Help with meals with little "kitchen time"

[jsgoddess]

For various reasons, spending much time in my kitchen isn't something I want to do right now. Plus, my brain is operating at about 1/10th normal speed so following complex recipes is way beyond me. But the way I'm eating (the way I'm not eating would be more accurate) is making me feel awful.

So, meal suggestions or recipes that are very low in kitchen prep while, hopefully, being a little healthier than what I'm managing to eat now would be super.

[Ferret Herder]

Pretty healthy, fast, and yummy - my fall-back recipe for this is a twist on typical pasta-and-red-sauce, let's call it a "Southwestern Pasta"? Boil up some pasta - Barilla Plus is great for this - high protein and a very good flavor. I prefer elbow pasta, shells, penne, moreso than the long noodle styles. If you use one of the 14ish oz. boxes, cook half the box if you don't mind leftovers.

Open up a can of black beans and rinse them over the sink in a strainer. Put the beans in a bowl, to the side for now. When cooked, strain the pasta, and put the black beans into the pot you cooked the pasta in, on low heat. Add some salsa - make sure it's yummy enough that you don't mind eating a fair amount, and also not too hot for you to consume in a fair quantity. You'll probably be using at least a half cup for the amount of pasta I mentioned earlier, maybe a cup. Heat through until the desired warmness, mix in the pasta until well-coated. Add a little more salsa as desired. Scoop into a bowl and eat!

Lots of protein and fiber there. If you want more vegetable content, add things like frozen vegetables to the pot when you dump in the beans and salsa, and cook until warm. (Or microwave the frozen vegetables during the pasta cooking time, to cut down prep time further.)

[Sarahfeena]

I recommend a book called The Dinner Doctor...it's a cookbook with quick recipes, a lot of which use some convenience foods, but use them in a way that's tasty & relatively healthy.

One of my favorites from it is called "Mock Cassoulet." The basic recipe goes like this:

Chop an onion and mince a garlic clove, and saute them in a dutch oven. Slice a pound of polish sausage into 1-inch pieces, throw them in the pot until they brown a little bit. Add 2 cans great northern beans and 1 can diced tomatoes (I think I use the kind with onions & green peppers in it), stir it up, simmer for 20-30 minutes, then eat. She gussies it up a little, I think, with additional herbs and a crumb topping, and sometimes I throw in some cooked chicken if I have it left over, but even without any of that it's still really good, and the leftovers are even better.

She has a lot of good ideas that are even easier, like ways to dress up a can of tuna and stuff like that. It's a really handy book.

[levdrakon]

Well, I don't know what you are currently eating or if you'd think this was healthy, but last night it was my turn to cook and I wasn't very motivated. I get chicken leg quarters at the store. They're cheap and easy to freeze. Put a couple in a pan and simmer with a little water. Chop and onion and toss it in. Maybe some garlic. I get the minced garlic that comes in big jars. Sue me. Let simmer for awhile then toss in a can of cream of mushroom soup. Or not. You could just toss in some milk, some herbs and spices you've got sitting in the cupboard, and maybe some frozen veggies. Do you have a rice cooker? That's a work-saver. Put some rice on when you start the chicken.

It's pretty simple but tastes pretty good. Chicken & rice a la whatever mystery sauce you created. Toss in some turmeric for color if you want.

[Left Hand of Dorkness]

Do you have a food processor? Two recipes if you do:

Delicious Pimiento Cheese (not especially healthy, but if you have it on whole-wheat bread with veggies, not too bad):
-Process a couple cloves of garlic (or crush it in).
-Cube sharp cheddar.
-Add a couple forkfuls of pimientos.
-Add a couple forkfuls of mayo.
-Add a chunk of cream cheese.
-If you want, add cayenne, cumin, black pepper, etc.--whatever sounds good.
-Process.

That's it. Takes less than five minutes, and you get a whole bunch of deliciousness.

