I'm a young bachelor that is on the run a lot what are some quick meals GOOD meals that I can make in 30 min.

Answer 1

Here are 10 pasta sauces. Cook your favorite pasta and toss with sauce.

Spaghetti with Garlic, Parsley, and Pecorino: Saute several cloves of minced garlic in several tablespoons of olive oil. Add a handful of minced fresh parsley and a little crushed red pepper flakes and then toss with cooked spaghetti and some grated Pecorino cheese.

Fettuccine with Butter and Pine Nuts: Toast several tablespoons of nuts in a dry skillet. (You can use chopped walnuts rather than pine nuts, if you like.) When the nuts are fragrant, transfer them to a bowl. Melt at least half a stick of butter in the empty skillet. Toss with cooked fettuccine, toasted nuts, some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and pepper. Best with fresh pasta.

Linguine with Olives: Pit and chop a large handful of black and/or green olives. Combine with several tablespoons of olive oil, a little minced garlic, a pinch of hot red pepper flakes, and some minced fresh herbs. Toss the olive mixture with cooked pasta.

Spaghetti with Olive Oil, Lemon, and Garlic: Saute several cloves of minced garlic in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add the grated zest from a lemon and toss with cooked pasta.

Spaghetti with Pancetta, Pecorino, and Pepper: Saute several slices of diced pancetta in a little olive oil until lightly crisped. Toss with cooked pasta, lots of freshly ground black pepper, and a half cup or more of grated Pecorino cheese. Reserve some cooking water to moisten the pasta, if necessary.

Fettuccine with Butter and Cream (Fettuccine Alfredo): Heat several tablespoons of butter and about half a cup of cream in a large skillet just until the cream starts to simmer. Add cooked fresh pasta to the skillet and then add plenty of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cook over low heat for a minute, tossing until the sauce coats the noodles.

Spaghetti with Herbs: Saute a few minced garlic cloves in several tablespoons of olive oil. Add a tablespoon or two of minced mixed herbs (basil, parsley, thyme, mint, and so on) and toss with cooked pasta.

Penne with Ricotta and Peas: Saute a minced onion in several tablespoons of olive oil. Add a handful or two of frozen peas and cook just until warm. Thin a half cup or so of ricotta cheese to sauce consistency with some pasta cooking water. Combine the pea mixture, thinned ricotta, and several tablespoons of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese with cooked pasta.

Linguine with Raw Tomatoes and Pesto: Chop several ripe tomatoes and combine with several tablespoons of pesto sauce. Toss with cooked pasta.

Penne with Tomatoes, Onion, and Butter: Saute a minced onion in a few tablespoons of melted butter. Add some chopped canned tomatoes and simmer until tender. Toss with cooked pasta and serve with grated cheese.

Answer 2

This is a simple and delicious meal. . .and the best part is that there's very little clean up afterwards!

Take a large square of heavy-duty aluminum foil and place either a boneless chicken breast or a boneless pork chop in the center. Season with whatever you're hungry for: barbecue sauce, teryaki sauce, lemon pepper, Montreal steak seasoning, etc.

Place any or all of the following around the meat: a peeled and quartered potato; a few broccoli spears; a peeled and sliced carrot; some slivers of red onion; a few mushrooms.

Dot the veggies with butter, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Fold the foil up to form a tight package and bake at 350 degrees until the meat is done and the veggies are tender. (Approximately 25-30 minutes.)

Serve with a deli fruit salad and some breadsticks, and you've got most of the food groups covered.

Answer 3

If you have a George Foreman grill (or something similar) you can cook a small steak or chicken/turkey breasts in less than 15 minutes. They're very handy and they also drain a lot of excess fat off. You can (of course) cook these cuts of meat in a skillet but to me, the grills are handier. As for what else to eat with the meat, it depends on what you like. Here are some other easy ideas:

premade biscuit dough (these usually take 10 - 15 minutes in the oven and also come in 2 packs, Pilsbury Perfect Portions)

veggies - you can buy canned, pre cut, or fixings for a salad (all of these are quick)

pasta/rice - Lipton makes a variety of pasta and rice packets (Alfredo, Butter and Herb, Spanish) that you only have to add butter and water too, these usually take about 10 minutes to cook

Answer 4

I suggest making large amounts and keeping them in the freezer in individual glad containers. Just grab one and pop it in the microwave when needed. Like, pasta... that's easy to make. Get a box of macaroni and 1 pd ground burger, 2 jars spag. sauce, chop up 2 bell peppers and an onion. First, brown burger with the chopped pepper and onion. Boil macaroni until done in separate pan. Once the noodles are done and the burger is browned and peppers and onions are tender, toss it all in with the macaroni. Add the 2 jars sauce. Stir. Now, you can put it into containers and store in the freezer. Just about anything you make can be frozen. Add a salad and a roll and you have a great meal.

