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

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

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.

10 minute lentil dahl

Who needs convenience food when you can make this Indian classic in just ten minutes?

Servings

6

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 10 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Indian

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tbsp curry powder

• 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes

• 1 onion, diced

• 2 tomatoes, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated

• 1 thumb-sized piece of turmeric, grated or

• 2 tins cooked lentils

• 2 tins coconut milk

• Salt

• bunch fresh coriander, chopped

• To serve:

• Naan bread, rice or quinoa

Method

1. On a high heat, melt the coconut oil in a heavy-based pan.

2. Add the spices and the onions and cook, stirring, for three minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, chilli and ginger and cook for a further two minutes until they are fragrant.

3. Add the drained lentils and coconut milk to the pan, stir and bring to a gentle simmer.

4. Cook for five minutes, taste and season generously with salt.

5. Before serving, stir in some freshly chopped coriander and serve with naan bread, quinoa or rice.

6. You can use dried red lentils instead of tinned ones, but make sure to rinse well before adding to the pot, topping up the liquid with an extra tin of water.

7. Adjust the cooking time by adding ten minutes and whisk well before serving.
   
   Recipe note: To add more protein to this dahl, add a tin of mixed beans or chickpeas with your lentils.

Homemade baked beans

Supercharged homemade baked beans to enjoy throughout the week.

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 red pepper, chopped

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp brown sugar

• 1 tsp cider vinegar

• 1 tin chopped tomatoes

• 1 tin cannellini beans, drained

• Salt & pepper

• To serve

• Good quality bread

• Mature Cheddar, grated (optional)

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onion, pepper and garlic, stirring. Sprinkle in the spices, brown sugar and vinegar and cook, stirring regularly for 5 minutes.

2. Add in the tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil, turning down the temperature to low immediately. Simmer for ten minutes, season to taste and serve on freshly toasted bread, with a sprinkling of mature Cheddar if you like.

Perfect carbonara with pancetta

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

Carbonara might not seem like an egg dish but it absolutely is. Some recipes use eggs and cream, some recipes use eggs and butter and some recipes just use eggs. In any case, they are the essential ingredient for a proper carbonara.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced

• 100g pancetta, cubed

• 300g dried linguine

• 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

• 60g Parmesan, grated

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• 50g butter

• Olive oil

Method

1. Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant and just about starting to turn golden. Remove the garlic from the pan with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until nice and crispy.

2. While you are making the sauce, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, but keep a good sized cup of the pasta water.

3. Mix together the eggs and extra yolk in a medium sized bowl along with most of the grated parmesan (reserve a little for scattering over at the end) and plenty of freshly-cracked black pepper. Tip the drained pasta into the frying pan with the crispy pancetta and garlicky oil. Toss it all around so that the pasta is covered in oil.

4. Take the pan off the heat and pour in the egg mixture, tossing everything together vigorously. Pour in enough pasta water to loosen up the sauce, while you continue to toss the pasta.

5. Divide into serving bowls and scatter the remaining grated Parmesan over it. Serve and eat immediately.
   
   Picture: Bríd O'Donovan