Busy weekdays and empty energy reserves
Do you know the feeling? – You’ve been on the go since early morning with various tasks, had a long and busy day at work, and later there’s yet another series of activities awaiting like picking up the kids, cleaning – and of course, also a quick trip to the gym.
Then it’s time for grocery shopping – but now your energy reserves are nearly depleted, and your mind is void of inspiration. So it ends up being one of the few dishes you know you can almost make in your sleep, but which you and your family have already had 1,000 times before.
The typical solution
You might also simply skip the trip to the supermarket and have to make do with what the cupboards and drawers at home can now muster. Maybe you even resort to the easiest solution of them all: Take-away. Despite the fact that it’s often expensive and not always exactly healthy.
We can reassure you that you’re not alone, and many of us can relate to at least one of the above scenarios.
A busy life with work and leisure activities doesn’t always leave much time or energy to conjure up great culinary experiences in the home kitchen.
If you first get home around 5 PM, a relaxing and calm evening will likely be much higher on your wishlist than spending a couple of exhausting hours in the kitchen.
Tips for even better everyday meals
And how do you change that? The answer is really straightforward.
You need a list of quick and easy dishes that don’t require much preparation time: Dishes that are easy to shop for, taste good, and simply work – every time!
And this article is a good place to start. We have compiled a list of our best suggestions for dishes that have repeatedly saved us on a busy weekday.
Note that not all of the recipes we reference can be made in under 30 minutes, so you’ll need to use our tips to achieve the goal.
1) Potato Leek Soup
The soup requires the following ingredients in your kitchen: ½ kilo potatoes, two leeks, oil, stock/bouillon, cream, salt, and pepper.
A classic soup that’s easy to make and contains few ingredients – and just tastes really good! The secret to making the soup in under 30 minutes is to boil the vegetables in small cubes of 2 x 3 cm.
Start by letting the leeks and potatoes sauté in a bit of oil for a moment, as it gives the soup a much better flavor than if you just boil the vegetables in the stock. Preferably use a homemade stock if you have it, otherwise a good store-bought stock can be used just fine. Blend the soup with an immersion blender directly in the pot to save on dishes, and add a splash of cream for extra flavor.
Try seasoning the soup with a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. It pairs well with the soup’s mild taste. Potato leek soup tastes delightful with a sprinkle of crispy bacon, but chorizo sausage, pancetta, or parma ham can also be fried similarly and served alongside.
As a meat-free alternative, the soup can also be served with roasted and salted almonds. Other topping suggestions include bread croutons, sliced spring onions, or semi-dried tomatoes.
Does it sound like something you’d like to try? You can find the full recipe for potato leek soup here.
2) Pasta with Meat Sauce
This dish requires at least the following ingredients: 400 grams minced beef, oil, 1 small can of tomato paste, 1 can of passata or peeled/chopped tomatoes, salt, and pepper, as well as pasta.
Pasta with meat sauce is a true classic in many homes when time is short. In Italy, the dish, contrary to here at home, is actually in no way a quick dish, but a real simmer dish that requires several hours of cooking on a low flame to be good.
A meat sauce made this way is something entirely different from what most of us eat on a busy Monday evening, and once you’ve tried the genuine, slow-cooked version of the dish, it can be hard to get used to the typical “Danish” version.
However, less can still do the trick, and it is actually possible to make a decent meat sauce in about 30 minutes.
Here are our tips on how you can elevate your everyday meat sauce with just a few adjustments.
Bacon: A few finely chopped slices of bacon will make your meat sauce taste much more and more authentically Italian. Add bacon along with the onions and let it sauté for a couple of minutes before adding the meat.
Tomato paste: Tomato paste needs to be “burned off” to develop a good, round, and smooth flavor. If just added to the sauce, it can instead contribute a sour taste that doesn’t do any good for the meat sauce. Use the amount of tomato paste you usually do, but add it already when the onions are fried clear. Let the paste sauté with the onions for a couple of minutes before adding the meat to bring out the best flavor.
Wine: A glass of red or white wine gives the meat sauce an excellent flavor and aroma and is a really easy way to add a sublime taste to the sauce. Add the wine after you’ve browned the meat, and let it reduce for a couple of minutes. This way, the alcohol is removed, so the children can also safely eat the dish!
