My Top 3 Favorite Meals for When I Have no Energy to Cook
- Stephanie The
- Oct 7
- 2 min read
We’ve all been there, it’s 6:00 p.m., everyone’s hungry, and the last thing you want to do is spend an hour in the kitchen cooking then cleaning. I can't say I love cooking, and on the nights when energy is low and the day has been long, I rely on a few tried-and-true meals that come together quickly.
These are my top three go-to dinners when I just don’t have it in me to cook.
Umami Garlic Noodles
This recipe was originally posted in the New York Times and I've adjusted it to suit our tastes. It has a delicious umami flavor and combines one of my favorite cheese with common Chinese sauces.
Ingredients
1 pound dry spaghetti
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1.5 Tbs minced garlic
6 tsp oyster sauce
2 tsp soya sauce
1/3 cup Parmesan Reggiano
Diced green onions for garnish
Instructions
Boil the noodles as per package instructions.
Add butter and garlic to a non-stick pan and cook on medium heat until butter is melted and garlic is golden brown.
Add in the oyster sauce and soya sauce. Stir until mixed. Notes - butter may not mix in completely and that's fine.
Add in cooked noodles and mix so sauce is covering the noodles.
Mix in parmesan reggiano cheese.
Top with green onions and extra cheese.
Boursin Cheese Baked TikTok Pasta
Another pasta recipe and this one (surprisingly to me) came from Tik Tok. I remember seeing this pasta all over my social media and decided to give it a try. After searching and reading through a few variations, I settled on a recipe from Modern Honey and along with being super easy to make and getting some veggies into my kids, it was a hit with my family. To make it a little extra appetizing to the kids, I also like to melt some cheese on top because what kid dosn't like cheese?
Classic Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry
This recipe comes from one of my very good friends Cooking with Chow, or as we like to call her "Auntie Chow". Christina made this recipe for my family once and it's been in rotation ever since. It's easy and we almost always have all ingredients on hand. We eat this stir fry on rice and is perfect on chilly days as comfort food.
Some nights aren’t about making something impressive, but about making something possible. These quick meals keep my family fed and my sanity intact. They aren't fancy or balanced, just done. And sometimes that’s exactly what homemaking looks like.
Until next time,
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