Pressed for time? Here are some quick, easy & affordable recipes you can try this week

Weeknight dinners can be a bit stressful because of a number of things: sometimes, the commute home takes longer than usual or maybe you didn’t have time to buy ingredients. No matter the reason, here are some ways you can make it easier on yourself this week, while keeping your meals nutritious and cost-effective.

Check out these recipes from TikTok cooks.

Veggie & noodle stir fry (Prep and cook time: 30 minutes)

This stir fry is packed with vegetables and only takes about half an hour to make, including prep time. You’ll need soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper and honey to make the sauce.

For the stir fry itself, the recipe calls for onions, celery, carrots, cabbage, and zucchini but you can also substitute your favourite vegetables. If you want to make this even faster, try using some frozen vegetables – they’re just as nutritious and they’re already chopped up for you.

15-minute creamy spaghetti (Prep and cook time: 15 minutes)

We all love spaghetti and this take on the classic spaghetti sauce is quick and hearty.

This recipe uses some pantry staples you may already have: pasta, basil, oregano, garlic, chili flakes, and onions. For the sauce, you’ll need crushed tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, a bit of sugar, milk and goat cheese to make it extra creamy.

If you have leftovers, this spaghetti also makes for a great packed lunch the next day!

String bean adobo (Prep and cook time: 20 minutes)

Try this Filipino recipe, which is a variation of the traditional adobo dish usually cooked with pork or chicken. If you’d like to incorporate more vegetables into your meals, this one may be for you: the star of the show is string beans.

For this recipe, you’ll need: string beans, onion, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and black pepper. If you want a bit more protein, you can also add some pork, but it’s optional.

Serve it with rice and there you have it. Kain tayo! (Let’s eat!)

Quick pasta salad (Prep and cook time: 30 minutes)

How about a refreshing and quick pasta salad after a long day of work?

Salads are quite flexible: you can use leafy greens or in this case, any pasta of your choice. In this particular recipe, the salad includes cherry tomatoes, corn, celery, avocado, pineapple and chicken. Don’t be afraid to get creative and substitute some of these ingredients with other vegetables or fruits to make it your own!

The dressing in this video uses yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard, but you can also make it simple with some olive oil with salt and pepper.

This will make for an easy lunch the next day as well so if you have leftovers, there you have it!

Baked feta pasta (Prep and cook time: 35 minutes)

For this baked feta pasta recipe, you’ll need cherry tomatoes, a block of feta cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper, fresh garlic, basil, and of course, your pasta of choice.

If you’d like extra protein, you can add chicken or frozen shrimp too.

The best part about this dinner recipe is it doesn’t use up a lot of dishes, so clean-up should be quick and easy as well. 

Remember, not every meal has to be complicated for it to taste good, be healthy or filling. Sometimes, all it takes are a handful of ingredients.

Bon Appétit!