Midweek meals: Five low-effort family dinners ready in 30 minutes or less

Take the stress out of meal planning with these quick and easy dishes

Midweek meals: Five dinners for the whole family

Homemade burgers

recipe by:Darina Allen

Make these homemade burgers once and you'll never buy premade ones again

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 450g best quality freshly minced beef (flank, chump or shin)

• Maldon sea salt

• freshly ground pepper

• pork fat, optional

• olive oil

• hamburger buns (see recipe)

Method

1. Put the fresh mince into a chilled bowl, season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fry off a tiny bit on the pan to check the seasoning, correct if necessary.

2. Shape into burgers, 4-6 depending on the size you require.

3. Wrap each one loosely in pork caul fat if using.

4. Cook to your taste on a medium-hot grill pan in a little oil, turning once. Little tip: If the hamburgers are being cooked in batches make sure to wash and dry the pan between batches.

 

Fish fingers and chips

recipe by:Neven Maguire

There is a new generation of oil sprays that don’t contain lots of extra additives and are a brilliant way of controlling the amount of oil you use. The spritz allows you to give everything a light, even coating of oil so that there is enough to crisp up

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 large baking potatoes (about 500g (1lb 2oz))

• rapeseed oil, for spraying

• 500g (1lb 2oz) firm white fish fillets, skinned and boned (hake, haddock, pollock or cod)

• 25g (1oz) plain flour

• 2 eggs

• 100g (4oz) panko breadcrumbs

• 1 lemon

• 200g (7oz) thick Greek-style yoghurt

• small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6). Cut the potatoes into thick chips and spread out in a baking tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Spray lightly with oil and season with salt. Roast for 20 minutes.

2. Cut the fish into 7.5cm (3in) strips, 2.5cm (1in) wide. Season the flour on a plate. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt. Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl. Toss the fish in the flour, then using a tongs, dip in the egg and toss in the breadcrumbs.

3. Put the fish fingers on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper and spray with oil. Turn the chips over, then put the fish on the top shelf and roast for 10 minutes. Turn over the fish and cook for another 5 minutes, until golden.

4. Cut the lemon into four wedges for garnish, then squeeze the rest into the yoghurt. Season and snip in the parsley with some scissors, stirring to combine. Put the fish and chips on plates with the yoghurt tartare sauce and lemon wedges.
   
   From Learn To Cook with Neven by Neven Maguire, Gill Books

 

Buddy’s broccoli and cheesy pasta bake

recipe by:Jamie Oliver

A delicious pasta bake, with added greens, to serve up on school evenings

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 2 heads of broccoli - 375g (13oz) each

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1/2 - 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes

• 1.5 litres (2 1/2 pints) semi-skimmed milk

• 100g (3 1/2oz) baby spinach

• 100g (3 1/2oz) Cheddar cheese

• 500g (18oz) dried pasta shells

• 100g (3 1/2oz) garlic bread

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F/Gas Mark 6.

2. Cut off and discard the tough ends of the broccoli stalks, trim the green florets into 3cm (1 1/4 inch) pieces and put aside, then roughly chop all the remaining stalks and place in a food processor.

3. Peel and add the garlic, then blitz until fine. Place a large shallow casserole pan on a medium heat.

4. Once hot, go in with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the chilli flakes, to taste. As soon as they start to sizzle, tip in the blitzed broccoli stalks. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then pour in 1 litre (1 3/4 pints) of milk.

5. Pour the remaining 500ml (18fl oz) of milk into the processor with the spinach and crumble in the cheese. I wanted this to be healthy, but now’s the time to add the extra cheese if you want it more indulgent.

6. Blitz until smooth, pour into the pan, then bring to the boil and season to perfection. Stir the broccoli florets and pasta shells into the sauce and boil for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

7. Tear the garlic bread into the processor (there’s no need to clean it first) and blitz into crumbs. Sprinkle over the pasta bake and transfer to the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Delicious served with a fresh green salad.

8. Seasonal Swaps: Go festive and swap out the broccoli for Brussels sprouts – blitz half for the sauce and quarter the rest to add with the pasta. Embrace Christmas cheese board cheeses and try a cheeky crumbling of chestnuts in the garlic bread crispy bits.

 

Salmon quiche

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

For a comforting lunch, try this smooth quiche with a buttery pastry base and a deliciously fluffy filling with a hint of mustard

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 French

Ingredients

• For the pastry:

• 225g plain flour

• 1 pinch of salt

• 150g cold butter cubed

• 1 egg, mixed with cold water until together they measure 25ml

• For the filling:

• 30g flour

• 30g butter

• 210ml milk

• 200g cooked salmon, flaked or you can use tined salmon

• zest of 2 lemons

• 1 tsp smooth Dijon mustard

• small handful of baby spinach, chopped

• 2 eggs, separated

Method

1. To make the pastry, mix your flour and salt and start to rub in the cubes of butter. You do not want to handle the mixture too much as the resulting pastry will not be as crisp. Rub the butter quickly until it forms what looks like rough breadcrumbs.

2. Add your egg and water mix and bring this together with your hand as quickly as you can. Put the pastry on a sheet of baking parchment and wrap it up. Place it in the fridge for at least an hour before using it.

3. Grease and flour a size loose base tart case, of about 9 inches. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

4. On a lightly floured surface, roll your pastry so that there is a circle bigger than the tart case. Press it slightly with your hand into the case, but do not force it. Bake your case blind, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool slightly in the tin. Trim the edges if needed.

5. Make a white sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan and adding the flour.

6. Stir until the mixture forms a smooth paste, cook while stirring continually for about two minutes, start adding the milk slowly, beating vigorously until all of the milk is added and a smooth paste is formed.

7. Flake the fish and add it into the sauce with the lemon zest, mustard, egg yolks and spinach and mix them all well.

8. Whisk your egg whites until very stiff and fold them into the sauce.

9. Pour your mixture into your waiting pastry case and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the filling has risen and is a golden colour on top.

 

Singapore Inspired Chicken & Rice

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

A quick and easy comfort meal for midweek evenings

Servings

5

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 1 small chicken

• 2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh (or frozen) ginger, whole

• 1 bunch of scallions peeled and chopped

• ½ tsp white pepper

• 1 tsp salt

• 500ml cold water

• 75g uncooked rice per person

• Equipment

• Pressure cooker

• 1 small saucepan with a lid

Method

1. Place the whole chicken into the pressure cooker, and season well with salt and white pepper. Add in the ginger and scallions then pour the cold water on top.

2. Seal the pressure cooker and bring it to high heat. Cook for 30 minutes then allow to cool enough for the pressure to release naturally.

3. If you are under pressure for time you can release the pressure manually but I find that the chicken isn’t quite as tender that way.

4. Remove the chicken from the pressure cooker and place it onto a plate then cover it for use later. It’ll keep warm for quite some time once covered.

5. Decant enough of the chicken broth to cook the rice into a small saucepan. Cook the rice in the hot chicken stock with no seasoning (remember you seasoned the chicken before placing it into the pressure cooker).

6. Once the rice is cooked portion the chicken and serve with fresh cucumber slices, pickles, and your preferred condiments. If you have remaining chicken broth drink it separately.