Midweek meals: Beat the heat with dinners ready in 20 minutes or less

If you don't want to be in the kitchen for too long during sunny evenings, here are five tasty dishes to try this week

These easy recipes won't have you in the kitchen for more than 20 minutes.

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.

10-minute naan bread pizza

recipe by:Ciara McDonnell

Naan breads are perfect pizza bases when after-school activities demand a swift dinner

Servings

4

Cooking Time

 13 mins

Total Time

 13 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 4 plain naan breads

• 300g passata

• 400g Mozzarella

• Suggested toppings:

• Pepperoni

• Finely sliced red onion

• Roasted peppers

• Jalapeno peppers

• Sliced olives

• Parmesan

• Rocket

• Pesto

Method

1. Turn the oven on to 200°C with the baking tins inside, preheating while you assemble your pizza. 

2. Sprinkle the naan breads lightly with water before spreading with passata, salt and pepper. Dotting pesto on top of the passata is delicious if you like pesto. 

3. Follow with cheese, and the toppings of your choice. 

4. Bake for ten minutes, until the cheese has melted and the naans are pillowy and crisped at the edges.