Semi-Homemade Lazy Meals

[Zhizara]

Do you ever take a prepared food and jazz it up so it's yummy?

One of my guilty pleasures is a can of cheap (off brand) mini-o's with meatballs. Add a little catsup and a couple of spoonsful of leftover taco meat mixture, top with a little grated parm., and it's a pretty good, easy meal for one.

Imitation Krab: I get a 1# package, thaw it just enough to cut into quarters for the freezer. I like to thaw 1/4#, add several drops of lite soy to it in a baggie, and let it marinate. Cook a pack of Ramen type noodles and add the Krab. 'nother easy one. The soy sauce corrects the too sweet taste of the imitation krab.

Alfredo sauce: A jar of alfredo sauce, used to melt 4 oz. cream cheese, some bleu cheese crumbles, and grated parmesan turns into a great base. I like it with ham & broccoli, canned salmon with green peas, etc, Serve over whatever kind of noodles you like.

I've got lots more cheap and easy cheats. What are some of yours?

 

[Andy M.]

I've been known to use a bag of Ore-Ida frozen hash browns to make a casserole with sausage and cheese.

A quick lunch for me is a package of Stouffers mac and cheese dressed up with Tabasco and occasionally some leftover dinner meats.

 

[Aunt Bea]

In the winter I keep a couple cans of Campbell's Chunky Soup and a couple pouches of Bisquick on the Emergency shelf.

I pour the soup into a one quart casserole and heat it in the microwave then top it with drop biscuits using the prepared biscuit mix. I bake it in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until the biscuits are done and the soup is bubbling.

A container of frozen chili thawed in the microwave and topped with a box of prepared Jiffy cornbread mix also works.

A box of Green Giant frozen vegetables in cheese sauce tossed with some long pasta is another quick meal.

Chunky soup over rice, or instant mashed potatoes makes another quick meal. Campbell's calls them pour overs.

 

[jennyema]

2 rolls of Pillsbury crescent dough.

Press one full sheet (don't take apart) into a glass baking dish.

Blind bake.

Brown a pound of ground turkey and add a package of taco seasoning per directions. Add an amount of frozen corn that seems right to you. stir. You can also/or add black or red beans.

Dump the meat onto the blind baked pastry and top with some tasty cheese.

Bake until golden brown.

I serve with prepackaged yellow rice and hearts of palm salad.

Depending on what I have around, I'll add cilantro, scallion, shallot, garlic, onion to to meat mix too.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

Gussied up canned cranberry sauce. Yes, it only takes a few minutes to boil/ simmer a bag of cranberries and raw berries freeze easily once the stores start carrying them in season. It's the in-between this is so easy.

My biggest is jarred italian sauces. Lately I have been stocking up on canned tomatoes so I will make my own from scratch this winter. Doctor up cans baked beans. I have some Campbells chix noodle and tomato soup on hand for bad tooth days. Oh, I finally thought of one. I like Dinty Moore beef stew, add my own peas, serve on rice or chow mein noodles.


Does take out count ?
Take out Mexican, middle eastern, Greek. What I bring home I add to or change it up to my liking, different sauce, home made tzakiki. etc.

I 'd do rotisserie chicken more often, except I only like some stores cooking, and I don't go to Costco very often.

My favorite BBQ take out joint sells pulled pork, it was $ 9/ lb US, I think it's up to $11 now. Always sauce on the side please. I can make pulled pork sammies, burritos, baked beans and pork, fried rice and more. They have a funny scale and it usually makes enough for about 6 meals and that's before adding other ingredients.

 

[jennyema]

2 rolls of Pillsbury crescent dough.

Press one full sheet (don't take apart) into a glass baking dish.

Blind bake.

Brown a pound of ground turkey and add a package of taco seasoning per directions. Add an amount of frozen corn that seems right to you. stir. You can also/or add black or red beans.

Dump the meat onto the blind baked pastry and top with some tasty cheese.

Bake until golden brown.

I serve with prepackaged yellow rice and hearts of palm salad.

Depending on what I have around, I'll add cilantro, scallion, shallot, garlic, onion to to meat mix too.

Idiotically I forgot to say that after the yummy cheese you top with the second can of biscuit dough. The dough should be golden brown .

 

[Zhizara]

Wow! Great ideas here!

I once used some taco meat mixture, added a blob of sour cream, and rolled them up in a flour tortilla into burritos, and toasted them in the oven (350° 15 minutes each side. My neighbor was so impressed!

 

[Zhizara]

Idiotically I forgot to say that after the yummy cheese you top with the second can of biscuit dough. The dough should be golden brown .

Good catch JennyEma! I was wondering where the other can of biscuits went, but realized it had to be on top! It sounds good!

 

[Aunt Bea]

When ground beef or turkey is on sale I buy a couple pounds and fry it with peppers, onions, celery and mushrooms. I freeze it in one and two cup containers for quick and easy meals. Things like dirty rice, American goulash, chili, spaghetti sauce, tacos, sloppy joes and on and on! Preparing this base allows me to add a variety of vegetables and eliminate the risk of spoilage. Celery was always a problem before I started this, now I can use a bunch every few weeks.

I used to buy those eight ounce cans of tomato sauce until they became expensive and seemed to be more like tomato juice. Now I open a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes and freeze it in eight ounce containers. It thaws overnight in the refrigerator or defrosts quickly in the microwave.

I think learning to use and manage the freezing compartment of the refrigerator for short term storage is essential for any single person trying to eat inexpensively, mine eats better than my trash can!

 

[Whiskadoodle]

Zhizara. Your burritos reminds me, Quesadillas. You can make them with just about anything, well maybe not tuna. Packaged pre shredded cheese. Add some jarred salsa and sour cream on the side. Yum.

