Midweek Meals: Five easy dinners to cook this week ready in less than 30 minutes
Even the fussiest eater will find a recipe they like here.
Red lentil dhal
This creamy, flavourful vegetarian dhal is the perfect dish to warm you up on a cold day, filled with a gentle spice and enjoyed with rice
Servings
4Preparation Time
5 minsCooking Time
15 minsTotal Time
20 minsCourse
MainCuisine
IndianIngredients
rice, for four
400g red lentils
2 tsp ground turmeric
generous knob of butter
dash of rapeseed oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely sliced
thumb size piece of ginger, grated
2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
1 tsp ground coriander
handful of coriander, chopped
Method
Put the rice on to boil and drain when cooking.
Cover the lentils with water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir in the turmeric and butter.
Allow to bubble away gently until the lentils have softened. Add more water if needed.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and gently sauté the onion, once it has turned translucent add the garlic, chillies, grated ginger and the tomatoes.
After five minutes of cooking on a very low heat stir in the cumin and coriander. Set aside until the lentils are cooked.
Stir the lentils to check their consistency, they should be like a thick soup, add a little more water if necessary. Stir in the contents from the pan and season to taste.
Serve the dhal with the rice and some coriander sprinkled on top.
Chicken stir fry
This speedy sweet chilli stir fry is the perfect way to use up tired, leftover vegetables
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
15 minsTotal Time
25 minsCourse
MainIngredients
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
500g chicken breast, sliced into strips
salt
pepper
3 tbsp sunflower oil
½ red pepper, roughly chopped
½ yellow pepper, roughly chopped
½ green pepper, roughly chopped
3 medium carrots, finely chopped
150g broccoli, cut into florets
1 bunch of spring onions, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
For the sauce:
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp cornflour
200ml chicken stock
Method
To a small bowl, add 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce along with the chicken strips and season well. In a large frying pan or wok, heat 1 tbsp of the oil then add the chicken and fry over a high heat until golden brown and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
To make the sauce, add the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, and cornflour to a small bowl and stir until smooth.
Blend in the stock and season well. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan or wok. Add the vegetables and stir fry for three to four minutes.
Add the ginger, garlic and spring onions and stir fry for 3-4 minutes until just cooked. Add the chicken and sauce and toss together for two minutes.
Serve with rice or noodles and enjoy.
Irish stew with a twist
Rich lamb stew with fresh herbs, vegetables and a hint of punchy nutmeg flavour is the perfect midweek meal
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
20 minsTotal Time
30 minsCourse
MainIngredients
2 onions, finely diced
dash of rapeseed oil
2 carrots, diced
4 smoked streaky rashers, cut into cubes
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1kg lamb neck, chopped
large bunch of thyme, removed from the stalk and chopped
bunch of rosemary, removed from the stalk and chopped
6 baby potatoes, quartered
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently sauté the onion on a low heat. When they are transparent, stir in the carrots and rashers, until the bacon turns golden.
Stir in the nutmeg and lamb, until the lamb is brown all over. Add the rosemary and potatoes. Cover the ingredients with water and allow to simmer over a low heat, without a lid.
Allow to bubble away, until the potatoes have softened and the lamb is cooked through. Taste and season.
Spaghetti with bacon and chilli
Chef Mark Moriarty shares the pasta dish he turns to when the last thing he wants to do is cook a meal
Servings
4Preparation Time
5 minsCooking Time
15 minsTotal Time
20 minsCourse
MainIngredients
200g dried pasta
100g rindless streaky bacon
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 chillies, diced
large handful parsley, chopped (if available)
100g Parmesan, grated
1 lemon, juice and zest
olive oil
Method
Place the pasta in boiling salted water, cook until just tender (6 minutes).
In a pot, heat the olive oil. Cut the bacon into lardons, fry in oil until crispy. Add the garlic and chilli and cook over a medium heat for two minutes or until the garlic has started to turn golden, season heavily.
Remove the pasta from the water and add to the oil mix, add a ladle full of pasta water, followed by the parmesan, lemon juice, zest and parsley.
Season with some more olive oil, lemon and salt and serve in warm bowls.
Potato hash with Italian sausage and good cheese
If you have leftover potatoes from last night's dinner this is an ideal lunch
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
20 minsTotal Time
30 minsCourse
MainIngredients
600g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium Italian sausage (fennel & chilli) or Chorizo
handful of parsley leaves, chopped
small handful of pine nuts
150g hard sheep’s' cheese like Cais na Tire
50g butter
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
Method
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender but definitely not overdone. Drain and leave aside. Slice the sausage into rounds or chunks depending on your particular preference.
Pan fry the sausage for 5 minutes, they should release their own fats or oils, add the pine nuts, cooking for a further 2-3 minutes.
Add the potatoes and red onion to the pan cooking until the red onion softens and the potatoes begin to stick to the pan.
Peel the cheese into the pan in slivers with a peeler. Move the ingredients around the pan for a further few minutes until the cheese is nice and melted. Scatter over the parsley and serve.
