Saed News: The fast-paced life of today leaves little time for elaborate cooking. Many people, especially employees, students, and busy parents, face the problem of not having enough time to prepare meals. But does this mean we always have to resort to fast food or ready-made meals?
According to Saed News culinary service, the good news is that many delicious, nutritious, and healthy dishes can be prepared in less than 20 minutes, without the need for special skills or professional equipment. In this article, we will introduce a collection of simple and quick dishes that are perfect for daily meals and will help you enjoy cooking while preparing fresh and homemade food with accessible ingredients.
Omelettes are one of the simplest and most nutritious dishes, requiring minimal ingredients. When you have fresh vegetables in the fridge, you can use them in your omelette to create a healthy and colorful meal.
Mix eggs with a little milk, salt, black pepper, and turmeric, and set aside. Then, chop onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, and any other vegetables you like, and sauté them in a pan with a little oil.
Once the vegetables soften, add the eggs and cover the pan to cook the mixture. At the end, you can add some cheese to make it even tastier.
This dish can be served with toast, fresh herbs, or a simple salad to make a complete meal.
Pasta is one of those dishes that cooks in under 10 minutes, especially if you use pre-cooked or thin types like spaghetti. What makes pasta special is the variety of sauces you can make with it.
For a quick pasta dish, boil the pasta in salted water. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, sauté tomato paste with olive oil, crushed garlic, black pepper, and thyme.
If you have pesto sauce (a mix of basil, olive oil, pistachios or almonds, and garlic), you don't need to sauté anything, just combine the drained pasta with the pesto and sprinkle some cheese on top. You can also make pasta with dried herbs, sautéed mushrooms, or olives.
Kuku Sabzi (herb frittata) is a classic Iranian dish, but with simple and accessible ingredients, potato kuku can always be added to your list of quick meals.
If you don’t have cooked potatoes ready, you can quickly microwave or steam them in less than 10 minutes. Then, grate the potatoes and mix them with eggs, spices, grated onion, and a little flour or breadcrumbs.
Fry this mixture in a hot, oiled pan, cooking each side until golden. You can serve the kuku with sangak or lavash bread, pickles, and doogh (yogurt drink).
Koloocheh or Kolojoosh is a classic Iranian dish made with yogurt or kashk (fermented whey) and served with lavash bread, creating a complete and nutritious meal. It's a quick dish that families love.
Start by finely chopping an onion and sautéing it with a little oil. Then add dried mint and some turmeric and let the aroma rise.
Dissolve kashk in a little warm water and slowly add it to the pan to simmer and thicken. If kashk is unavailable, you can use thick strained yogurt, adding a little flour and water to reach the desired consistency.
At the end, you can add crushed walnuts or a bit of powdered nuts and serve with fresh bread.
Red lentils cook quickly, making them perfect for a fast soup. This dish is ideal for cold days or when you need an energy boost.
Add one cup of red lentils, finely chopped onions, grated carrots, garlic, salt, turmeric, and water to a pot and bring it to a boil.
In about 15 minutes, the lentils will soften. You can add lemon juice, red pepper, or cumin to flavor it. It can be turned into a full meal when served with bread or rice.
For those looking for a low-calorie yet nutritious meal, boiled eggs with avocado are an excellent option. This dish is recommended for athletes or those on a diet.
Boil the eggs for about 7–8 minutes. Mash the avocado and flavor it with lemon, salt, and pepper.
Toast bread or rye bread, spread the mashed avocado on it, and top it with sliced boiled eggs. This meal is full of healthy fats and protein.
Herb kuku is one of the most fragrant Iranian dishes that can be prepared in less than 15 minutes if you have prepared herbs. This dish is perfect for a light dinner or can be taken on a picnic.
The herbs for kuku include leek, parsley, coriander, and dill. You can also use frozen or dried herbs. Mix them with eggs, salt, pepper, turmeric, and a little walnut or barberries.
If needed, you can add a spoon of flour to the mixture to make the kuku more cohesive. Then, pour the mixture into a hot pan and cover it to cook. Once golden, slice it and flip it to cook the other side.
Herb kuku with bread and yogurt makes a quick and complete meal, and it can even be eaten cold.
In addition to the classic version with tuna and corn, there's another type of tuna sandwich that includes boiled eggs. This combination not only keeps you full but also offers a different taste, making it perfect for cold lunches or snacks.
Mix tuna with boiled eggs, grated onions, a little mayonnaise, lemon juice, and dried herbs.
Fill a baguette or small sandwich rolls with this mixture and garnish with lettuce and tomatoes if desired.
Tuna sandwiches can also be wrapped in foil and taken for work, trips, or kids' snacks.
While chicken kebabs may seem like they need a long marinating time, there’s a quick version that can be prepared in 15 to 20 minutes and tastes delicious.
Cut chicken fillets or breasts into small pieces and marinate them with grated onion, brewed saffron, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Just 10 minutes of marinating is enough.
Cook the chicken pieces in a hot pan with a little oil or on the grill. You can drizzle leftover saffron or butter on top during cooking.
Serve the kebabs with grilled tomatoes, partially cooked rice, or bread and fresh vegetables. This dish is especially great for a light dinner or impromptu guests.
Pan-fried kebabs are one of those dishes that are prepared with minimal ingredients and in the shortest time, but their incredible aroma and flavor remind you of authentic Iranian kebabs.
Mix ground meat with grated onion, salt, pepper, turmeric, and a little sumac, and knead it well.
Flatten the mixture in a non-stick pan and cut it into even pieces with the back of a spoon.
Fry over medium heat without much oil.
If you want it to be more flavorful, you can sauté some tomato paste alongside the meat and make a sauce.
Some days, we don’t have the time or energy to prepare elaborate meals. But that doesn’t mean we have to give up healthy and homemade meals. As we've seen, with just eggs, potatoes, tuna, lentils, or some pasta, you can prepare diverse, delicious, and complete meals in less than 20 minutes. By including these recipes in your weekly plan, you'll not only have healthier meals but also make better use of your time. Quick and simple cooking is a skill that anyone can learn and apply.