Stock: Add a bit of beef stock or bouillon to the meat sauce, it salts the sauce and also adds a lot of flavor. Naturally, a homemade stock/bouillon made from beef bones and herbs is best, but in a pinch, you can also use a bouillon cube. Be aware that there is a big difference in the quality of bouillon cubes. By spending a few extra kroner, you can get a product that tastes much more than if you buy the cheap bouillon cubes that don’t taste much of anything other than salt. If you’re unsure about the difference between stock and bouillon, you can find out more here.
Vinegar and sugar: Season the meat sauce with a bit of vinegar and sugar before serving. In addition to salt and pepper, a bit of vinegar and sugar gives the meat sauce a really good and rounded flavor. Always taste the sauce just before serving, as the taste changes during cooking, making it difficult to season along the way.
Ready to take your “everyday pasta with meat sauce” to new heights? Find the recipe here.
3) Pita/Tortilla Pizza
Mini pizzas require at least the following ingredients: Pita bread or tortillas, tomato sauce, grated cheese, and one or more types of meat and/or vegetables for the topping.
This is a super easy and tasty tip for the busy family who wants to avoid food waste: Ready-made pita bread split and spread with a ready-made tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes/passata with a bit of salt and pepper added.
On top, put different kinds of toppings, and almost anything can be used: Ham, pepperoni (or a good salami) slices, tuna, bell pepper, corn, leftover meat sauce, and more. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake the pizzas in the oven at 200 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the cheese is golden. If you have the ingredients for it, you can make a good salad as a side dish, but the mini-pizzas can also be perfectly eaten on their own.
A quick, easy, and cheap solution for days when time is short and inspiration is low – while also tackling the leftovers you have on hand.
Smart, isn’t it? We have both a recipe for mini pizzas as described above (find it here), and we also have a recipe where the tomato sauce is replaced with leftover mashed potatoes! Find it right here.
4) Swedish Sausage Casserole
The dish requires at least 6-8 sausages, 1 kilo of potatoes, tomato paste, and a little milk/cream to make.
It doesn’t all have to be Italian-inspired.
Swedish sausage casserole (which is actually Danish) is a great dish when time is of the essence! Sausages, onions, and boiled potatoes, added with a few other ingredients, can in no time be turned into a really delicious and filling meal that everyone in the family will love.
One trick is to always have a pack of sausages in the freezer, which can be thawed in warm water and ready to use in about fifteen minutes – roughly the time it takes to boil the potatoes.
Swedish sausage casserole can be varied in many ways, and a good tip is to add diced or chopped vegetables to make the dish more nutritious.
Try, for example, with bell pepper, carrots, or zucchini (briefly sauté them with the sausages). It’s also good to add a bit of smoked paprika and ketchup to the dish (in addition to the tomato paste), just as you can add a mixture of milk and cream for a slightly lighter sauce.
A genius way to use up various fridge leftovers.
Tempted? We have both a recipe with ketchup and bell pepper and one without ketchup but with apple cider vinegar.
5) Pasta Carbonara
This Italian classic requires at least the following ingredients: Pasta, meat (bacon or ham), eggs, and cheese.
A true classic from Italian cuisine, which has spread throughout much of the world. It’s easy to understand, as the dish is at least as good as it is simple.
The original recipe consists simply of spaghetti, bacon, eggs, grated parmesan, and black pepper.
Pasta carbonara also serves excellently as a basic recipe, where you then add what you have on hand that day.
It could be a bit of heavy cream, onions, and garlic, all of which add even more depth and flavor.
Instead of bacon, you can use serrano ham or pancetta if that’s what you have on hand, just as you can use another grated cheese instead of parmesan in a pinch.
Also, try adding vegetables – preferably seasonal vegetables – to the dish. For example, broccoli, leeks, or frozen peas add plenty of flavor and make the dish a bit healthier.
You can slice the leeks and sauté them with the bacon, while broccoli and peas are best suited to boil with the dish in the last few minutes before serving.
Always season the dish with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper and serve with grated parmesan or whatever cheese you have on hand.
Want a simple and delicious Italian classic on the menu? We have a whole list of all our Spaghetti Carbonara favorites, which you can find here.
6) Omelette
To make an omelette, you just need eggs, milk or cream, salt and pepper – and preferably a pack of bacon.
An easy dish for very busy days and a good way to use up one of the most common basic ingredients: Eggs.
