What, for you, constitutes a simple meal?
You’re in the kitchen after a day of whatever your endeavours were, you’re hungry, maybe a little tired, you just want to eat something tasty with little to no effort, and you’re all out of leftover holiday goose.
For me it would be some buttered bread, a couple Mezzetta brand chili peppers, if I have a tomato or onion, a piece or two of those, maybe some canned corn and some browned hamburger with maybe a bit of salt pepper and basil and or oregano thrown in.
Simple, minimal effort, filling, and tasty.
My go-to is a bowl of fresh salsa with toasted pittas cut into strips for dipping.
(perhaps a small amount of melted cheese on them if I’m feeling fancy).
Some greek yogurt on the side as well to cool the burn.
Cheese and pickle sandwich. I have practically lived on them before. My coworker calls it a prison sandwich. But I like it! Dill pickles, extra sharp cheddar, mustard and mayo.
That or rice with a can of rotel tomatoes and an egg on top.
For something cold, a basic sandwich. For something warm, a grilled ham and cheese. If I feel ambitious, a grilled tuna and cheese. A little more ambitious, a grilled fried egg, ham and cheese.
Back in 1982, while attending training at the Nuclear Power Training Unit in Idaho Falls, my housemates and I would often arrive home at about 11 pm, and be required to be on the bus at six the following morning. On those nights, we’d cook up a couple of cups of Minute Rice and top it with a can of Campbell’s Chunky soup, then turn in.
Today, when I get home to an empty apartment at 11 pm, it’s two hot dogs, a serving of store-brand potato salad, and a couple of cans of beer.
Ramen with natural peanut butter, chili oil/crisp, soy sauce, and scallions has been my go-to recently for when I want a quick lunch. If I have any leftover protein I might toss it in there, too.
Similar to @pulykamell (and how often have I typed this in a food thread?), Ramen (generally Shin), with an egg poached in the broth, generally livened up with a touch of cheap powdered Hondashi / Homemade Stock / Left over shrimp shells simmered in the water first / bonito flakes.
Topped with either freeze dried chives or scallions (depending what I have left), and a dash of sesame oil or chili oil (or sesame chili oil!).
A flour tortilla filled with some veggies, beans, and cheese will do nicely.
Pasta with stuff added is good too (unless I’m so hungry I don’t want to take the time for the pasta to cook). Depending on what I have on hand, the pasta might actually end up being served with all kinds of tasty bits. But at a minimum, I generally have cheese, olive oil, and vegetables around that I can stir in.
Four precooked Johnsonville Vermont maple breakfast sausage links, microwaved for 1 minute, on a Martin’s potato sandwich roll with a slice of individually wrapped American cheese.
Failing that, sliced salami, cheese, and Triscuits, or whichever 1 to 3 of those things, or equivalent substitutes, that I happen to own simultaneously.
Bread, cheese, pickles, an apple.
(Add a pint of ale and that’s called a Ploughman’s Lunch - someone will be along shortly to say it’s not as traditional as people think)