I make a fast (or faux) pesto while pasta is cooking.

1. Press garlic in a mug, add basil, fresh ground pepper and salt. Crush on pine nuts if I have any.
2. Cover with olive oil and give it a little stir.
3. Grate parmesan cheese and mix it in.
4. Some more parmesan cheese.
5. And don’t forget the parmesan cheese.

Drain pasta, mix in pesto, enjoy. Can also be fancied up with your mentioned fancies or some olives or marinated peppers or artichokes.

I do something similar but also add chickpeas (protein, baybee).

For one, chicken and salad. For lots, risotto

Frozen chicken nuggets and fries. I do make my own ranch dip/dressing that I always keep on hand though.

I love this thread, so I extracted out everything that was listed so far. Please offer corrections for any errors and I will fix.

1. Frozen chicken nuggets and fries; buttermilk ranch dip 
   Ingredients

• Frozen chicken nuggets
• Frozen fries
• Ranch dip
• • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup fresh buttermilk; up to 1/2 cup for a thinner, dressing like dip
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons Hidden Valley ranch powder
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
  • Optional herbs: chives; parsley; a little tarragon
  • Black pepper; optional squeeze of lemon juice

Steps

• Bake or air fry nuggets and fries per package directions.
• Stir sour cream and mayo until smooth.
• Stir in ranch powder; let it sit 2 minutes so it hydrates.
• Add buttermilk a splash at a time until the texture is right.
• Fold in dill and any other herbs; add pepper; chill 15 to 30 minutes if you can.

2. Chicken and salad 
   Ingredients

• Chicken thighs or breasts
• Salt; pepper; oil
• Salad greens or a bagged salad kit; dressing

Steps

• Season chicken with salt and pepper.
• Cook in a skillet over medium heat until done; about 5 to 7 minutes per side depending on thickness; or bake at 425°F until 165°F internal.
• Toss salad; add dressing; serve together.

3. Risotto 
   Ingredients

• 1 cup arborio rice
• 4 to 5 cups broth, kept warm
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• Optional add ins: mushrooms; peas

Steps

• Warm broth in a saucepan.
• In a second pot, melt butter; toast rice 1 minute.
• Add warm broth 1/2 cup at a time; stir often; keep adding as it absorbs.
• Stop when creamy and the rice is tender; usually 18 to 22 minutes.
• Stir in parmesan; fold in add ins; season to taste.

4. Baked beans on toast 
   Ingredients

• Bread
• Canned baked beans
• Butter

Steps

• Toast bread; butter it.
• Warm beans in a small pan or microwave.
• Spoon beans over toast.

5. Pasta aglio e olio peperoncini 
   Ingredients

• Pasta
• Olive oil
• Garlic, pressed or thinly sliced
• Chili pepper or chili flakes
• Parmesan
• Salt
• Optional: sliced mushrooms; pancetta; chickpeas

Steps

• Cook pasta in well salted water.
• Warm olive oil on low; add garlic and chili; keep heat low so it flavors the oil without browning.
• Drain pasta; toss with the oil; top with plenty of parmesan.
• Optional: crisp pancetta; sauté mushrooms; warm chickpeas; stir in at the end.

6. Fast mug pesto pasta 
   Ingredients

• Pasta
• Garlic
• Basil
• Olive oil
• Salt; black pepper
• Parmesan
• Optional: pine nuts; olives; marinated peppers; artichokes

Steps

• Cook pasta.
• In a mug, crush garlic with salt; add basil; pepper; optional pine nuts; mash well.
• Cover with olive oil; stir; mix in parmesan.
• Drain pasta; toss with pesto; finish with more parmesan.

7. A sandwich 
   Ingredients

• Bread
• Any quick protein: deli meat; tuna; leftovers
• Cheese; greens; pickles
• Condiment: mayo; mustard

Steps

• Build; toast if desired; eat.

8. Quesadillas; high effort to almost no effort 
   Ingredients

• Tortillas
• Shredded cheese
• Optional fillings: cooked protein; onions; peppers; garlic; seasonings
• Salsa; chips

Steps

• High effort: cook protein and vegetables; then assemble; pan fry in the fat left in the pan; add butter if needed.
• Medium effort: use canned chicken or pre cooked frozen Mexican style meat; assemble; pan fry.
• Low effort: assemble; toaster oven until melted.
• Serve with salsa and chips.

9. Instant noodles upgraded 
   Ingredients

• Indomie or Buldak instant noodles
• 1 egg
• Furikake
• Optional mozzarella

Steps

• Cook noodles per package.
• Add seasoning.
• Add egg: crack into the hot noodles and cover 2 minutes; or top with a soft boiled egg.
• Top with furikake; optional mozzarella.

10. Microwaved potato with butter and salt 
    Ingredients

• 1 russet potato
• Butter
• Salt

Steps

• Poke potato all over with a fork.
• Microwave 5 minutes; flip; microwave 3 to 6 minutes until soft.
• Split; add butter and salt.

