Quick, Affordable, and Nutritious: 12 Meals for Busy People
Quick, Affordable, and Nutritious: 12 Meals for Busy People
The old stereotype that everything tasty is unhealthy, and everything healthy is bland, has long been debunked. Now, it’s time to tackle another myth: that cooking a delicious meal takes a lot of time. Our recipes are perfect even for culinary novices who might not know how to sauté, blanch, or poach.
Japanese-Inspired Rice
This dish isn’t traditional Japanese cuisine, so no exotic ingredients are needed. Just soy sauce.
Ingredients:
- Long-grain rice – 1 cup
- Canned or frozen vegetables – 200 g
- Soy sauce – 4 tbsp
Instructions:
- Cook the rice in boiling salted water until tender.
- Sauté the frozen vegetables for 10-12 minutes or open a can if using canned vegetables.
- Combine the rice and vegetables in a pan, sauté on low heat for 2 minutes, then add soy sauce, mix, and sauté for another 5 minutes.
Egg and Bean Burrito
Burritos are convenient to eat on the go as they require no fork or plate. Just don’t overdo the sauce to avoid spills!
Ingredients:
- Sour cream tortilla or thin lavash
- Chicken eggs – 2
- Canned beans – 100 g
- Grated cheese and sauce – to taste
Instructions:
- Whisk the eggs with salt and fry an omelet. Place it on the lavash.
- Heat the canned beans in a pan or microwave, place them on the lavash, and add cheese or sauce.
- Roll everything up and fry for 1 minute on each side on a dry, hot pan.
Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
Keep a couple of small jars of tomato paste in your fridge, and you’ll never have to eat plain spaghetti again.
Ingredients:
- Spaghetti – 150 g
- Tomato paste – 100 g
- Garlic – 2 cloves
- Onion – 1/2
Instructions:
- Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions.
- Peel the garlic and half an onion. Finely chop and sauté in vegetable oil on low heat for 3-4 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add the tomato paste and sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Place the spaghetti on a plate and top with the hot marinara sauce.
Farmer’s Pizza
Traditionally, the main element of this “pizza” is cornbread, hence the name. But if you don’t like it, you can substitute any other bread.
Ingredients:
- Cornbread (preferably round)
- White canned beans – 150 g
- Ham – 100 g
- Greens – 1 bunch
Instructions:
- Heat the cornbread in the microwave or oven. You can use toasted bread from a toaster.
- Cut the ham into cubes and heat with the beans in a pan.
- Wash and finely chop the greens.
- Place the ham and beans on the bread and sprinkle with greens.
Chickpeas with Pasta
Legumes and pasta are two separate side dishes, but they can also be combined!
Ingredients:
- Canned chickpeas – 100 g
- Pasta – 100 g
- Bell pepper – 1
Instructions:
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
- Heat the chickpeas directly in the can (in hot water) and open it.
- Wash the bell pepper, remove the seeds, core, and stem, and cut it into small cubes or strips.
- Mix all three ingredients.
Homemade Chili
If you don’t like spicy foods, you can substitute bell pepper or Korean carrot for chili pepper and replace celery with any dry seasonings.
Ingredients:
- Ground beef or chicken – 250 g
- Tomato juice – 4 tbsp
- Onion – 1
- Chili pepper – 2
- Celery – 1 stalk
Instructions:
- Fry the ground meat in a pan (15-20 minutes) and drain the rendered fat. Add the tomato juice.
- Peel the onion, wash the peppers and celery. Remove the seeds from the peppers and finely chop all the vegetables. Add to the meat, salt everything, and simmer for another 15 minutes on medium heat. If the mixture becomes too dry, add a little more tomato juice or boiled water.
For more healthy recipes, visit Heroine.