Delicious Hummus
-Process a couple cloves garlic (optional: also add a scallion or two, and a handful of parsley).
-Drain a couple cans of chickpeas and process.
-Add half a lemon's juice, a squirt of tamari, a couple big spoonfuls of tahini. Optional: cayenne, cumin.

This one's a lot more healthful, and is really good on toast, with veggies, on pita, etc.

Daniel

[Missy2U]

My favorites. Forgive the directions - I pretty much copied and pasted them from an email I sent my son - I have to be very concise - he's very, VERY literal. If I don't tell him to turn something over, for example, he won't. He is smart, but not, uh, cooking smart.

Cheese Hot Dogs

Take about a 1/2 T of butter and melt it in a frying pan.
Cut a Ball Park Hot Dog (or hot dog of your choice) in half lengthwise - but not all the way through. Make like a pocket for the cheese to go in.
Take a piece of American Cheese and fold it in like fan folds then stuff it in the lengthwise slit of the hot dog.
Put toothpicks in each end of the hot dog holding it kinda together.
Cover the frying pan and heat for awhile till the cheese is melty. Do this twice and you get TWO cheese hot dogs! And if you do it THREE times, the dog gets one too!

Grilled Ham and Cheese

Take a piece of bread and butter it. Put it butter side down in a frying pan. Put a slice of American Cheese on the bread. Take one slice of ham (lunchmeat ham - like Krakus) and cut it in little squares - about bite sized. Put half of them on top of the cheese. Put a half slice of American cheese on top of the ham. Put the remainder of the chopped up ham on the half slice of cheese. Add another full slice of cheese. Put another piece of buttered bread on top with the butter facing up so when you turn it over it will be butter side down in the frying pan. Put a cover on the pan and cook it till it's done on one side. Turn it over and cook it till it's done on the other side. Cutting up the ham makes these really melty cheesy grilled ham and cheeses easier to eat because the ham won't come out as a big assed piece when you're eating it thereby burning yourself with the resultant melted cheese spill. Oh - and give the remaining 1/2 slice of cheese to the dog. He's earned it.

Duffy Pancake

1 stick of butter, melted in an ovenproof, deep skillet. I use my stainless steel one. It's about ten inches - this pancake fills the entire bottom.
2 eggs
1/4 C milk (let me double check this tonight - if it's wrong I'll change it tomorrow).
1/4 C flour
Pinch Nutmeg
Lemon Juice
Confectioner's Sugar

Preheat the oven to 400. Beat the eggs, milk, flour and nutmeg together till mixed. Pour into the skillet with the melted butter. Put the whole mess in the oven and bake for at least 20 minutes - keep an eye on it. You'll be able to tell when it's done because it will be puffed up and set. Sprinkle powdered sugar on it and lemon juice - put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Serve with lemon juice to sprinkle, powdered sugar to sprinkle, or marmalade or jelly or stuff. It's a Duffy pancake because the person who invented it was a family friend by the last name of Duffy. I know. You care.

[Chefguy]

Buy a bunch of Glad single-serving storage containers at Costco.

Make healthy soup.

Freeze in containers.

Thaw one a day for dinner, accompanied by toast or croutons.

[Harriet the Spry]

Baked potatoes topped with chili or broccoli and cheese. They take a while in the kitchen, but you don't have to be there. And then you can just microwave the topping. If you get a healthy vegetarian chili it can be pretty healthy. The chili over brown rice is even healthier.

[maggenpye]

"Stovies"

Cook chopped onion and garlic in a big pot.
Add mincemeat and brown. )
Add diced potato (about 1/2 inch) > about equal amounts of each
Add frozen mixed veg. )

Barely cover with water, add salt and let it boil, covered, until the potato is soft around the edge. Add packet gravy. Serve with lots of crusty bread. Or rice.

If that's still too much effort, you may be able to buy frozen mixed veg with the potato and/or onion already in.

Take Chefguy's most excellent advice and make a huge batch and keep spare servings in the freezer, it improves with reheating. Later, when you're ready, you can make it with all fresh seasonal veg and marvel at the difference from hearty and tasty - to nom nom nom!

