Easy Recipes Guide 2024: Cook Quick & Healthy Meals
These no-stress recipes are a healthier alternative to your typical fast food. If you ever find yourself without lunch or dinner options (and we all do sooner or later), fast food should be your last resort, not first. Cooking your own meals at home is generally much healthier, and it’s likely to save you money as well.
If you're not a kitchen whiz or are short on ingredients, don’t sweat it. I’ll share some meals that you can whip up with minimal fuss. If you keep some staple items stocked in your kitchen, there’s a lot you can do at a moment’s notice. Eggs, for example, are a cheap and easy source of protein.
With a little planning, you can prepare complete meals for yourself or for a family in as little as 20 to 40 minutes. If guests suddenly show up at your door around lunch or dinner time, don't fret, you can elegantly handle everything.
How to Plan Easy Recipes 🥗
When you break it down, meal creation involves 4 key steps: research or brainstorming, planning, shopping, and cooking. I know it sounds like a lengthy process, but pre-planning and bulk shopping can save you a lot of time.
According to a survey, Americans spent an average of 53 minutes cooking per day in 2022¹. And that's just the cooking part! When you factor in the time spent on the initial 3 steps – not to mention cleanup – it's clear that there’s a lot of time to be saved.
There are a few easy ways to save time here. You can use shortcuts like pre-chopped veggies to save time on prep. Another strategy is to opt for low-effort recipes like bakes that just need time in the oven. Check out our roundup of the best oven-ready meal delivery services for an even easier path to easy dinners.
If you don't have a dishwasher, you'll typically avoid a lot of cleanup with one-pot meals. Bake trays, steamers, air fryers, and rice cookers are handy tools that streamline the cooking process, requiring minimal supervision.
Buy ingredients (tomatoes, rice, and chicken, for example) you can use in multiple dishes. Also, consider buying canned meals that don't require cooking for a rainy day. Frozen ingredients contain the same rich nutrients as their fresh counterparts and have a longer shelf life in the freezer.
It's also a good idea to prepare ingredients in advance when you have time. That way, you can just throw them in the skillet or other kitchen appliance, when the time comes. And if you're looking to lighten the load, you can team up with a neighbor to take turns cooking every even or odd day or week.
What to Cook 🍽️
You don't have to be a master chef to serve a tasty meal. If you're a novice in the kitchen or short on time, there are plenty of easy meals to suit your needs. From quick frying and boiling to effortless roasting, these recipes focus on convenience without sacrificing flavor. For an easy and nutritious meal, whip up salads packed with fresh ingredients.
Boil or Scramble Eggs
Eggs are among my favorite food sources that are easy, healthy, and filling. Being nutritious and quick to prepare, eggs are indispensable on the list of quality food you can make in no time. More than this, however, eggs can be prepared in countless ways and incorporated into almost any cuisine.
You can boil eggs in around 10 minutes, and fried or scrambled eggs can be even faster. You can eat eggs on their own with some minimal seasoning, or you can combine them with veggies or a carb like rice. The options are practically limitless.
If you’re committed to a plant-based diet, a good alternative to eggs is tofu or tempeh. These soy-based ingredients are high in protein and have a neutral flavor that can fit into many dishes.
Put Vegetables in the Oven
Roasting vegetables is a great way of cooking food you prefer not to eat raw. And while they roast, you can do something else that needs doing. Just don't forget to monitor the progress occasionally. I always like to set a timer as a reminder to myself!
Some veggies you can roast are potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, parsnips, and onions. If time is of the essence, toss green beans and asparagus into the oven². You can season roasted vegetables with olive or sunflower oil, salt, basil, or any other spice.
If you don't feel like peeling and chopping, fingerling potatoes and broccoli florets can go in the oven without additional prep. To minimize cleanup, place veggies on a baking sheet. Don't crowd ingredients for crispiness.
Stir-Fry Veggies
Stir-frying is another way of preparing tasty food quickly. Toss edible plants into a wok or frying pan with a splash of olive oil. Add spices and stir or toss the wok's contents over high heat.
What I like about stir-frying compared to roasting is that you can season and smell and taste as you go. You can also add proteins like chicken breast or tempeh and/or carbs like rice or noodles to form a complete dish.
Toss Everything in One Pot
One-pot cooking is the perfect way to combine a multitude of flavors and quick serving times³. This way of cooking provides more flavorsome results than cooking each ingredient individually and takes less time. Think of Spanish paella, Chinese stir-fry, and Italian risotto. What's more, cleanup is easier since you'll use fewer dishes and tools.
You can use various cookware for one-pot dishes, including a wok, casserole, pan, and skillet. Depending on your choice of cookware, prepare your meal on the stovetop or in the oven. Note that cooking on the stovetop, especially with a wok, may demand more attention from you if you intend to multitask while the food is cooking.
Prepare a Pizza
Prepare a homemade pizza for a quick and effortless meal. Gather a handful of ingredients – such as any cheese, meat, or veggies you have on hand – and bake them on top of a flatbread, a tortilla, sliced baguette, or store-bought pizza dough. You can have your pizza ready in 15 to 20 minutes, making it a convenient and satisfying option for any time of day.
