People Are Sharing Their Best “I Don’t Feel Like Cooking” Meals, And Here Are 30 Easy Ones To Try Out
Although most of us are aware that cooking from scratch is the healthiest and one of the cheapest ways to get your nutrition game up and going, sometimes it’s the last thing you want to do.
That’s when the temptations come in: cheesy tacos, meaty burgers, or frozen pizza. But it turns out you don’t need that much effort to prepare a pretty good meal and “I Don’t Feel Like Cooking Today” meals can be an art form in itself.
So when someone asked people “What is your go-to ‘I don't feel like cooking’ meal?” on Ask Reddit people rolled up their sleeves, sharpened their kitchen knives, and got to work. From very basic ingredients to as little effort as possible, this is what we call a perfectly optimized meal.
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Pasta with butter or olive oil and powdered parmesan
Not magic but fried egg sandwiches are quick, cheap and easy on a weeknight and the whole family likes them. Egg fried the way you like, cheese on toasted bread. Bonus if you've got some leftover ham or bacon in the fridge.
The day I learned how to scramble an egg in the microwave in one minute changed my egg sandwich game. Fried bologna, anyone?
Bread and cheese. French bread and French cheese to be precise.
“My favorite go-to no-cook meal is DIY (do it yourself) tacos,” the pediatric dietitian and feeding expert Rachel Rothman, MS, RD, CLEC, who is also the owner of Nutrition in Bloom told Bored Panda.
“I grab a can of black beans, and shredded cheese, chop lettuce and tomatoes, heat up a microwavable bag of rice, and serve with tortillas. It's a perfect super easy family-friendly meal - everyone gets to make the taco of their choice.”
If you want to check more of Rothman’s DIY dinner ideas and why she loves them so much, check out this post.
Cereal
I like mine dry. I hate soggy cereal. So I'll eat it with a cup of coffee.
I always keep at least 5 "lazy day meals" in my freezer for this exact purpose. If I see a good discount on ingredients I'll buy more than I need, cook a larger portion than what I intend to eat that day, and keep one in the freezer. It helps a lot when you get sick and need to eat like a normal human being.
Just remember FIFO (first in; first out).
When I make meals like chili, or pinto beans and ham, freeze the leftovers and have a quick meal to heat up rather than cook a whole meal.
Those days when we don't feel like cooking, frozen food and take-outs can be our saviors. Rothman believes that we shouldn’t demonize them but on the contrary, she argues that take out, frozen food, and fast-food can be part of the food that we are eating - and should be part!
“Life can get busy and these convenience foods serve a purpose–they are convenient. Plus, many of these foods have similar nutrients to a home-cooked meal,” she said.
“As a pediatric dietitian working with busy parents I often encourage my clients to use these foods. Sometimes we have to make choices (like spending extra time with our children or having a fun outing) and if that means skipping out on cooking from scratch I am all for it!”
Frozen dumplings from the supermarket
quesadilla
Egg on rice, lil soy sauce, lil sesame oil. *mwah* 👌
Nachos
I've microwaved chips covered with cheap cheese and maybe a little hot sauce on more occasions than I'd care to admit
Baked potato
There's a lot of cooking going on in this thread.
For me a sandwich. Specifically cream cheese and ham.
I have two sandwiches: deli ham and provolone with lettuce and onion, and hard salami, sliced hard boiled egg, and American cheese on white toast. It's very important that the egg slices are the middle layer.
A flour tortilla with shredded sharp cheddar and some La Victoria salsa. Fold it over and nuke it for 30 seconds, and eat away!
Instant mashed potatoes with butter and peas
I grew up eating that instant potato-flake mashed potato stuff! I still like it! Homemade is best, but instant mashed potatoes are absolutely legitimate :) We always got a brand that came in a big brown box… wish I could remember the brand :(
Idaho Spuds, maybe? That's the name of my mom's "brand."