[supergoose]

You can keep shredded cheese and chopped raw veggies - onion, mushroom, bell pepper - in the fridge for quick omelets and salads. Also, you can hard boil eggs once a week and chop them up in the salad for some protein.

[jsgoddess]

Thanks, everyone. For some reason my alerts didn't work so I thought this one had died a sad little death with no responses.

I don't have a food processor, but who knows? I might pick one up at Goodwill when I drop off some stuff.

[GilaB]

Beans'n'greens - Wash and chop up a bunch of the green of your choice. I like chard, broccoli rabe, or kale, but you could use spinach, mustard greens, collards, etc. If the stems are very thick, remove them and either cook them for a few minutes longer than the rest of the greens, or toss them. Chop three cloves of garlic. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan on medium heat, and saute the garlic (and a few dried hot peppers if you like) until the garlic turns golden. Throw in the greens with some salt and pepper and cook until they're almost done, stirring to make sure the stuff on top gets thoroughly wilted. Add one can of rinsed white beans (I like cannelini, but you could use navy, great northern, or butter beans, even chick peas) and cook, stirring occasionally, until they get heated through. Remove the hot peppers if you used them, and serve. It's good hot or at room temperature. If you're not fussy about the initial greens chopping (it takes me two minutes or ten, depending on how particular I'm being about stem removal), you can have the whole thing done in ten minutes, plus it's cheap and quite healthy.

[Kalhoun]

Italian sausage, cooked and cut into coins
Fresh mushrooms (I always buy the pre-sliced kind because it's a time-saver)
Fresh tomato, chopped
1 can of artichokes, quartered and cooked in the nuker until tender
Rotini or rigatoni

Put it all together in a bowl, and add a little olive oil and parmesan cheese. Don't forget a glass of wine. Yum!!

[Critical1]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

Buy a bunch of Glad single-serving storage containers at Costco.

Make healthy soup.

Freeze in containers.

Thaw one a day for dinner, accompanied by toast or croutons.

the only draw back to this is that Costco doesnt sell anything but the variety pack of glad containers (well not the ones around here anyway) and the variety pack blows arse.

I love those containers though, just get a couple huge ones, a few of the square ones that hold maybe a quart and a few of the rectangles for single servings, the rest of them I gave away when I realized I was just sacrificing shelf space for crap that was never used.

[Chefguy]

Originally Posted by Kalhoun

Italian sausage, cooked and cut into coins
Fresh mushrooms (I always buy the pre-sliced kind because it's a time-saver)
Fresh tomato, chopped
1 can of artichokes, quartered and cooked in the nuker until tender
Rotini or rigatoni

Put it all together in a bowl, and add a little olive oil and parmesan cheese. Don't forget a glass of wine. Yum!!

Italian sausage, skinned, cut up, browned and drained
one skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut up and browned
garlic
canned tomatoes
canned white beans
fresh rosemary

Add a bit of olive oil to the sausage pan, briefly saute the garlic on low heat. Add the tomatoes, beans, chicken, sausage and rosemary. Simmer covered for about an hour. Generous amount of ground pepper on top.

[Sarahfeena]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

Italian sausage, skinned, cut up, browned and drained
one skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut up and browned
garlic
canned tomatoes
canned white beans
fresh rosemary

Add a bit of olive oil to the sausage pan, briefly saute the garlic on low heat. Add the tomatoes, beans, chicken, sausage and rosemary. Simmer covered for about an hour. Generous amount of ground pepper on top.

This is very similar to a recipe I posted earlier in the thread. I'm not mentioning this to bust your chops, but rather to express how pleased I am that a Chefguy recommends it as a good recipe!

[Furious_Marmot]

Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything is now out in a revised printing, and may be on sale at Amazon. Lots of easy good stuff in there that comes down to "Put these things together, then cook it this way."