 

[Oldvine]

You better believe I've jazzed up already prepared stuff. A caterer told me that if you add three ingredients to a prepared something or other, you can call it home made. I took it to heart. My family has their favorites and many times shortcuts were the only way to get them because of work schedules. I've even fooled my mother-in-law. And all those impossible pies have been great.

 

[larry_stewart]

One of the first things I ever learned how to ' cook', when I was in high school. I'd take a can of condensed vegetarian vegetable soup, fill the can half with water, other half with wine, mix it in. dump a hand full of egg noodles, sliced up fresh mushrooms and some butter. cook until noodles were done, then served it in a bowl over a left over end piece of white bread. Still occasionally make it to this day. Cant say its great, but its one of those ' i have everything in he house, and need to get rid of it ' recipes.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Like Whiska, I'll jazz up jarred spaghetti sauce if I don't have any homemade in the freezer. I buy basic ones like marinara or basil so I can put in my own additions. Usually whatever veggies need using up from the fridge. If I'm feeling meaty that day I'll pull a small tub of frozen ground meat from the freezer to brown.

When we first got married Himself taught me three meals he loved. His Mom's spaghetti sauce (which I've tweaked over the years), breaded pork chops, and this easy-peasy tuna casserole. It started out as one each of: can of tuna, can of mixed veggies with liquid, can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 cup of instant rice (like Minute Rice). Mix, cover, and bake @350 for 30 minutes. Over time I've gone to two cans of tuna (it's lost 2 ounces over the years - apparently tuna IS good for weight loss!) and upping the rice for Himself (he likes it way drier than I do, so I move my share to a 2nd baking dish before adding more rice); sometimes I'll sprinkle a little cheddar cheese on top 5 minutes before it's done. We always have those ingredients in the house and I can pull it together in about 5 minutes, or faster than we could drive anywhere to get take-out.

My favorite Lazy Meal? The other half of a meal, because I almost always make double of what we'll eat. Nice to know all I have to do is a different veggie and it's like a whole new meal two days later.

 

[jennyema]

When ground beef or turkey is on sale I buy a couple pounds and fry it with peppers, onions, celery and mushrooms. I freeze it in one and two cup containers for quick and easy meals. Things like dirty rice, American goulash, chili, spaghetti sauce, tacos, sloppy joes and on and on! Preparing this base allows me to add a variety of vegetables and eliminate the risk of spoilage. Celery was always a problem before I started this, now I can use a bunch every few weeks.

:

Brilliant !!!

I'm going to try this, as I'm cooking for only myself mostly (partner dealing with family issues).

 

[jabbur]

I use Campbell's soups for a lot of sauces when I'm in hurry. My son (the former chef) has several ramen additions he likes. Even though he can afford better food he still occasionally makes his ramen dishes. I think they are his comfort food! He lies to dice up turkey or ham and throw it in the ramen along with some frozen veggies. He will add an egg to the ramen after it's cooked and stir. It comes out like egg drop soup. The noodles and sauce are hot enough to cook the egg.

I always doctor up spaghetti sauce. I buy Hunts but add meats and onion and usually more garlic. I keep canned chicken on hand to throw into rice with a can of cream of chicken soup and frozen peas for a quick chicken and rice dish.

 

[Zhizara]

I love the juice that comes with canned beans, so I like to extend it. One favorite is butter beans.

1 can butter beans
1/2 cup water
1/2 finely chopped onion
lots of garlic
1/4# sliced kielbasa

Mash the beans with a potato masher. Simmer everything but the kielbasa until the onion and garlic are soft. Add the kielbasa slices at the end and just heat through. The kielbasa adds the salt for you.

 

[Andy M.]

As a boy scout, this was one meal we always made on a camping trip. I still make it on occasion. Be careful, the instructions are very complicated!

GLOP

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
8 oz can of mushrooms
8 oz can of peas
16 oz can of diced or sliced potatoes
10 oz can of cream of mushroom soup

Brown the beef with the onions.

Add everything else

Heat through.

 

[pacanis]

As a boy scout, this was one meal we always made on a camping trip. I still make it on occasion. Be careful, the instructions are very complicated!

GLOP

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
8 oz can of mushrooms
8 oz can of peas
16 oz can of diced or sliced potatoes
10 oz can of cream of mushroom soup

Brown the beef with the onions.

Add everything else

Heat through.

I hate recipes that give you options. I would spend far too much time trying to decide if I wanted to slice or dice the potatoes to make this.
Not to mention I don't think my stove has a heat through setting... would that be 2 or higher?

 

[GotGarlic]

I hate recipes that give you options. I would spend far too much time trying to decide if I wanted to slice or dice the potatoes to make this.
Not to mention I don't think my stove has a heat through setting... would that be 2 or higher?

The recipe calls for a can of already prepped potatoes, pac! Just open, dump and heat!

 

[taxlady]

When ground beef or turkey is on sale I buy a couple pounds and fry it with peppers, onions, celery and mushrooms. I freeze it in one and two cup containers for quick and easy meals. Things like dirty rice, American goulash, chili, spaghetti sauce, tacos, sloppy joes and on and on! Preparing this base allows me to add a variety of vegetables and eliminate the risk of spoilage. Celery was always a problem before I started this, now I can use a bunch every few weeks...

Thank you for the reminder. I used to do that with ground beef and for some reason I have forgotten to do this. Yes, this base is very handy. If I could't be bothered to cut up celery, etc. then I just fried it with onions.

If you don't want to make "servings", then spread it out on waxed paper on a cookie sheet and freeze it. The lumps are easy to break up and put into one large container. Then any amount can be taken out at one time and it defrosts quickly.