"Cheat" recipes for those of us who can't cook / won't cook

If you struggle with cooking, this thread may help you, and if you are a good cook perhaps you would be kind enough to contribute.

I find as I'm getting older I don't have the energy or inclination for cooking and I also don't like some foods I used to cook such as fresh meat and veg, due mainly to texture. So to avoid living on ready meals and pizzas, I've been trying to sort out recipes that are really easy using tinned, frozen and pre prepared ingredients.

Please add your own cheat recipes to this thread. I will start - mine are the what I would cook for 2 people.

My first one is a "Roast dinner"

Ingredients: Two roasted chicken breasts, frozen stuffing balls, frozen honey roast parsnips, frozen mini roast potatoes, Chicken Gravy granules.

Method: Heat oven to 200C. Fill one oven tray with half roast parsnips and half roast potatoes, and put the chicken breasts and stuffing balls in another oven tray.

Cook the parsnips and potatoes for 30 minutes, and the chicken and stuffing balls for 25 minutes (so put the chicken tray in 5 minutes after the veg one)

A few minutes before the cooking time ends, make gravy with chicken gravy granules as per instructions (I make up about half a pint for two of us)

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  • Delia's book was called how to cheat at cooking, but it's quite old now and it's difficult and /or expensive to buy some of the ingredients. Plus you have to buy the book first unless you have a kindle subscription/borrow it from a library.

    I know you enjoy cooking, and I was hoping you would contribute an easy recipe?

  • There are many such books, but I think I know the one you mean. She used various expensive conserves and other half-prepared products as shortcuts. There are other books that use short ingredient lists instead to simplify the recipe.

    I kinda like cooking but I have problems with meal planning. And I don't like the logistics. I live as a lodger.