25 Satisfying "I Don't Feel Like Cooking Tonight" Meals That Require Very Minimal Effort
We've all been there: You're feeling lazy or exhausted or simply don't have time to cook anything fancy. Luckily, with some inspiration, it's easy to whip up something that tastes seriously delicious in a hurry with simple ingredients. So redditor u/Bacon8er8 asked, "Tell me about your REAL low-effort meals. I'm talking microwave. I'm talking little to no dishes to clean afterward. I'm talking thrown together, pantry-to-plate." Here's what home cooks said from Reddit and the BuzzFeed Community.
1."Tortellini soup with frozen tortellini. I use veggie stock, but chicken works, too. Throw in a can of chopped or diced tomatoes, a package of fresh spinach, and tortellini. Heat to a simmer until everything is hot. Serve with grated parmesan."
2."Cheater's goulash with a pound of hamburger meat, a can of golden mushroom soup, and sour cream. Brown the beef, stir in the soup and sour cream. Serve over noodles."
3."Toasted white bread, a thin layer of miracle whip, thinly sliced tomato, and salt. Mmmmmm!!"
4."I love making 'dump meals,' which are, at their core, just some kind of jarred sauce plus meat mixed together and set to cook. Salsa chicken is a pretty popular example. All you need is a jar of your favorite salsa, two or three pounds of chicken, and some extra taco seasoning. Cook in a slow cooker for six hours or in the oven at 375ºF for 30–45 minutes. Once it's done, you can heat some tortillas in the microwave to go with it."
5."The most low-effort pasta I make involves spaghetti, a can of tuna, and diced tomatoes. If you can find the tomatoes that are Italian-spiced, that's even better! Tuna in olive oil works wonders, but if not, olive oil from the pantry and basic spices (basil, oregano, garlic powder, bottled lemon juice) are just fine. I boil the water, toss in the spaghetti, and cook a few minutes under the package directions, drain into a colander, then put back in the pot. Toss a bit of butter for the noodles, then proceed to dump the entire can of tuna and about half the can of tomatoes right into the pot. Stir, add spices if needed, and add olive oil if you are not using the tuna in oil. Plate up and done!"
6."Campbell's soup tuna casserole recipe. You need egg noodles, canned tuna, cream of mushroom soup, and if you like, some breadcrumbs or crushed crackers. It’s super cheap and can last you for days."
7."Toss all of these ingredients into a rice cooker: some rice, frozen veggie mix (the one with corn, green beans, peas, & carrots), a cracked egg or two, and sausages (Chinese sausages are best, but you can use your favorite. I like mini sausages too), and then add water/broth and any seasoning of your choice. A couple of options: a splash of soy sauce (or dashi), sesame oil, and maybe chili oil for Asian fried rice. Dry/powder seasoning is used, such as Cajun or creole seasoning, adobo powder, or even bouillon powder. Add butter to the above options if you want. Then, just let it cook. Sometimes, I eat it straight from the rice cooker."
8."Get a bag of frozen broccoli or some other vegetables. Throw it on a cookie sheet, add olive oil and salt/pepper, and roast it at 425ºF for about 20 minutes. You may need to stir once. Serve with a rotisserie chicken. I make this whenever I have no energy."
9."Store-bought naan pizzas: Spread pesto on top of naan, add fresh spinach, cooked chicken, and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle it with olive oil, then broil it, or even just microwave it. It's delish."
10."Eric Kim from New York Times Cooking has an unbelievably good version of tuna rice. I'm sure it's not groundbreaking, but it's how I discovered this kind of thing. Stir together a can of tuna, some mayo, some sesame oil, and some soy sauce. Dump on some rice. If you're feeling fancy, you can top it with Sriracha, furikake, sesame seeds, microwaved frozen edamame, scallions, rice vinegar, whatever."
11."My summer lazy meal has been a hummus wrap with store-bought hummus, sliced tomato or sweet bell pepper, and lettuce or spinach all wrapped up in a tortilla. If I'm really hungry, I'll add some 90-second microwave rice."
12."I love to make taco bowls: throw whatever you have (can do meat and veggies or just veggie, add tofu, whatever) in a pan and cook with taco seasoning. Throw in a bowl and top with salsa, sour cream, etc. You can also wrap them in tortillas if you have them. Any scraps taste good if you add enough taco seasoning!"
13."Canned dolmas by themselves or on a plate with hummus and veggies. I get a big thing of hummus and then pour a heaping spoonful of jarred garlic in to up the flavor, then I can eat that for weeks as a snack with baby carrots or whatever veggies I have in the fridge."
14."Toast with peanut butter and Sriracha is surprisingly good, especially with a runny fried egg on top."
15."Microwave a potato or sweet potato until soft. Pour canned chili and a bit of shredded cheese on top."
16."Rice and runny fried eggs with soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil."
—Anonymous
17."Ramen and add veggies. Literally use whatever veggies you have on hand. You can find bomb instant ramen for around $5 a five pack while the true elite stuff costs around $7."
18."Grab a box of jambalaya rice mix and one kielbasa (fully cooked so you just need to chop it). I normally make to boxes of rice at once, add the kielbasa, a can of corn, and a can of pinto or black beans. This can feed two adults dinner for about four days for under $10 total."
19."Ham and cheese sliders. Grab slider buns, throw slices of cheese on top, ham on top of that, and bake in the oven for a few minutes."
20."Box of shells and cheese, a can of Rotel tomatoes, a can of black beans. This meal got me through some rough times."
21."Turkey sloppy Joe’s made with ground turkey, marinara sauce, and onion powder. I throw the turkey mixture onto a deli roll and call it a night. This is my go-to when I get off work late and want something tasty and quick."
22."My go-to is a 90-second microwavable rice pouch (any flavor really), a can of shredded chicken, and a steamer bag of frozen veggies. Season with salt and pepper, add a little butter, and maybe a sprinkle of cheese on top. Less than 10 minutes, and it's healthy, tasty, and inexpensive!"
23."Hungarian túrós csusza, which is just cottage cheese and sour cream over noodles with fried bacon bits."
24."Make a quesadilla with jarred salsa. Add torn-up spinach if you feel so inclined."
25."Shakshuka! All you need is olive oil, tomatoes (fresh or canned), peppers, spices, and eggs. You can jazz it up with other ingredients (I like to add garlic, eggplant, onions, goat cheese, etc.). But it's a simple simmer, and then crack the eggs on top."
Add your favorite real low-effort meal — one you can whip up quickly and effortlessly that still tastes great! Tell us in the comments or add it to this anonymous form.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