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Instant mash with a can of sardines in tomatoes sauce mixed in, made into fish cake size patties, then pan fried til golden on each side. You're welcome!
Never let my wife see this. She would send rabid otters to nibble your toes! She is the worlds biggest potato lover and always insists you must make your own from boiled potatoes.
Instant mash potatoes are just... Ugh, I know it saves time but it's so much better homemade.
Add [frozen] riced cauliflower, and kids won't even know they're getting "green" veggies!
My mum bribed us to eat liver and onions with mashed potatoes mixed with spinach!!! She was an awesome cook so no bribery was actually necessary.... I miss her.
Good call. Peas are best mixed with mashed potato. Only way I like them.
The flavored ones are good as is. Add real bacon bits, butter, and broccoli, and it's heavenly.
Tuna melt on English muffins here. Always got tuna, mayo, an onion and something I can toast under some cheese .
I've never put my tuna melts on a English muffin before. I use whole wheat bread. I will have to try it with the English muffin.
Lunch meat, pepperoni, pickles, olives and cheese.
Peanut butter on a spoon
Thanks, BP, for the lovely stock photo of caramel drizzling onto ice cream on an entry about peanut butter XD Stay classy, BP.
Same here, though it's more like "we don't feel like coming up with anything to make, or going shopping" since it still involves some cooking.
We get these noodles called Mi Goreng, make them, add some sauteed vegetables (whatever we have) cooked in gochujang, with a fried egg on top. It is so good.
That's Indomie! Yesss 😊 I call this dressed up instant noodle. My favorite combo is egg, shredded leftover rotisserie chicken, scallion, and cabbage if I have some.
toast with sunny side up eggs, feta cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers
Black bean chili. A can of black beans, a can of diced tomatoes, some onion, some garlic, some chili powder, salt, pepper, and a bit of simmering. Easy, cheap, and tasty. It's a weeknight staple now.
For some reason feel like a crime to admit it, but I never liked beans. With the sauce they are in, they don't appetizing... The texture isn't great, the taste also isn't doing anything for me. They are easy if taken from the can and ptobably good for you eith vitamins and other healthy nutriens, but man they are not nice...
Shawarma place less than a 5 min drive from me.
Shawarma or a good gyro pretty much always hits the spot for me. I also wish doner kebab was more common near me.
Canned stuffed dolmas from Trader Joe’s. Also a great work lunch.
I nuke a bag of veggies and legit just eat out of the bag with a fork
Why heat frozen veggies? XD I prefer them raw straight out of the fridge. Zero prep time, don’t even bother cutting/peeling, just wash em off. I prefer Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli raw to cooked. I’ll die on that hill XD
My family has done this all the time ever since I was little and now I have my wife making it too.
We affectionately call it shaker cheese spaghetti.
Get those little frozen burritos (El Monterey is the brand I get) two of those on a plate
1min in the microwave, flip then another minute
pile with shredded cheese and salsa (or just hot sauce)
then one more minute in the microwave.
I call them Bachelor Enchiladas, or Bachiladas
it's a good meal that's ready in about 4 minutes including the time to dig em out of the freezer. Only dishes it dirties are a plate, a fork, and your cheese grater.
Try it with a little enchilada sauce next time on those El Monterey ‘s !
Bunches of green onions go on sale all the time here for under a dollar, so I will buy like 10 of them, dice them finely, and put them in the freezer. When I make my ramen with an egg, I can grab a handful and toss them in.
After using, stick the root bulbs in a bit of dirt outside and you’ll have perpetual green onions in perpetuity. Just snip off a bit of the stalk with scissors as needed! I literally have store-bought green onions growing in my yard that were originally purchased years ago, they’ve just been propagating/growing/flowering/seeding the nearby dirt and growing baby green onions ;)
Bagel Bites, freezer section. Trust me those things f*****g slap
I've eaten these several times, and they've never been prone to violence.
Box of Mac and cheese with browned hamburger onions and some peas mixed in.
