Some days there are just not enough hours in the day to get every thing done. By the time it gets to be dinner, not only are there not enough hours, you usually don’t have much energy left either. The good news is that you can have dinner ready and on the table in less than 30 minutes with these quick and easy dinner ideas.
Hobo Packs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tear off four 8 inch sheets of aluminum foil and lay on work surface.
Form four patties with a pound of hamburger. Slice one onion, ½ cup mushrooms, ½ cup green peppers, and 2 potatoes into ¼ inch slices.
Layer potatoes, onions, mushrooms and green peppers into the centers of aluminum foil squares. Lay a hamburger patty onto each pile of vegetables. Season.
Fold all sides of aluminum foil together to form a pouch. Fold over at the top. Place pouches on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Serve on a plate and let each person open their own packet. Pair with a simple salad.
Enchilada Casserole
Brown one pound of hamburger with one diced onion.
Tear 12 soft corn tortillas on top of browned beef.
Pour two cans of enchilada sauce and one can of corn (drained) on top of tortillas and mix together.
Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until tortillas have heated through.
Serve topped with grated cheese, salsa, sour cream, lettuce and tomato.
Hoppin’ John’s
Heat 1 cup of cubed left over roast beef with 1 can cream of mushroom soup in a small sauce pan.
While roast beef and soup mixture are heating, prepare two cups of minute rice in microwave.
To serve, spoon ½ cup of rice into bowls and top with roast beef gravy mix.
Top with shredded cheddar cheese, diced onions, celery and green peppers and sliced mushrooms.
Southwest Pasta Salad
Boil 2 cups of corkscrew pasta until al dente (about 10 minutes). Strain and place cooked pasta in a bowl. Set bowl in refrigerator to cool pasta.
While pasta is cooling, dice 1 cup of ham or chicken breast, ¼ cup cooked bacon, ¼ cup red onion, ¼/ cup red bell pepper, ½ cup avocado.
Take pasta out of refrigerator and mix in ½ cup sun dried tomato vinaigrette. Add the diced meat and veggies and ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese. Toss to mix.
Try adding corn, black beans and black olives for even more Tex-Mex flavor!
Fun Fish Fingers
Dip ½ inch wide strips of sole (that has been seasoned) into a beaten egg and then dredge in bread crumbs. Sauté in olive oil for about 3 minutes per side.
Serve with lemon and tarter sauce. Add a small baked potato and a simple tossed salad for a super simple dinner that even the kids will like!
Meals don’t have to take hours to prepare. If you keep basic ingredients in your refrigerator and pantry, you can whip up healthy and delicious cuisine for your family in just a few short minutes. Then all you have to do is find someone to do the dishes while you enjoy your kitchen free evening!