Beat a suitable number of eggs with a bit of milk or cream and add salt and pepper, and dinner is sorted.
You can easily vary the omelette by adding different types of fillings and flavorings.
Try, for example, with boiled potatoes or butter-fried mushrooms, which both make the dish more filling and flavorful. You can also sauté different types of vegetables, such as sliced cabbage, root vegetables, or something else, and use them as filling in the omelette.
Finally, both fresh and dried tomatoes are suitable, just like crispy bacon, chorizo, or pancetta are always good toppings. You can also easily get away with adding a pack of ham cubes.
A classic old-fashioned omelette is based solely on plenty of eggs, a bit of milk, and a little starch.
A trick to making a quick, fluffy omelette is to add baking powder.
Omelette can also be prepared in different ways, either on the stove or in the oven, and you can choose whether the omelette should be fried in bacon fat or just in butter or oil.
No matter which approach you prefer, there are various tips to keep the preparation time within 30 minutes.
Omelette on the pan: An omelette doesn’t really need to fry on the stove for 30 – 45 minutes. Heat a bit of oil in the pan over medium heat and let the egg mixture cook in it for 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat and let the omelette cook under a lid for 10 minutes until the surface is set – and it’s ready to serve.
Omelette fried in bacon fat: It gives a really delicious flavor if the omelette is fried in bacon fat. Just beat the egg mixture while the bacon is frying. After that, let the bacon drain on some kitchen paper, and if you otherwise follow the previously mentioned method, it’s ready to serve in about 20 minutes.
Omelette in the oven: You can have an omelette ready in less than half an hour in the oven. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees while you beat the egg mixture together and add spices and any vegetables, ham cubes, and so on. After just 20 – 25 minutes in the oven, it’s ready to serve. You can bake the omelette in either an ovenproof dish or in a frying pan that can withstand high temperatures.
We have different suggestions for delicious omelettes, such as omelette with leftover potatoes. You can also follow this basic recipe for a good omelette. Just use the above tips to reduce preparation time.
7) Risotto
For a risotto, you need at least the following ingredients: Risotto rice, oil, an onion, stock or bouillon, and grated parmesan.
Risotto is another classic from Italian cuisine, and the dish can, in a pinch, be prepared in just 25 minutes.
The risotto rice is cooked until tender in a stock and preferably added with grated parmesan and various flavorings like mushrooms, vegetables, meat, or seafood.
As for the stock, it’s naturally always preferable if you have a homemade one available, but a store-bought bouillon can also do just fine – if you buy a good one, you can get a really good result.
Mushrooms always taste good in a risotto, and any kind can do. Fry them briefly over high heat in olive oil and butter, and add salt and preferably some fresh or dried herbs.
You can also use dried mushrooms, which is a brilliant and easy thing to have in your arsenal. Dried mushrooms just need to be soaked and rinsed before use. Let them drain and then fry them like fresh mushrooms.
Frozen peas are also really good in a risotto. Add them to the risotto directly from the freezer and let them boil for a minute. A bit of fried bacon or pancetta is also super good in a risotto, as are various types of fresh herbs.
Try experimenting: There are surely plenty of yet unknown and delicious flavor combinations that no one has tried yet!
If you want risotto on the menu, you can be inspired by the classic risotto with parmesan. You can also try exciting variations such as ham and avocado, truffles and seafood, and peas and crispy chicken breast.
8) Hotdog
Hotdogs basically require just sausages and hotdog buns. In addition, you should preferably have a selection of toppings such as raw and/or fried onions, pickled cucumbers, as well as ketchup, mustard, and remoulade – depending on taste.
Most people associate roasted hotdogs with something you get at the local grill or quickly at the hotdog stand, but you can also easily whip up some really good hotdogs at home in your own kitchen – especially if you’ve done a bit of the work in advance.
On a weekend, you might try baking your own hotdog buns. Make a large batch and store them in the freezer – then you have the best base for the tastiest homemade hotdogs, even on a gray Monday.
Homemade pickled red onions are also a basic ingredient you should have in the kitchen, as they can be used in a variety of dishes.
You can either have made them well in advance, or you can make them the same evening they are to be used. The best result is achieved by letting them sit and soak for at least a week, but a quick pickling is also a good alternative.
You just need to set aside 10 minutes of working time for this – then they can sit and soak while you prepare the rest of the meal.