Tuna sandwich
Sometimes i just put a little mayo, hot sauce, lemon juice, and pepper right into the can and dig in. It's actually even better with decent sardines.
Rotisserie chicken is a great option. Make s big salad or just cut off however much meat you want and you're set.
I buy rotisserie chicken from Costco regularly. Sometimes I feel really lazy and just cut off a chunk of chicken for lunch and eat some fruit afterwards.
Spam, eggs and rice
I make giant batches of soup and freeze a ton of it in 1 cup cubes. Takes 30 seconds to pop a frozen soup cube or two and put it on the stove to boil until done.
I'm also frugal so a lot of my soups are called "protein" anything soups. Whatever protein I have on hand (chicken, sausage, etc) paired with whatever veggies I have that are going bad/ I got on sale.
How big are your ice cubes??? Not sure two ice cube sized portions are going to be quite enough to use instead of cooking a meal! If using them to add to something else, that's already a bit too much effort rather than a frozen pizza or a jacket spud!
Frozen foods from Trader’s Joes. It tastes so good even from a microwave.
Tortilla. Shredded cheese. Tortilla. Microwave 1 min.
I add a knob of butter to the beans when they are heating, and then ground white pepper afterwards. 'Kin delicious!
Chicken strips and fries
I used to do that a lot. Like bro. I loves me some chicken, (even tho I don't eat it anymore. But still, MMM)
When I used to babysit these three boys and I didn't have much cooking skills, I made up this simple dish that they absolutely loved. We called it 'Samurai Slop.'
- egg noodles
- ground beef/sliced kielbasa
- Korean bbq sauce
-(optional) fried egg on top
About as easy as mac n' cheese, and actually pretty good. ~~Throughout my 20's,~~ f**k I still make it for myself when I'm lazy.
Chinese Inspired Late-Night Noodles
Boil some noodles, drain, and then toss into a skillet with some oil to lightly crisp (optional). Mix a few spoonfuls of Lao Gan Ma chili oil (I prefer the black bean variety), soy sauce, and sesame seed oil then mix it with the noodles. A bit of sesame paste or peanut butter in the mix also works well.
I once had to claw my way into a can of chef boyardi after the lid snapped off and I realized I didn't have a can opener. I also didn't have any silverware or plates, so I ended up drinking cold tomato sauce and noodles, which was actually oddly satisfying.
Is there anyone out there who believes that Spaghetti O's, or Beefaroni etc. tastes better cold? Or am I just a weirdo? (Don't answer that! :)
Canned soup or a Harris Teeter sub. That Well Yes soup brand is really good imo
Tinned Heinz pea and ham soup and a ham sandwich w/fresh bread and butter.
Did I miss the grilled cheese sandwich in this post?? That's my go to lazy food.
It's there, but for some reason there's no photo. Grilled cheese and tomato is awesome too
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I put a cup of oatmeal in the microwave. Very tasty with brown sugar and cinnamon
oatmeal !!! DEFINETLY !! with raisins and nuts. And no sugar but when cooled till 30 degrees Celsius add fresh honey
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Somehow, I still expected actual meals that are fast to make, not like frozen pizza or ice cream. So I'm just gonna share 2 of my fast-to-make-favorites: • Bruschetta-Pizza: My supermarket sells big slices of bruschetta bread. Put some tomato sauce on it, and add green pesto, cherry tomatoes, and cheese of your choice. Bake in the oven for ~15 minutes. Tastes better than any storebought pizza and is faster to make than actual pizza. • Egg-Wraps: Make an omelet with 2 eggs, and fry it on one side. Put a tortilla on the other once it starts to turn solid. Then flip over and fry till it's nice and golden. Put some remoulade on the egg side, roll the warp, and you're done. You can also add some cheese once you flipped the egg side up.
