Quick Dinner Ideas

You have been busy the whole day and when you return home, guess what's waiting for you? Dinner! But for the dinner, you have to cook it first and even the thought of it washes you down. So what could be the best way out for cooking some quick meals which are healthy and nutritious too? You'll find the answer to this conundrum in the following recipes.

Ingredients

• Chicken pieces, 3 lb
• Barbecue sauce, 16 oz.
• Orange soda, 16 oz.
• Kosher salt to taste
• Black pepper

Procedure
Lend flavor to the chicken on both sides with the salt and pepper. Before this, preheat a pan and add some oil to it. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken, and fry until it turns brown; flip and fry the other side. Thereafter, add the sauce and soda to the pan. Cook the chicken and keep moistening occasionally. It usually takes 35-40 minutes for the chicken to be cooked through.

Ingredients

• Ground turkey, 1 lb
• Ricotta cheese, part-skim, ½ cup
• Breadcrumbs, ¼ cup
• Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp.
• Kosher salt, ½ tsp.
• Black pepper, freshly-ground, ¼ tsp.

Procedure
Heat a cast iron grill pan over medium heat. Mix the turkey, cheese, bread crumbs, sauce, salt, and pepper together, and form 5-6 patties out of the mixture. Grill the patties for about 4-6 minutes on each side, and serve when a bit cooled.

Ingredients

• Rice, 2 oz.
• Butter, ½ oz.
• Small onion (peeled and sliced), 1
• Button mushrooms (wiped and sliced), 2-3
• Mushroom soup (condensed can), 295 g
• Parsley (chopped), 1 tbsp.
• Salt to taste and pepper, freshly ground
• Parmesan cheese (grated)
• Water, 150 ml

Procedure
Preheat a saucepan, and melt the butter in it. Once the melted butter is hot, add the onions to it, and cook over low heat until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for more 3-4 minutes until soft. In another vessel, bring the water to a boil. Thereafter, add the rice to the pan, and keep stirring for about 1 minute.

Add the mushroom soup and boiling water to the pan, and bring the mixture to a boil. Now, lower the heat and simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes and keep stirring until the rice turns tender and the mix turns thicker.

More water can be added, if you notice that the mix is getting dry. Just before serving the rice, add the parsley and the seasoning. Serve hot and garnish with the cheese.

Ingredients

• Spaghetti (dried), 3 oz.
• Shallot (finely chopped), 1
• Cherry tomatoes (chopped), 8
• Olive oil, 2 tbsp.
• Chives for garnishing

Procedure
Boiling salted water is needed for cooking the spaghetti (follow the instructions given on the packet to cook it). Let it drain well and reserve some of the boiled water (about 1 tablespoon). Now, it's time to quickly fry the shallot in a little fat over low heat, until softened.

Add the tomatoes and olive oil, and cook briefly. Make a mix of the tomato sauce prepared and the reserved water. Add the salt and pepper, and the tomato mix to the spaghetti. Mix well. Serve hot and garnish with the chives.

Ingredients

• Ground beef (browned in pan), 1 lb
• Onion (chopped), ½ cup
• Tomato juice, 1 can
• Heinz 57 sauce, ¼ cup
• Hot water, 2 cups
• Salt and sugar to taste
• Pepper
• Elbow macaroni (cooked), 4 oz.

Procedure
Mix the ground beef, onion, tomato juice, sauce, salt, sugar, pepper, and macaroni together, and cook over low heat. Wait for 15 minutes and voila! Serve hot for two.

Ingredients

• Ham, 2-4 thick slices
• Broccoli (frozen), 1 lb packet
• Swiss cheese, 2-4 slices

Procedure
In a baking dish, arrange the ham slices. Heat the broccoli and soften them. Thereafter, place the pieces on top of ham and then top them with the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 °F.

Ingredients

• Any favorite veggies
• Tomato sauce, 2½ cups
• Tamari soy sauce (low-sodium), ¼ cup
• Thyme (ground), 1 tsp.
• Dry mustard, 1 tsp.
• Basil, 1 tsp.
• Chili powder, 2 tsp.
• Cinnamon, ½ tsp.

• Sage, ⅛ tsp.
• Parsley, 2 tbsp.
• Potatoes (sliced), 6
• Large onion (sliced), 1
• Carrots (sliced), 2
• Green pepper (sliced), 1
• Zucchini (sliced), 1
• Corn (frozen), 1 cup
• Peas (frozen), 1 cup

Procedure
Layer the vegetables in the order given in an electric cooker. Mix the sauces, and pour them over the vegetables. Cover them well and cook them through. Serve hot.

Ingredients

• Sour cream, ½ cup
• Pepper jack cheese (shredded), 12 lb
• Taco seasoning mix, 1 package
• Large flour tortillas, 12
• Corn (frozen), 2 cups
• Pinto beans (drained and rinsed), 16 oz.
• Chunky salsa, 8 oz.
• Brown rice (cooked), 4 cups

Procedure
Rice, salsa, taco seasoning, corn, and beans have to be mixed and heated through. Add the cheese and sour cream to the tortillas and serve hot immediately.

Ingredients

• Boneless chicken breasts, 4-6
• Cream of mushroom soup, 1 can
• Golden mushroom soup, 1 can

Procedure
Remove the skin from the chicken. Before placing it in a baking pan, preheat the oven to about 400 °F. Mix the soups in a large bowl and after mixing it well, pour it over the chicken pieces. Bake for 1 hour until done. Serve the chicken and the thick gravy with rice and potatoes.

Ingredients

• Large boneless chicken breasts, cut in 4 halves
• Cheddar cheese, 1 cup
• Can milk, 1 soup
• Cream of chicken soup, 2 cans
• Ortega whole green chilies, 1-2 cans
• Cheese, 1 small bag
• Salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Procedure
Use an oblong casserole dish for placing the chicken pieces. Wrap the pieces with half cut chilies. Combine the soup, milk, cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to form a mixture, and pour this over the chicken. Place the cheese around the edges. The top must be crumbled with some more cheese. Bake at 350 °F for 45 minutes to 1 hour.