In general, quality toppings help make the big leap from classic hotdog stand fare to gourmet hotdog. Both cucumber salad and fried onions are good things to always have on hand.
Additionally, you’ll go a long way by using sausages of good quality. Place the sausages on the pan first and let them fry in butter over low heat for 30 minutes. This way, the fat from the sausage caramelizes.
You can be inspired by the recipe for this roasted hotdog.
If you want to make hotdogs on a day when you have plenty of time, we also have various suggestions for hotdogs that will elevate your idea of “a roasted one with the works” to entirely new heights.
Just look at this gourmet hotdog.
9) Croque Madame
The dish requires at least the following ingredients: white bread, mustard, cheese, and ham, milk, flour, and butter.
A croque madame is the French answer to a toast, and this delicious little thing is also popular far beyond France’s borders. It consists simply of bread spread with mustard and then topped with ham, cheese, and tomato slices. It’s all covered with a cheese sauce (which can be bought ready-made) and gratinated in the oven until golden.
The great thing about the dish is that it is easy and quick to make, and you can put many other things on the bread besides mustard, ham, and cheese. Try omitting the ham and replacing it with some sautéed mushrooms, or add fried onions and tomatoes to the bread. There are countless variations, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
10) One Pot
There are no specific requirements for the content of one-pot dishes, other than that the entire dish is prepared in one pot – including any pasta or rice!
All-in-one dishes, also called “one pot”, have become super popular, and it’s understandable. In less than half an hour, you can have a pot full of food on the dinner table.
This is especially handy if you feel like you have a lot of different ingredients lying around that you can’t immediately figure out how to combine.
The answer is simple: Throw it all into one big pot.
It could be, for example, that you have a piece of white cabbage, some chorizo or bacon, an onion, a splash of milk or cream.
Combine it with a bit of bouillon and, for example, rice or pasta (which most of us have lying around in the kitchen cabinet) in the same pot, and you’ve created a sensible and delicious evening meal without much fuss.
Has your interest in one pot been piqued? Then you’ll find a guide right here.
If you’re in a situation where it needs to go extra fast, you can see in this one-pot recipe how it can be done in just 15 minutes.
11) Tomato Soup
Tomato soup requires at least the following ingredients: an onion, a couple of garlic cloves, dried oregano, oil, canned tomatoes, stock/bouillon, salt and pepper, and a bit of cream.
You can never go wrong with a tomato soup; it can be made in a very short time, and there are countless ways to vary the soup. Onions, garlic, and tomatoes are hard to do without, but did you know that canned tomatoes are actually a better choice than fresh tomatoes when used for soup? This is because in Denmark, for most of the year, there is far more flavor in canned tomatoes than in fresh tomatoes, which is the decisive factor for a good tomato soup. So don’t hesitate to use the canned tomatoes, which are also both cheaper and easy to have on hand.
Use a good stock when cooking the soup (store-bought or homemade) and always season the finished soup with salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegar before serving. As filling for the soup, you can use different types of vegetables, or you can add a bit of (homemade) meatballs if you want some meat. You can serve the soup with bread as a side dish, or you can boil some small pasta shapes and serve them either in the soup or alongside. There are really many variations when it comes to tomato soup, so try out new flavor combinations and side dishes and find your own favorite!
12) Fish n’ Chips:
The dish requires at least the following ingredients: cod or pollock fillet, oil for frying, wheat flour, beer, egg, salt and pepper, and frozen fries.
If you have a leftover fish on hand (e.g., cod or pollock fillet) that hasn’t been eaten, make some Fish n’ Chips.
It doesn’t require many ingredients and is a tasty form of self-indulgence on a dull weekday. The batter you need to dip the fish in is quickly mixed, and in a few minutes, the fish fillets are transformed into the most delicious, crispy fish pieces! The most cumbersome part of Fish n’ Chips is the potatoes, which preferably should be soaked for a long time before frying.
In a pinch, you can use frozen fries from the freezer and fry them in the fryer.
The result is quite good, especially if you use a high-quality product. Fish n’ Chips may not be the healthiest form of dinner, but sometimes you should treat yourself.
And unlike the temptations of the fast-food places, you know here with 100% certainty what the food contains.
Read recipes for fish n’ chips here and here. An alternative could be this: Haddock with beer batter and cornflakes.