Strongly recommend the bruschetta pizza, and you can use different toppings for variety or if you're making it for more than one person
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What I call a snack tray. Made it for my kids when I was too tired to cook. Still make it occasionally. I grab all the salad stuff from my fridge, lunch meat and cheese. (tuna or chicken salad if you have it) Just make piles of each thing on their plate all separately. Baby carrots, sugar snap peas, yellow, orange, red bell pepper, olives, celery, cucumber, avocado, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts or almonds, ... roll up the lunch meat, cheese too if it's sliced and whatever else you can find. Very little prep besides just grabbing it out of a bag and piling it up. If they are picky eaters just set it on the table in the middle and let them get off what they want to eat. Even got my grandkids to try fresh spinach that way.
I would call that a healthy charcuterie board. Check out Amazon for a really nice charcuterie board. I used to serve these with fancy olives stuffed with feta or pancetta wrapped around asparagus or anything you can think of and pair it with white wine. There are websites devoted to making fancy charcuterie boards for parties. Great for New Years Eve !
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I have a fake Keurig "single cup" brewer - hot water from that into a package of oatmeal = eating in 1 minute.
I recently introduced my kids to what I call "salami toast" which is exactly what it sounds like: toast w butter and only one or two slices of salami. Good and satisfying plus the kids can mk it themselves!
We always have the chopped veggies for a coleslaw but without the dressing. (Some in the house like it with mayo, others red wine vinegar, & etc.) With it already chopped it's easy give a quick stir fry with rice or as the greens in a sandwich. I love colcannon, which is mashed potato with cabbage or kale. For a really no fuss meal instant mash and the slaw mix cooked in the water as it heats. It's a decent, fast, and cheap comfort food.
German student here: Pesto from a glass and Pasta. Or aglio et oglio. Spaghetti with olive oil, chiliflakes and garlic. Or – a German classic with Kids, too – some good Qualität whole grain bread with a thick layer of butter and a pinch of salt on top of it. If you're a German kid and hungry, but it's not time for lunch/dinner yet, theres a good chance your Patents will tell you to just eat a "Butterbrot". And it's simple yet delicious. And Most German households will have some good bread stored or frozen in slices, that can be toasted unfrozen (Lifehack!)
Pasta and store-bought red pesto, can easily be made more luxurious by adding ruccola, feta and pine nuts provided you have it at home. But pasta and pesto is easy to always have home.
Bagel with cream cheese or just toasted with butter, minute rice cup or rice a roni cup, individual size.
Kimchi and rice, or frozen peas microwaved with garlic powder, salt, pepper and butter
My dad makes what we call "poor man's pepper steak", very simple. Ground beef, green pepper, and yellow onion fried together and then simmered in beef gravy, served with instant rice.
anyone else just grab a bag of shredded cheese and just dive in? or am i a sick fu¢k?
Hey you just named the four year old's dinner most nights. But she goes between using hands or a spoon, cause we're fancy and all
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Butter Toast with grape jelly and scrambled eggs all together like an open face sandwich. It sounds crazy, and it probably is, but it's fast and freakin delicious! Use fruit sweetened jelly/jam without extra sugar for the win! Also grilled cheese. I love to make it with Italian cheese and dip it into marinara sauce. The "pizza grilled cheese" 😋
One of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten was an air fryer. So many things I can make now without dirtying a pan or having to wait for the oven to preheat. My favorite right now is my lazy grilled cheese. Takes maybe 3 minutes to make toast then sprinkle cheese on and pop it in to melt. Quick and doesn’t taste like depression the way my microwaved meals do lol
Family fave: Curried shrimp and peas. Saute garlic in olive oil. Add curry powder - mild or whatever - and stir. If using uncooked shrimp, add with peas - sugar snap or whatever. If using fresh peas and cooked shrimp, add peas before shrimp. Add small can of coconut milk. Yum. We always have the ingredients on hand.
Cup noodles. Just add water and an egg and wait for a bit and you have a meal.
My mother, when she came home from work and was too exhausted to cook, would mix a can of mushroom soup with frozen peas and put it on toast. I hated that one.
