Look, unless you enjoy cooking, no one likes spending time in the kitchen longer than they have to in order to whip up something mediocre to eat.
Ordering food or, for the time being, enjoying a socially distanced lunch at an establishment is convenient, but it can take a toll on your wallet.
So what options are there?
Fortunately, there are plenty of them that do not involve nuking a frozen entree.
Strangers on the internet shared their amateur culinary wisdom when Redditor SandandS0n asked:
"What's your go-to under 5 minute meal?"
These dinner selections are super sufficient.
In Case You Didn't Know
"Quesadilla. super quick and easy to make and there's a ton of ingredients that you can add without much effort that will make it even better."
A Must For Quesadilla
"I like to buy a rotisserie chicken and use it for a lot of things...I probably make Quesadillas 2-3 times a week. A little roast chicken and salsa to your cheese quesadilla and you have a real meal in the same amount of time. The trick is to use butter in the pan and to cook it on medium-low until the insides get melty, and then raise the heat to medium and get your desired tortilla crispness."
Noodling Around
"Ramen and an egg, but not the traditional way."
- "Boil roughly half an inch of water (we want just enough water to boil the noodles, with very little water left over when it's done boiling)."
- "Smash up the ramen noodles, while still in the package (optional but cooks MUCH faster)."
- "Open the package and remove the seasoning."
- "Dump the noodles in."
- "While boiling, crack an egg and whisk in a small bowl."
- "Noodles should be done and almost all the water should be gone, if not strain out some.
- Remove from the heat."
- "Slowly pour in the egg while mixing very quickly, try not to let the egg touch the pan."
- "Mix as much of the seasoning packet as you like (I prefer 1/2 - 3/4 because I usually add a salty component at the end.)"
- "Add to bowl and top with some chives, thinly sliced, ripped up ham/salami and/or parsley. Leftover bacon or pancetta are fantastic crunchy components to dial up the texture."
"Easy, fast and checks so many of the 'munchie' boxes for me."
noodles ramen GIF by HUANG'S WORLDGiphyDon't Underestimate Soups
"Tomato soup and add tortellini. I like the spinach ones from Trader Joe's and Progreso creamy tomato with basil. It's bomb and it really makes a decent meal."
People Explain The Worst Thing That's Ever Happened To Them On Their Birthday
Get Your Soups On
"Grilled cheese and tomato soup. Put tomato soup can in pot on low. Add in equal amount of milk to soup(1 can of soup= 1 soup can of milk). Cook grilled cheese as desired and enjoy!"
Microwave Dumpling Soup
"Pick a broth, add (insert Asian dumpling here; mandu are good, but gyoza or wonton work too), add a fistful of fresh greens (spinach, arugula, cabbage, literally whatever you have on hand). Add hot sauce if you want it, a splash of soy if you have it, whatever you like in your broth. Microwave three minutes; beat an egg while you do. Remove the soup from the microwave and drizzle in the egg very slowly. Congrats, you've hit most major dietary requirements and made a satisfying meal that's as filling as you want it to be."
"Peak tier for me is beef broth, a splash of dashi, a splash of soy sauce, a splash of mirin, a big spoon of sambal olek, about four or five mid-sized Chinese beef and vegetable dumplings, a fistful of baby spinach, and an egg. Sometimes you have to microwave again for a minute if the egg ribbons don't set."
Goes Well With Veggies And Cheese
"Hummus is such an underrated food. It goes well with a lot of veggies and breads and chips or heck even cheese. All the time I hear hummus being listed as one of those weird, gross foods when its actually an amazing snack, or a meal if done correctly. It's not really unhealthy, either, especially if eaten with veggies (celery and carrots go great with hummus)."
Must Add Cheese
"Bread (any kind) plus cheese."
"Sometimes just the cheese. I eat the preshredded kind out of the bag at midnight, to hide from my shame."
Ready In Seconds
"All I do is get a paper towel, and put 5 Oreos on it."
"Then go back and get the whole package."
Rice Is Nice
"If you already have rice made and in the fridge: pop the rice in the microwave to heat up (covered, so it doesn't get weird), fried egg, add kimchi = yuuuuuum. The fried egg should be cooked enough that it's still gooey, but not totally runny. ...it's good cold, too. I've totes fried an egg in the morning, assembled my meal, and brought it for lunch. You do have to be careful about where you eat it, tho- not everyone likes the smell of kimchi. Tuna sandwich etiquette applies here!!"
"Edit to add a second one: Oh!! If you cut up half an andouille sausage, brown the slices in a pan while you steam some broccoli (in the microwave), then mix together and top w/a little Parmesan cheese. Suuuuper good."
– wrenwild
Peanut Butter Fantasies
"Peanut butter sandwich."
"If I'm feeling extra froggy I'll add nutella to the peanut butter and honey sandwich and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Goes down about as well as a popeye's biscuit though."
Nature's Candy
"Fruit."
"It's like cheating the system. You eat sweets and call it healthy."
Erotic Duo
"Watermelon with Mango. It's fruit sexy time on your tongue, super healthy for you, great pre or post workout/game, takes 2 minutes to make."
– GypsyJJJ
Better Than Dip
"Another really good one is mango and avocado cubed, sprinkled with salt and lime. Eat with tortilla chips. Simple and tasty."
Start your day without all the hassle of a fancy breakfast.
Put It In A Bowl
"Oatmeal or cereal."
– essa618
"Cereal is definitely underrated as a meal outside of the breakfast dynamic."
Thanks, Nonna!
"A very simple recipe my grandma prepared for me when i was a kid."
"It's basically scrambled eggs...but before adding the egg she would cook sweetcorn (from a can) with a little bit of butter, add the eggs and then when the eggs were almost ready, add small cubes of cheese and cook for a minute or until the cheese start to melt (she was using fontal, but any swiss or white cheddar will do). Just a little black pepper and salt."
"Takes 5 minutes to do but it's absolutely delicious, fill you up, not so unhealthy and I feel my late grandma with me."
'I tried variations with chives or spring onions, paprika or other stuff. Still good but nothing as good as a simple "uova strapazzate con mais e formaggio.'"
"Grazie nonna"
– Xelorath
I consider yogurt a healthy snack/lunch option.
I like having a bowl of non-fat plain Greek yogurt with raspberries, blueberries, sprinkled with granola and drizzled with honey.
It's packed with nutrients and gives me a nice boost of energy.
Yogurt also makes for a perfect chip dip. I sprinkle some onion soup mix and stir in the mixture. Who knew quick and easy food prep could be so delicious?
