Shortcut Recipes

[Epicurean]

Do you have any really easy shortcut recipes you'd like to share? By that I mean, you "cook" a meal using things already prepared from the grocery store, e.g. chicken pot pie using rotisserie chicken and precut or frozen veggies, etc.

 

It doesn't have to be healthy or cheap. I'm focusing on EASY right now.

[cjzimmer1]

Well none of my shortcut meals use recipes but things I would make under your parameters.

 

Chicken and biscuits.

Cooked chicken, mixed veggies (cooked from frozen or canned), cream of chicken soup mixed with milk.  stir all together.  I've always made drop biscuits from scratch but you could easily buy those packaged ones where all you do is add water.  Drop batter on filling and bake until biscuits are cooked.

 

Spaghetti

jarred sauce and pasta.  Since my crew needs more protein, I will add hamburger and or/cottage cheese whichever is easiest.

 

stir fry

frozen stir fry veggies, whatever leftover meat I have around, bottle of some kind of asianish kind of sauce, rice.

 

tacos

whatever leftover meat, heated with salsa, put in a tortilla, add grated cheese and any fresh veggies we may have around.

 

(leftover meat can be rotessierie chicken if that's what's easiest for you)

[magnificent_baby]

Uncle Ben's Chicken and Wild Rice soup. My kids scramble for the last of it. I use rotisserie chicken from the store, so much more flavorful and cuts down on prep. I also use half and half to make it lighter. Tastes better the next day (if there are left overs, rarely happens here).

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/23852/creamy-chicken-and-wild-rice-soup/

 

 

 

[Um_2_4]

I keep a bag of peeled raw shrimp in the freezer for quick shrimp fried rice: 1 packet seasoning from the asian aisle, 1 egg, shrimp, leftover rice, soy sauce, cupful of frozen peas/carrots, green onions if I have them.

 

When tomatoes are cheap I make tomato soup (very quick): saute 1 onion in olive oil, add diced tomatoes (some recipes say you can use canned, never tried it), salt/pepper to taste, vege bouillon cube and water to cover. Leave in crockpot on low for a while or on the stove on low. Puree using immersion blender, add water if needed and top off with heavy cream, season to taste.

 

Black Bean soup: Puree 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained), 1 cup salsa, 1 cup water and 1 vege bouillon cube. Pour into pot, add water to desired thickness, heat just till boiling. Serve with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, tomatoes,green onion, and sour cream.

[VaKim]

I do a chicken pot pie using refrigerated pie crusts, canned chunk chicken breast, 1 can Progresso Light chicken pot pie style soup, 1 can cream of chicken soup, some frozen peas. I throw everything but the crusts in a frying pan, add salt and pepper, and heat through while preheating the oven to 400. I put one pie crust in a casserole dish, pour in the heated mixture, put the other crust on top (doesn't matter if it is pretty or what), then heat in the oven until the crust starts to brown. 

 

Sometimes I actually cut up chicken breasts and cook them first, but that takes lots longer and I hate cutting up chicken. 

[kiana]

Can of cream of something soup (aka church supper binder), can of tuna/chicken, bag of frozen vegetables, shredded cheese if desired, stir until hot, pour over starch.

[alisoncooks]

A pound of ground beef and a box of beef flavored Rice-a-Roni.  I think the ingredients/cook time are even on the box as "meal ideas."  

 

But the Rice-a-Roni website has lots of variations (one similar to what I do above, but adding mushrooms, which would be yummy, especially if you used stir fry meat instead of ground beef!)  Add steam-bag broccoli as a side.

 

We also do easy chicken pot pie (refrigerated crusts, canned chicken, cream of chicken soup, cream of potato soup, can of Veg-All).  Similar to this...

[ktgrok]

Cheater chili: Brown ground beef (1 lb) in a pot/pan. Add 2 cans chili beans (seasoned) and 1 jar salsa. Stir and heat until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips or biscuits or whatever. Can top with shredded cheese, sour cream etc. 

[Dynamite5]

This recipe says 17 minutes...Thai Chicken Salad and it looks pretty tasty.  

 

You could also make white bean chicken chili with cut up rotisserie chicken, canned Rotel and white beans.  You could even purchase precut onions and peppers if your grocery carries those.  Just saute them first and add in the canned goods and chicken pieces.

 

What about good old-fashioned hot dogs cut up in baked beans?

 

Roasted vegetables are really quite easy to cook.  Make a big batch and then make quiche from the leftovers and refrigerator pie crusts.

 

Make doubles of anything you cook and freeze part, if possible.  Take advantage of bagged salads, baked potatoes and sweet potatoes, pastas such as ravioli that have meat or spinach in them, and find out which nights of the week your grocery store deli offers meal deals.

Edited September 26, 2016 by Dynamite5

[ktgrok]

fajita/burrito/wahtever things.... use the precooked perdue shortcuts chicken breast (in the refrigerated section of the grocery store..it's already cut in strips). Broil some frozen peppers/onions (I buy bags called "recipe ready" that have peppers and onions already sliced, and broil them for 5-10 minutes, stirring now and then, and they come out like they were fire roasted or grilled). Add shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc. I like to put some chicken on the tortilla, add the cheese, then microwave for 30 seconds to warm the cheese and chicken. Then add the cold ingredients. 

[cjzimmer1]

Just thought of another one

 

Hamburger stroganoff.

 

Brown meat (with onions if you are feeling ambitious)

 

Add cream of chicken soup and sour cream.  Serve over noodles.  I usually add a veggie like broccoli or green beans to the mix because my kids are more likely to eat the veggies when they are mixed in verses serving them on the side but it's good either way.

[lllll]

nm

Edited October 5, 2016 by 1' n'ye