Learn this dish once and you’ll return to it again and again. Barbecued teriyaki steak is simple and delicious. Flash-fry the meat on a seriously hot griddle for a lovely char and leave it rare in the middle. Allow it to rest for five minutes so the juices soak back in, meanwhile prepare the grilled asparagus and homemade teriyaki sauce.
This Mexican breakfast dish tastes as good in the evening as it does in the morning. Huevos rancheros is toasted tortillas topped with refried beans, egg and spicy tomato. You can add avocado, sour cream and grated cheese to make them even tastier, then tuck in burrito-style or with a knife and fork.
It’s hard to believe this prawn, chorizo and basil linguine can be made in under 30 minutes. Chilli and chorizo go so well with prawns and give the sauce richness and heat. Toss generously into cooked linguine for the ultimate midweek comfort food.
Savoury crêpes are seriously underrated: soft goats’ cheese, melted Comté, salty-sweet ham and crunchy, sour cornichons is the stuff of dreams. Make your batter the day before or save time with shop-bought buckwheat crêpes. Once assembled, toast them in the oven for five minutes.
Treat yourself to an alfresco rib of beef with creamy peppercorn sauce. Rib-eye is one of the most flavourful cuts and deserving of a decadent flambéed sauce. Serve with chips, broccoli or pickled shallots. For more steak tips read our guide to the perfect steak.
Avoid messing around with egg yolk by making this classic chicken Caesar salad with an anchovy, crème fraîche, Worcestershire sauce and mayo dressing. It’s delicious poured over crunchy romaine lettuce and flavoursome grilled chicken thighs. Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme for an aromatic boost.
When you want something that feels fancy but can be made quickly, mussels rassa is just the ticket. The salty, meaty mussels go great with a creamy, spicy and zesty sauce. For the best flavour make sure they’re seriously fresh and serve with chopped coriander and plain rice.
Do you know how quick it is to make cheeseburgers at home? Patties can be grilled in approximately six minutes. Top with cheese slices while they’re still on the heat then build your burger with whatever bun, condiments and toppings you fancy.
For a low-effort supper that’s high on flavour try grilled king prawns with chermoula. Chermoula is a fresh and zingy north African sauce that you can make with coriander, parsley, garlic, preserved lemon and spices. It’s also available in supermarkets. The prawns only take five minutes to grill and are served with rice and caramelised lemon halves.
While the ideal situation is to bake your jacket potato for the best part of an hour, sometimes you only have time to use the microwave. Fake the baked effect and finish it under the grill for a crisp shell. Next, load with whatever takes your fancy from lashings of butter and grated cheddar to chilli con carne.
A rich macaroni cheese is a welcome treat at the end of a busy day. This recipe uses Gruyère and Emmental, plus pancetta, to make it extra cheesy and decadent. Grilled tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes to save time) are a nice addition as their acidity balances the creaminess.
Get the recipe for macaroni cheese with grilled tomatoes here
A decadent dinner with a difference, combine minced lamb shoulder with chorizo to make patties that grill in 10 minutes. Next, level up your lamb and chorizo burgers with garlic mayonnaise and spicy, minty apricot salsa then pop in a brioche bun.
These apple and turkey quesadillas have great crunch. Make them for an under-20-minute lunch or dinner by skipping the marinating step and opting for ready-cooked and marinated chicken or turkey. Shop-bought guacamole also works a treat if you're short on time.
These succulent beef kebabs are so simple to cook on the barbecue. Get presentation points by plating them on a slick of hummus – either buy your favourite or make a batch – then top the meat with a zesty mix of red onion, sumac and parsley.
Learn this classic Japanese noodle dish and wheel it out when you want a satisfying, umami-rich dinner. This yakisoba is a speedy stir-fry of buckwheat noodles, pork and cabbage with a fried egg on top.
Make a little fish go a long way with these Thai spiced fish cakes. White fish, breadcrumbs and curry paste make dainty little crispy fried fish balls. Serve with a fragrant and colourful salad of courgette, coriander, mango, chilli, lime and carrot.
Nothing beats the crunch and nuttiness of fresh falafels. This falafel sandwich pairs them with creamy tahini, herby salad, chilli sauce and tangy pickles in a pitta. It’s a hearty Middle Eastern-inspired lunch or dinner that’s surprisingly quick to make.
Thought it was impossible to make a meat stew without slow-cooking? Think again with this speedy lamb stew packed with garden vegetables. The lamb is cooked quick and served rare in stock with poached carrots, leeks and spring onions. Garnish with bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
A homemade chickpea burger is nothing like its shop-bought counterparts and can be put together in under 25 minutes. These patties are spicy and satisfying. Top with homemade crunchy purple cabbage coleslaw and serve in a toasted sesame seed bun.
Did you know Chinese crispy pork can be made in under 20 minutes? The twice-cooked pork melts in your mouth while the sugar snap peas and baby corn stay nice and crisp. Serve with jasmine rice to soak up all of the sweet and salty sauce.
Everyone loves shrimp tacos and they make a quick, summer supper that can be cooked on the barbecue in less than five minutes. Jazz them up with a spicy strawberry and avocado salsa. Or cut the time it takes to prepare by opting for shop-bought.
This vibrant salad makes a lovely light dinner or side dish. The avocado and carrots are grilled for tasty char marks and the tomatoes are roasted so they become sweet and soft. Toss the veggies with filling wild rice and drizzle over creamy tahini dressing.
For a luxurious midweek meal, rustle up this crab spaghetti. The sauce is super simple with just a little garlic, chilli, parsley and a squeeze of lemon to let the sweet, delicate crab meat do the talking. We love it with spaghetti but swap in any pasta you have available.
This filling potato, courgette and goats’ cheese frittata is packed with protein and greens. The sharp goats’ cheese works wonderfully with waxy new potatoes, courgette and green beans. Eat it hot with crusty bread and salad and have what’s leftover cold for lunch tomorrow.
Get the recipe for potato, courgette and goats' cheese frittata here
Fish fingers aren’t just for kids. These are crunchy, decadent fish finger tacos with watermelon salsa and avocado cream. You can speed things up by using frozen fish fingers – which is a great idea if you’ve forgotten to organise something for dinner.
This hearty haddock and cheese sauce is ideal to cook midweek but nice enough to make for guests on the weekend. The smoky haddock infuses the sauce as it poaches so works amazingly, but you could swap in another white fish. Serve with cooked new potatoes and fresh garden vegetables.
This is a lighter version of a classic British dish, sausages and mash. Potato is swapped for tinned and mashed cannellini beans which saves time. The lemon zest and mustard really complement the sausages. A tangy, tomato gravy goes on top – it’s not strictly necessary but we think more sauce is always a good idea.
Another fast French recipe, this croque madame swaps traditional béchamel for creamy, garlic spinach. It’s tastier and makes the meal more balanced by adding some greens. A little Dijon mustard goes a long way and the fried egg adds protein. You could also sneak in a slice of good-quality ham or smoked salmon.
Getting bored of the same old chicken fillet recipes? Teriyaki chicken is a sweet and savoury Japanese dish which is simple to make. Serve with rice and a sprinkling of spring onion. A good hack is to make a bigger batch of the sauce so next time you want to make this dish, the sauce is ready to go – it keeps for ages in the fridge.
One of the great traditional Italian sauces with one of the best pasta types. Rigatoni with amatriciana is an easy, speedy tomato, salty pancetta and chilli pasta. We love rigatoni because the tubes suck up the sauce so you get some in every bite.