I don't have a slow cooker or a pressure cooker.
Chana Masala?
The only criteria it doesn't meet is "low effort", in the sense that most recipes seem to be a bit fussy about when you add what. But if you're pressed for time, and you decide to simplify the recipe to "1. Sautee the onions. 2. Dump everything else on top. 3. Stir and simmer" the result will probably be 80% as good as if you do it by the book.
Fried rice. Egg fried rice is great. Can add vegetables and various proteins as well
Any ragu with pasta as well. Most famous is bolognese. Don't need a slow cooker, can just cook the ragu on a stovetop on very low heat for 2+ hours.
Biryani as well.
Potjiekos and pap is a South African thing, but a no stir stew with grits is similar.
Japanese curry in a pot. Potatoes, carrots, onions, apples (and whatever else you want). Everything skin on. Very healthy. Eat with brown rice if you want to be healthier since white rice isn't. Low effort because it lasts well in the fridge and you can make a giant pot at once
A bit more expensive but unironically avocado toast if avocado is cheap where you live. Add some pepper on top for taste. I do it with whole grain bread for more nutrition and two slices come out to like 400 calories for <2 dollars for me
here's my improvised spaghetti bolognese. you only need a heating surface and a cooking pot (dutch oven, skillet, etc). I've gotten multiple compliments on it
- pour olive oil (like 2tbsp but tbh who measures that shit) into your pot or pan, set the element to medium or medium-high
- while the oil is heating up, dice 1 medium onion, and if you want, some carrots and celery stalks (2 or 3 of each depending on size). I like to chop really small because it cooks faster and it makes the sauce less chunky
- put the onions in the pan, stir so they're coated in the oil, and optionally salt them to make them soften a little faster
- finely chop 3 or 4 cloves or garlic. when the onions are getting soft and slightly transparent, drop the garlic into the pan and stir
- when the garlic is "fragrent", as in your kitchen starts smelling really good, that means it's done. shouldn't take more than a minute. this is when I put the veggies and the "meat" (usually impossible beef) all at once
- I'll also usually drop in the spices (1 teaspoon oregano and basil) either immediately or a minute after, as well as some salt and pepper
- during the browning process you might want/need to deglaze. I've tried both wine and apple cider vinegar but honestly you could use use water.
- when the browning is done, dump a 28oz can of diced tomatoes and a good amount of marinara sauce (either store bought or from this recipe)
- boil, then reduce to a simmer, and let it cook until the carrots are cooked and/or you've reduced it to the right consistency
- use whatever pasta you want
Some grain-and-legume mix, like rice and beans, lentils, chickpea etc. with anything extra dumped in it like veggies and herbs
Here is a simple pulao thing I made recently, which you can do as a one pot recipe
- Slice up aromatics like onion and garlic, or use a paste. It doesn't matter how evenly you cut it bc you will fry the hell out of them until they caramelize
- Dump in your legumes, preferably cooked or canned; otherwise you should boil them until soft now
- Dump your (preferably well-washed) rice in now
- Add any herbs, greens, or veggies you want which can cook with the rice and add flavor and volume
- Also add salt and any spices
- Dump water until it is all submerged under 1 inch, or about 2-3x the rice quantity usually
- Cook covered until everything is cooked
I always have basmati rice at home, a can of chickpeas or beans, onions, and some dried herb mix, so I can easily whip up full meals for the next few days with this recipe
Aw man, you had me going until you said "kinda healthy". Oh well, I guess I got nothing then.
Well, maybe one.
Shred 1/2 head of cabbage (head or napa).
Crush up one package of Ramen noodles in the package, careful not to get too enthusiastic or it'll explode all over the counter. Empty it into a small fry pan with a TBSP oil ( I like to add sesame oil as well) and fry them gently while stirring till golden brown. Let them cool a bit.
Make a dressing of like 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup vinegar (whatever kind you have), 2TBSP sugar and 2TBSP sesame oil (optional).
Toss the cabbage with the dressing and then dump the fried ramen on top.
I can literally eat an half head of cabbage at one sitting with this recipe, no lie.
Rice, black beans and pan-seared asparagus is a good meal with just about any sauce
low effort high volume high calorie
you are speaking of pasta. which is healthy if you put veggies into it
Not vegan CW meat
spoiler
I make hamburger goulash with a 1lb box of elbows, 1lb of ground hamburger, 4 cans of stewed tomatoes, and diced/chopped green pepper and onion. I let it simmer on the stovetop to heat up for about an hour. I suppose tho it's not very healthy but very filling, cheap-ish and makes a lot.
Rice and steamed vegetables.
It's only low-effort if you have a rice cooker, but you can often find one in the trash this time of year; they're a weirdly common thing for graduating seniors to throw out when they move out of college.
Chili/stew.
Simmer a buncha veggies and maybe rice or pasta in spices for a while. Eat some, fridge some, freeze the rest.
Chickpea pasta layered with herbs, seasonings, and olive oil. It's so calorie dense that you'll feel like you're eating for two. :sicko-pig:
"Breakfast for dinner" was something that got my family through tough times when I was a kid. A couple pancakes, a fried egg, and a slice or 2 of Canadian bacon.
Do you have a rice cooker?
because of breakfast for dinner, and sometimes breakfast for lunch at school, ill eat breakfast food literally anytime.
Greek yogurt
I like Greek Yogurt and I've noticed that sourness is brand specific. Chobani was way more sour than other brands I've tried.
You can make rice I assume? You make rice (make sure to rinse it first) then mix with spices and/or a sauce base, then add beans (canned or cooked), vegetables (fresh, canned, or frozen), and whatever else you want. I use an instapot for this but you should be able to make something similar just fine without. It's usually pretty cheap, very filling, reasonably healthy, and tasty most of the time, though you gotta pay attention to how much of whatever spice or sauce you're throwing in. There are also probably lots of recipes online for this sort of thing too, if you don't just want to wing it on the flavoring.
You make rice (make sure to rinse it first)
I thought that you weren't supposed to do that, because it strips nutrients, or something.
For the most part I think it strips starches, which affects the consistency and texture of the rice.
I haven't heard that but white rice at least is much better when rinsed, imo. It removes surface starch making it less clumpy and also removes dirt, chemicals, bugs, and whatever else. Restaurant rice is pretty much always rinsed, and there's a noticeable difference between rinsed and not rinsed.
Yeah this is true, especially important if you're relying on it as a large part of your diet and might be deficient in certain things... Rice in some places (the US included) is generally fortified with a bunch of vitamins and stuff, and apparently polished white rice especially is usually fortified just by spraying them on the surface of the grains, so rinsing it can strip away most of the added vitamins. If your diet is varied or you supplement those vitamins other ways I don't imagine it's a problem, but that is why the package often says do not rinse. And generally there isn't really any dirt, bugs, etc. to remove in my experience, maybe it depends what rice you buy and in what quantity, but unless your rice has quality issues like that the main reason in favor of rinsing is texture (which is a totally valid reason, the extra starches make the rice significantly different which doesn't quite fit for many recipes)