[madrabbitwoman]

Original version: http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:...lnk&cd=1&gl=au

My version
Wombok salad
1 wombok cabbage (chinese cabbage that looks like regular cabbage only elongated) or 1 red cabbage sliced thinly
6 spring onions (green onions shallots whatever) sliced.
1 Carrot/tomato/capsicum (whatever salad veggies you like grated sliced etc)

Mix all ingredients. This is the "base" and will store in the fridge for a week.

DRESSING
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Combine all dressing ingrediants in saucepan and mix well until sugar dissloves..
Add 2 teaspoons sesame oil
This can also be stored in the fridge though it will set if you use olive oil.

250g nuts (I use the cheapest unsalted peanuts but you can use any type of nut. I have seen sunflower seeds used) chopped or not.
2 packets crispy noodles

I chuck the "base" into a bowl and add sliced omelet/cooked chicken/prawns whatever you fancy (unless you are a vegetarian like me). Pour some nuts on top and some noodles and drizzle dressing over the top.

Yum yum yum yum.
1/2 an hour preparation gives me 1 weeks worth of main meals

[Chefguy]

Originally Posted by Sarahfeena

This is very similar to a recipe I posted earlier in the thread. I'm not mentioning this to bust your chops, but rather to express how pleased I am that a Chefguy recommends it as a good recipe!

I somehow missed that. Very interesting, as my wife and I came up with this recipe on our own from leftover food we had while on an RV trip and called it faux cassoulet. No onions or peppers in it, however, and we use hot Italian sausage instead of Polish. The rosemary really works well with the dish. We've served this at a couple of dinners (with crostini) and people just rave about it. For something so simple, it's very palate pleasing.

[si_blakely]

I got home from the gym tonight, knowing that I had some sliced gammon waiting.

So:
1 cup SR flour
1 large egg
some milk
2 cups (or 1 tin) whole kernel corn
chilli flakes and chilli powder
pinch salt

mix to a batter, add chopped gammon. Fry, and serve with Burger relish, sour cream and salad leaves.

took 10 minutes, whoa to go. Yummy

Si

[JustAnotherGeek]

My go-to dinner when I'm trying to be healthy and not too hungry is poached eggs on a salad with a vinegary dressing.

To make the perfect seven minute egg:
Start a deep frying full of water to boil
crack however number of eggs you want into separate cups
when the water boils, add a big pinch of salt and a shot of vinegar
TURN OFF THE WATER (if you're on an electric stove move the pan to a cooled burner)
add the eggs
cover and let sit for seven minutes
-----make salad----
remove eggs with slotted spoon and add to your salad.


Or, try K-rab salad on salad. Buy some of the fake crab (hence "K-Rab"), chop it up, add chopped veggies (like celery, onion, or carrot), spices (go easy: onion powder, parsley, salt and pepper) and mayo. Fold and add to your salad.


Lastly, there's nothing wrong with a burger, if you have healthy sides. A 4 or 5oz burger with salad (or slaw or nuked frozen veggies) and tater-tots ain't bad for you, so long as it's not your everyday meal.

[Chefguy]

Originally Posted by si_blakely

I got home from the gym tonight, knowing that I had some sliced gammon waiting.

I had to google 'gammon' to find out what it is.

[JustAnotherGeek]

Almost forgot my absolutely fake, but still delicious Jambalaya.

Get a package of Jambalaya mix (I actually like Zatarans), Pre-cooked Keilbasa, green (or red) pepper, onion, some frozen mixed veggies, (fresh if you've got the time), Chili-powder, and a can of LOW-SODIUM chicken broth. (If you use the regular stuff, dinner will be a very acceptable salt-lick for wandering deer.)
Optional: some whiskey (like Jack Daniels).

Nuke half of the frozen veggies to thaw them.
Pre-slice everything else. (Sausage into "wheels", onion diced, pepper chopped.)
Saute the onions
When they're translucent, add the kielbasa and peppers
When the kielbasa starts to take some color, add chili-powder to taste. If you're using it, add a splash or two of Jack Daniels. (This ain't drunk, but it won't be "dry" either.)
When the JD has mostly boiled off, add the thawed veggies.
Add the rice mix and follow the directions, substituting the chicken broth for an equal amount of water.