My little brother had this same problem not to long ago. He was wasting money on eating out all the time, so I told him this very idea. He thanks me all the time...lol Good luck!

Answer 5

Check your local grocery store in the Frozen Foods section. There are a variety of frozen meals in a bag as well as the general boxed frozen dinners. Some of the best out there are Stoufer's, and for the health conscious, there are Lean Cuisine meals.

They can either be cooked on your stove-top (my preference since cooking on the stove adds a bit more quality to the meal) or in the microwave (for those wanting a sturdy meal prepared in the shortest amount of time).

Answer 6

F*** frozen food. You can make tons of great stuff from scratch in 30mins.

1. Get a rice cooker. All you gotta do is throw in the rice, water, and optional seasonings (I like to throw in some olive oil or butter, garlic, ginger, a jalapeno or to depending on what the main is) and it cooks while you make the rest.

2. stir frys dont need to be boring. Make a thai coconut sauce or a peanut sauce while you sautee your veggies & meat, or do spicy sezchuan...Lots of examples of interesting stir fyrs can be found at www.epicurious.com or recipezaar.com

3.Most mexican-style food can be made in under 30 minutes if you use canned beans and add browned meat & sauteed veggies. You can even make your own chipotle salsa in about 5 minutes using canned whole san marzano tomatoes, a couple of chiles in adobo from a can, a small onion (quartered), squeeze of half a lime, a handful of cilantro, and a couple of whole garlic cloves all pulsed up in a blender.

4.experiment with quick homemade pasta sauces, for instance sage brown butter sauce requires only sage, brown butter, and heat-- add it to a butternut squash ravioli or pumpkin tortellini and youve got serious quick gourmet. Just dress a bag of mixed greens with some olive oil and balsamic on the side if you want to veg it up.

Just a few examples to get you started.
The more you do it, the more meals youll begin to come up with on your own. For tips on technique go to foodtv.com or egullet.com

Answer 7

Keep all the fixings you like in your salads handy. Also when you have the time cook a good, large cut of your favorite meat and that can last you for several meals. Over the weekend make a big pot of soup or chili and you have several more meals all ready for yourself!

Answer 8

If you are really interested in fixing a home cooked meal check out Rachel Rae's 30 minute meals cook books or foodnetwork website.

Answer 9

This totally reminded me of Rachel Ray.

Rachel ray is on the food network and has a show called "Thirty Minute Meals" And surprisingly, her meals are actually quite delicious! I own many of her books- Here are some of my fave recipes!


COWBOY SPAGHETTI
1 pound spaghetti
Salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
3 slices smoky bacon, chopped
1 pound ground sirloin
1 medium onion, chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
Ground black pepper
2 teaspoons hot sauce, eyeball it
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1/2 cup beer
1 (14-ounce) can, chopped or crushed fire roasted tomatoes
1 (8-ounces) can, tomato sauce
8 ounces sharp Cheddar
4 scallions, chopped

Heat a pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and salt the water. Cook to al dente or with a bite to it.

Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and bacon. Brown and crisp bacon, 5 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon. Drain off a little excess fat if necessary. Leave just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add beef and crumble it as it browns, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions, garlic and stir into meat. Season the meat with salt and pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Add 1/2 cup beer and deglaze the pan. Cook 5 to 6 minutes more then stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Add hot spaghetti to meat and sauce and combine. Adjust seasonings and serve up pasta in shallow bowls. Grate some cheese over the pasta and sprinkle with scallions. Garnish with crisp bacon


and another one i like alot is chili mac.. its not rachel rays recipe though. its one of my own...very common though.

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 ounces elbow macaroni
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, undrained
1 large can (16 ounces) tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, brown onion with ground beef. Add macaroni, kidney beans, tomato sauce, water, chili powder, and salt. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; cover and continue to heat until cheese is melted.

Serves 4.

Answer 10

If you want 5 minute meals from a nuker.....

Here at Kroger they carry Bob Evans meals. Pot roast, turkey, meat loaf, mashed potatos, etc. They are each individual and sized for about 2 people. Great for dinner one night and left overs another night.

Being a bachelor myself they have came in handy for a good quick dinner and Dad and my bro love them for the RV for when they are at the race track.

They aren't TV dinners.

Answer 11

Zatarains dinners in the box are REALLY good, especially the dirty rice and the jambalaya. I buy those and they always save the day when I'm in a hurry. For jambalaya all you do is add smoked sausage to it. And for dirty rice, you brown some ground beef to it. They only take 20-25 minutes to cook. they are pretty cheap too. about $1.50 a box.