Quick Meal - Blog Posts

One Pot Meal

A zero-effort dinner with great flavour and fast cook time.

Simple and nutritious meals are an important thing to have in your back pocket, especially as a student. In a previous post, I shared The Ultimate Sausage Pasta, a quick and easy recipe from my housemate’s friend.

This time, we’re looking at the One Pot Meal, one of my favourite zero-effort dinners to make when I just really don’t feel like cooking. Minimal ingredients (two of which can sit in your cupboard until you need them) and an under half-hour cook time make this the perfect meal for when you’re tired or need a break from the kitchen.

As an added bonus, the Italian sausage adds great flavour on its own, so you don’t need to worry about whether you have the right spices or not!

Check out below for the recipe!

Prep: 5 mins            Cook: 20 mins            Overall: 25 mins

Ingredients:

1 pack (500 g) mild Italian sausage*

2 tbsp. (30 g) unsalted butter

2 cans sliced potatoes

2 cans cut green beans

* I prefer Johnsonville brand.

First, slice the sausages into ½ inch (1 cm) pieces.

Next, melt the butter in a large wok or high-rimmed skillet with a lid on medium heat.

Add the sausage and cook until cooked through, about 10 mins, stirring frequently.

NOTE: If you’re using the sausage from frozen, you’ll need at least an extra 5 mins to the cooking time.

Drain the canned beans and potatoes, discarding the liquid. Add them to the wok or skillet and stir in with the sausage.

Turn the heat to low and cover with the lid. Let cook until the potatoes and beans have warmed up, about 8 mins, stirring occasionally.

Once everything is heated up, divide and serve!

Overall, I give this a 5/5. It’s simple, tasty, and low effort - truly a fantastic meal for after a long day.

Bruschetta Grilled Cheese

You're welcome.

Welcome to the only recipe for grilled cheese ever. 

Don’t like tomatoes? Doesn’t matter. Get lost in the sauce of basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and cheese.

I don’t remember who thought of this first, me or my housemate, so I'm giving us shared credit for this invention. All I know is that we were hungry, had bruschetta mix left over from the night before, and are both apparently geniuses.

Now, enough talking, onto the recipe.

Prep time: 15 mins         Cook time: 15 mins*         Overall: 30 mins

* Can be longer based on if you want to marinate the mix or how many you want to make.

Ingredients:

1 dry pint (312 g) grape or cherry tomatoes, diced

4-5 fresh basil leaves, chopped

4-5 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 tbsp. (60 ml) balsamic vinegar*

Salt and pepper, to taste

Sourdough bread, sliced into sandwich slices**

Butter

Mozzarella or Swiss cheese slices

* Can vary based on how much dipping sauce you need.

** I used Vienna style sourdough bread for aesthetics but any style works for this as long as it's the thickness of a sandwich slice.

Add the diced tomato, basil, and garlic to a medium-sized mixing bowl (top-left).

Then, add the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste (top-right). 

NOTE: You’ll want to add more balsamic vinegar depending on how many sandwiches you’re making so that everyone has dipping sauce!

Mix everything together until all of the tomatoes have been coated in balsamic vinegar.

NOTE: You can totally eat this mix right away, but leaving it to marinate overnight gives extra depth to the flavour!

Heat a large, non-stick pan over medium heat. While it heats, butter two slices of the sourdough bread on one side.

Place one of the sourdough slices butter-side down in the pan once you can start to feel the heat radiating from the pan. Immediately add the cheese slices (top-left).

Add some of the bruschetta mixture on top of the cheese once you hear the butter start to sizzle (top-right). Make sure to leave as much liquid in the brushetta bowl as possible so it doesn’t make the bread too soggy!

NOTE: Definitely add the cheese before the mix. I’ve tried making this and adding the mix before the cheese and it just makes the bread soggy while you’re waiting for it to toast in the pan.

Add the top slice of bread butter-side out once you’ve added the bruschetta mix (top-left) and carefully flip the sandwich.

The structural integrity of these bad boys isn’t so great at this stage, so you’ll want to hold onto the top slice of bread until the last moment while you flip.

Repeat the flipping process until both sides are a nice golden brown (top-right).

TIP: To add some extra flavour to the bread, lightly drizzle both slices with some of the liquid from the bruschetta mix as they toast. Only do this once they’ve toasted for a bit on each side though or it’ll just make the bread soggy!

Now you’re ready to enjoy the best grilled cheese ever! Don’t forget the sauce!

As a side, I’ve found that carrots are a nice veggie snack to go with these since their sweetness compliments the sweetness from the tomatoes.