Not really Jambalaya, but anyone north of the Mason-Dixon line probably won't know the difference.

[Sarahfeena]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

I somehow missed that. Very interesting, as my wife and I came up with this recipe on our own from leftover food we had while on an RV trip and called it faux cassoulet. No onions or peppers in it, however, and we use hot Italian sausage instead of Polish. The rosemary really works well with the dish. We've served this at a couple of dinners (with crostini) and people just rave about it. For something so simple, it's very palate pleasing.

I'm definitely going to try your version of it...I like any and all kinds of sausage! It seems like the kind of recipe you can play around with different ways.

[jsgoddess]

Originally Posted by Furious_Marmot

Lots of easy good stuff in there that comes down to "Put these things together, then cook it this way."

Just as a point of clarification: "Easy" isn't what's most important to me right now. Right now, what's important is "staying the hell out of my kitchen" as much as possible.

This isn't to mean that I don't appreciate every recipe and book suggestion, because I do!

[si_blakely]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

I had to google 'gammon' to find out what it is.

Bacon would be good, too.

Si

[Kalhoun]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

Italian sausage, skinned, cut up, browned and drained
one skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut up and browned
garlic
canned tomatoes
canned white beans
fresh rosemary

Add a bit of olive oil to the sausage pan, briefly saute the garlic on low heat. Add the tomatoes, beans, chicken, sausage and rosemary. Simmer covered for about an hour. Generous amount of ground pepper on top.

GAH! I forgot the garlic. It just doesn't work without garlic.

Your recipe sounds yummy!

[Chefguy]

Originally Posted by Sarahfeena

I'm definitely going to try your version of it...I like any and all kinds of sausage! It seems like the kind of recipe you can play around with different ways.

To be a bit more specific on ingredients, you want to allow about 4 oz each of tomatoes, sausage, chicken and beans for each person being served.

[jsgoddess]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherGeek

My go-to dinner when I'm trying to be healthy and not too hungry is poached eggs on a salad with a vinegary dressing.

To make the perfect seven minute egg:
Start a deep frying full of water to boil

Hey, JAG, what does this mean?

[JustAnotherGeek]

Originally Posted by jsgoddess

Hey, JAG, what does this mean?

Ummm... that was supposed to be a deep (as in tall) frying pan... (or skillet). So that there's room for the egg to be completely submerged.

Otherwise, in case you've never heard of a seven-minute egg, it means a poached egg with fully set whites and a lava-like yolk. It's actually one of those things that the name says it all and don't mess with the timing. (Just make sure the pan's off the heat source.)

Also, because my typing skilz seem to suck pretty hard today:
My go-to dinner when I'm trying to be healthy andI'm not too hungry is poached eggs on a salad with a vinegary dressing.

[Oakminster]

Get yourself a crock pot if you don't already have one.

Before work in the morning, add meat, veggies if you want, spices, set to low. When you get home in the evening, supper is ready.

A George Foreman Grill is great for quick burgers, chops, chicken breasts, steaks...

[Cheesesteak]

A fun, almost no prep, dinner is a bread and cheese dinner. Get yourself a baguette, a couple of nice cheeses, a dry sausage, fruit like an apple, pear or grapes, and a bottle of wine.

Your time in the kitchen is limited to opening and plating the various foods, which you can do while starting in on the wine.

[norinew]

I'll second the Crock Pot (recipes to follow, momentarily), and add: in the plastic-wrap section of your supermarket, you can find Slow Cooker liners. Basically, they're heat-proof bags you put in your slow cooker (Crock Pot is a brand name) before you add the ingredients. This means less kitchen time for clean-up, too!

