.)

MetroMom

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 10:52 pm

mummiedearest wrote:

I'm just checking... Is this Tomato Juice or Tomato Sauce?

↑ mummiedearest ↓

Tue, Jan 19 2010, 10:57 pm

MetroMom wrote:

mummiedearest wrote:

I'm just checking... Is this Tomato Juice or Tomato Sauce?

juice. the peppers absorb some, and the rest thickens to a sauce like consistency anyway. I suppose you could use sauce, but it might be too thick. if you use sauce, you may want to be ready to add some water if necessary.

edited to add that if using a family pack of chicken, 19 oz tomato juice may not be enough. use your own judgment on that.

Raisin

Wed, Jan 20 2010, 4:10 am

mac and cheese. I didn't time it, but it takes around 15 minutes to prepare the sauce.

boil water and cook 8 oz of macaroni while making sauce.

melt butter and fry half a chopped onion, add a little flour, salt and mustard, (I skip the mustard) stir, add 1.5 cups milk a stir occasionally till it thickens. (make sure it doesn't burn at the bottom) when thick add 1.5 cups of grated cheese.

grease dish and mix macaroni and sauce. pour over another half cup of cheese. And a sliced tomato.

bake for about half an hour on 400 (I like it nice and brown on top) if your kids are hungry they will like it even before it goes into the oven.

Salmon - you can cook salmon steaks or fillets even from frozen. serve with rice and microwaved frozen veggies.

easy oven rice - mix 2 cups rice, 4 cups water, some onionsoup mix, soy sauce and oil and bake coverd for about 45 mins-1 hour)

miriamg

Wed, Jan 20 2010, 4:37 am

I find that part of the equation is being able to clean up in less than 15 minutes, too!

No Fry Stir-Fry:
Cook spaghetti, rinse and put in 9x13 pan
Add:
Chicken cutlets, cut into chunks or strips
Stir Fry veggies - either frozen or cut up your own
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oil
garlic power, onion powder, salt
Mix together. Bake 400 for 1 hr 15 min.

Baked Chicken Cutlets in Sauce:
Place chicken cutlets (or strips) in baking pan. Cutlets should be snug in the pan (no space between cutlets or they dry out.) Prepare sauce and pour over cutlets. Bake uncovered at 400 for 45 minutes. Serve with rice and salad.

Sauce 1:
1/2 cup barbeque sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar

Sauce 2:
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup salsa (I use mild)
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbsp Dijon

Sauce 3: (similar to the one posted above)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup mustard
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes

Meatloaf
1 lb chopped turkey/chicken/beef
1 egg
bread crumbs
ketchup
1 small onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
Mix together. Press into baking pan and bake uncovered for about an hour.

Serve with pasta or rice

Sloppy Joes
Brown chopped meat, add Hunt's Manwich sauce. Serve in hamburger buns.

Baked hamburgers also have an <15 minute prep time. However, mine always come out dry unless I manage to time it perfectly with supper (which never happens). Any suggestions?