NOTE: I’ve found the bruschetta mix can be kept up to three days in a tupperware in the fridge before the flavour becomes just a little too overpowering.

The Ultimate Sausage Pasta

“This is the best pasta I’ve ever had” - Everyone who’s tried it

Living with other people is a valuable experience for any young person - especially when you get the chance to share meals and recipes. It’s amazing what kinds of foods you can add to your cooking arsenal and this pasta is one of them!

Originally introduced through the friend of my housemate, I can say with absolute confidence that this is the best pasta I, and everyone who's tried it, has ever had. The best part? It only takes half an hour to make!

With it’s quick cooking time on consistent heat, easy steps, and simple ingredients, it makes for the perfect meal for everyone from an on-the-go student looking for a cheap, filling meal to a busy professional.

VEGETARIAN? No problem! Check the results sections for tips on changes to make the recipe work for you.

Prep: 5 mins                     Cook: 25 mins                       Overall: 30 mins

For the ingredients:

Half a bag (450 g) Rigatoni pasta

500g mild italian sausage, sliced into 3/4-inch pieces (I recommend Johnsonville brand, if available)

4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp. sundried tomatoes in oil, sliced

2 tbsp. oil from the jar

1 cup (250 ml) low-sodium chicken broth*

1 block (150 g) chopped frozen spinach**

½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream (35%)***

* Feel free to use any homemade chicken broth or stock you have for a deeper flavour! If you store your homemade broth in the freezer using ice-cubes, you’ll need about 8 for a cup.

** If you’ve got the chopped frozen spinach that comes in little cylinders it’s about 3 of them. If you only have frozen whole leaf spinach (like I did here), take it out of the package and stick it in the microwave on a plate until it starts to defrost. Then, chop it up!

*** Feel free to use either 35% “cooking cream” or “heavy cream”. I’ve used both and haven’t noticed a difference. Do not use lighter creams as substitutes. You will end up with a cream soup instead of a cohesive sauce.

Start by boiling your pasta according to the directions listed on the package - straining it about 1 minute before it reaches al dente.

Next, heat up a high-rimmed skillet on medium heat and add your sausage. Allow it to fully cook through, about 12 minutes (internal temp of 160℉), stirring occasionally.

After the sausage has fully cooked, add the garlic, sundried tomatoes, and oil. Mix it with the sausage and cook until the garlic starts to turn a golden colour (2-3 minutes), stirring frequently.

TIP: After finely chopping your garlic, use the flat side of the knife to crush it. This will allow more flavour to release from the garlic.

Add the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any bits that got stuck. Allow the broth to come to a boil.

Add the frozen spinach to the boiling broth, breaking it up as it thaws. Allow it to cook until no frozen chunks remain, about 3-4 minutes.

NOTE: At this stage, you’ll probably start to think that there’s too little sauce in the pan, but resist the urge to add extra broth.

Add the heavy cream and stir. Allow it to come to a boil and incorporate, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.

You might need to add a little more cream as it cooks. Ideally, you want the sauce to have taken on the lighter colour of the cream but still be able to see the darker colour of the broth.

NOTE: This was made with homemade chicken stock - giving it a deeper colour when the cream is mixed in. You’ll find your sauce to be much lighter if using store-bought broth.

Finally, keeping the heat on medium, add your strained past. Stir until you can see the sauce clinging to the noodles and making them shiny, about 2 minutes. There should only be a little sauce remaining at the bottom of the pan.

Overall, I would give this pasta a 5/5. I’ve honestly never made a recipe that everyone unanimously agrees is a hit with no changes. It’s so quick and easy that I make it almost every week without fail. In fact, I'm making it tomorrow!

As I’ve mentioned in the introduction, I would highly recommend this to anyone who is just starting to learn how to cook. The entire meal cooks in 30 mins on the same heat and is extremely forgiving. Perfect for those starting to venture past instant noodles and freezer meals!

EATING VEGETARIAN? No problem!: I’ve made this dish vegetarian several times and although you do lose some of the flavour, it’s still amazing. 

To substitute the sausage, I’ve either taken it out completely or I’ve used Beyond Meat sausage. Personally, I would recommend leaving the BM sausage out as it has a strange texture. If you enjoy BM and want to add it, add 2 tbsp. of neutral oil to the pan while heating it. Add the sausage and cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.

You can substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth. I would also recommend adding ~1 tsp. italian seasoning with the broth (like the one used in the dwarven flatbread, but maybe skip the marjoram). This should make up for the loss of spicing from the sausage.