The origins of pizza in Ancient Rome may have been as a way to use up leftover ingredients, so there are no wrong answers. I recommend some tomato sauce (you can store canned tomato sauce for years) or some olive oil and garlic to flavor the bread before you add toppings.
Roast Chicken or Turkey
When it comes to roasting poultry, a bit more prep time is needed. This involves washing the bird, rubbing it with a napkin or kitchen towel, salting, and time to soak up the salt. Still, this upfront effort pays off, as a well-roasted bird can provide leftovers for another day or more, especially if you're cooking a larger bird. Once in the oven, you only need to turn the bird occasionally.
Consider adding potatoes, carrots, or some other oven-friendly sides for a complete meal. But you'll have to estimate when it's the best time to put them in the oven. Usually, it should be when roasting is half done. If you're roasting carrots with chicken or turkey, I advise roasting them whole, as chopped carrots lose more nutrients in the process.
Whip Up Pasta
Pasta dishes are easy recipes that require minimal effort and time. With cooked spaghetti or noodles, all you need is pasta sauce, which you can quickly make or buy if you're short on time. For the homemade version, a bit of tomatoes, carrots, and onions can suffice. You can also brown some ground meat in a little oil if you're up for a heartier meal.
Cook Fish Filet in the Oven
Prepare salmon or another fish filet for a low-effort and healthy meal. Start by placing the washed filet on aluminum foil and seasoning it with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Wrap the foil around the fish. Let it marinate for at least 20 to 30 minutes, though leaving it longer will enhance the flavors even further.
Twenty minutes of baking should be enough after you put the filet in the preheated oven. During that time, you can prepare a side dish like salad, sautéed spinach, or something else that pairs nicely with fish.
How to Reduce Food Waste ♻️
You can use pieces of cooked food to make other easy recipes and reduce food waste at the same time.
Here are some quick tips on how to do this:
Get creative with your leftovers and incorporate them into your lunches
Keep carrot, onion, and other vegetable scraps to make a veggie stock or to flavor a bone broth
Aquafaba - the liquid chickpeas come in – has many uses including as an ingredient in vegan mayonnaise
Use the oil from sundried tomatoes or similar items to flavor mayonnaise
Cut broccoli stems into thin strips as a mild and sweet addition to stir-fry
Crisp up the peel of a baked potato to make chips
Freeze excess food from batch cooking for later use and to prevent spoilage
If you have a garden, turn food leftovers into compost
A Sample Menu for a Week 🗓️
Great food and time savings go hand in hand more often than you might think. All it takes is a little forethought and planning. Here is a sample menu for a week of meals as inspiration – notice how some recipes come back later in the week to save you time and reduce food waste. Feel free to take or leave any of these ideas as you see fit!
Breakfast🥞 | Lunch🥪 | Dinner🍝 | |
Monday | Greek yogurt with granola, honey, and mixed berries (experiment with different toppings!) | Quinoa salad with chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, and feta cheese | Stir-fried vegetables (carrots, bell peppers, snap peas) with tofu and soy sauce, served with brown rice |
Tuesday | Overnight oats with almond milk, chia seeds, and sliced bananas | Leftover quinoa salad (try adding avocado to freshen it up!) | Baked salmon with roasted sweet potatoes and a side salad (mixed greens, cucumber, and tomatoes) |
Wednesday | Scrambled eggs with cheese and tomatoes over toast (cook eggs however you prefer!) | Whole grain wrap with hummus, spinach, shredded carrots, and leftover salmon | Roasted chicken with steamed broccoli and brown rice |
Thursday | Smoothie with yogurt, spinach, frozen berries, and banana (or any of your favorite fruits) | Salad with greens, cheese, vinaigrette, and leftover roast chicken | One-pot meal with pasta, zucchini, marinara sauce, and ground beef or pork |
Friday | Sweet pancakes with yogurt and blueberries or savory pancakes with ricotta and smoked salmon | Leftover pasta or a salad wrap with leafy greens, cheese, and nuts | Fish filet in the oven with roasted potatoes and stir-fried vegetables |
FAQ
What is the easiest to cook food?
Lots of great tasting and nourishing food can be cooked with little effort. I think roasted veggies are among the best options, as you can simply toss them in the oven and wait for your desired doneness.
What should I cook for dinner when lazy?
The best way to ensure you don’t go hungry on lazy nights is to pre-prep some meals and ingredients. For example, you can prepare a soup or a stew and store it in the fridge or freezer. If you find yourself without time to make a fresh dinner, you can simply reheat your dish in the microwave or on the stove.
What is a simple meal?
A good basic formula for any meal is a protein, a veggie, and a starch. This could be a piece of chicken with roasted broccoli and a baked potato. It could also be a black bean burger (protein) with slaw (veggies) on a whole grain bun (starch). Simplifying your recipe planning into these components can make dinnertime less daunting.
References
1. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2024/exploring-time-spent-on-cooking-reading-and-other-activities-for-national-hobby-month.htm
2. https://www.wellplated.com/oven-roasted-vegetables/