Seems like some of these ideas is not so quick to make though. Sounds like some of these ideas might take a little bit of time to make.
Instant grits with shredded cheese and hot sauce! An over-easy egg on top if I'm feeling ambitious enough
I have one, canned chicken with minute rice (comes in a bag and you cook it in the microwave for one minute) or sometimes I use those Little Potato Company potatoes (5 minutes in the microwave) and frozen veggies (microwave them separately, and the warm the chicken as well.) Add some butter, and mix it all together! Usually it makes enough for two meals. I literally made this up in September when I was moving, and didn't have a lot of food or pots and pans around, but I had all these ingredients and a microwave!
Peanut butter and maple syrup mixed up in a container. Then you dip crackers in it. It is DELICIOUS. I haven't eaten it in a few years tho. But still, GOOD.
Any easy potato-mashed, frozen fry or tater tot- and fried eggs. Mush it all together.
I like to take some ghost pepper tortillas chips, a bit of cheese and sour cream and roll them up in a soft tortilla like a burrito. Quick, easy and tasty.
My friend used to take Dorito chips and add Tapatio sauce, some chili powder and lime juice to the bag and munch away!
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Yep, and yum. When being lazy the most effort involved should be when opening the packet! Not mixing ingredients.
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Did I miss the grilled cheese sandwich in this post?? That's my go to lazy food.
It's there, but for some reason there's no photo. Grilled cheese and tomato is awesome too
Load More Replies... I put a cup of oatmeal in the microwave. Very tasty with brown sugar and cinnamon
oatmeal !!! DEFINETLY !! with raisins and nuts. And no sugar but when cooled till 30 degrees Celsius add fresh honey
Load More Replies... Somehow, I still expected actual meals that are fast to make, not like frozen pizza or ice cream. So I'm just gonna share 2 of my fast-to-make-favorites: • Bruschetta-Pizza: My supermarket sells big slices of bruschetta bread. Put some tomato sauce on it, and add green pesto, cherry tomatoes, and cheese of your choice. Bake in the oven for ~15 minutes. Tastes better than any storebought pizza and is faster to make than actual pizza. • Egg-Wraps: Make an omelet with 2 eggs, and fry it on one side. Put a tortilla on the other once it starts to turn solid. Then flip over and fry till it's nice and golden. Put some remoulade on the egg side, roll the warp, and you're done. You can also add some cheese once you flipped the egg side up.
Strongly recommend the bruschetta pizza, and you can use different toppings for variety or if you're making it for more than one person
Load More Replies... What I call a snack tray. Made it for my kids when I was too tired to cook. Still make it occasionally. I grab all the salad stuff from my fridge, lunch meat and cheese. (tuna or chicken salad if you have it) Just make piles of each thing on their plate all separately. Baby carrots, sugar snap peas, yellow, orange, red bell pepper, olives, celery, cucumber, avocado, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts or almonds, ... roll up the lunch meat, cheese too if it's sliced and whatever else you can find. Very little prep besides just grabbing it out of a bag and piling it up. If they are picky eaters just set it on the table in the middle and let them get off what they want to eat. Even got my grandkids to try fresh spinach that way.
I would call that a healthy charcuterie board. Check out Amazon for a really nice charcuterie board. I used to serve these with fancy olives stuffed with feta or pancetta wrapped around asparagus or anything you can think of and pair it with white wine. There are websites devoted to making fancy charcuterie boards for parties. Great for New Years Eve !
Load More Replies... I have a fake Keurig "single cup" brewer - hot water from that into a package of oatmeal = eating in 1 minute.
I recently introduced my kids to what I call "salami toast" which is exactly what it sounds like: toast w butter and only one or two slices of salami. Good and satisfying plus the kids can mk it themselves!
