As the summer evenings stretch out, the last thing anyone wants is to be stuck in the kitchen for hours. For those nights when you need a delicious, nutritious meal in a flash, a new collection of eleven quick and easy dinner recipes promises to be a weeknight saviour.
Speedy Bowls & Global Noodles
The list, featuring recipes from acclaimed cooks like Rukmini Iyer and Yotam Ottolenghi, kicks off with a vibrant cashew rice bowl. Rukmini Iyer's creation combines stir-fried tofu, broccoli, and kimchi with nutty cashews and rice. Iyer recommends a microwave method for the rice, though a rice cooker works perfectly well. She notes the dish was "an absolute hit with my children," a sentiment many parents will appreciate.
For an even faster fix, Junda Khoo's Maggi goreng offers a serious upgrade to instant noodles. This three-step recipe involves adding greens and a fried egg for a more substantial meal. The key to success, as with any stir-fry, is having everything prepped and ensuring your wok or pan is smoking hot before you start.
One-Pot Wonders & Pantry Heroes
Minimising washing up is a universal goal, and several recipes cater to this perfectly. A one-pot orzo with peas, mushrooms, and bacon delivers maximum flavour with minimal mess, requiring just a single saucepan. Similarly, Alice Zaslavsky's pantry puttanesca is a flexible weeknight saviour, using tinned tuna and butter alongside classic ingredients like olives and capers for a rich, speedy pasta sauce.
For a nutritious, comforting option, Masterchef Australia winner Justin Narayan shares his family's daily dal recipe. Made with red and yellow lentils and a simple mix of vegetables and spices, it's a quick and wholesome dish best served with roti or steamed rice.
Flavour-Packed Salads & Savoury Twists
The collection also includes several vibrant salads perfect for warmer weather. Rukmini Iyer's charred corn salad features halloumi, broccolini (sold as tenderstem in the UK), and black beans for a satisfying meat-free meal. Another of her recipes, herb-spiked chickpeas with cherry tomatoes, comes with a crucial warning for toasting the pine nuts: "Under no circumstances should you leave the pan to do something else: they will burn in an instant."
Yotam Ottolenghi brings his signature flair with a recipe for spaghetti with white fish and nori butter, a clever twist on spaghetti alle vongole that uses umami-rich seaweed butter. For a protein-rich option, Meera Sodha's Malaysian eggs (telur masak kicap) feature eggs with lacy edges and a generous garlic and sweet soy (kicap manis) sauce, perfect spooned over rice.
Rounding out the list are two classic concepts elevated. An antipasti beans on toast transforms the humble tin into a gourmet treat under the grill, while Nigel Slater's savoury ricotta and spring onion pancakes offer a delicious "breakfast for dinner" option ready in just ten minutes.
This diverse set of recipes proves that with a little inspiration, a satisfying summer dinner doesn't have to be a time-consuming chore.