11. Oatmeal porridge with an egg 
    Ingredients

• Oats
• Water or milk
• Salt
• 1 egg

Steps

• Cook oats with a pinch of salt.
• While hot, stir in the egg steadily until it thickens; or top with a fried egg.

12. Natto and cheddar on toast 
    Ingredients

• Toast
• Natto
• Cheddar

Steps

• Toast bread.
• Mix natto per its usual prep; spoon onto toast.
• Add cheddar; broil briefly if you want it melted.

13. Stuffed frozen chicken breasts; rice; frozen vegetables 
    Ingredients

• Stuffed frozen chicken breasts
• Rice
• Frozen vegetables

Steps

• Bake chicken per package directions.
• Start rice; stir frozen vegetables into the rice near the end, or microwave vegetables separately.
• Serve together.

14. Sweet pasta with poppy seeds or walnuts; powdered sugar 
    Ingredients

• Cooked pasta
• Poppy seeds or chopped walnuts
• Powdered sugar
• Optional butter

Steps

• Toss hot pasta with a little butter.
• Add poppy seeds or walnuts.
• Dust with powdered sugar.

15. Toasted cream of wheat with pasta; jam 
    Ingredients

• Cream of wheat
• Salt
• Water
• Cooked pasta
• Jam or jelly

Steps

• Toast dry cream of wheat in a pan with a pinch of salt until lightly nutty.
• Carefully add water; cook into porridge.
• Stir in cooked pasta.
• Top with jam or jelly.

16. Paprika potatoes with noodles 
    Ingredients

• Potatoes
• Optional onions; optional peppers
• Sweet paprika
• Salt; pepper
• Cooked noodles

Steps

• Boil potatoes until tender.
• Optional: sauté finely chopped onions and peppers.
• Lower heat; stir in sweet paprika; salt; pepper.
• Mash potatoes; mix in the paprika mixture.
• Fold in cooked noodles; serve.

17. Simple skillet goulash 
    Ingredients

• 1 pound ground meat
• 1/2 pound chopped vegetables; bell peppers and onions are common
• 1 jar pasta sauce; about 28 ounces
• Water; about 80 percent of the empty sauce jar
• 1/2 pound dry pasta
• Shredded cheese

Steps

• In a 12 inch skillet, cook meat and vegetables until meat is almost browned.
• Add pasta sauce and water; stir well.
• Add pasta; bring to a boil; reduce to low; cover.
• Cook until pasta is tender; 11 to 20 minutes depending on pasta.
• Stir in shredded cheese; serve.

18. Canned beans and rice; scale the effort 
    Ingredients

• Cooked rice
• Canned beans
• Hot sauce
• Optional upgrades: proper seasoning; smoked sausage; chicken thighs; Mexican rice; cornbread; jambalaya style

Steps

• Warm beans; season; add hot sauce.
• Serve over rice.
• Optional: brown sliced smoked sausage; stir into beans; or add roasted chicken thighs on the side.

19. Sweet farro bowl 
    Ingredients

• 10 minute farro
• Salt
• Butter
• Dried fruit
• Pie spice

Steps

• Boil salted water; add farro; simmer about 10 minutes.
• Drain.
• Stir in butter; dried fruit; pie spice.

20. Frozen salmon; microwave sides 
    Ingredients

• Frozen salmon fillet
• Olive oil; salt; pepper
• Optional sauce
• Microwave green beans; olive oil; salt; pepper
• Microwave rice

Steps

• Heat oven to 425°F.
• Put frozen salmon on a foil lined tray; season with olive oil; salt; pepper; optional sauce.
• Bake about 20 minutes until flaky and cooked.
• Microwave green beans; season; serve with microwave rice.

21. Hobo stew 
    Ingredients

• Frozen or canned vegetables
• Beef broth
• Potatoes, diced
• Ground beef

Steps

• Brown ground beef.
• Add broth; potatoes; vegetables.
• Bring to a boil; simmer about 30 minutes until potatoes are tender.
• Season to taste; reheats well overnight.

Ohh, I’m going to try that, thanks!

Heat 1. a pot with water and 2. a pan with oil

1. Add rice noodles, ketchup, shriracha and a can of shredded tuna
2. stir fry eggs and veggies

I operate pot and pan simultaneously, in the end I tip the stir fry in with the noodles. I can do all this in less than 10 minutes I think (not that I ever stopped myself).

The end result is a sort of asian style noodle soup.

Have to because you have to eat or have to because there’s nothing microwaveable/doesn’t need cooking to eat and you need it quickly?

Former: Tacos or anything I can just throw in the slow cooker before noon.

Latter: Whatever I have on hand that will make food ‍️

• use as little cooking water as possible and emulsify a bit of it with the oil

Lately it’s bastard heathen “”“carbonara”“”".

Chicken flavored instant noodles with a slice of kraft cheese cooked to a thick slurry and add eggs at the end and steam/baste it.