Super-Fast & Easy Suppers To Try This Week

Super-Fast & Easy Suppers To Try This Week

Donna Hay is Australia's leading food editor and a best-selling cookbook author. Throughout her career, she has released a staggering 27 cookbooks, each featuring her style-driven approach to cooking and emphasis on quick and healthy meals. From chorizo and cauliflower bolognese to maple teriyaki salmon, here she shares her favourite speedy, seasonal suppers.

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is if I still cook at home. The answer is yes. Absolutely. So I’m constantly on the lookout for ways to make a classic easier, quicker and better for you, as long as it still tastes amazingly good.

We all want to create delicious meals with minimum fuss. When you add healthy or nutritious to that, some people shy away – concerned that a nutritional boost will be at the expense of flavour and ease. But I say never!

If I can create an almost-instant dinner or a quick one-pan dish that makes someone feel great because it’s super delicious, is nutritionally upscaled with better-for-you ingredients, or that helps them bring a little more balance to their life – that’s success.

If I'm honest, the only thing I like more than an effortless dinner is when the clean-up is a breeze. These one-pan wonder recipes ensure all the goodness and flavour stays in one dish. Keeping the delivery and process uncomplicated is a comforting remedy to life’s hustle and bustle.
 

Inspired? Here are three fresh and easy recipes to try at home…

Super Green Baked Risotto

I love this no-fuss, no-stir risotto. It’s the perfect base to get creative with – try swapping out the kale for finely chopped broccoli or go super simple by scattering in some frozen peas. The choice is yours.

Serves
Serves 4
Total Time
35 Minutes
Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 leek, sliced
2 tbsp lemon thyme leaves
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
300g arborio rice
1.25 litres vegetable or chicken stock
100g baby spinach leaves
120g kale leaves, stems removed and shredded
2 tsp lemon rind, finely grated
1 tbsp lemon juice
5g basil leaves, roughly chopped
40g parmesan, finely grated
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Step 2

Heat a large deep ovenproof frying pan or flameproof roasting pan over medium heat. Add the oil, leek, lemon thyme, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until leek is golden and soft.

Step 3

Add the rice and stock and stir to combine. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or sheets of aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Allow to stand covered for 5 minutes.

Step 4

Remove the lid and stir the spinach, kale, lemon rind and juice into the risotto. Continue stirring until risotto is creamy and the greens are tender. Stir through the basil and parmesan and serve.

Chorizo & Cauliflower Bolognese

Classic bolognese lovers will be easily converted to this up-flavoured version – the kick of chorizo with all the deliciousness of golden cauliflower in a rich tomato sauce. Yes please.

 

Serves
Serves 4
Total Time
25 Minutes
Ingredients
2 fresh chorizo sausages (casings removed), finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp oregano leaves
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
600g cauliflower, finely chopped
Cracked black pepper
400g chopped tomatoes
125ml beef stock
3 courgettes, shredded using a julienne peeler
200g dried wholemeal spaghetti, cooked
Finely grated parmesan and fresh mozzarella, to serve
Method
Step 1

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo, garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan.

Step 2

Add oil, cauliflower and pepper to the frying pan and cook for 8 minutes or until cauliflower has softened and is just starting to brown. Return the chorizo mixture back to the pan and stir to combine. Add the tomato and stock. Reduce heat and simmer rapidly for 5 minutes.

Step 3

Spoon the bolognese over the zucchini noodles and warm pasta. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan and a piece of fresh mozzarella.

Sticky Miso Chicken Roasted On Sesame Pumpkin

The perfect balance of salty and sweet, miso chicken is the absolute star of this recipe. Get creative with a simple switch of veg and herbs for a tasty new spin. Permission granted!

Serves
Serves 4
Total Time
55 Minutes
Ingredients
1.5kg butternut squash, skin scrubbed and thinly sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds, plus extra for sprinkling
Sea salt flakes
Spring onion, thinly sliced and coriander leaves, to serve
For the sticky miso chicken:
95g white miso paste
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
60ml mirin
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp brown rice vinegar
6 x 125g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and halved
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Step 2

Place the squash, oil, sesame seeds and salt in a bowl and toss to coat. Place on a large baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Roast the pumpkin for 20 minutes.

Step 3

To make the sticky miso chicken, place the miso, oil, soy, mirin, sugar and vinegar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Set aside until ready to use.

Step 4

When the squash has cooked, top with the miso chicken and pour over any remaining miso marinade. Roast for a further 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.

Step 5

To serve, divide between plates sprinkle with extra sesame seeds and top with green onion and coriander.

Everyday Fresh Meals In Minutes by Donna Hay is out now.

 
Photography: Con Poulos
Visit DonnaHay.com

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