Pork Loin Roast with Apple Gravy
3lb pork loin roast
salt and pepper
dried Italian seasoning blend
2C chicken stock (I like the kind that comes in a box better than the kind that comes in a can)
2C apple cider
2 firm, tart apples, sliced
1Tbsp corn starch dissolved in apple cider (not until you're ready to serve, though)

Rub pork loin with salt and pepper and dried herbs
Lay in bottom of Crock Pot (er, that would be 'lay the pork loin in bottom. . .)
Pour stock and apple cider over them
Cook on low for 6-8 hours
Slice apples and add them, turn the Crock up to high
Cook for 1 hour on high
Remove pork loin and apples to serving plate
Mix corn starch with apple cider and stir in remaining liquid to thicken the gravy

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken
4 or 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2C soy sauce
1/2C sugar
1 clove fine minced garlic (or garlic from a jar)
3/4tsp ground ginger
1 and 1/2TBSP red wine vinegar
2TBSP olive oil

Combine all sauce ingredients
Salt and pepper chicken thighs (easy on the salt; there's plenty in the sauce)
Put chicken thighs in Crock, pour sauce over them
Cook on low for at least six hours
Serve over quick-cooking rice (I use brown)



Crock Pots are just about guaranteed to reduce your time in the kitchen!
I'm making beef stew in mine for tonight!

[Chefguy]

In keeping with the OP, this is about the least complex stovetop meal you can make:

Kielbasa or Polish or other sausage, cut up
Potato, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Onion, chopped
oil
salt & pepper

Heat a bit of oil in a heavy pan. Add the potatoes and brown, then add the sausage and brown well. Add the onion and finish cooking until the potatoes are tender. Season. I've also made this with hamburger.

[MLS]

We call this one "chili," although it isn't authentic at all.

Preheat oven to about 325.

Brown 1 lb of ground beef & as much chopped onion as you like.

Meanwhile, drain in a colander:
2 cans of kidney, pinto or other beans you like
1 can of niblets corn
1 small can of mushrooms if you like mushrooms

Drain off fat from the cooked beef, and mix everything together in an ovenproof bowl or casserole. Pour in a can of tomato sauce.

Add to taste garlic powder, chili powder (I use a tablespoon or two), cayenne pepper, black pepper. Add chipotle if you like chipotle. Throw in a bay leaf or two if you have any.

Mix it up, pop in the oven for about a half hour.

[jsgoddess]

The recipes are making me hungry. Thanks, everyone!

[Momofgirls]

Not exactly on the healthy side, but I make Meatball Subs when I'm in a hurry or don't feel like making a time-consuming dinner. You could substitute turkey meatballs and whole-wheat rolls to make it healthier.

[Bites When Provoked]

Bonus points to crockpot recipes, I'm thinking, 'cos you don't even need to put the crock pot in the kitchen - it could plug in to a bedroom outlet or just about anywhere, really, as long as you had a headproof barrier under it so it didn't set fire to the carpet.

I wish I'd thought of crockpot cooking during the heatwave that had me confined to the computer room. The floor in here is tiled, the air conditioning is good, and I could have easily taken care of dinner from the only cool room in the house!

[norinew]

Originally Posted by Bites When Provoked

Bonus points to crockpot recipes, I'm thinking, 'cos you don't even need to put the crock pot in the kitchen - it could plug in to a bedroom outlet or just about anywhere, really, as long as you had a headproof barrier under it so it didn't set fire to the carpet.

I wish I'd thought of crockpot cooking during the heatwave that had me confined to the computer room. The floor in here is tiled, the air conditioning is good, and I could have easily taken care of dinner from the only cool room in the house!

Heh. I've done something similar to this. Our house does not have central air conditioning, and while Maryland isn't as hot as, say, South Carolina, we do have our heat and humidity!

Anyway, we have a big window air conditioner that cools the living room/dining room, but not big enough to cool the kitchen, too. So the kitchen door stays closed in the summer, and the kitchen stays hot.

