Midweek Meals: Five quick and easy family dinners perfect for colder nights

Quick and easy solutions for when you need to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less

From pot to plate in under half an hour.

Potato hash with Italian sausage and good cheese

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

If you have leftover potatoes from last night's dinner this is an ideal lunch

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 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

1. 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.

2. 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. 

3. Add the potatoes and red onion to the pan cooking until the red onion softens and the potatoes begin to stick to the pan. 

4. 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.

Butternut squash mac and cheese

recipe by:Ciara McDonnell

Butternut squash is the essential ingredient in this silky smooth mac and cheese

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, cubed

• 350ml milk

• Salt and pepper

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• Grating of nutmeg

• 450g macaroni or small pasta shells

• 100g strong Cheddar, grated

• 50g Parmesan or Grana Padano, grated

• 50g mascarpone (optional)

• For the breadcrumbs (otional): 

• 100g breadcrumbs

• 2tbsp butter

Method

1. Place the butternut squash, milk and 150ml water into a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in the garlic, nutmeg and salt and pepper. 

2. After 15-20 minutes, pierce the squash with a knife. If there is no resistance, turn off the heat and leave to cool slightly while you cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. 

3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. 

4. Using a stick blender, purée the butternut squash in its cooking liquid. Stir in the pasta and cheeses, stirring until the cheeses are melted and the sauce has come together. Taste, adding more seasoning if needed. If the sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water to thin it out. 

5. Melt the butter in a small frying pan and stir the breadcrumbs in foaming butter until golden and crispy. Scatter on top of the mac and cheese just before serving. 

Perry Street's chickpea burgers

Ready in minutes and full of flavour, these veggie burgers are a great way of introducing one meat-free day to the weekly menu

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 8 mins

Total Time

 18 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 400g chickpeas can, drained

• Zest of 1 lime, plus juice of ½ lemon

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• Small bunch coriander, chopped

• 1 egg

• 100g grated carrot

• 1 medium red onion, ½ diced, ½ sliced

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• To serve:

• 4 small whole-wheat buns

• 1 large tomato, sliced

• ½ cucumber

• Chilli sauce

• Natural yoghurt or crème fraiche

Method

1. In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas, lime zest, juice, cumin, half the coriander, the egg and some seasoning.

2. Scrape into a bowl and mix with 80g of the grated carrot and the diced onions.

3. Form four burgers and press the remaining grated carrots onto both sides and chill for at least 10 minutes.

4. Heat the oil in a frying pan until hot.

5. Fry the burgers for four minutes each side, keeping the heat on medium so they don’t burn.

6. To serve, slice buns and fill with a tomato slice, a burger, a few red onion slices, cucumber slices, a dollop of chilli sauce and the remaining coriander.

Thai-Style chicken noodles with green beans

recipe by:Neven Maguire

Straight-to-wok noodles are a brilliant shortcut if you’re in a hurry and want to save on washing up, perfect to enjoy with chicken and chilli sauce

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla) 

• 2 tbsp clear honey 

• 2 tsp light muscovado sugar 

• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil 2 large shallots, thinly sliced 

• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 

• 1 fresh long red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced into rings 

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces 

• 200g fine green beans, trimmed and cut in half 

• juice of 1 lime 

• 2 × 150g packets of straight-to-wok noodles 

• 50g fresh bean sprouts, trimmed 

• To garnish:

• fresh coriander leaves

Method

1. Place the soy sauce in a small bowl and stir in the fish sauce, honey and sugar. Set aside until needed.

2. Heat a wok until smoking hot. Add the oil and swirl it up the sides, then tip in the shallots, garlic and chilli. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, until sizzling.

3. Tip the chicken into the wok and continue to stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until sealed. Drizzle over the soy sauce mixture and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the chicken is nicely glazed.

4. Add the green beans to the chicken mixture, then sprinkle over the lime juice and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, until the green beans are cooked through but still have a little bite. Fold in the noodles and allow to just warm through. Add the bean sprouts and cook for 30 seconds or so to keep them crisp.

5. Arrange in warmed bowls and scatter over the coriander leaves to serve.

Coconut and basil chicken

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

This quick coconut and basil chicken is the perfect midweek dinner

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 17 mins

Total Time

 27 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Thai

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 4 shallots, finely sliced

• 2 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced

• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional if cooking for kids)

• 2 skinless chicken breast fillets, cubed

• 1 tbsp fish sauce

• 1 tsp agave syrup

• handful of basil leaves, torn

• 300ml coconut milk

• brown or basmati rice, to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat.

2. Add the shallots, leeks, and chilli and cook for about 10 minutes. If the pan gets too dry, add a dash of water.

3. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.

4. Add the fish sauce, agave syrup, basil and coconut milk to the chicken in the pan. Stir well and cook for 2–3 minutes.

5. Serve piping hot in warmed serving bowls along with some brown or basmati rice.