Do you have certain “go to dinners” for when you don’t have a lot of time or just want something quick? At my house, there are a few of those quick and easy dinners that we love. I just make sure I have most of these things on hand so that I can put them together in no time at all. None of these recipes have a ton of ingredients and can be on the table in around 30 minutes. They also are inexpensive to make, which is a plus.
Buffalo Chicken Salads. This recipe is so simple, doesn’t take a lot of time and is seriously delicious. I always have some type of chicken on hand. You can use tenders, breasts or thighs for this recipe. If you have Frank’s hot sauce, chicken and whatever salad greens you like, then you are good to go for this one! We like blue cheese salad dressing on ours, but you can totally use Ranch. I do recommend a creamy dressing though. Also, this one just feels really healthy, so that’s a plus. Click here for the recipe.
Korean Beef Bowls. Damn Delicious is one of my very favorite food blogs. I make several recipes from here on a regular basis and I’ve never been disappointed in a single thing. I found this recipe when I was specifically looking for something I could do with ground beef that was different because that was all I had on hand and didn’t feel like going to the store. This dish is delicious and seriously only takes about fifteen minutes to make! It just takes some ground beef, some kind of rice and a couple of other ingredients. Click here for the recipe.
Pasta fajoli. (Pasta and beans) I seriously make this a lot, especially when it’s cold outside. Such comfort food. Not only is it easy, but it’s full of protein and fiber and is just delicious. I always keep cannellini beans, broth and ditalini on hand so that I can whip this up. Here’s how you make it. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic and 1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes. Add 3 cups of chicken broth, 1 T dried basil leaves, 1/2 t black pepper, and 1/4-1/2 t red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, add 6 ounces of uncooked ditalini pasta and cook 10-12 minutes. Serve with parmesan cheese. Hearty and delicious!
Spicy Thai Noodles. I found this recipe on Pinterest several years ago and I make this quite often. We love spicy Asian food at our house. This is such a simple but delicious dish to make. The recipe says to serve them cold, but I like them hot even more. Sometimes I add some thinly sliced chicken or beef to them as well. Also, be warned. They are not kidding when they say spicy. Scale back the red pepper if you need to. If I’m making these for kids or people who can’t really handle spice, I use a little less than half the red pepper that the recipe calls for. Click here for the recipe.
Pesto/Pesto Baked Chicken. Let me preface this by saying that I always have homemade pesto in my freezer. I make it all summer and freeze it to have year round. You can totally use store bought pesto for this. It is, however, very easy to make your own and it just tastes so much better. I cook whatever pasta I have on hand and just toss it around in some pesto. Just like that, you have a delicious bowl of pasta. Pesto pasta always reminds me of summer and the fresh basil from my garden. It is also super easy to make pesto baked chicken. You can serve the chicken with pasta, but mashed potatoes are also delicious with it. You can get the recipe for my homemade pesto and pesto baked chicken (at the bottom of the pesto post) here. If you aren’t into growing your own basil, but want to make fresh pesto, just buy a plant from the produce section of your grocery store. You can make your own beautiful pesto in about five minutes! IF you have leftovers, freeze it in small containers or even ice cube trays.
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