Who says you have to be a seasoned cook to make your own tasty meals? We all know how expensive ordering out can be, and pre-made foods get old. So these semi-homemade foods come through in a pinch. They're super fast to prepare, hearty, and they taste great. And, you don't have to go on a whole cooking journey to have a meal that tastes homemade.
Cheesy Chicken & Rice
Chicken and rice are staples separately and in combination in a lot of different cultures. And, they make a classic comfort food. Plus, with the pre-cooked rice that all you need to do is nuke and rotisserie or another precooked chicken, this is a low-effort and easy meal you can put together in minutes, whether you're feeding one person or six. This recipe serves one, but feel free to double, triple, or however much you need to multiply to feed all the hungry folks in your house.
Ingredients
- 1 (1-serving) package pre-cooked, microwavable rice
- 4 to 6 ounces cooked chicken, bones and skin removed and chopped
- ½ cup frozen peas or broccoli, thawed
- ¼ cup softened cream cheese
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup packaged shredded cheese (of your choosing)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Microwave the rice according to package directions and set aside.
- If the chicken isn't already hot, heat it in the microwave for one minute.
- In a saucepan, heat the cream cheese and milk on medium-high until it simmers, stirring constantly.
- Add the shredded cheese and stir until it melts.
- Stir in the peas or broccoli, rice, and chicken. Cook, stirring, for one minute.
- Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Helpful Hack
Kick it up a notch. Stir in 1 teaspoon of taco sauce and diced pickled jalapeños to taste when you add the rice, chicken, and peas. This is really good if you use pepper Jack cheese, too!
Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Legs
These chicken legs make a perfect meal, and they're tasty with a salad, a microwaved potato, or some steamed veggies. They'll take about 45 minutes to cook, but if you can wrap bacon around something, these are so easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1 package fresh chicken legs (with bones and skin)
- Two pieces of thin-cut bacon per leg
- Salt, pepper, or seasoning to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Season each leg with a sprinkling of salt and pepper (or your seasoning of choice)
- Wrap each drumstick in two slices of bacon.
- Place the drumsticks in a baking pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Helpful Hack
FYI — my absolute favorite flavor combo for this is to sprinkle the chicken with some gochujang powder, salt, and pepper, wrap each drumstick in bacon, and then brush some sweet chili sauce onto the bacon. So good!
Sausage and Peppers
One of the parts of the grocery store I love when I'm going for a low-effort meal is the pre-cut veggies in the produce section. Most grocery stores have pre-cut bell peppers and pre-chopped onions, although, in a pinch, you can easily chop them yourself. Just make sure with the peppers you remove the seeds. This makes about 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 pound (or 1 package) of kielbasa, sliced into one-inch pieces
- 1 package pre-chopped bell peppers (any color), about 2 cups or 2 whole peppers
- 1 package pre-chopped onion, about 2 cups or 1 whole onion
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high until it shimmers.
- Add the onions and peppers. Cook, stirring, for five minutes.
- Add the kielbasa and cook, stirring, for another five minutes, until it's heated through.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Savory Cabbage and Ground Beef
If you can brown hamburger, then you can make this super fast and tasty meal. Feel free to substitute ground turkey, chicken, or even pork sausage for the ground beef. This makes 4-6 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 package pre-chopped onion (about 2 cups) or 1 onion, chopped (I like red onion for this, but go with what you can find)
- 1 (16-ounce) package cole slaw mix (the kind without the dressing)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium-high until it shimmers.
- Add the hamburger and cook, crumbling with a spoon, until browned, about five minutes.
- Add the cabbage and cook, stirring, until it's soft, about one minute more.
- Add the garlic powder, ground ginger, onion powder, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, for one minute more.
Helpful Hack
Make it a meal by spooning the mixture over some pre-cooked rice.
Fast Faux Ph'o
Back to the precut stuff in the produce section — this time, grab a container of zoodles (zucchini noodles). You'll also want to grab some star anise from the spice section and a small piece of ginger from produce, along with some deli roast beef. If you can simmer broth, you can make this super easy soup that'll fix your ph'o cravings fast. This makes 2-4 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 (32-ounce) container of low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 star anise
- 1 two-inch piece of ginger, cut in half
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
- 2 packages (about 4 cups) pre-cut fresh zucchini noodles (or an equivalent amount of any cooked long noodles like udon, spaghetti, or rice noodles)
- ½ pound deli roast beef, cut into one-inch strips
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat the broth, star anise, ginger, garlic powder, soy sauce, and fish sauce on medium-high heat.
- Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered.
- Remove the star anise and ginger from the broth and discard.
- Stir in the zucchini noodles and roast beef. Simmer for one minute more.
Helpful Hack
Make this even tastier by garnishing with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, sliced fresh chilies, and chopped fresh basil.
Savory Meatball Soup
I'm not gonna lie. A lot of my super low-effort meals are soups because they're so easy but so satisfying. And for this soup, which you can make in single-person batches or ones for a ton of people, all you need is prepared pesto, canned tomato soup, and frozen meatballs, plus a little grated Parmesan for garnish, if you wish. This makes two servings, but you can scale up as needed.
Ingredients
- 1 can (10 ounces) condensed tomato soup (plus water)
- ¼ cup pre-made pesto
- 8 frozen meatballs, thawed and warmed in the microwave
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the soup plus the amount of water the can calls for and the pesto.
- Heat on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the soup begins to simmer.
- Add the meatballs. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes to heat the meatballs through.
Helpful Hack
Make it look fancy with a little garnish. Drizzle some pesto over the top and then drizzle a spiral of olive oil and a sprinkling of grated parmesan.
Fast Frito Pie
Can you open a can of chili? If so, you've totally got this. It makes one individual frito pie (about 2 servings), but you can make 'em bigger if you need.
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce) can of chili
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced chilies, drained
- ¼ grated cheese
- 1 cup Fritos, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In saucepan, heat the chili and diced chilies on medium-high until it simmers, stirring occasionally.
- Pour into a small baking dish.
- Sprinkle grated cheese over the top and top with the Fritos.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.
Helpful Hack
Serve with some sour cream and chopped avocados as garnish.
Mock Migas
This is a hearty breakfast fave, but I love it for dinner. It's super fast and easy for anyone who can scramble an egg. This makes two servings.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces ground chorizo (or breakfast sausage)
- 1 cup chopped onion (grab it from the precut veggies in the produce aisle)
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies
- 1 cup crushed corn chips
- 4 eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Salsa and sour cream to top
Instructions
- In a medium-sized skillet, cook the chorizo, crumbling as you cook, until it's browned, about five minutes.
- Add the onions and cook, stirring, for two minutes.
- Add the canned chilies and cook, stirring, one minute more.
- Add the corn chips and cook, stirring, for one minute.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk with a fork. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the eggs are set, one to two minutes.
- Serve topped with sour cream and salsa.
Cooking for Non-Cooks
You won't spend a ton of time in the kitchen with these fast and easy meals, but it'll taste like you did. These simple foods may use premade ingredients to save time and effort, but they add variety and deliciousness to your meals and give you a great place to start to customize and make them your own.
