Midweek Meals: Five quick and cosy recipes — done in 20 minutes or less

Beans, pasta, noodles, quesadillas and a vegan-friendly lentil dhal - all yours in less than a half-hour

Five quick, cosy and comfy dinners.

Money-saving pimped packet ramen recipe

recipe by:Shivi Ramoutar - Cook Clever

You can easily customise this meal to your suit your preferences.

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 7 mins

Total Time

 12 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the base:

• 2tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 spring onion (white bulb discarded), snipped

• 1tsp garlic purée

• 2 mugs of boiling water

• 2 packets of ramen noodles (or any other instant noodles)

• OR

• 300g ready cooked noodles and 1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

• OR

• 300g ready cooked noodles and 2 sachets of miso soup mix

• For the protein (choose from):

• 1 mug of frozen, fresh or cooked chicken strips

• 1 mug of frozen, fresh or cooked seafood

• 1 mug of frozen or fresh gyoza dumplings

• ½ block of firm tofu, broken into smaller pieces

• For the veg:

• 250g packet of pak choi, leaves separated

• ½ mug of frozen vegetables

• Toppers (choose as many as you like):

• Soft-boiled egg halves

• Drizzles of chilli oil

• 1tbsp sesame seeds

• Fresh coriander sprigs

• Fresh chillies

• Kimchi

• Drizzles of Sriracha

Method

1. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat and cook the spring onion and garlic purée for a couple minutes, stirring often until aromatic.

2. Add the boiling water, along with the dried noodles and their flavour sachets, or the cooked noodles with the crumbled stock cube or the miso soup sachets. Stir together and cook for a minute or two until the liquid is mostly absorbed.

3. Add your chosen protein and the veg and cook until the protein is just cooked through, about five minutes or so. If you are using fresh chicken or seafood it will take less time. If using tofu, add in the last few minutes so it doesn’t disintegrate.

4. Serve into bowls and go crazy with the toppers.

Mushroom Quesadillas

recipe by:Nagi Maehashi

If you're short on time, skip the guacamole and just dunk in sour cream with a squirt of hot sauce

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 15 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Mexican

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

• 200g portobello mushrooms, sliced 8 mm thick (or other mushrooms of choice)

• ½ tsp chipotle powder*

• ¼ tsp cooking salt*

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• ¾ cup (75 g) shredded* colby cheese2

• 2 x 20 cm flour tortillas*

• To serve:

• Sour cream

• Pico de Gallo

• Guacamole or avocado crema

• Lime wedges

Method

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute, using a spatula to toss them regularly.

2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, toss to coat the mushrooms, then add the chipotle powder, salt and pepper. Cook for a further 1½ minutes until the surface of the mushrooms is golden. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and wipe any loose bits out of the pan with a paper towel.

3. Sprinkle half the cheese on one half of a tortilla, top with half the mushrooms, then fold the other half over. Repeat with the other tortilla.

4. Return the frying pan to the stove on medium heat (no extra oil is needed). Transfer the tortillas to the frying pan and cook for 1½ minutes until crisp and golden. Flip and cook for a further 1 minute until crisp.

5. Cut each quesadilla in half and serve with sour cream and Pico de Gallo, guacamole or avocado crema for dunking.

6. Finish with a squeeze of lime.