We always have the chopped veggies for a coleslaw but without the dressing. (Some in the house like it with mayo, others red wine vinegar, & etc.) With it already chopped it's easy give a quick stir fry with rice or as the greens in a sandwich. I love colcannon, which is mashed potato with cabbage or kale. For a really no fuss meal instant mash and the slaw mix cooked in the water as it heats. It's a decent, fast, and cheap comfort food.
German student here: Pesto from a glass and Pasta. Or aglio et oglio. Spaghetti with olive oil, chiliflakes and garlic. Or – a German classic with Kids, too – some good Qualität whole grain bread with a thick layer of butter and a pinch of salt on top of it. If you're a German kid and hungry, but it's not time for lunch/dinner yet, theres a good chance your Patents will tell you to just eat a "Butterbrot". And it's simple yet delicious. And Most German households will have some good bread stored or frozen in slices, that can be toasted unfrozen (Lifehack!)
Pasta and store-bought red pesto, can easily be made more luxurious by adding ruccola, feta and pine nuts provided you have it at home. But pasta and pesto is easy to always have home.
Bagel with cream cheese or just toasted with butter, minute rice cup or rice a roni cup, individual size.
Kimchi and rice, or frozen peas microwaved with garlic powder, salt, pepper and butter
My dad makes what we call "poor man's pepper steak", very simple. Ground beef, green pepper, and yellow onion fried together and then simmered in beef gravy, served with instant rice.
anyone else just grab a bag of shredded cheese and just dive in? or am i a sick fu¢k?
Hey you just named the four year old's dinner most nights. But she goes between using hands or a spoon, cause we're fancy and all
Load More Replies... Butter Toast with grape jelly and scrambled eggs all together like an open face sandwich. It sounds crazy, and it probably is, but it's fast and freakin delicious! Use fruit sweetened jelly/jam without extra sugar for the win! Also grilled cheese. I love to make it with Italian cheese and dip it into marinara sauce. The "pizza grilled cheese" 😋
One of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten was an air fryer. So many things I can make now without dirtying a pan or having to wait for the oven to preheat. My favorite right now is my lazy grilled cheese. Takes maybe 3 minutes to make toast then sprinkle cheese on and pop it in to melt. Quick and doesn’t taste like depression the way my microwaved meals do lol
Family fave: Curried shrimp and peas. Saute garlic in olive oil. Add curry powder - mild or whatever - and stir. If using uncooked shrimp, add with peas - sugar snap or whatever. If using fresh peas and cooked shrimp, add peas before shrimp. Add small can of coconut milk. Yum. We always have the ingredients on hand.
Cup noodles. Just add water and an egg and wait for a bit and you have a meal.
My mother, when she came home from work and was too exhausted to cook, would mix a can of mushroom soup with frozen peas and put it on toast. I hated that one.
Seems like some of these ideas is not so quick to make though. Sounds like some of these ideas might take a little bit of time to make.
Instant grits with shredded cheese and hot sauce! An over-easy egg on top if I'm feeling ambitious enough
I have one, canned chicken with minute rice (comes in a bag and you cook it in the microwave for one minute) or sometimes I use those Little Potato Company potatoes (5 minutes in the microwave) and frozen veggies (microwave them separately, and the warm the chicken as well.) Add some butter, and mix it all together! Usually it makes enough for two meals. I literally made this up in September when I was moving, and didn't have a lot of food or pots and pans around, but I had all these ingredients and a microwave!
Peanut butter and maple syrup mixed up in a container. Then you dip crackers in it. It is DELICIOUS. I haven't eaten it in a few years tho. But still, GOOD.
Any easy potato-mashed, frozen fry or tater tot- and fried eggs. Mush it all together.
I like to take some ghost pepper tortillas chips, a bit of cheese and sour cream and roll them up in a soft tortilla like a burrito. Quick, easy and tasty.
My friend used to take Dorito chips and add Tapatio sauce, some chili powder and lime juice to the bag and munch away!
Load More Replies... Yep, and yum. When being lazy the most effort involved should be when opening the packet! Not mixing ingredients.
Load More Replies... 