Not uncommon, in the summer, for me to take just the Crock itself into the kitchen in the early morning (while it's still relatively cool), assemble all the ingredients in it, then set it on the server (in the dining room) and plug it in there.

If we use disposable plates (no dishwasher here, I'm afraid), even less kitchen time! Win!

[Chefguy]

I just remembered one of my favorite quick dishes. I call it Mock Carbonara, as it doesn't really resemble the real thing, and if you eat it often enough, people will mock you.

Pasta (macaroni, spaghetti, whatever)
Bacon
Onion, bell pepper (both optional), minced
Butter
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper

Put the pasta on to cook. Meanwhile, brown up some bacon. Remove and crumble/cut up. If the veggies are desired, saute until tender in a bit of the bacon fat. Drain the pasta and dump in a bowl. Add a glob of butter and mix until the pasta is coated. Add the bacon and grated cheese (and veggies, if you must), and seasoning and mix thoroughly. Sit your fat ass down in fron of the TV and eat the whole bowl with a large spoon.

[TVeblen]

Garlic spaghetti is another spin on Carbonara. I don't remember the real recipe but it's the brainchild of Crescent Dragonwagon. Just wing it one the amounts but remember this only for those who really love garlic.

Start dried spaghetti boiling in salted hot water.
While that cooks, put into a small bowl: a few tablespoons butter, a sprinkle of hot pepper flakes, a pinch of salt, a dash or two of dried tarragon. Crush or grate at least 3-4 cloves of garlic and a hefty amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese. (You can also toss in bacon bits if you have 'em; I usually don't.) Moosh it around; lightly whisk one large egg then dump that in too. Moosh again until things are fairly .

Drain the pasta and immediately dump either into a shallow serving bowl or back into the pot. Quickly stir the butter/egg/cheese stuff into the hot pasta until the sauce melts and coats everything. Serve immediately with more cheese to top.

[norinew]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

I just remembered one of my favorite quick dishes. I call it Mock Carbonara, as it doesn't really resemble the real thing, and if you eat it often enough, people will mock you.

Pasta (macaroni, spaghetti, whatever)
Bacon
Onion, bell pepper (both optional), minced
Butter
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper

Put the pasta on to cook. Meanwhile, brown up some bacon. Remove and crumble/cut up. If the veggies are desired, saute until tender in a bit of the bacon fat. Drain the pasta and dump in a bowl. Add a glob of butter and mix until the pasta is coated. Add the bacon and grated cheese (and veggies, if you must), and seasoning and mix thoroughly. Sit your fat ass down in fron of the TV and eat the whole bowl with a large spoon.

This sounds like a dish that deserves it's own name! I mean, bacon, pasta and cheese. What's not to love, right?

Cut down even more on kitchen time with this dish:
Buy bacon when it's on sale. Line two jelly roll pans with aluminum foil and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put an entire package of bacon, in a single layer, on pans. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until desired done-ness (is that a word?). Drain on paper towels, store in fridge in zip-top baggies.

Remove as many slices as necessary to crumble on salads, make dishes like this mock carbonara, put on sandwiches, warm in microwave to eat with your morning eggs, or just nom as you look through the fridge for something else.

[JustAnotherGeek]

One I learned in the Boy Scouts:

Boil pasta in pan A.

In Pan B, saute some garlic and onions (onions optional, start them first),
(Also optional: some sort of salted pork product. E.g. diced ham, bacon, cappacola, etc.)
add in some diced tomatoes. (you could use canned, but I've never.)
add in basil (fresh if you've got it), oregano, parsely and thyme.
Pasta should be about done; add a small spoonful of pasta water to Pan B.
Drain pasta and coat with sauce.
Add Parmesan and/or mozzarella.
Consume.

[rowrrbazzle]

Thawed salmon filet. Microwave or pan saute till done. Season to taste as desired: lemon, butter, garlic, whatever.

Optional: marinate in soy sauce/teriyaki sauce before cooking. 1 hour gets good results. Overnight is better.